Holyoke's Arc City Angels want to bring their high-energy music to as many people as possible, and take other local artists along with them on their way up. Between their live shows and the Internet, the four are busy doing what they love best: playing and writing music, and promoting Holyoke's wealth of like-minded bands.
The young group, whose members are all 19 and 20 years old, was formed by Holyoke High School classmates Daniel Lefebvre and Jeremy Feliciano. They debuted at a school variety show.
"The talent show didn't necessarily spark the creation of our band," says Feliciano. "But it was an opportunity for a few high school friends to come together and showcase what we had been working on for over six months."
Feliciano handles lead vocal duties, while Lefebvre sings and plays lead guitar; drummer Brian Westbrook and bassist Ben Parsons round out the band's lineup.
Arc City Angels describe their sound as a unique amalgamation of pop, metal and R&B. "In general, it's hard rock," Feliciano says. "But there are many different influences among the individual band members, ranging anywhere from hip-hop to metal. As a whole, we don't really try to categorize ourselves as a specific sound. We all put our two cents in. We have always had the attitude that we don't really want to be held down by what others expect us to be. We play whatever it is we feel like creating, whether it's pre-categorized or completely original."
As for inspirations, Feliciano reels off a lengthy list of bands, from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rush to Jay-Z and the Beatles. "We honestly can't say that we all look up to a certain band and try to play similar to them," he says. "Dan, Ben, and Brian pretty much love anything technical, heavy and catchy."
From the outset, the band wanted a name that reflected the members' aspirations. "The whole thought of the 'arc angels' came from the idea that we wanted to establish that we would sort of become something from nothing, 'arc' symbolizing fallen, or the bottom, and 'angels' symbolizing the rising or the risen," says Feliciano. "'City' was to symbolize the fact that we came from a city. Particularly, one that is looked down on by surrounding areas."
The members are proud of their Holyoke roots, but wish the city's club scene was more vibrant and afforded more opportunities. "Within the past few years, basically since the downfall of Celebrate Holyoke, there hasn't really been a music scene in Holyoke," laments Feliciano. "Even though there are a lot of other good bands in Holyoke, we think we can all agree that we can't only rely on the Waterfront just to get a gig in town. Our goal as a band is to bring back what Holyoke has lost and revive the local music scene. There is too much talent here that is not being recognized, and it truly is a shame."
That altruism is evident when Feliciano is asked about Arc City Angels' dream bill. Every band he cites is from New England, and a majority hail from Western Massachusetts: Swill Merchants, Exit Reason, Us Against The Archers, Yucky Octopus, Life On Hold, Gone By Daylight, Undefyed and Five Across The Eyes.
The quartet is currently recording its debut full-length album at PDP Production Studios in Greenfield, but has been forced to work in fits and starts. "The process has been somewhat difficult, seeing as we are all full-time college students," says Feliciano. "Most of our work gets done on the weekends here and there, when we can make time to come home and get some recording done. We have been recording since August, but at the rate things are going, we hope to have it released in the spring."
Feliciano says the Web has been vital in facilitating Arc City Angels' connection to their fans while they are away at their respective schools. "If we didn't have the Internet to help promote the band and keep in touch with all our fans, we wouldn't have the reputation that we have and we would struggle."
Arc City Angels pride themselves on their energetic live performances. "We try our best to be as entertaining as possible," Feliciano explains. "Each member of the band is either a music major or has had some kind of extensive classical training in music, so we are all pretty anal about the way things get done in the band. We set our goals and expectations very high. At our live shows, you can expect to see all the members interacting with the crowd as well as each other. It's kind of like having all the energy of a Van Halen or Marilyn Manson concert on a smaller stage. We try as hard as we can to really bring out the emotions in our music."
While the four would ideally like more time as a unit to play and record, they plan to stick it out, and their collective goals remain the same. "We would like to think the future holds lots of expensive clothes, cars, and women," jokes Feliciano. "But as a whole, we all just hope to make a living doing what we love best, and that's writing and playing music."
For song samples and upcoming shows, visit myspace.com/arccityangels.
