The Felice Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Felice Brothers are a folk rock
/country rock
band from Upstate New York
founded in 2006.
subway,. The sons of a carpenter, they would play together on Sundays at their father's afternoon barbecues. They stayed in a little apartment in Brooklyn
and would play in the subway stations at 42nd Street
and Union Square
and in Greenwich Village
. The three brothers originally hail from Palenville, New York
in the Catskill Mountains
.
Now they tour the country, traveling in their "Short Bus
". Their 2006 self-released debut album was Through These Reins and Gone followed by Tonight At the Arizona released in 2007. Through These Reins and Gone made it onto Radio Woodstock WDST
's top 25 albums of 2006. About their album Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. 1 James Felice said, "We put one record out on an English label, and we've released all the other stuff ourselves" (on their label 'New York Pro'). The Felice Brothers have played at Levon Helm
's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, New York
and also toured with Bright Eyes
in the fall of 2007.
On January 7, it was announced The Felice Brothers had signed a record deal with Team Love Records. They toured the United States extensively during the spring (February through mid-April), to promote their new album. The Brothers played at Mountain Jam
at Hunter Mountain again this year. They also played at the 2008 Clearwater Festival
, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee
, the Philadelphia Folk Festival
in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
, All Points West Music and Arts Festival at Liberty State Park
in Jersey City
, and Outside lands music and arts festival
in San Francisco, the latter two festivals being inaugural events.
In August, the band performed at the legendary Newport Folk Festival
. Due to torrential rains, high winds, and lightning storms, power was cut to the entire Newport, Rhode Island
area. As the stage the band was performing on had no generators, the band played unplugged. They performed for over an hour with such songs as "Frankie's Gun!" and a sing-a-long to "This Land Is Your Land
".
, Justin Townes Earle
and the Dave Rawlings Machine for a nine-city package tour called The Big Surprise Tour, after the lead track from the Yonder is the Clock album. Kicking off on August 4, 2009 at the Casino Ballroom
in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
, the tour travelled around the eastern United States before wrapping up at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee
, on August 14, 2009.
at four concerts in Canada and the US, starting at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto
on June 1, 2010. They also appeared at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco on October 3. In late September and early October the band reunited for four shows with Conor Oberst. All the shows were in California. They appeared at the End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset, England in September.
in the UK.
player Greg Farley and drummer Dave Turbeville. At other times, they have featured a horn section in the band, composed of local Hudson Valley
musicians. Ian is the main vocalist and plays the guitar and piano. James contributes vocals and plays the accordion, organ, and piano. Christmas plays the bass guitar. Simone Felice was the drummer as well as a vocalist and a guitarist. Simone is also an author, having released books entitled Goodbye Amelia, Hail Mary, Full of Holes and Black Jesus. Simone Felice left the Felice Brothers in 2009. He now leads his own band - The Duke & the King (named after the duo of con-artists in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
) with Robert "Chicken" Burke. They released their debut album - Nothing Gold Can Stay on Ramseur Records August 4, 2009.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
/country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band from Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
founded in 2006.
History
The Felice Brothers got their start as a band playing in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
subway,. The sons of a carpenter, they would play together on Sundays at their father's afternoon barbecues. They stayed in a little apartment in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and would play in the subway stations at 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
and Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
and in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. The three brothers originally hail from Palenville, New York
Palenville, New York
Palenville is a hamlet in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 1,037 at the 2010 census.Palenville is in the southwest part of the Town of Catskill, located at the junction of Routes 23A and 32A. It lies at the foot of Kaaterskill Clove, nestled against the base of the...
in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
.
Now they tour the country, traveling in their "Short Bus
Short Bus
Short Bus may refer to:* Short Bus, a shorter school bus generally used for transporting children being educated in special programs in the United States* Shortbus, a movie* Short Bus , an industrial recording by Filter...
". Their 2006 self-released debut album was Through These Reins and Gone followed by Tonight At the Arizona released in 2007. Through These Reins and Gone made it onto Radio Woodstock WDST
WDST
WDST is a radio station licensed to Woodstock, New York. The station is owned by CHET-5 Broadcasting and broadcasts with 3 kW ERP from a tower in the Town of Kingston.WDST also broadcasts one translator:...
