The Felice Brothers @ Avalon, NYC - CMJ 10/17/07

The Felice Brothers set at CMJ's Unsigned Artists Showcase proved to be one of the highlights of the night. Of course that came as no surprise, having seen them play many times for events at my college lit-mag. Drummer (and published novelist) Simone Felice was lively and animated, praising the crowd with "Amens". They were playing in a converted church-turned-indie-rock-venue after all. And then the guitar and accordion wailed in beautiful gothic harmony.

I briefly spoke to Simone prior to the show. I noticed him lying on a small patch of grass outside the venue, limbs sprawled out. This is a man who uses the term "psychedelic" unironically. Needless to say he is quite a character on and off the stage.

Catch the Felice Brothers opening for Bright Eyes this Fall. Hmm, maybe I should have warned them about the audiences they might have to endure?

Whiskey in My Whiskey - The Felice Brothers
Radio Song - The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers

It's one thing to say a song's lyrics contain novelistic detail, but it's quite another to say a song's been penned by a novelist. Such a distinction belongs to The Felice Brothers' drummer Simone Felice. Like his gorgeous, stream-of-consciousness novels, the band's songs are equally pensive, filled with the destitute, downtrodden folks of a dusty, disillusioned American landscape. But don't let their Brooklyn address fool you, this is rustic Americana at its most pure and heartfelt. In regards to Simone's novel "Goodbye, Amelia", the esteemed BBC has said "no one is doing what Felice is doing" and that lyrical uniqueness of his prose most certainly carries through to the music. Also, they tour in 1987 special education school bus. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Also full disclosure: The Felice Brothers are sort of the house band for the literary magazine I help edit. On more than one occasion they've read poetry and excerpts from novels, and of course performed on campus for various events the magazine sponsors. And they are the nicest guys -the kind of people you can just sit around barefoot on the carpet and eat falafel with and confide your life story with. And they are genuinely talented. That's part of the reason I got so excited upon hearing about their recent signing to Loose Records. There Loose debut, "Tonight at the Arizona" will be released May 14th. Preview these two tracks:


Your Belly in My Arms - The Felice Brothers
Mercy - The Felice Brother
when devils fall in love...
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