I am Moving. My new site is Frankiesgun.com
I am working with a friend, on starting a new fansite that will be better suited to the growing allegiance of The Felice Brothers fans.
I will be staying home more this year, which means less materials in terms of set lists and video/pictures than i did previously, so we need to get more from everyone, plz share pics and taking videos while you are out there. I will be home more, but working on promoting the band and trying to connect fans to the music more than ever.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Song of the Day from New Album "Fire at the Pageant"
its actually called "Fire at the Pageant" pretty sure to be on the new album to be released this spring on Fat Possum Records!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Song of the Day from New Album
Everyday we will try to provide a song we think will be on the new Felice Brothers album to be released this spring
We will start off with "River Jordan" from Castaways in Ithaca NY.
Look for more over at our other site Frankiesgun.com which will be adding a news section this spring, and is now a fan forum
We will start off with "River Jordan" from Castaways in Ithaca NY.
Look for more over at our other site Frankiesgun.com which will be adding a news section this spring, and is now a fan forum
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Felice Brothers sign with Fat Possum Records
THE FELICE BROTHERS SIGN TO FAT POSSUM RECORDS
NEW ALBUM COMING THIS SPRING
The Felice Brothers announced today that they have signed with Fat Possum Records, home of Andrew Bird, The Walkmen, and Wavves, among many others. The band will release their fifth full-length album and Fat Possum debut later this spring. More news on the upcoming album will be confirmed shortly.
Last week, The Felice Brothers announced new headlining tour dates in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Before heading out on the six-week international tour, the Palenville, NY-based band will perform during SXSW in Austin, TX, on March 19th at Auditorium Shores alongside Bright Eyes, Wavves, Man Man, and Middle Brother. The first leg of the US tour begins March 25th in Oneonta, NY, and wraps up April 16th at Coachella in Indio, CA, where The Felice Brothers will make their debut performance at the festival. The second half of the tour will begin April 28th in San Francisco, CA, and currently continues through May 6th in Chicago, IL. The band will also travel for the first time to Australia and New Zealand from April 20th through 24th. Tickets to the US shows are currently on sale; for more information, please visit www.thefelicebrothers.com. More US tour dates will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
The Felice Brothers are: Ian Felice, James Felice, Christmas, Greg Farley, and David Turbeville. The band's fourth album, Yonder Is The Clock, was released in April 2009.
The Felice Brothers on tour:
MARCH 19 AUSTIN, TX AUDITORIUM SHORES (SXSW)
MARCH 25 ONEONTA, NY ONEONTA THEATER*
MARCH 26 HUDSON, NY HELSINKI ON THE HUDSON*
MARCH 27 HOBOKEN, NJ MAXWELL'S*
MARCH 30 PHILADELPHIA, PA FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH*
MARCH 31 WASHINGTON, DC ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL*
APRIL 1 HUNTINGTON, WV V CLUB*
APRIL 2 LEXINGTON, KY BUSTER'S BILLIARDS & BACKROOM*
APRIL 3 KNOXVILLE, TN RHYTHM 'N BLOOMS
(Dogwood Arts Festival)
APRIL 5 CHARLOTTE, NC VISUALITE THEATER*
APRIL 6 ATHENS, GA 40 WATT CLUB*
APRIL 7 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT/IN*
APRIL 8 BIRMINGHAM, AL THE BOTTLETREE*
APRIL 9 MEMPHIS, TN HI-TONE CAFÉ*
APRIL 10 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT*
APRIL 12 LUBBOCK, TX BLUE LIGHT*
APRIL 13 SANTA FE, NM CORAZON*
APRIL 16 INDIO, CA COACHELLA
APRIL 20 SYDNEY, AUS ANNANDALE HOTEL
APRIL 21 MELBOURNE, AUS THE PRINCE
APRIL 22 MELBOURNE, AUS BOOGIE FEST
APRIL 23 MEENYAN, AUS TOWN HALL
APRIL 24 AUCKLAND, NZL GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL
APRIL 28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL**
APRIL 29 PORTLAND, OR MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS**
APRIL 30 SEATTLE, WA TRACTOR TAVERN**
MAY 2 SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE**
MAY 3 DENVER, CO HI DIVE#
MAY 4 OMAHA, NE THE WAITING ROOM#
MAY 6 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL#
* Diamond Doves supporting
** You Are Plural supporting
# Shovels And Rope supporting
For more information on The Felice Brothers, please contact Amanda Pitts at Cobra Camanda Publicity, tel: 718.569.0352; emailer: ap@cobracamanda.com.
NEW ALBUM COMING THIS SPRING
The Felice Brothers announced today that they have signed with Fat Possum Records, home of Andrew Bird, The Walkmen, and Wavves, among many others. The band will release their fifth full-length album and Fat Possum debut later this spring. More news on the upcoming album will be confirmed shortly.
Last week, The Felice Brothers announced new headlining tour dates in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Before heading out on the six-week international tour, the Palenville, NY-based band will perform during SXSW in Austin, TX, on March 19th at Auditorium Shores alongside Bright Eyes, Wavves, Man Man, and Middle Brother. The first leg of the US tour begins March 25th in Oneonta, NY, and wraps up April 16th at Coachella in Indio, CA, where The Felice Brothers will make their debut performance at the festival. The second half of the tour will begin April 28th in San Francisco, CA, and currently continues through May 6th in Chicago, IL. The band will also travel for the first time to Australia and New Zealand from April 20th through 24th. Tickets to the US shows are currently on sale; for more information, please visit www.thefelicebrothers.com. More US tour dates will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
The Felice Brothers are: Ian Felice, James Felice, Christmas, Greg Farley, and David Turbeville. The band's fourth album, Yonder Is The Clock, was released in April 2009.
The Felice Brothers on tour:
MARCH 19 AUSTIN, TX AUDITORIUM SHORES (SXSW)
MARCH 25 ONEONTA, NY ONEONTA THEATER*
MARCH 26 HUDSON, NY HELSINKI ON THE HUDSON*
MARCH 27 HOBOKEN, NJ MAXWELL'S*
MARCH 30 PHILADELPHIA, PA FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH*
MARCH 31 WASHINGTON, DC ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL*
APRIL 1 HUNTINGTON, WV V CLUB*
APRIL 2 LEXINGTON, KY BUSTER'S BILLIARDS & BACKROOM*
APRIL 3 KNOXVILLE, TN RHYTHM 'N BLOOMS
(Dogwood Arts Festival)
APRIL 5 CHARLOTTE, NC VISUALITE THEATER*
APRIL 6 ATHENS, GA 40 WATT CLUB*
APRIL 7 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT/IN*
APRIL 8 BIRMINGHAM, AL THE BOTTLETREE*
APRIL 9 MEMPHIS, TN HI-TONE CAFÉ*
APRIL 10 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT*
APRIL 12 LUBBOCK, TX BLUE LIGHT*
APRIL 13 SANTA FE, NM CORAZON*
APRIL 16 INDIO, CA COACHELLA
APRIL 20 SYDNEY, AUS ANNANDALE HOTEL
APRIL 21 MELBOURNE, AUS THE PRINCE
APRIL 22 MELBOURNE, AUS BOOGIE FEST
APRIL 23 MEENYAN, AUS TOWN HALL
APRIL 24 AUCKLAND, NZL GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL
APRIL 28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL**
APRIL 29 PORTLAND, OR MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS**
APRIL 30 SEATTLE, WA TRACTOR TAVERN**
MAY 2 SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE**
MAY 3 DENVER, CO HI DIVE#
MAY 4 OMAHA, NE THE WAITING ROOM#
MAY 6 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL#
* Diamond Doves supporting
** You Are Plural supporting
# Shovels And Rope supporting
For more information on The Felice Brothers, please contact Amanda Pitts at Cobra Camanda Publicity, tel: 718.569.0352; emailer: ap@cobracamanda.com.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tour Dates in!
