The Felice Brothers Featured in Times-Union

Felice Brothers meandering road leads to opening for Dave Matthews Band
 
By MICHAEL ECK, Special to the Times Union
First published in print: Thursday, June 3, 2010
Homegrown, rough-hewn and funky. The Felice Brothers recorded their first album in a chicken coop and made their fame by playing in the mud at the Newport Folk Festival.
 

 
Not bad for a bunch of wild kids from Palenville.
This weekend, the local-boys-made-good will open two nights for Dave Matthews Band at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, bringing the Catskills just a little bit closer to the Adirondacks, sonically speaking.

Palenville, once fondly called the City of Falling Waters, was the first arts colony in America, and as such it provided visual and spiritual inspiration to painters of the Hudson River School, including Thomas Cole, Frederick Church, Sanford R. Gifford and others. Later, Mary Pickford would make movies there, while countless other artists, writers and tourists passed through town in warm weather.

But, as in many summer towns, locals learned to make their own fun, and in an outpost of a little more than 1,200, many entertained themselves with homemade music.

The Felice Brothers -- Ian, Simone and James along with friends Greg Farley and Christmas Clapton -- got their start as kids, making noise at barbecues in their father's backyard.

The same vibe that inspired The Band and Bob Dylan -- who called nearby Saugerties and Woodstock home -- was still in the ground and the Felice boys picked it up, forging a similarly deep, loamy Americana that leaned on gospel harmonies, boozy acoustic guitar and accordion.

The mountains moved south earlier in the decade, and the Felices spread out from a temporary Brooklyn enclave to further hone their groove in the New York subway.

Almost immediately, the brothers' distinctive mix drew attention. Back at home, an appearance at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble created an instant buzz and, almost before they knew it, the band was making the rounds of festivals and landing an English record deal.

That 2008 slot at Newport was a clincher.

Torrential rain muddied the field (Woodstock, again, anyone?) and knocked out the power. While other bands might have scratched their heads, the Felice Brothers understood it was barbecue time and they simply joined the crowd, making music the old-fashioned way.

Dylan went electric. They went acoustic.

The growing road to fame hasn't been without its bumps. Last year, Simone -- who played drums with the band, when he wasn't leaping up from his kit to dance, shout or pontificate -- left the group, and his kin, to found the similarly free-form The Duke & The King with Robert "Chicken" Burke. (Felice was replaced with drummer Dave Turbeville.)

The Duke & The King, like the Felice's 2009 album "Yonder Is The Clock," take its title from Mark Twain, not Washington Irving.

Simone and company were actually in the area last weekend, opening for Carolina Chocolate Drops in a well-received set at MASS MoCA.




"Yonder," like its predecessors, 2006's "Through These Reins and Gone" and 2008's "The Felice Brothers," is a wandering amble through Americana. In addition to the obvious touchstones of Dylan and The Band, there are also flashes of Tom Waits, Michael Hurley and The Gourds. And the record sits well next to efforts by the band's friends, A.A. Bondy, Gillian Welch and Justin Townes Earle (whose father, Steve, also has a place in Woodstock).
In addition to a brace of original songs on "Clock," the group also wails on "Memphis Flu," an obscure, accusatory religious song (positing that sin leads to the flu) first recorded by Elder Curry in 1930.

That tune must have delighted Matthews, who has made a commitment of embracing acts that fuse ancient roots with modern attitudes.

He has, after all, chosen folks like Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Chris Whitley and Danny Barnes as duet mates, opening acts and artists for his ATO label stable.

That means the Felice Brothers will be in good company at SPAC.

And maybe they'll get Matthews down to a Catskills barbecue to boot.

Michael Eck is a freelance writer from Albany and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

The Felice Brothers

Opening for Dave Matthews Band

When: 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs

Tickets: Shows sold out as of press time

Info: 587-3330; http://www.spac.org 


"Yonder," like its predecessors, 2006's "Through These Reins and Gone" and 2008's "The Felice Brothers," is a wandering amble through Americana. In addition to the obvious touchstones of Dylan and The Band, there are also flashes of Tom Waits, Michael Hurley and The Gourds. And the record sits well next to efforts by the band's friends, A.A. Bondy, Gillian Welch and Justin Townes Earle (whose father, Steve, also has a place in Woodstock).
In addition to a brace of original songs on "Clock," the group also wails on "Memphis Flu," an obscure, accusatory religious song (positing that sin leads to the flu) first recorded by Elder Curry in 1930.

That tune must have delighted Matthews, who has made a commitment of embracing acts that fuse ancient roots with modern attitudes.

He has, after all, chosen folks like Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Chris Whitley and Danny Barnes as duet mates, opening acts and artists for his ATO label stable.

That means the Felice Brothers will be in good company at SPAC.

And maybe they'll get Matthews down to a Catskills barbecue to boot.

Michael Eck is a freelance writer from Albany and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

The Felice Brothers

Opening for Dave Matthews Band

When: 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs

Tickets: Shows sold out as of press time

Info: 587-3330; http://www.spac.org