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Starting Over:
CEV
Talks with....Donice Cully of Fall Back Plan
©2008CuttingEdgeVoices
CEV: You have a
pretty powerful voice when it comes to the music I have heard you singing with
Fall Back Plan. When was it that you first became interested in singing?
Donice: I actually wasn’t interested in singing until my
early teens and even then I wasn’t sure if I was truly “interested”. I was into drama as a child and along with
theater came musical theater. Singing
was required in many of the plays I did. People thought I was good at it, so I
joined the church choir and just went with it.
CEV: Were there any particular groups or vocalists that
when you heard them you just said wow, I want to be able to do that with my
voice and music?
Donice: Haa… yes!
I grew up on gospel and R&B but there was always something very
intriguing about rock vocalists. I
really liked the energy and often admired vocalists like Axle Rose and other
popular leads from the 90’s era. From that point, I knew I wanted to do
something different with my voice, something not typical for an African
American female. I wanted to combine the two and create a style unique for me.
CEV: Did you have any encouragement from family or friends
in regards to your singing and if so how important is that for someone just
starting out in a musical career?
Donice: Tons! My
family and friends have always been supportive, sometimes too supportive. In
this industry, you need that though. It’s so cut throat, that without support,
it’s easy to become discouraged.
CEV: When was it that you decided that you were going to
pursue a career as a singer and what were the first steps that you took to make
this happen?
Donice: I went to college for theater and wanted to
pursue acting, but opportunities in singing came far more frequently. Everyone wanted a female solo artist or
“hook” girl for their tracks. At 17 I
started jumping on opportunities to perform solos around town and linked up
with a hip hop group, called Track Starz, and became a “hook” girl…. you know….
the sexy female voice you hear in the background or singing the choruses.
CEV: Tell me about
some of your first performances in front of an audience. Was it what you thought it was going to be like?
Donice: Haa, no!
You always imagine performing in front of a large group of people who
are all interested in hearing you. The
truth is, sometimes there’s only a handful of people there and most times they
are NOT there to see you. Until you
build a fan base, performances are nerve wrecking. I consider myself experienced and I still get
butterflies.
CEV: Is there a particular style of music that you feel
more comfortable with in regards to your vocal work? Why ?
Donice: I’m pretty much all over the place. I believe that if you have a defined vocal
styling, you can pretty much sing whatever you want. A vocalist shouldn’t have
to change their style to accompany the music.
In the end,
that’s what makes it unique.
What’s a genre collaboration if both artist are trying to stick to a
formula?
CEV: What was the first band that you worked with and how
did that get started?
Donice: My first band was a hip hop, rock, reggae band
called Power Movement Project. The lead
singer and I grew up together and were members of the same youth choir. We ran into each other at a party and to make
a long story short… I told him I was a singer and he said his band was looking
for a female back up vocalist. I auditioned and toured with them for about 2
years.
CEV: What was it that you learned musically in regards to
furthering your career from each experience with a band or with each collaboration
that you did?
Donice: Chemistry, commitment, talent, and determination!
CEV: So how did you come to be involved with your current
project Fall Back Plan?
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Donice: My old band, The Sikes, played a few shows with a
band called Kahliceleste. Once their
singer quit, guitarist Brian asked me to collaborate on a few tunes and the
chemistry was amazing. We worked very
well together. Within two months, The Sikes disbanded and I became the new
member of Kahliceleste, only we changed the name to Fall Back Plan.
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CEV: What is it that each member brings to the table in
regards to their own backgrounds and talents?
Donice: Let’s see, Ken, our drummer has years of training
in different styles of music. He offers
variation and diversity. Geoff and Brian
have been working together for years and have a very strong writing chemistry.
Writing with them comes naturally, there may be some
disagreements now and them, but in the end we are all happy with the results.
CEV: Is everyone in
the group involved in writing the material that you perform as a band? How is
it that during the writing process that everyone gets to have some input into
the songs?
Donice: I’d say that we all are involved equally. An idea is normally generated by one member
and the other members add to or take away making the song universally accepted..
Normally, the guys work together to create the music and I create the melodies
and lyrics.
CEV: Where does the subject matter come from for the songs
that you are writing and performing as FBP?
Donice: Life, mine and others.
CEV: How important is it for a band to establish
themselves on a local level in their hometowns before venturing out onto the
national stage?
Donice: Very! I
believe it helps you to grow as an artist, discover yourself, and gain stage
experience. It also creates a small buzz
and helps you to build relationships.
CEV: What is it that you learn from your live performances
about your music and what you might want to do with it?
Donice: Whenever we perform, we learn what works and what
doesn’t. We normally feel the crowd out.
If they are “feeling” the music, we know it works. If we don’t get good feedback, we rethink.
CEV: Being on the road and working so closely together does
FBP feel like a family at times and how does this help or hinder your
performances?
Donice: Haaa…. We ARE family! I believe this is why we
perform well together. We love and fight
like siblings and like siblings we forget and move on like nothing happened.
CEV: I¹m curious about the name Fall Back Plan. Tell me
how the group came up with that name?
Donice: Yes, Fall Back Plan! Well, when Brian (guitarist)
called me to collaborate, we named the music files we worked on (the fall back
plan). We recorded and saved songs under that name. I was in a band at the
time, so the idea was that IF our current bands didn’t work out, we would have
a “fall back plan”.
CEV: Your EP called Starting Over is out now along with a
new video. Why name it Starting Over? What is it that you are starting over
from and what kind of new beginning is it for you and the band?
Donice: We have all been in bands before where we felt
like there was something missing. Now,
we feel like we have all the right elements and we are starting over, the way
that it should be.
CEV: Have you been encouraged by fan reaction to Fall Back
Plans EP so far and when can we expect the full length CD from you and the
band?
Donice: Fans are great!
They have really encouraged us in so many ways, and just like we have
fans we also have people that don’t like our music. We have been called that
“chick” band often, and while we are able to win some people over, some still
don’t like the idea of a female rock vocalist.
Our full length is to be expected by first of the year and we are so
stoked.
CEV: Will you be out on the road touring in the next few
months spreading the word about Fall Back Plan and the EP Starting Over? Are
you looking forward to getting out there and introducing your music to new
fans?
Donice: Yes, we are confident that the EP along with the
new material is going to be a success.
We are gaining a lot of local press and positive feedback. I can’t wait to take this to a bigger level.
CEV: With the web
sometimes we forget that local radio still helps artists introduce their music
to new listeners. How has FBPs music
done with radio stations in your area and how much has this exposure helped to
create a buzz about your sound?
Donice: 98rock Baltimore is our local rock station and
not only have they supported our band, but DJ Matt Davis is personally
responsible for many of the opportunities we’ve had to open up for national
acts and be heard by people on a national level.
CEV: Any final thoughts about FBP's music or what ahead
for the band during the rest of 2008 and into 2009?
Donice: Get ready!
I have a good feeling we’re gonna hit the ground running. =)
CEV: Well I'm sure the CD will do great if it is more of what we see on the EP. Good luck and I wish you and the band all the best for 2009.
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