MARCH 19 AUSTIN, TX AUDITORIUM SHORES (SXSW)
MARCH 25 ONEONTA, NY ONEONTA THEATER*
MARCH 26 HUDSON, NY HELSINKI ON THE HUDSON*
MARCH 27 HOBOKEN, NJ MAXWELL’S*
MARCH 30 PHILADELPHIA, PA FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH*
MARCH 31 WASHINGTON, DC ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL*
APRIL 1 HUNTINGTON, WV V CLUB*
APRIL 2 LEXINGTON, KY BUSTER’S BILLIARDS & BACKROOM*
APRIL 3 KNOXVILLE, TN RHYTHM ‘N BLOOMS
(Dogwood Arts Festival)
APRIL 5 CHARLOTTE, NC VISUALITE THEATER*
APRIL 6 ATHENS, GA 40 WATT CLUB*
APRIL 7 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT/IN*
APRIL 8 BIRMINGHAM, AL THE BOTTLETREE*
APRIL 9 MEMPHIS, TN HI-TONE CAFÉ*
APRIL 10 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT*
APRIL 12 LUBBOCK, TX BLUE LIGHT*
APRIL 13 SANTA FE, NM CORAZON*
APRIL 16 INDIO, CA COACHELLA
APRIL 20 SYDNEY, AUS ANNANDALE HOTEL
APRIL 21 MELBOURNE, AUS THE PRINCE
APRIL 22 MELBOURNE, AUS BOOGIE FEST
APRIL 23 MEENYAN, AUS TOWN HALL
APRIL 24 AUCKLAND, NZL GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL
APRIL 28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
APRIL 29 PORTLAND, OR MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
APRIL 30 SEATTLE, WA TRACTOR TAVERN
MAY 2 SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE
MAY 3 DENVER, CO HIGH DIVE
MAY 4 OMAHA, NE THE WAITING ROOM
MAY 6 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL
* Diamond Doves supporting
MARCH 25 ONEONTA, NY ONEONTA THEATER*
MARCH 26 HUDSON, NY HELSINKI ON THE HUDSON*
MARCH 27 HOBOKEN, NJ MAXWELL’S*
MARCH 30 PHILADELPHIA, PA FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH*
MARCH 31 WASHINGTON, DC ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL*
APRIL 1 HUNTINGTON, WV V CLUB*
APRIL 2 LEXINGTON, KY BUSTER’S BILLIARDS & BACKROOM*
APRIL 3 KNOXVILLE, TN RHYTHM ‘N BLOOMS
(Dogwood Arts Festival)
APRIL 5 CHARLOTTE, NC VISUALITE THEATER*
APRIL 6 ATHENS, GA 40 WATT CLUB*
APRIL 7 NASHVILLE, TN EXIT/IN*
APRIL 8 BIRMINGHAM, AL THE BOTTLETREE*
APRIL 9 MEMPHIS, TN HI-TONE CAFÉ*
APRIL 10 DALLAS, TX THE LOFT*
APRIL 12 LUBBOCK, TX BLUE LIGHT*
APRIL 13 SANTA FE, NM CORAZON*
APRIL 16 INDIO, CA COACHELLA
APRIL 20 SYDNEY, AUS ANNANDALE HOTEL
APRIL 21 MELBOURNE, AUS THE PRINCE
APRIL 22 MELBOURNE, AUS BOOGIE FEST
APRIL 23 MEENYAN, AUS TOWN HALL
APRIL 24 AUCKLAND, NZL GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL
APRIL 28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
APRIL 29 PORTLAND, OR MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
APRIL 30 SEATTLE, WA TRACTOR TAVERN
MAY 2 SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE
MAY 3 DENVER, CO HIGH DIVE
MAY 4 OMAHA, NE THE WAITING ROOM
MAY 6 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL
* Diamond Doves supporting
Friday, January 28, 2011
Simone Felice Announces Spring Tour
To celebrate the publication of his novel, Black Jesus, Simone Felice will be making select appearances around the UK this coming spring. In venues chosen for their intimacy, Felice will recite short passages from the story and sing treasured tunes from both The Felice Brothers and The Duke & The King songbooks, as well as new, unreleased material.
Black Jesus is a tale told with wicked humour and haunting lyricism. Felice digs for innocence, for the strength of spirit and beauty that can lie in the unlikeliest of places. Part love story, part protest at the broken promises lying at the heart of the American Dream; this novel is a passionate, twisted hymn to the marginalised and forgotten. Here is the story of Lionel White, a young Marine shipped home after being blinded in action. Back in upstate New York, Lionel is left to battle his nightmares and a growing dependence on painkillers. Then Gloria appears, a beaten up dancer from the other side of America, fleeing darkness and violence of a different kind. SimoneFelice.com
shows/events
*
Apr 9
St. Ann's Chursh
Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 12
St. Bonaventure's Parish Club
Bristol, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 13
The Attic
Winchester, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 15
The Haymakers, Cambridge
Cambridge, Cambridges, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 16
The Chattery,
Swansea, Wales , GB
*
Apr 18
The Shipping Forecast
Liverpool, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 20
Brudenall
Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 21
The Cluny: Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops
Newcastle, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 22
Òran Mór
Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 26
The Glee Club
Birmingham, GB, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 27
Nottingham Glee Club
Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
*
May 2
Bush Hall
London, United Kingdom
Black Jesus is a tale told with wicked humour and haunting lyricism. Felice digs for innocence, for the strength of spirit and beauty that can lie in the unlikeliest of places. Part love story, part protest at the broken promises lying at the heart of the American Dream; this novel is a passionate, twisted hymn to the marginalised and forgotten. Here is the story of Lionel White, a young Marine shipped home after being blinded in action. Back in upstate New York, Lionel is left to battle his nightmares and a growing dependence on painkillers. Then Gloria appears, a beaten up dancer from the other side of America, fleeing darkness and violence of a different kind. SimoneFelice.com
shows/events
*
Apr 9
St. Ann's Chursh
Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 12
St. Bonaventure's Parish Club
Bristol, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 13
The Attic
Winchester, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 15
The Haymakers, Cambridge
Cambridge, Cambridges, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 16
The Chattery,
Swansea, Wales , GB
*
Apr 18
The Shipping Forecast
Liverpool, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 20
Brudenall
Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 21
The Cluny: Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops
Newcastle, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 22
Òran Mór
Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 26
The Glee Club
Birmingham, GB, UNITED KINGDOM
*
Apr 27
Nottingham Glee Club
Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
*
May 2
Bush Hall
London, United Kingdom
Friday, January 21, 2011
Review: The Felice Brothers at Mass Moca
Link
With so many disappointments in our daily lives – from government to banks, lawyers, greed, media, celebrity culture, gun violence and that unsustainable, bad idea of globalization… it is nice to be face-to-face for a couple of hours with an experience that does not disappoint in any way.
Saturday night’s concert by the Felice Brothers at MASS MoCA in North Adams did not disappoint – at any moment for any reason. Louder, faster and more raucous than anything they do on record, it would have been hard to not leave this performance less than totally impressed.
It is not just all fun at a Felice show. It gets pretty edgy, too, and it presents some pretty seriously twisted scenarios for you to absorb. Seemingly autobiographical, these songs present some narrations that no one person could have lived through by themselves, nor probably any band of fellows like this group. They simply have great imaginations and stories to tell.
While their songs sound simple on the first listen, one layer below the surface there are all sorts of levels of abstractions and surrealism, even though the band does not have one iota of outward aesthetic snobbishness about them. They are as real as real can be, but they write songs that hit the mark in both conscious and subconscious ways. Their songs resonate, and their live performance did even more so.
God, are they great live. What great balance. Two of them seem like they maybe are drugged to slow down appropriately, while the other three move and play with constant frenetic energy. And how beautiful James Felice’s accordion is at exactly the right moments in so many of the songs.
Between songs, Ian Felice stated, “I can’t believe we sit in our rooms and write these songs, and then people like you come to hear them. That’s amazing.” I believe he really thinks that, and I think it’s part of the magic.
Yes, some think they are like Bob Dylan. Let’s not hang that kiss of death on them. Okay, “The Basement Tapes” come to mind, as does the Band and their way with the blending, layering and colliding of instruments and sounds, with the distinctive and heartfelt vocals and abstract lyrics that changed rock and roll forever. Remember when “Music From Big Pink” sounded like nothing ever before it?
It is probably not a coincidence that the Felice homestead in Palenville, NY is just a short jaunt over Ridge Road to West Saugerties and then a little farther on to Woodstock. With only Levon left there to the south of them, and Bob, Van and Rick departed, these sounds – with origins under the shadow of the Plattekill and Hunter Mountains – take off where the others before left off.
