Sunday Music Spotlight - The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers sound like they just got here from the past. So much so that if you close your eyes you might think it’s 1965 and you’re listening to Bob Dylan with his new backing band, The Hawks. It’s not 1965 however, and it’s not Dylan and The Hawks, or The Band that came from it. It’s the Felice Brothers, a group of real brothers (plus a friend) from just outside Woodstock, NY, the town that served as a home-away-from-home for Dylan and The Band. Their music is rooted in the same sense of Americana as The Band. As a matter of fact, The Felice Brothers could be the world’s best Band cover band, if only their original songs weren’t so damn good.

Ian, Simone, and James Felice spent their childhood attending their father’s Sunday afternoon jam sessions and cookouts. When they were old enough they decided to leave the fold to make their own way. First stop, New York City, where they spread their music by playing in any venue that would take them, including the subway. The band recorded their first album Through the Reins and Gone in a chicken coop, leading to a very raw sound. That raw sound carried over to their follow-up, Tonight at the Arizona, including a glitch at the beginning of one track that as caused by lightning striking the old theater they were using as a recording studio. This exemplifies The Felice Brothers’ music: it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to have soul.

The Felice Brothers’ eponymous third album –their first on Team Love Records — is due out March 4th.

The Felice Brothers - Greatest Show On Earth
From the honky-tonk piano opening to the whisky-soaked blues of the verse this is about as rootsy as music gets.

The Felice Brothers - Radio Song
I could definitely see “Radio Song” being on the radio if it was 30 years ago, but unfortunately in today’s Clear Channel marketplace, there probably won’t be room for it.

Videos
“Roll on Arte”

“Where’d You Get Your Liquor”, Live

Links
Buy The Felice Brothers
MySpace
Official Site