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PHOTO BY JAMIE MCCORMACK

WHERE THE ANGELOS ROAM. From left to right, John Michael, Alan Chalfant-Whitwam, Alex Warren and Joshua Kracht perform during a recent show at Maggie O’Toole’s.

Mayor Fawcett’s legacy lives on

By John Larson

Spend a little time with the members of Angelo Fawcett and one realizes they are quite the local history buffs.

The Tacoma band consists of Alex Warren on drums, John Michael on guitar, Joshua Kracht on bass and Alan Chalfant-Whitwam on vocals.

The band was formed in 2006. Chalfant-Whitwam and Warren knew each other from Foss High School, where they sang in a choir together. Chalfant-Whitwam knew Kracht from his playing in another local rock group. Their first guitarist left the band after he graduated from the University of Puget Sound. Michael answered an ad they posted online for a new guitarist and joined the group last December.

The band takes its name from local historical figure Angelo Fawcett, who did much to revive the local economy from the devastating impact of the Panic of 1893. He served several terms as mayor of Tacoma in the early part of the last century, even winning an election after a previous term ended from a recall effort.

His leadership led to the establishment of the Port of Tacoma and the construction of the 11th Street Bridge (now Murray Morgan Bridge) and Union Station.

When Northern Pacific Railroad was the most powerful entity in town, it sought to acquire a city-owned right of way along South 19th Street. Fawcett drove a hard bargain with the railroad, demanding in return for the right-of-way that the city receive one mile of waterfront property from the railroad. Northern Pacific agreed, and the land was used to construct Municipal Dock, which broke the monopoly the railroad had on commerce along what is now Thea Foss Waterway.

Kracht said Fawcett was also known for an “open city” approach to vice, setting lenient policies regarding saloons and bordellos.

“Because of his display of balls and love of vice, we felt it was perfect to name the band after him,” Kracht remarked. “He loved Tacoma, just as we do.”

Kracht so admires the former mayor he has visited Fawcett’s gravesite.

One of Fawcett’s descendents recently contacted the band to tell them she was pleased they named themselves after her famous ancestor.

Not everyone gets the historical reference. One club owner called Chalfant-Whitwam about a gig. When the singer answered the phone, the owner asked, “Are you Angelo Fawcett?”

Chalfant-Whitwam describes the band’s sound as “aggressive, blues-based hard rock.”

Kracht feels they do not fit into the hipster circles and their style sets them apart from the heavy metal and punk rock scenes. “We are our own schizophrenic animal,” he said with a laugh.

The band has nine original songs. Chalfant-Whitwam and Warren write the lyrics. Much of the music is built upon Kracht’s bass lines. Kracht said each member brings different influences and styles to the songwriting process. “We interpret things in our own ways,” he observed.

“We are extremely adaptive,” Chalfant-Whitwam added. He feels the addition of Michael has altered and expanded the overall sound.

Angelo Fawcett will compete in a battle of the bands at 9 p.m., May 30, at Club Vertigo in Tacoma and plays an all-ages show at Evergreen State College in Olympia at 8 p.m., June 3.

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