However, make no mistake, the Felice Brothers seem to be the real deal, uniquely their own, reflecting exactly where they come from and the lives of those around them. They are no copycats. These songs and ideas are too good to be copies. And they do not sing about how awful success and a little fame is, like so many musical talents with no ideas beyond themselves do.
About 500-plus fans were treated to something really special at MASS MoCA. They got to live with the Felice Brothers for a couple of hours and hear about the world in real terms – all loud and chaotic – fraught with love, emotion, death, confessions and vulnerability at the same time.
And when the band finally played “Frankie’s Gun,” as their third encore and final song on the night, they torn it down and deconstructed it, thundering through it to such a drastic degree that it was a perfect ending to the evening. The crowd needed no more after that.
With so many disappointments in our daily lives – from government to banks, lawyers, greed, media, celebrity culture, gun violence and that unsustainable, bad idea of globalization… it is nice to be face-to-face for a couple of hours with an experience that does not disappoint in any way.
Saturday night’s concert by the Felice Brothers at MASS MoCA in North Adams did not disappoint – at any moment for any reason. Louder, faster and more raucous than anything they do on record, it would have been hard to not leave this performance less than totally impressed.
It is not just all fun at a Felice show. It gets pretty edgy, too, and it presents some pretty seriously twisted scenarios for you to absorb. Seemingly autobiographical, these songs present some narrations that no one person could have lived through by themselves, nor probably any band of fellows like this group. They simply have great imaginations and stories to tell.
While their songs sound simple on the first listen, one layer below the surface there are all sorts of levels of abstractions and surrealism, even though the band does not have one iota of outward aesthetic snobbishness about them. They are as real as real can be, but they write songs that hit the mark in both conscious and subconscious ways. Their songs resonate, and their live performance did even more so.
God, are they great live. What great balance. Two of them seem like they maybe are drugged to slow down appropriately, while the other three move and play with constant frenetic energy. And how beautiful James Felice’s accordion is at exactly the right moments in so many of the songs.
Between songs, Ian Felice stated, “I can’t believe we sit in our rooms and write these songs, and then people like you come to hear them. That’s amazing.” I believe he really thinks that, and I think it’s part of the magic.
Yes, some think they are like Bob Dylan. Let’s not hang that kiss of death on them. Okay, “The Basement Tapes” come to mind, as does the Band and their way with the blending, layering and colliding of instruments and sounds, with the distinctive and heartfelt vocals and abstract lyrics that changed rock and roll forever. Remember when “Music From Big Pink” sounded like nothing ever before it?
It is probably not a coincidence that the Felice homestead in Palenville, NY is just a short jaunt over Ridge Road to West Saugerties and then a little farther on to Woodstock. With only Levon left there to the south of them, and Bob, Van and Rick departed, these sounds – with origins under the shadow of the Plattekill and Hunter Mountains – take off where the others before left off.
However, make no mistake, the Felice Brothers seem to be the real deal, uniquely their own, reflecting exactly where they come from and the lives of those around them. They are no copycats. These songs and ideas are too good to be copies. And they do not sing about how awful success and a little fame is, like so many musical talents with no ideas beyond themselves do.
About 500-plus fans were treated to something really special at MASS MoCA. They got to live with the Felice Brothers for a couple of hours and hear about the world in real terms – all loud and chaotic – fraught with love, emotion, death, confessions and vulnerability at the same time.
And when the band finally played “Frankie’s Gun,” as their third encore and final song on the night, they torn it down and deconstructed it, thundering through it to such a drastic degree that it was a perfect ending to the evening. The crowd needed no more after that.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Felice Brothers heading to New Zealand
Link
Grassroots Festival Second Announcement
Thursday, 20th January 2011 8:53AM
The brand new Grassroots Festival has released it's second and final line-up announcement and if you thought BB King and Elvis Costello couldn't be topped - how bout adding in the legendary Grace Jones!
Here are all the second announcement acts:
Tony Joe White (USA), Imogen Heap (UK), Lulo Reinhardt (GER), Felice Brothers (USA), Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA), Flip Grater (NZ), Hammond Gamble (NZ), Shona Laing (NZ), Doug Jerebine & Billy T.K. SR (NZ), Heart Attack Alley (NZ), Julia Deans (NZ), Darcy Perry (NZ), Caitlin Smith (NZ), Riverhead Slide (NZ), The Warratahs (NZ), The Bads (NZ) and The Thomas Oliver Band (NZ).
They join the already announced:
BB King (USA), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (USA), Ben Harper and Relentless7 (USA), Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Mexico), Eric Bibb (USA), Paul Ubana Jones (NZ), Ruthie Foster (USA), Cairo Knife Fight (NZ), Ticket (NZ), Don McGlashan (NZ) and Sola Rosa (NZ).
GRASSROOTS : PUHINUI RESERVE
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Tickets on sale now - full details below.
Press Release:
In a summer that has seen more international and local talent perform for New Zealand than ever before, the inaugural GrassRoots Festival closes our Summer 2011 with a must see 2 day line up on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April at the stunning Puhinui Reserve.
This two-day festival will bring together some of the world’s most renowned artists as well as a raft of local acts across a multitude of genres whilst still having its core ethos firmly grounded in blues and roots based music. Thirty artists on two stages over the two days will launch GrassRoots – The New Zealand Blues and Roots All Music Festival 2011.
Chugg Entertainment are thrilled to announce that joining the already incredible line-up are the phenomenal Grace Jones (USA), Tony Joe White (USA), Imogen Heap (UK), Lulo Reinhardt (GER), Felice Brothers (USA), Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA), Flip Grater (NZ), Hammond Gamble (NZ), Shona Laing (NZ), Doug Jerebine & Billy T.K. SR (NZ), Heart Attack Alley (NZ), Julia Deans (NZ), Darcy Perry (NZ), Caitlin Smith (NZ), Riverhead Slide (NZ), The Warratahs (NZ), The Bads (NZ) and The Thomas Oliver Band (NZ).
Artists announced earlier include the fabulous BB King (USA), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (USA), Ben Harper and Relentless7 (USA), Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Mexico), Eric Bibb (USA), Paul Ubana Jones (NZ), Ruthie Foster (USA), Cairo Knife Fight (NZ), Ticket (NZ), Don McGlashan (NZ) and Sola Rosa (NZ).
GrassRoots is bringing the music to New Zealand for Easter. Do not miss your chance to say that you were there first. Please scroll down for artist performance days.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
GRASSROOTS : PUHINUI RESERVE
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Ticket options include Single day, 2-Day with VIP & camping options. For more info visit the Grass Roots site.
grassrootsfestival.co.nz
Grassroots Festival Second Announcement
Thursday, 20th January 2011 8:53AM
The brand new Grassroots Festival has released it's second and final line-up announcement and if you thought BB King and Elvis Costello couldn't be topped - how bout adding in the legendary Grace Jones!
Here are all the second announcement acts:
Tony Joe White (USA), Imogen Heap (UK), Lulo Reinhardt (GER), Felice Brothers (USA), Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA), Flip Grater (NZ), Hammond Gamble (NZ), Shona Laing (NZ), Doug Jerebine & Billy T.K. SR (NZ), Heart Attack Alley (NZ), Julia Deans (NZ), Darcy Perry (NZ), Caitlin Smith (NZ), Riverhead Slide (NZ), The Warratahs (NZ), The Bads (NZ) and The Thomas Oliver Band (NZ).
They join the already announced:
BB King (USA), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (USA), Ben Harper and Relentless7 (USA), Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Mexico), Eric Bibb (USA), Paul Ubana Jones (NZ), Ruthie Foster (USA), Cairo Knife Fight (NZ), Ticket (NZ), Don McGlashan (NZ) and Sola Rosa (NZ).
GRASSROOTS : PUHINUI RESERVE
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Tickets on sale now - full details below.
Press Release:
In a summer that has seen more international and local talent perform for New Zealand than ever before, the inaugural GrassRoots Festival closes our Summer 2011 with a must see 2 day line up on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April at the stunning Puhinui Reserve.
This two-day festival will bring together some of the world’s most renowned artists as well as a raft of local acts across a multitude of genres whilst still having its core ethos firmly grounded in blues and roots based music. Thirty artists on two stages over the two days will launch GrassRoots – The New Zealand Blues and Roots All Music Festival 2011.
