THE FELICE BROTHERS
The Felice Brothers kicked off in 2006. They did what any delinquent
youths, lost in upstate New York with dim job prospects would do:
become obsessed with traveling the world and playing extremely loud
rock and roll. After settling on minor matters like who plays what (Ian
Felice- vocals/guitar, James Felice- accordion/keys/vocals, Greg Farleyfiddle/vocals, Josh Rawson- bass/vocals. Recent addition David
Estabrook- old friend/new drummer – completes the current line up),
the band procured instruments, cans of sardines and packed up tents
and devoted their lives to studying the art of song craft, from Hoagie
Carmichael to Kurt Cobain. They also began figuring out how to actually
play those instruments. It was a long way to the top.
The Felice Brothers name is a reference to James and Ian Felice’s
provenance. They were two of seven children born to a family in upstate
NY. They started young, playing under old bridges, back yard BBQs,
small town sidewalks, and it’s in that spirit that eventually took their act
to NYC, busking the subway platforms where they made a couple new
friends and a whole lot of enemies with the MTA and New York's Finest.
Without day jobs or steady places to sleep the boys completely
immersed themselves in their new line of work. They spent their days
writing hundreds of songs in an old chicken coop, their nights hustling
weekly gigs at any restaurant or bar that would feed them.
After a few years their devotion and extreme lifestyle choices paid off.
The band has been traveling the world for 8 years now, playing major
festivals like Coachella to Midwestern dive bars to ancient churches in
Bavarian Germany. They are known for their wild and intense live
shows that channel some kind of Lynchian Replacements fever dream.
Their sincere, intelligent song writing always the backbone of their live
interpretations.
Oddly enough, The Felice Brothers' new album Favorite Waitress
marked the first time the band ever recorded in a proper studio.
Produced by the band's longtime producer and collaborator Jeremy
Backofen, the album is their most fully realized statement yet. After
diligently working for a year, mining through a hundred songs worth of
material, they took off last December for Omaha and knocked the whole
thing out in a week. During the year of pre-production the band
transformed into the most disciplined assembly line in the music game:
Brill building meets halfway home. Focusing on playing together in a
room, the band was all muscle, a study on five piece minimalism, able to
power through scum bucket linoleum floor blues and turn on a dime
into mysterious and lush dreamscapes. They were a classic car glimpsed
in a chrome dream, sleek and transparent blazing through the night sky.
Or some might say they became your favorite waitress, a comforting
face calling you by your name knowing exactly what you need and
laughing at all your jokes. Getting you through another rainy day. They
built their vast world of sound and now they are simply driving through
it.
Favorite Waitress is about fantastic escape from the terrifying realities
of modern life. First single "Cherry Licorice" is an ode to never growing
up, retreating from a domestic nightmare into a world of soda pop
rivers and candy corn comas. “Meadow Of A Dream” feels like that
perfect summer day in the woods lost in some primitive western shoot
out with the neighborhood gang, when you wish you would never hear
any parent cry for supper. “Saturday Night” describes the mythical
properties of that magical time of the week when anything can happen,
searching through the smoke and shit talk with a couple bucks in your
pocket and a head full of teeth that could use loosening.
Favorite Waitress is The Felice Brothers' 5th official release (in addition
to 6 mix-tapes) and marks their first release for new label Dualtone
(The Lumineers, Shovels & Rope, Guy Clark). These 11 total
releases range from the backwoods kitchen sink folk of God Bless You,
Amigo, to the swamp strip-mall Space Odyssey of Celebration,
Florida. The band has appeared at Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, and
Coachella and toured with the Killers, Mumford and Sons, and Bright
Eyes.