ANGEL GUITARIST PUNKY MEADOWS TALKS GEAR, NEW MUSIC AND THE GLAM TITANS’ SURPRISE SECOND ACT
By Andrew Daly
WITH THE WORLD devolving into a sweltering casserole of low attention spans and ever-fickle attitudes for what some call “legacy acts,” it’s becoming harder and harder to create, let alone support, new music. But that’s no matter to Seventies glam titans Angel.
Since their triumphant return to the studio, 2019’s Risen, the group has done its part to carry the torch and keep it burning bright. And so, when the news came that Angel were at work again, their fanbase was excited. If the early returns are any indication, Angel’s latest offering, Once Upon a Time, is yet another glimmering affair, laced with slick solos, soaring vocals and cohesive instrumentation.
Still, the pitfalls of the modern era remain. When asked if those issues weigh on him, guitarist Punky Meadows says, “Angel fans are fierce. They’re so loyal. Everybody knows records are hard to sell nowadays. But look, I’m a guitar player; I’ve never worried about what’s popular. But our record company was worried about having so many songs. They said, ‘Punky, why don’t you lose some of these songs?’ I said, ‘I can’t do that. I might be dead next year. It’s all got to come out now.’ We decided to keep all the songs and make it an experience. We can’t worry about selling CDs. All we can do is make a good record and hope the fans are into it as much as we are.”
As he prepares to hit the road, Punky Meadows had a chat with Guitar World to recount the origins of Once Upon a Time, dig into his gear and offer his musings on Angel’s second act.
What can you tell me about Angel’s new record, Once Upon a Time?
We were promoting the last record, Risen, and then Covid hit, so I told Danny [Farrow] and Frank [DiMino], “Hey, maybe we should write another album.” I figured we might as well make the most of the time while sitting there and doing nothing. So we talked to Cleopatra, our label, and they were happy to give us another deal. From there, Danny and I started writing right away, and I’m pretty prolific; I’m always writing. I sit on my couch playing my guitar and watch TV every night, but nobody can watch TV with me because I play the whole time. [Laughs]
What sets this record apart from past albums?
What I love about Angel is the diversity. I never want to repeatedly give the fans the same record like many bands do. I like diversification. I came up playing in bar bands,