Chugg Entertainment are thrilled to announce that joining the already incredible line-up are the phenomenal Grace Jones (USA), Tony Joe White (USA), Imogen Heap (UK), Lulo Reinhardt (GER), Felice Brothers (USA), Eugene Hideaway Bridges (USA), Flip Grater (NZ), Hammond Gamble (NZ), Shona Laing (NZ), Doug Jerebine & Billy T.K. SR (NZ), Heart Attack Alley (NZ), Julia Deans (NZ), Darcy Perry (NZ), Caitlin Smith (NZ), Riverhead Slide (NZ), The Warratahs (NZ), The Bads (NZ) and The Thomas Oliver Band (NZ).
Artists announced earlier include the fabulous BB King (USA), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (USA), Ben Harper and Relentless7 (USA), Rodrigo Y Gabriela (Mexico), Eric Bibb (USA), Paul Ubana Jones (NZ), Ruthie Foster (USA), Cairo Knife Fight (NZ), Ticket (NZ), Don McGlashan (NZ) and Sola Rosa (NZ).
GrassRoots is bringing the music to New Zealand for Easter. Do not miss your chance to say that you were there first. Please scroll down for artist performance days.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
GRASSROOTS : PUHINUI RESERVE
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Ticket options include Single day, 2-Day with VIP & camping options. For more info visit the Grass Roots site.
grassrootsfestival.co.nz
The Felice Brothers add Coachella to SxSw
Link
The official 2011 Coachella lineup was released Tuesday night, following a wild string of online predictions and fake posters that began infiltrating the web during the first month of 2011.
Rumors have been circulating for months; in fact, many speculations began the day after Coachella 2010. There was talk of Daft Punk, The White Striples, Coldplay…even the Rolling Stones were rumored to have been offered $5 million to be headliners for the festival. And while we won’t be seeing Mick Jagger strutting the stage this year, the organizers of Coachella have promised us a pretty sweet lineup for 2011, with welcome surprises like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Mumford & Sons. A complete list, as announced by Goldenvoice (the festival’s promoter) follows:
!!!, 12th Planet, Afrojack, Alf Alpha, Andy C, Angus and Julia Stone, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, A-Trak, Axwell, Beardyman, Best Coast, Big Audio Dynamite, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Bomba Estereo, Boys Noize, Brandon Flowers, Brandt Brauer Frick, Breakage, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Cage the Elephant, Caifanes, Caspa, Cee Lo Green, Chromeo, Chuckie, City and Colour, Clare Maguire, Cold Cave, Cold War Kids, Crystal Castles, CSS, Cults, Cut Copy, Daedelus, Death From Above 1979, Delorean, Delta Sprirt, DJ Hype, DJ Kentaro, DJ Marky, DJ Zinc, Duck Sauce, Duran Duran, EE, Elbow, Electric Touch, Eliza Doolittle, Ellie Goulding, Emicida, Empire of the Sun, Erick Morillo, Erykah Badu, Excision, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fedde Le Grand, Fistful of Mercy, Flogging Molly, Foals, Foster the People, Francis and the Lights, Freelance Whales, fun., G.Q., Gayngs, Glasser, Gogol Bordello, Good Old War, Gord Downie, Goth Trad, Green Velvet, Gypsy and the Cat, HEALTH, Here We Go Magic, High Contrast, Hurts, Interpol, Jack Beats, Jack’s Mannequin, Jakes, Jenny and Johnny, Jimmy Eat World, Joachim Garraud, Joy Orbison, Kanye West, Kele, Kings of Leon, Klaxons, Kode9, Kyle Hall, Laidback Luke, Leftfield, Lightning Bolt, Lil’ B, Lorn, Los Bunkers, Magnetic Man, Mariachi El Bronx, Marina and the Diamonds, Mary Anne Hobbs, MEN, Menomena, Monarchy, Mount Kimbie, Moving Units, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Mumford & Sons, Nas & Damian Marley, Neon Trees, New Pants, Nosaj Thing, OFF!, OFWGKTA, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, One Day as a Lion, Ozomatli, Paul van Dyk, Phantogram, Phosphorescent, PJ Harvey, Plan B, Ramadanman, Raphael Saadiq, Ras G, Ratatat, Riva Starr, Robyn, Roska, Rye Rye, Sander Kleinenberg, Sasha, SBTRKT, Scala & Kolacny Bros., Scissor Sisters, She Wants Revenge, Shpongle, Skrillex, Sleigh Bells, Steve Angello, Sven Vath, Take, Tame Impala, Terror Danjah, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Aquabats, The Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, The Drums, The Felice Brothers, The Henry Clay People, The Joy Formidable, The Kills, The London Suede, The Love Language, The Morning Benders, The National, The New Pornographers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Presets, The Radio Dept., The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Strokes, The Swell Season, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Twelves, Thunderball, Tinie Tempah, Titus Andronicus, Tokimonsta, Trampled by Turtles, Trentemoller, Twin Shadow, Two Door Cinema Club, Warpaint, Wire, Wiz Khalifa, Yacht, Yelle and Zed Bias.
The official 2011 Coachella lineup was released Tuesday night, following a wild string of online predictions and fake posters that began infiltrating the web during the first month of 2011.
Rumors have been circulating for months; in fact, many speculations began the day after Coachella 2010. There was talk of Daft Punk, The White Striples, Coldplay…even the Rolling Stones were rumored to have been offered $5 million to be headliners for the festival. And while we won’t be seeing Mick Jagger strutting the stage this year, the organizers of Coachella have promised us a pretty sweet lineup for 2011, with welcome surprises like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Mumford & Sons. A complete list, as announced by Goldenvoice (the festival’s promoter) follows:
!!!, 12th Planet, Afrojack, Alf Alpha, Andy C, Angus and Julia Stone, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, A-Trak, Axwell, Beardyman, Best Coast, Big Audio Dynamite, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Bomba Estereo, Boys Noize, Brandon Flowers, Brandt Brauer Frick, Breakage, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Cage the Elephant, Caifanes, Caspa, Cee Lo Green, Chromeo, Chuckie, City and Colour, Clare Maguire, Cold Cave, Cold War Kids, Crystal Castles, CSS, Cults, Cut Copy, Daedelus, Death From Above 1979, Delorean, Delta Sprirt, DJ Hype, DJ Kentaro, DJ Marky, DJ Zinc, Duck Sauce, Duran Duran, EE, Elbow, Electric Touch, Eliza Doolittle, Ellie Goulding, Emicida, Empire of the Sun, Erick Morillo, Erykah Badu, Excision, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fedde Le Grand, Fistful of Mercy, Flogging Molly, Foals, Foster the People, Francis and the Lights, Freelance Whales, fun., G.Q., Gayngs, Glasser, Gogol Bordello, Good Old War, Gord Downie, Goth Trad, Green Velvet, Gypsy and the Cat, HEALTH, Here We Go Magic, High Contrast, Hurts, Interpol, Jack Beats, Jack’s Mannequin, Jakes, Jenny and Johnny, Jimmy Eat World, Joachim Garraud, Joy Orbison, Kanye West, Kele, Kings of Leon, Klaxons, Kode9, Kyle Hall, Laidback Luke, Leftfield, Lightning Bolt, Lil’ B, Lorn, Los Bunkers, Magnetic Man, Mariachi El Bronx, Marina and the Diamonds, Mary Anne Hobbs, MEN, Menomena, Monarchy, Mount Kimbie, Moving Units, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Mumford & Sons, Nas & Damian Marley, Neon Trees, New Pants, Nosaj Thing, OFF!, OFWGKTA, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, One Day as a Lion, Ozomatli, Paul van Dyk, Phantogram, Phosphorescent, PJ Harvey, Plan B, Ramadanman, Raphael Saadiq, Ras G, Ratatat, Riva Starr, Robyn, Roska, Rye Rye, Sander Kleinenberg, Sasha, SBTRKT, Scala & Kolacny Bros., Scissor Sisters, She Wants Revenge, Shpongle, Skrillex, Sleigh Bells, Steve Angello, Sven Vath, Take, Tame Impala, Terror Danjah, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Aquabats, The Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, The Drums, The Felice Brothers, The Henry Clay People, The Joy Formidable, The Kills, The London Suede, The Love Language, The Morning Benders, The National, The New Pornographers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Presets, The Radio Dept., The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Strokes, The Swell Season, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Twelves, Thunderball, Tinie Tempah, Titus Andronicus, Tokimonsta, Trampled by Turtles, Trentemoller, Twin Shadow, Two Door Cinema Club, Warpaint, Wire, Wiz Khalifa, Yacht, Yelle and Zed Bias.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Simone Felice The Communion Launch in Brooklyn January 9
Simone is recording his Solo debut and will be touring this spring.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Quick note
More later as I am so flu ridden I can hardly move.
