Picking up the
beat for Talisman

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

In 1984, Don Henley sang the lyrics, "Don’t look back. You can never look back," on his Grammy-winning solo hit The Boys of Summer.
He must have been lying, or at least severely mistaken.
A band of Philadelphia area rock-and-rollers, led by a Northeast lady perhaps known best to Times readers as a community activist and the local queen of recycling, is proving that even musicians can in fact rekindle long-dormant collaborations with spectacular results.
Members of Talisman the Band first joined forces in the mid-1990s (around the same time Henley’s Eagles reunited for their Hell Freezes Over tour) to arrange and record a collection of songs written by front woman and Upper Holmesburg resident Crystal "C" Eiswert for her acoustic guitar.
But after a couple of years of touring the local bar circuit and with just two recorded tracks in the can, individual obligations like families and careers intervened to short-circuit the band.
Now, just over a decade later, the four original members — Eiswert, Michael DeAngelis, Jim Nichols and Steven Jay — have finally gotten around to finishing the project. They’ve added seven new recordings to those first two and this fall released their debut CD, The Wicked World’s Come of Age.
The music showcases Eiswert’s deep vocal range and contemplative lyrics, along with Nichols’ eclectic and polished guitar melodies and solos, driven by the steady rhythms of DeAngelis on drums and Jay on bass guitar. On several of the songs, Eiswert adds some acoustic guitar, keeping much of their original spirit alive.
Ironically, band members feel that the songs may appeal to a wider audience now than they did the first time around because of the renewed popularity of adult-oriented rock.
"I think Crystal’s songwriting is something that has come around," said Nichols. "With the advent of WXPN (88.5-FM) and the adult-alternative scene, it’s come back around. In 2008, more people are tuning in to the style."
"I always felt in the back of my mind that these good songs shouldn’t go to waste," agreed DeAngelis, a Perkasie resident.
More than any other bandmate, the drummer can take credit for getting the group going in the first place. He and Eiswert met as co-workers in 1991 and learned of their common interest in music.
"I had been writing songs since I was real young and never did anything with them," Eiswert said. "I never thought about trying to hook up with other musicians."
"I was playing drums and Crystal was playing guitar," DeAngelis said. "We just started strumming and it started clicking."
They spent about a year performing as "C: The Duo" in smallish night spots, cafés, bookstores and other modest venues. They recorded a cassette tape and called it Shades of Gray.
Eiswert’s words touched upon a spectrum of familiar singer-songwriter subjects like relationships, family, and loss of innocence, but with a unique tone. Meanwhile, both performers recognized a much greater potential in the music.
"There’s only so much you can do with drums and an acoustic guitar," DeAngelis said.
The duo decided to expand. Nichols, who had experienced earlier success with a prominent Philly-area cover band, was first to respond to their classified ad seeking a lead guitarist. Jay followed soon after, also in response to an ad.
"I just wanted to add some needed texture to the music," DeAngelis said. "Jim had the most profound effect on the sound by his guitar-playing. He has a very melodic style."
"I think the sound grew organically," said Nichols, a Quakertown resident. "They had this sound and I was able to come in and add additional atmosphere."
Jay, a Blue Bell resident, found that Eiswert’s songs afforded the group flexibility in their interpretations.
"Especially on bass," he said.
"You can play them simply or complex. They offer a lot of versatility."
Managing their collective musical aspirations within their individual obligations proved too much an obstacle at the time, however. One member was starting a family, while others had their own families and day jobs to consider.
"We didn’t have a plan. We just enjoyed playing our music," DeAngelis said.
The difficulty they found in getting an LP-length recording together in that first go-round was another unwelcome surprise. Progress was slow.
"Getting two songs down took almost as much effort as getting this whole (new) CD done," Eiswert said.
Jay was first to leave the group. The remaining three members interviewed some potential replacements, but none fit the bill.
"Then the three of us just decided to take a break," Eiswert said.
In the interim, Eiswert helped create the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association in her neighborhood and dedicated herself to recycling advocacy. She was featured in the Nov. 10, 2005 edition of the Times for her near-obsessive efforts to reduce non-recyclable waste in her home.
She proudly notes that the packaging for the band’s new CD is ultra-green. It was made from recycled drink containers and paperboard. Unfortunately, they have been unable to convince distributors to inventory the discs without the environmentally unfriendly cellophane shrink-wrap.
Eiswert and DeAngelis continued working together, while she and Nichols’ wife Norma remained in touch. Nichols and DeAngelis remained active musically in cover bands, while Eiswert and Jay stopped playing altogether, though they also stayed in touch via e-mail.
In late 2006, Jay happened to attend a benefit show by DeAngelis’ band. Around the same time, DeAngelis, Eiswert and Nichols began discussing a reunion of sorts. The idea was to remix their two earlier recordings — Comfortable Love and Burning Bridges.
"We remixed these songs, and I threw it out to everybody. There was interest there," DeAngelis said.
"I wanted to go through the process and have something down to show for it," Jay said.
The remix occurred in October 2006, followed by rehearsals early the following year. That summer they began working with engineer and co-producer Pete Davis at Signal Sound Studios in Quakertown. About a year later, they had seven more songs for the album.
While the process brought a tidal wave of memories flooding back, members agree that the final product now is not what it might have been a decade ago.
"For me, I think my musical tastes have changed," Nichols said.
"In terms of my technique, that has evolved," Jay said.
The project has re-energized their creativity on multiple levels. Eiswert is back writing songs again.
"I want to be a songwriter. My dream would be to have a nice minor hit that somebody famous would like to record and take around the country, then to have them come back for more," she said.
"As players, I look forward to us breaking some new ground," DeAngelis said. "Adding complexity to the music has been a bonus for us lately." ••
Talisman the Band will perform at John and Peter’s, 96 S. Main St., New Hope, on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 3 to 6 p.m. Call 215-862-5981 for information. For information about the band, visit myspace.com/talismanthebandusa
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com