RSSCONCERT REVIEW: The Felice Brothers
BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER Impersonating The Band hasn’t been a decently-paying gig since Scorsese filmed The Last Waltz in 1976, but judging by the full-up crowd at the Trocadero Thursday night The Felice Brothers seem to be on their way. Actually, ‘impersonating’ sounds a little too dismissive and I like these guys, so let’s go with ‘evoking’ or ‘carrying on the old, weird Americana tradition’ of the Band instead. Besides, they have the pedigree (hail from upstate New York, sons of a carpenter) they’ve paid their dues (busked in the subways of New York; went acoustic at the Newport Folk Festival; woodshedd-ed at Levon Helm’s Barn Burner) and, more importantly, they are naturals, having just released Yonder Is The Clock, their fifth casually brilliant album of the aforementioned old, weird Americana.
Of the five Felice Brothers standing onstage at the Troc, only two were actual blood brothers named Felice: waifish singer/guitarist Ian Felice, who looked like Dylan ‘63 and sang like Dylan ‘68; and bear-like keyboard/accordionist James Felice, who looked like a young Hank Williams Jr. in his beard and Zorro hat. The third blood Felice Brother, drummer Simone, has elected not to tour this time out, and was replaced by Jeremy Backofen, who, in tandem with snake-fingered bass player Christmas Clapton, gave the band’s two-hour set the requisite chugging heft. Fiddler/washboard-picker Greg Farley seemed vested with the responsibility of maintaining the band’s rowdy live rep as he failed around the stage like a gorilla on roller skates and intermittently bashed the drummer’s cymbals with his washboard. A large part of the charm of the Felice Brothers live show is you get the distinct impression they would be having this much fun even if nobody showed up. There is something about the way they all smile when they play, like they share some wonderful private joke you want in on — kinda like The Basement Tapes.
Much like the albums, Thursday night’s show alternated between barn-burning hoedowns in the Pogues-ian tradition of everyone-grab-an-instrument-and-make-a-joyous-noise (a stomping “Chicken Wire” and a howl-at-the-moon “Memphis Flu”) and sweetly downered folkadelic intropsection (a Wilco-ian “The Big Surprise,” a stately “Cooperstown”). Especially noteworthy was a ripping spin through the subterranean homesick blues of “Penn Station” and a positively grand, otherly “The Greatest Show On Earth,” which is one of those unforgettable songs where you know something’s happening, but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones?
April 20th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Ian sounds like Keith Richards circa 1978. I never get the Dylan reference in his voice.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
FIRST ROUND OF ARTISTS and TICKET SALE DATES
ANNOUNCED for
FOLK FESTIVAL 50
JULY 31 – AUGUST 2
NEW YORK, NY, April 17, 2009 – Ticket sale dates and a partial list of artists are set for George Wein’s FOLK FESTIVAL 50 (July 31 – August 2) in historic Newport, RI. Produced by New Festival Productions, LLC, the festival will include two full days of music on three stages at Fort Adams State Park and a Friday evening concert.
Among the confirmed artists for George Wein’s FOLK FESTIVAL 50 are festival co-founder Pete Seeger, The Decemberists, Arlo Guthrie, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Campbell Brothers, The Avett Brothers, Josh Ritter, Gillian Welch, Judy Collins, Del McCoury, Iron & Wine, Joe Pug, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, Balfa Toujours, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Tim Eriksen & Shape Note Singers, Langhorne Slim, Ben Kweller and Low Anthem.
The complete festival programs will be announced later this month. Tickets for for George Wein’s FOLK FESTIVAL 50 go on sale Wednesday, May 6, at 10:00 am at www.folkfestival50.com .
August 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Just saw them on the first night of The Big Surprise Tour.
I was surprised at just how awful they were.
Lots of noise; not necessarily joyous.
Ian–No angst worse than fake angst.
Farley’s “responsiblity” seemed to be to act like a drunken fool.
Just because your band has a fiddle and an occasional accordian does not make you Band-like.
I do agree, though, that “The Big Surprise” and “Greatest Show on Earth”, two songs that dropped the noise, were pretty good.