But, we collected over 500 new toys for the Toys for Tots program and plenty of Coats for Kids as well. Thanks to all that donated and to Sgt Timothy Harrington of the US Marine Corps.
I'll have a more complete recap later.
Digger
But, we collected over 500 new toys for the Toys for Tots program and plenty of Coats for Kids as well. Thanks to all that donated and to Sgt Timothy Harrington of the US Marine Corps.
I'll have a more complete recap later.
Digger
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Duke and the King get another top ten album nod
Link
Here is the original review of Long Live The Duke and The King:
This year is turning out to be a vintage one for me, album-wise. This timeless offering from Duke & The King is right up there on my list. From the opening bars of ‘Gloria’ I knew that the bar had been raised even higher than Nothing Gold Can Stay, which was one of my albums of 2009.
The crafting of the songs and the soaring harmonies put this in a league of its own. There is no genre or boxes you can tick with these guys, they are unique and carving themselves a niche in rock’n'roll folklore. From the late 60s San Francisco feel of lead single ‘Shaky’ through to the more traditional Americana sounding ‘You and I’, they arouse your senses and carry you away into your stereo. At times I almost felt that I was in their log cabin studio deep in the woods of Bearsville, New York.
This album has a much more collective feel to it than the debut, with lead vocals shared amongst the band members, much like a Duke & The King live show. This record takes you to a better place in your heart. Track four ‘Right Now’ will take you to that better place immediately, it’s a true uplifting message straight from the gospel of Reverand Loveday. The bluesy ‘Hudson River’ is just stunning and Simi Stone has the most stunning vocal delivery on ‘No Easy Way Out’.
Every one of the ten tracks on this long player is mindblowing, however just for this week ‘Children Of The Sun’ is taking me the highest places. I have been privileged and honoured to both meet and interview the band as well as catching them live on a couple of occasions. They bring their love back to the UK next month and I tell you it’s the most moving gig experience I have ever had and one you should not miss out on. I’m not sure if I can give an album 11/10 but I’m going to anyway! This is the best record I have heard in the last ten years!
Long Live The Duke and The King drops on Loose Music 27th September. The lead single ‘Shaky’ is available from Monday 20th September.
Here is the original review of Long Live The Duke and The King:
This year is turning out to be a vintage one for me, album-wise. This timeless offering from Duke & The King is right up there on my list. From the opening bars of ‘Gloria’ I knew that the bar had been raised even higher than Nothing Gold Can Stay, which was one of my albums of 2009.
The crafting of the songs and the soaring harmonies put this in a league of its own. There is no genre or boxes you can tick with these guys, they are unique and carving themselves a niche in rock’n'roll folklore. From the late 60s San Francisco feel of lead single ‘Shaky’ through to the more traditional Americana sounding ‘You and I’, they arouse your senses and carry you away into your stereo. At times I almost felt that I was in their log cabin studio deep in the woods of Bearsville, New York.
This album has a much more collective feel to it than the debut, with lead vocals shared amongst the band members, much like a Duke & The King live show. This record takes you to a better place in your heart. Track four ‘Right Now’ will take you to that better place immediately, it’s a true uplifting message straight from the gospel of Reverand Loveday. The bluesy ‘Hudson River’ is just stunning and Simi Stone has the most stunning vocal delivery on ‘No Easy Way Out’.
Every one of the ten tracks on this long player is mindblowing, however just for this week ‘Children Of The Sun’ is taking me the highest places. I have been privileged and honoured to both meet and interview the band as well as catching them live on a couple of occasions. They bring their love back to the UK next month and I tell you it’s the most moving gig experience I have ever had and one you should not miss out on. I’m not sure if I can give an album 11/10 but I’m going to anyway! This is the best record I have heard in the last ten years!
Long Live The Duke and The King drops on Loose Music 27th September. The lead single ‘Shaky’ is available from Monday 20th September.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
No Depression tabs Mix Tape in top albums of 2010
It's that time of year again for everybody to begin pushing their own year-end picks of 2010. For my 2010 picks, I chose the 20 albums released this year that I predict I'll surely be returning to beyond December 31st, 2010.
Link
Here's my list, in no particular order, followed by brief impressions of each.
1. Johnny Cash: American Recordings VI: Ain't No Grave
2. Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band: Legacy
3. Punch Brothers: NPR's Newport Folk Festival Recording
4. Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell: Hawk
5. Neil Young: Le Noise
6. Bill Callahan: Rough Travel For A Rare Thing
7. Roland White: I Wasn't Born To Rock N Roll
8. Black Twig Pickers: Ironto Special
9. Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig
10. Del McCoury: Del McCoury
11. Mavis Staples: You Are Not Alone
12. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore: Dear Companion
13. Steeldrivers: Reckless
14. Trampled By Turtles: Palomino
15. Charlie Parr & Black Twig Pickers: Glory In The Meeting House
16. Felice Brothers: Mix Tape
17. Charlie Louvin: The Battles Rage On
18. Black Keys: Brothers
19. Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues
20. Bonnie Prince Billy & Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show Of The World
"16. Felice Brothers: Mix Tape. The Felice Brothers are best when performing live on a stage. Comparing the band's live dynamics, which shift between energetic rambunctiousness, somberful serenading, and rural-tinged ballads, to the renditions found on their studio releases, is just pointless. The band's live performances and studio releases are just two, equally satisfying, experiences. Mix Tape is a loose collection of tunes that doesn't hint at the artistic seriousness of the excellent Yonder Is The Clock, but seems more like middle ground between that album and The Felice Brothers. It's a comfortable and unimposing collection, that stretches out just enough and feels simpler and more understated without too much refinement. Mix Tape wears well like those old jeans you just can't toss away."
Link
Here's my list, in no particular order, followed by brief impressions of each.
1. Johnny Cash: American Recordings VI: Ain't No Grave
2. Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band: Legacy
3. Punch Brothers: NPR's Newport Folk Festival Recording
4. Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell: Hawk
5. Neil Young: Le Noise
6. Bill Callahan: Rough Travel For A Rare Thing
7. Roland White: I Wasn't Born To Rock N Roll
8. Black Twig Pickers: Ironto Special
9. Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig
10. Del McCoury: Del McCoury
11. Mavis Staples: You Are Not Alone
12. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore: Dear Companion
13. Steeldrivers: Reckless
14. Trampled By Turtles: Palomino
15. Charlie Parr & Black Twig Pickers: Glory In The Meeting House
16. Felice Brothers: Mix Tape
17. Charlie Louvin: The Battles Rage On
18. Black Keys: Brothers
19. Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues
20. Bonnie Prince Billy & Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show Of The World
"16. Felice Brothers: Mix Tape. The Felice Brothers are best when performing live on a stage. Comparing the band's live dynamics, which shift between energetic rambunctiousness, somberful serenading, and rural-tinged ballads, to the renditions found on their studio releases, is just pointless. The band's live performances and studio releases are just two, equally satisfying, experiences. Mix Tape is a loose collection of tunes that doesn't hint at the artistic seriousness of the excellent Yonder Is The Clock, but seems more like middle ground between that album and The Felice Brothers. It's a comfortable and unimposing collection, that stretches out just enough and feels simpler and more understated without too much refinement. Mix Tape wears well like those old jeans you just can't toss away."
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Felice Brothers DVD available for Christmas
Link
It's from Mountain Jam 2007
Setlist:
Two Hands
Two hands
Waterspider
Take this bread
Oxycontin
T for Texas
Black Girl
Roll on Arte
We bid you goodnight
Ballad of Lou
It's from Mountain Jam 2007
Setlist:
Two Hands
Two hands
Waterspider
Take this bread
Oxycontin
T for Texas
Black Girl
Roll on Arte
We bid you goodnight
Ballad of Lou
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Forever Green from the Felice Brothers in Rochester
I got it a little late, sorry but it was history. A very lively set,
much attributable to the Reggae show next door. 90 minutes.
