To fully understand that the Felice Brothers are the real deal -- that they're a pack of earth-stained country boys from the wilds of the Catskill Mountains, not Ivy Leaguers who thought ransacking their parents '60s records would a better career move than grad school -- it helps to see them live, where they channel the Woodstock spirit with authenticity and reverence. It doesn't hurt that Ian Felice sounds like Bob Dylan after a handful of singing lessons, his vocals weathered and weary but skilled enough to bring these Appalachian melodies to life. It doesn't hurt that he knows when to speak, when to croon, and when to hand over the microphone to one of his brothers, several of whom helm their own songs. Most of all, it doesn't hurt that the Felice Brothers are the perfect group to helm this sort of whiskey-soaked, Beat Generation nostalgia, as they inhabit their songs to the fullest extent possible. Theirs is a world of moons and moonshine, mountains and cabins, a place where men get drunk on Jack Daniels and stalk off, guns in hand, to confront their cuckolding wives. The Tennessee-bred Kings of Leon sang about a similar world on Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak, but while those siblings were blessed with fashion sense and rugged good looks, the Felices are ragged, scruffy, and dirty-faced. So even when this self-titled LP gets bogged down by a string of melancholic allads -- even when the band's devotion to Depression-era imagery gets a bit too depressing -- the Felice Brothers remain thoroughly convincing and skate by on the strength of the atmosphere they've created. Accordions, Hammond organs, guitars, and group vocals are all here, conjuring up memories of vagabonds wandering the train tracks and drunks falling off their barstools. One can't help but wish the 15-track set list included more numbers like "Frankie's Gun," which features some of Ian's wittiest lyrics and the brothers' spot-on imitation of the Band, but it's hard to find fault in this collection of earthy allads and barroom jams.
I was able to check out the Felice Brothers this week in New Orleans, as they opened up for Conor Oberst. They stole the show in my opinion, although they only got around 45 mins of play time..."This song is about drinking whiskey and killing your girlfriend" -James Felice
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The Felice BrothersThe Felice BrothersWhen you first hear an artist, the first dozen or so times you spin the record, or hit that big pillow of a play button in I-Tunes, or press the metallic gun metal grey button on your old cassette boom box, and you hear the gears engage, the tape sliding across that little tab of felt, the first few notes for a new band are always crucial. All the piles and...
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The Felice BrothersThe Felice BrothersWhen you first hear an artist, the first dozen or so times you spin the record, or hit that big pillow of a play button in I-Tunes, or press the metallic gun metal grey button on your old cassette boom box, and you hear the gears engage, the tape sliding across that little tab of felt, the first few notes for a new band are always crucial. All the piles and...
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COTV Tags: The Felice Brothers , Ruby Mae , Captain Obvious
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The Felice Brothers played at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY and this tune has stuck with me ever since. It means so many things to so many people and is a great song to have fun with.
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They call themselves "a bunch of ramshackle bastards." They sing of bewitching 56 year-old cougars, lullabies about armed robbery (“Frankie’s Robbery”), and doing it doggy-style (“The Ballard Of Lou The Welterweight.”) Yes, I am talking of none other than the Felice Brothers, who after two days of non-stop music and facing exhaustion still brought me to my feet during their 1AM set at Pa
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Chances are you'll be hearing more about The Felice Brothers. On the new record's final song, the gospel-tinged Tip Your Way, singer Ian Felice seems to realize that the band has just started out on a long road: "Tip your own true love in the rain/ Leave her there where the saxophones play/ Boy, you're young as can be/ Got country to see/ You're a long ways from heaven's gate."
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From the wik:The Felice Brothers are a Folk Rock / Country Rock band from upstate New York founded in 2006[1]. It is comprised of the five main members Ian, Simone, James Felice, their friends Christmas, previously a traveling dice player, and Gregory, who is considered a young Sinatra. The three brothers are from the Catskill Mountains of New York. They hail from Palenville, NY, twenty minutes...
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The Felice Brothers are indeed a throwback to another era. An era of craftmanship, an era when a band was a functioning manifestation of multiple personalities working together to create a shared vision. Simone Felice, Ian Felice, James Felice, Christmas, & Farley create a sound that harkens back to that era. A sound as sweet and as kick-ass as corn liquor, with a sense of history, but fir...
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Great new track off the upcoming Felice Brothers' album, The Felice Brothers, which is coming out on Bright Eyes' Team Love label.
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The Felice BrothersThe Felice BrothersWhen you first hear an artist, the first dozen or so times you spin the record, or hit that big pillow of a play button in I-Tunes, or press the metallic gun metal grey button on your old cassette boom box, and you hear the gears engage, the tape sliding across that little tab of felt, the first few notes for a new band are always crucial. All the piles and...
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The Felice BrothersThe Felice BrothersWhen you first hear an artist, the first dozen or so times you spin the record, or hit that big pillow of a play button in I-Tunes, or press the metallic gun metal grey button on your old cassette boom box, and you hear the gears engage, the tape sliding across that little tab of felt, the first few notes for a new band are always crucial. All the piles and...
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My buddy up in Chicago told me about these guys and my little brother saw them open up for Bright Eyes here in Memphis. Really kickass Bob Dylanish sounding band. My bro said they put on one hell of a show so check them out! I'm going to see them here in February and the world famous Hi-Tone Cafe. http://www.myspace.com/thefelicebrothers
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I was able to check out the Felice Brothers this week in New Orleans, as they opened up for Conor Oberst. They stole the show in my opinion, although they only got around 45 mins of play time..."This song is about drinking whiskey and killing your girlfriend" -James Felice
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--- - "Folk/country rock fans rejoice! Up-and-coming rockers The Felice Brothers, who released their self-titled album earlier this year on Team Love Records, have set off on a new fall tour that \xE2\x80\x94 oops \xE2\x80\x94 began yesterday. The New York City-based quintet is coming off a ridiculous summer tour that saw 'em playing at music festivals like Bonaroo, Langerado, The Newport Folk ...
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Honestly, I am not sure what this post is supposed to be all about. I was sitting around trying to come up with a collection of songs for a buddy (one who was obsessed with Dylan and complains I never send him music - but to be fair, he also has a contraption in his house that lets him use his bike as a chair so he's got some issues) and decided my thought process would be a great way to talk ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Little Ann |
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| 2 Greatest Show on Earth |
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| 3 Frankie's Gun! |
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| 4 Goddamn You, Jim |
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| 5 Wonderful Life |
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| 6 Don't Wake the Scarecrow |
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| 7 Take This Bread |
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| 8 Saint Stephen's End |
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| 9 Love Me Tenderly |
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| 10 Ruby Mae |
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| 11 Murder by Mistletoe |
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| 12 Whiskey in My Whiskey |
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| 13 Helen Fry |
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| 14 Radio Song |
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| 15 Tip Your Way |
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Click to purchase…
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 "The Felice Brothers")