's top 25 albums of 2006. About their album Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. 1 James Felice said, "We put one record out on an English label, and we've released all the other stuff ourselves" (on their label 'New York Pro'). The Felice Brothers have played at Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm , is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band....
's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
and also toured with Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst. It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music...
in the fall of 2007.
2008
Mountain Jam
"Mountain Jam" is an improvised instrumental jam by The Allman Brothers Band. The song's first known recording is on 5-4-1969 at Macon Central Park, but was officially released later on the albums; Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970, Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970, The...
at Hunter Mountain again this year. They also played at the 2008 Clearwater Festival
Clearwater Festival
The Clearwater Festival is a music and environmental summer festival and America’s oldest and largest annual festival of its kind. This unique event has hosted over 15,000 people on a weekend in June for more than three decades...
, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee
Manchester, Tennessee
Manchester is a city in Coffee County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,102 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Coffee County...
, the Philadelphia Folk Festival
Philadelphia Folk Festival
The Philadelphia Folk Festival is an annual folk music festival near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Philadelphia. Begun in 1962, the four-day festival is sponsored by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society. The event hosts contemporary and traditional artists in genres...
in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
Schwenksville is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,385 at the 2010 census. It is notable for being located near the site of the Philadelphia Folk Festival. The borough was founded in in 1684, when the Lenni-Lenape Indians ceded to William Penn the...
, All Points West Music and Arts Festival at Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park is located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey, opposite the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations and is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.-Geography and...
in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, and Outside lands music and arts festival
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival
The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is a music festival held annually in San Francisco, California at Golden Gate Park. The first edition occurred August 22–24 in 2008, and included over 60 musical acts from around the world, as well as several art installations...
in San Francisco, the latter two festivals being inaugural events.
In August, the band performed at the legendary Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
. Due to torrential rains, high winds, and lightning storms, power was cut to the entire Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
area. As the stage the band was performing on had no generators, the band played unplugged. They performed for over an hour with such songs as "Frankie's Gun!" and a sing-a-long to "This Land Is Your Land
This Land Is Your Land
"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on...
".
2009
The Felice Brothers joined Old Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show is an old-time string band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country, in addition to old-time. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs...
, Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle , son of Steve Earle, stepson of Allison Moorer, and named for songwriter Townes Van Zandt is an AMA winning, Americana musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. Earle is signed to Bloodshot Records and has four released albums from 2007–2010...
and the Dave Rawlings Machine for a nine-city package tour called The Big Surprise Tour, after the lead track from the Yonder is the Clock album. Kicking off on August 4, 2009 at the Casino Ballroom
Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Opened in 1899, the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is a seasonal live music and comedy venue located on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. The venue is open from April to November, and within those eight months schedules upwards of 70 shows...
in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
Hampton Beach is a village district, census-designated place, and beach resort within the town of Hampton, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Its population at the 2010 census was 2,275. Hampton Beach is located in Rockingham County, approximately south of Portsmouth...
, the tour travelled around the eastern United States before wrapping up at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, on August 14, 2009.
2010
The Felice Brothers opened for the Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
at four concerts in Canada and the US, starting at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on June 1, 2010. They also appeared at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco on October 3. In late September and early October the band reunited for four shows with Conor Oberst. All the shows were in California. They appeared at the End of the Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset, England in September.
2011
The Felice Brothers released the single "Ponzi" on March 29. It was the first single off of their newest album "Celebration, Florida" which released on May 10 on Fat Possum (USA) and May 23 on Loose MusicLoose Music
Loose Music is a British independent record label based in Acton, London, specialising in in Americana and Alt. Country.-Artists:Since 1998, Loose has released music by the following artists: Giant Sand, M Ward, The Arlenes, Inara George, Neko Case, Blanche, Willard Grant Conspiracy, The Handsome...
in the UK.