Forever Green
Fire at the Pagaent
Wonderful life
Dance hall
Ponzi
Let me Come home
Tenderly
Stepdad
River Jordan
Whiskey
Ballad of Lou the Welterweight
Bread
Limo
Chicken run
Ruby
Frankie's gun
Better be
Greatest Show
Liquor
2 hands
Friday, December 3, 2010
Rochester 12-3-10
Forever Green
Fire at the Pagaent
Wonderful life
Dance hall
Ponzi
Let me Come home
Tenderly
Stepdad
River Jordan
Whiskey
Ballad of Lou the Welterweight
Bread
Limo
Chicken run
Ruby
Frankie's gun
Better be
Greatest Show
Liquor
2 hands
Fire at the Pagaent
Wonderful life
Dance hall
Ponzi
Let me Come home
Tenderly
Stepdad
River Jordan
Whiskey
Ballad of Lou the Welterweight
Bread
Limo
Chicken run
Ruby
Frankie's gun
Better be
Greatest Show
Liquor
2 hands
Middle Aged Guy ties jacket around waist, and rushes the stage
Syracuse Setlist
Fire
White Limo
Murder By Mistletoe
Ponzi
Dance Halls
Take This Bread
Whiskey in my Whiskey
Step Dad
River Jordan
Frankies Gun
Farley's Song
Run Chicken Run
Wonderful Life
St Stephen's End
Got WHat I need
Helen Fry
Marie
---
Loves Me Tenderly
Two Hands
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
What Take This Bread is Up To
Last Week we were in Boston, feeding folks meals under the Expressway overpass by Albany St, it was a good time and we handed out roughly 90 meals and met some nice folks.
Over the holiday we also helped deliver about a ton of food to The Food Pantry,
We are continuing our free landscaping program for senior citizens through the leaf season. (2 jobs left).
And from Dec 5-December 20th The Take This Bread truck will be collecting Toys for Tots on Edgartown Rd on Martha's Vineyard. We will also be accepting Cellphones for Soldiers and Coats for Kids. Please stop by and make a donation if you can.
Finally we adopted 4 Teens!
Through the Salvation Army's Adopt a Family Program, we are adopting the Christmas wishlist for 4 Cape Cod area teens this season. We are pretty excited about it.
If you are interested in Adopting a Family, in your area check it out on this link
We got some more kicking as well.
What do The Felice Brothers share with Hugh Hefner???
I know!
For those have heard their new outstanding track "Ponzi", The prerecording at the beginning of the tune, there is dialogue from an apparently old film. That film, i think is the 1946 Rita Hayworth classic "Gilda"
Hugh Hefner, porn extroadinaire and film buff (of the non-porn variety) recently listed the 5 sexiest movies ever, and Gilda was on the list
Here is what he had to say about it:
''It defined Rita Hayworth as a sex icon. Afterward, she said that men went to bed with Gilda but woke up in the morning with her.''
LINK
Here is a performance of the song from Brooklyn last month. Thanks to Sean, who filmed it and is starting up the new Frankiesgun.com with me in 2011!
For those have heard their new outstanding track "Ponzi", The prerecording at the beginning of the tune, there is dialogue from an apparently old film. That film, i think is the 1946 Rita Hayworth classic "Gilda"
Hugh Hefner, porn extroadinaire and film buff (of the non-porn variety) recently listed the 5 sexiest movies ever, and Gilda was on the list
Here is what he had to say about it:
''It defined Rita Hayworth as a sex icon. Afterward, she said that men went to bed with Gilda but woke up in the morning with her.''
LINK
Here is a performance of the song from Brooklyn last month. Thanks to Sean, who filmed it and is starting up the new Frankiesgun.com with me in 2011!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Nod for Simone Felice in Album of the Year list
#2 on albums of the year list: Simone Felice: Live from a Lonely Place
Top Ten CDs of 2010
LINK
I’ve finally settled on my list of the top ten CDs of 2010. Probably unlike anyone else’s list, I give it to you here. The order of the CDs from one to ten was the toughest part, and I can’t say that I won’t want to switch some of them around immediately after posting them, but this is the way it looks to me at this moment in time.
1. Salter Cane – Sorrow
This release is fairly recent, but the power of the songs, the beauty of the performances, and overall sense and feel of the entire work is just overwhelming. Sorrow is released as having a Creative Commons License, which is to say, if you have a copy, you are free to make other copies and Salter Cane encourages you to give them away. What a wonderful concept, being about the music rather than corporate greed.
2. Simone Felice – Live From a Lonely Place
This CD is in very limited release, and that’s a shame. Felice is a one half of the duo, Duke and King, and a former member of the Felice Brothers group. Recorded at home (in the barn) just a few weeks after his open heart surgery, this retrospective collection includes songs from the earliest Felice Brother days, Duke & King favorites, and the traditional Celtic waltz Wild Mountain Thyme arranged by Simone. Naked as the day you were born, these stark recordings cut to the bone, revealing the essential brilliance of the songwriting, the poetry, like a ghost in the attic, like a wind at the door. Available exclusively at simonefelice.com as well as all live Simone Felice appearances.
3. The Vatican Cellar – The Same Crooked Worm
Just released this month, The Same Crooked Worm is a series of cathartic, cut to the bone songs dealing with loss, hope, and redemption. Essentially a duo, The Vatican Cellar uses acoustic instruments, beautiful solo and harmony vocals, and deep, brooding lyrics to convey what they wish to share, musically, with the audience. Bears repeat listenings, which given the beauty of the music, will not be a difficult assignment.
4. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk
Like their previous two collaborations, this one is a gem. Maybe nobody in the music world has produced as much great, must-have music in the span of three CDs as this duo has done. Every song is a keeper, but that’s true of their other work together as well. Hawk isn’t a new CD so much as it is a continuation of what began with the inception of their musical alliance begun in 2006 with Ballad of the Broken Seas, and continued with 2008′s Sunday at Devil Dirt.
5. Thea Gilmore – Murphy’s Heart
Any year that Thea Gilmore releases a new CD, it’s going to be on my best of list. She does not record anything average, ordinary, or mediocre. Everything she puts out is a masterwork, and Murphy’s Heart is no exception. While not as extraordinary as 2002′s Songs from the Gutter, nor as breathtaking as 2008′s Liejacker, this is a great work from a great, and too much under appreciated artist.
6. Sharon Krauss – The Woody Nightshade
A dark, ethereal, brooding, but revealing CD about love missed, love found and lost, and love never achieved. Largely piano based, acoustic, with breathy but splendid vocals, The Woody Nightshade gives us a glimpse into a world we seldom find ourselves looking. As the name implies, these songs are filled with beauty and danger all at the same time, taking its name from the beautiful but poisonous plant also known as deadly nightshade or belladonna.
7. Black Dub – Black Dub
With the production values of band member, Daniel Lanois, producer of such acts as U2, The Neville Brothers, and Bob Dylan, this CD would be hard pressed to miss. Throw in the wonderful pyrotechnic vocals of Trixie Whitley and you have winner without even trying. A couple of songs are a little too hip-hop for my taste, but once the CD gets cooking, Trixie Whitley steps right up and lays claim to being one of the best female vocalists working in popular music today. Once she grabs you by the throat, there’s no letting go.
8. Richard Thompson – Dream Attic
After having put out a couple of mostly acoustic CDs in a row, Richard Thompson cuts loose on this one, laying claim to being one of the best guitar players in popular music today. Actually, one of the best ever if the truth is known. With his usual sardonic wit and wisdom, he takes us, lyrically, through a tour de force of great music, and throughout it all, his ringing, baroque-style, rock and roll guitar weaves a web from which the listener can’t escape. And doesn’t really want to.
9. Joanne Shaw Taylor – Diamonds in the Dirt
Taylor proves herself to be one of the best blues guitar slingers out there with the release of this CD. Not one of the best female player, but one of the best players, period. Her earlier CD, White Sugar, allowed her to lay claim to all the accolades that came her way. This follow up cements it all in place. This girl isn’t going away. Called “the love child of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dusty Springfield,” she does them both proud, even if the statement was made in hyperbole. She sings, she plays, she rocks.
10. Doghouse Roses – This Broken Key
One of my favorite groups of the last couple of years returns with a new CD just in time to make the list. Paul Tasker and Iona Macdonald started playing music together in 2005. Tasker’s intricate guitar and Macdonald’s golden voice caught my ear with their initial release, 2009′s How’ve you Been (all this time)?, and I couldn’t wait to hear more. Broken Key is the perfect follow up. It trades on the strengths of what they began on the earlier release, and plows ahead into new territory that should keep them vital and interesting for the long haul.
There’s lots of other good releases out there this year, but these are the ones that have stood the test of time and repeat plays on my iPod and elsewhere. If you’re interested in some really great music, look up these releases. Cuts can be heard all over the internet, and most of the CDs are available from a myriad of sites selling CDs and downloads. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Top Ten CDs of 2010
LINK
I’ve finally settled on my list of the top ten CDs of 2010. Probably unlike anyone else’s list, I give it to you here. The order of the CDs from one to ten was the toughest part, and I can’t say that I won’t want to switch some of them around immediately after posting them, but this is the way it looks to me at this moment in time.
1. Salter Cane – Sorrow
This release is fairly recent, but the power of the songs, the beauty of the performances, and overall sense and feel of the entire work is just overwhelming. Sorrow is released as having a Creative Commons License, which is to say, if you have a copy, you are free to make other copies and Salter Cane encourages you to give them away. What a wonderful concept, being about the music rather than corporate greed.
2. Simone Felice – Live From a Lonely Place
This CD is in very limited release, and that’s a shame. Felice is a one half of the duo, Duke and King, and a former member of the Felice Brothers group. Recorded at home (in the barn) just a few weeks after his open heart surgery, this retrospective collection includes songs from the earliest Felice Brother days, Duke & King favorites, and the traditional Celtic waltz Wild Mountain Thyme arranged by Simone. Naked as the day you were born, these stark recordings cut to the bone, revealing the essential brilliance of the songwriting, the poetry, like a ghost in the attic, like a wind at the door. Available exclusively at simonefelice.com as well as all live Simone Felice appearances.
3. The Vatican Cellar – The Same Crooked Worm
Just released this month, The Same Crooked Worm is a series of cathartic, cut to the bone songs dealing with loss, hope, and redemption. Essentially a duo, The Vatican Cellar uses acoustic instruments, beautiful solo and harmony vocals, and deep, brooding lyrics to convey what they wish to share, musically, with the audience. Bears repeat listenings, which given the beauty of the music, will not be a difficult assignment.
4. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk
Like their previous two collaborations, this one is a gem. Maybe nobody in the music world has produced as much great, must-have music in the span of three CDs as this duo has done. Every song is a keeper, but that’s true of their other work together as well. Hawk isn’t a new CD so much as it is a continuation of what began with the inception of their musical alliance begun in 2006 with Ballad of the Broken Seas, and continued with 2008′s Sunday at Devil Dirt.
5. Thea Gilmore – Murphy’s Heart
Any year that Thea Gilmore releases a new CD, it’s going to be on my best of list. She does not record anything average, ordinary, or mediocre. Everything she puts out is a masterwork, and Murphy’s Heart is no exception. While not as extraordinary as 2002′s Songs from the Gutter, nor as breathtaking as 2008′s Liejacker, this is a great work from a great, and too much under appreciated artist.
6. Sharon Krauss – The Woody Nightshade
A dark, ethereal, brooding, but revealing CD about love missed, love found and lost, and love never achieved. Largely piano based, acoustic, with breathy but splendid vocals, The Woody Nightshade gives us a glimpse into a world we seldom find ourselves looking. As the name implies, these songs are filled with beauty and danger all at the same time, taking its name from the beautiful but poisonous plant also known as deadly nightshade or belladonna.
7. Black Dub – Black Dub
With the production values of band member, Daniel Lanois, producer of such acts as U2, The Neville Brothers, and Bob Dylan, this CD would be hard pressed to miss. Throw in the wonderful pyrotechnic vocals of Trixie Whitley and you have winner without even trying. A couple of songs are a little too hip-hop for my taste, but once the CD gets cooking, Trixie Whitley steps right up and lays claim to being one of the best female vocalists working in popular music today. Once she grabs you by the throat, there’s no letting go.
8. Richard Thompson – Dream Attic
After having put out a couple of mostly acoustic CDs in a row, Richard Thompson cuts loose on this one, laying claim to being one of the best guitar players in popular music today. Actually, one of the best ever if the truth is known. With his usual sardonic wit and wisdom, he takes us, lyrically, through a tour de force of great music, and throughout it all, his ringing, baroque-style, rock and roll guitar weaves a web from which the listener can’t escape. And doesn’t really want to.
9. Joanne Shaw Taylor – Diamonds in the Dirt
Taylor proves herself to be one of the best blues guitar slingers out there with the release of this CD. Not one of the best female player, but one of the best players, period. Her earlier CD, White Sugar, allowed her to lay claim to all the accolades that came her way. This follow up cements it all in place. This girl isn’t going away. Called “the love child of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dusty Springfield,” she does them both proud, even if the statement was made in hyperbole. She sings, she plays, she rocks.
10. Doghouse Roses – This Broken Key
One of my favorite groups of the last couple of years returns with a new CD just in time to make the list. Paul Tasker and Iona Macdonald started playing music together in 2005. Tasker’s intricate guitar and Macdonald’s golden voice caught my ear with their initial release, 2009′s How’ve you Been (all this time)?, and I couldn’t wait to hear more. Broken Key is the perfect follow up. It trades on the strengths of what they began on the earlier release, and plows ahead into new territory that should keep them vital and interesting for the long haul.
There’s lots of other good releases out there this year, but these are the ones that have stood the test of time and repeat plays on my iPod and elsewhere. If you’re interested in some really great music, look up these releases. Cuts can be heard all over the internet, and most of the CDs are available from a myriad of sites selling CDs and downloads. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Live Gig of the Year: The Duke and The King
Shine On
The Duke And The King
The Fleece, Bristol
Friday October 29th 2010
Review: Lee Edwards
Photography: Martin Tompkins
Video: Alex Crowton
Electricghost.com
A gentle drizzle washes the streets of Bristol as Alex and I make our way from Temple Mead Station to the newly re-vamped Fleece. We are heading out ahead of photographer Martin to catch the The Duke And The King for their pre-gig soundcheck and sort ourselves out for the interview which we are videoing. Later we’ll be joined by Martin and a capacity audience to see the band play. They were last in Bristol in the Spring at the Thekla where they gave a devastating performance and we proclaimed it was ElectricGhost’s gig of the year. Since then they have produced an amazing second album Long Live the Duke And The King, Simone has has emergency heart treatment and came over a few months ago for a solo tour.
Arriving at the Fleece we are greeted by the band’s tour tour manager Joey. It is the usual bustle of activity that is soundchecking. Bobbie and Simi appear and we get a sense that all is not well in the Duke and King camp. The bereavement mentioned online that cancelled the Glasgow gig turns out to be Bobbie’s dad, also Simone is not well and in pain, but the show will go on. There is a somber mood in the venue. Nowell appears and seems like the other to be friendly but affected by the recent events. Finally Simone appears and he look frankly like he should be in bed and not about to perform in front of a capacity audience. Whilst they work on their soundcheck Alex and I decamp to the dressing room to set up the camera and prepare for the interview. After the interview which will appear on our blogsite (http://www.electricghostmusic.com) and Journal soon we head of to meet up with photographer Martin for a break and food.
Back at the venue the support act is on and the place is full to capacity. It seem an eternity before the band appear. Without the usual jovial banter they kick off with If You Ever Get Famous, Don’t Wake The Scarecrow and The Morning I Get To Hell. Its good to see them live again but they they seem more restrained than usual and pacing themselves, the stage lighting is dark and they seem to merge into the shadows. Simi, who added electric guitar to her instruments, takes the lead vocals on the highly infectious No Easy Way Out and this seems to to be a turning point this is followed by another favourite from the new album Shaky and the audience are engaged and singing along with the band.
Following a moving reading of Suzanne from Bobbie, Nowell is front of stage for Hudson River with a vocal power than never ceases to knock me off my feet. He could easily dominate any lesser band, and it is a testament to the phenomenal musical abilities of each member that they all shine equally and come together with heavenly spine tingling four-part harmonies. Talking of shining the live version of the anthemic slow-burning Shine On You, a favourite of mine from the new album has a new intensity tonight with an acid guitar solo from Bobbie that is incendiary.