Personnel
The band has five main members: Ian and James Felice, their friend Christmas Clapton, previously a traveling dice player, fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
player Greg Farley and drummer Dave Turbeville. At other times, they have featured a horn section in the band, composed of local Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
musicians. Ian is the main vocalist and plays the guitar and piano. James contributes vocals and plays the accordion, organ, and piano. Christmas plays the bass guitar. Simone Felice was the drummer as well as a vocalist and a guitarist. Simone is also an author, having released books entitled Goodbye Amelia, Hail Mary, Full of Holes and Black Jesus. Simone Felice left the Felice Brothers in 2009. He now leads his own band - The Duke & the King (named after the duo of con-artists in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written in the vernacular, characterized by...
) with Robert "Chicken" Burke. They released their debut album - Nothing Gold Can Stay on Ramseur Records August 4, 2009.
Discography
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Iantown Iantown Iantown was the first album to be released under the name The Felice Brothers, however for the most part it features only Ian Felice on acoustic guitar and harmonica... |
| 2006 | Through These Reins and Gone Through These Reins and Gone -Track listing:#"Trailer Song"#"Ballad of Lou the Welterweight"#"Hey Hey Revolver"#"Your Belly in My Arms"#"Got What I Need"#"Soldiers Song"#"Valentines Song"#"Roll On Arte"#"Christmas Song"#"Mercy"#"Song to Die To"#"Going Going Gone"... |
| 2007 | Tonight At The Arizona Tonight At The Arizona Tonight At The Arizona was released in 2007 by The Felice Brothers on English Label Loose Music. The influence of Bob Dylan and The Band is evident many of their songs, such as "The Ballad of Lou the Welterweight", a roots revivalist folk ballad "...based on a story my grandpa used to tell us... |
| 2007 | Adventures of The Felice Brothers Vol. 1 Adventures of The Felice Brothers Vol. 1 Adventures of The Felice Brothers Vol. 1 is available directly from The Felice Brothers at live shows. It was recorded on two-track tape in a chicken coop, “People seem to think that’s weird, but it was normal to us,” Felice said. “It was like a little tiny dirty house". This album features... |
| 2008 | The Felice Brothers The Felice Brothers (album) The Felice Brothers is The Felice Brothers' fifth album and their first major release. It was released on March 4, 2008. It includes five tracks previously released on their hard to find Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol... |
| 2009 | Yonder Is The Clock Yonder Is the Clock Yonder Is The Clock is The Felice Brothers' sixth album and their second major release. It was released on April 7, 2009.-Track listing:#"The Big Surprise" - 4:24#"Penn Station" - 4:00#"Buried In Ice" - 3:13#"Chicken Wire" - 2:45... |
| 2010 | Mix Tape Mix Tape (The Felice Brothers album) Mix Tape is The Felice Brothers' seventh album. It is a limited release on the New York Pro label. It was released on March 30, 2010.-Track listing:#"Forever Green" - 3:01#"Ahab" - 4:03#"White Limo" - 2:46#"Let Me Come Home" - 3:56... |
| 2011 | Celebration, Florida Celebration, Florida (Album) Celebration, Florida is The Felice Brothers' latest album, released on May 10, 2011. The single "Ponzi", released on March 29, 2011, shows a departure from the group's past roots-rock albums with a new electro, dancehall sound.-Track listing:... |
Cultural references
- The end of the song "Frankie's Gun!" is featured in the British sitcomBritish sitcomA British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
OutnumberedOutnumberedOutnumbered is a British sitcom. Airing on BBC One since 2007, it stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a father and mother outnumbered by their three children...
s 2009 Christmas Special, where all the family are seen singing along to it in the closing sequence.
- The song "Whiskey In My Whiskey" is playing on the jukebox in Merlotte's bar in episode 7 of the first season of True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
on HBO.
- The song "Her Eyes Dart Round" is featured in episode 7 of the fourth season of SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
on E4. Also, "Frankie's Gun!" is featured in the credits to the third season's finale.
- "Frankie's Gun" can be heard on the bar jukebox in the film The MessengerThe Messenger (2009 film)The Messenger is a 2009 war drama film starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Jena Malone, and Samantha Morton. It is the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who also wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon....
.
- "The intro to "Frankie's Gun" is looped during the final episode of the second season of Eastbound and Down, when Kenny returns to his brother's house in Georgia.