Another favourite follows, Gloria, and the emotional intensity is almost unbearable through I’ve One More American Song (Simone solo with just acoustic guitar and harmonica), Have You Seen It and Radio Song. The set finishes with a magical and heartfelt cover of Neil Young’s classic Helpless with the whole audience acting like a choir, many people including the band are close to tears at this point.
Howls of ‘more‘ and foot stamping that rocks the venue eventually brings them back for devastatingly dark and ominous version of Don’t Take That Place Tonight followed by a heartbreaking beautiful version of Union Street; and then they’re gone. This has been an extraordinary evening by any standards with a band battered and bruises by bereavement and illness giving a heroic and transcendental performance. There is no question that The Duke And The King are the most important and best live band on the planet at the moment. They’ve also just become ElectricGhost’s live gig of the year to be shared with their performance earlier this year at The Thekla in Bristol.
The Duke And The King
The Fleece, Bristol
Friday October 29th 2010
Review: Lee Edwards
Photography: Martin Tompkins
Video: Alex Crowton
Electricghost.com
A gentle drizzle washes the streets of Bristol as Alex and I make our way from Temple Mead Station to the newly re-vamped Fleece. We are heading out ahead of photographer Martin to catch the The Duke And The King for their pre-gig soundcheck and sort ourselves out for the interview which we are videoing. Later we’ll be joined by Martin and a capacity audience to see the band play. They were last in Bristol in the Spring at the Thekla where they gave a devastating performance and we proclaimed it was ElectricGhost’s gig of the year. Since then they have produced an amazing second album Long Live the Duke And The King, Simone has has emergency heart treatment and came over a few months ago for a solo tour.
Arriving at the Fleece we are greeted by the band’s tour tour manager Joey. It is the usual bustle of activity that is soundchecking. Bobbie and Simi appear and we get a sense that all is not well in the Duke and King camp. The bereavement mentioned online that cancelled the Glasgow gig turns out to be Bobbie’s dad, also Simone is not well and in pain, but the show will go on. There is a somber mood in the venue. Nowell appears and seems like the other to be friendly but affected by the recent events. Finally Simone appears and he look frankly like he should be in bed and not about to perform in front of a capacity audience. Whilst they work on their soundcheck Alex and I decamp to the dressing room to set up the camera and prepare for the interview. After the interview which will appear on our blogsite (http://www.electricghostmusic.com) and Journal soon we head of to meet up with photographer Martin for a break and food.
Back at the venue the support act is on and the place is full to capacity. It seem an eternity before the band appear. Without the usual jovial banter they kick off with If You Ever Get Famous, Don’t Wake The Scarecrow and The Morning I Get To Hell. Its good to see them live again but they they seem more restrained than usual and pacing themselves, the stage lighting is dark and they seem to merge into the shadows. Simi, who added electric guitar to her instruments, takes the lead vocals on the highly infectious No Easy Way Out and this seems to to be a turning point this is followed by another favourite from the new album Shaky and the audience are engaged and singing along with the band.
Following a moving reading of Suzanne from Bobbie, Nowell is front of stage for Hudson River with a vocal power than never ceases to knock me off my feet. He could easily dominate any lesser band, and it is a testament to the phenomenal musical abilities of each member that they all shine equally and come together with heavenly spine tingling four-part harmonies. Talking of shining the live version of the anthemic slow-burning Shine On You, a favourite of mine from the new album has a new intensity tonight with an acid guitar solo from Bobbie that is incendiary.
Another favourite follows, Gloria, and the emotional intensity is almost unbearable through I’ve One More American Song (Simone solo with just acoustic guitar and harmonica), Have You Seen It and Radio Song. The set finishes with a magical and heartfelt cover of Neil Young’s classic Helpless with the whole audience acting like a choir, many people including the band are close to tears at this point.
Howls of ‘more‘ and foot stamping that rocks the venue eventually brings them back for devastatingly dark and ominous version of Don’t Take That Place Tonight followed by a heartbreaking beautiful version of Union Street; and then they’re gone. This has been an extraordinary evening by any standards with a band battered and bruises by bereavement and illness giving a heroic and transcendental performance. There is no question that The Duke And The King are the most important and best live band on the planet at the moment. They’ve also just become ElectricGhost’s live gig of the year to be shared with their performance earlier this year at The Thekla in Bristol.
Tracklist for Radio Woodstock's 30th anniversary CD
Live in Studio performances featuring The Felice Brothers and The Duke and the King
Disc 1:
Track # Artist Title Preview
1 The Allman Brothers Band Midnight Rider
2 Rick Danko Blue River
3 One eskimO Kandi
4 Wilco Handshake Drugs
5 The Felice Brothers Roll On Arte
6 Railroad Earth Hard Livin'
7 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights
8 Willie Nile Cell Phones Ringing
9 Gov't Mule Woodstock
10 Gomez Revolutionary Kind
11 Big Head Todd & The Monsters Bittersweet
12 Guster Barrel of a Gun
13 Sonia Dada Old Bones
14 Martin Sexton Diner
15 Robert Randolph & The Family Band I Need More Love
16 The English Beat Save It For Later
Disc 2:
Track # Artist Title Preview
1 Michael Franti & Spearhead Yell Fire!
2 North Mississippi Allstars Moonshine
3 The Hold Steady Sequestered In Memphis
4 Ben Folds Late
5 The Duke & The King If You Ever Get Famous
6 Bell X1 The Great Defector
7 Ray LaMontagne Trouble
8 Jackie Greene Farewell, So Long, Goodbye
9 G. Love & Special Sauce Baby's Got Sauce
10 Rusted Root Ecstasy
11 Citizen Cope Brother Lee
12 Ollabelle Riverside
13 Harper Simon Shooting Star
14 Brett Dennen Make You Crazy
15 Ozomatli Saturday Night
16 Natalie Merchant (ft. Susan McKeown and Katell Keineg) Will The Circle Be Unbroken
LINK to BUY
Disc 1:
Track # Artist Title Preview
1 The Allman Brothers Band Midnight Rider
2 Rick Danko Blue River
3 One eskimO Kandi
4 Wilco Handshake Drugs
5 The Felice Brothers Roll On Arte
6 Railroad Earth Hard Livin'
7 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights
8 Willie Nile Cell Phones Ringing
9 Gov't Mule Woodstock
10 Gomez Revolutionary Kind
11 Big Head Todd & The Monsters Bittersweet
12 Guster Barrel of a Gun
13 Sonia Dada Old Bones
14 Martin Sexton Diner
15 Robert Randolph & The Family Band I Need More Love
16 The English Beat Save It For Later
Disc 2:
Track # Artist Title Preview
1 Michael Franti & Spearhead Yell Fire!
2 North Mississippi Allstars Moonshine
3 The Hold Steady Sequestered In Memphis
4 Ben Folds Late
5 The Duke & The King If You Ever Get Famous
6 Bell X1 The Great Defector
7 Ray LaMontagne Trouble
8 Jackie Greene Farewell, So Long, Goodbye
9 G. Love & Special Sauce Baby's Got Sauce
10 Rusted Root Ecstasy
11 Citizen Cope Brother Lee
12 Ollabelle Riverside
13 Harper Simon Shooting Star
14 Brett Dennen Make You Crazy
15 Ozomatli Saturday Night
16 Natalie Merchant (ft. Susan McKeown and Katell Keineg) Will The Circle Be Unbroken
LINK to BUY
From Loose Music:the Duke and the King Honored
DUKE AND THE KING IN UNCUT’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR LIST
29TH NOVEMBER, 2010
in THE DUKE & THE KING
Long Live The Duke & The King has been placed at No. 32 in Uncut’s 50 Best Albums of 2010 list and No.4 in their 20 Best Americana Albums of the year! The new issue of the magazine also features single, Shaky on the free CD.
“If the Felice Brothers initially seemed to be Woodstock-dwelling Band acolytes, subsequent releases have revealed a much wider-ranging bunch. Hence Simone Felice’s second album with The D&K, which evolved their sound from Laurel Canyon reveries to this invocation of cosmic country soul.”
However, if the magazine’s editor, Allan Jones, had full say on the list, it would have been much nearer the top of the list. He mentions the album as being in his personal top 10!
Not heard it? Really?? Well it is, of course, in the Loose shop, here. Also on beautiful vinyl, with free album download.
Link
29TH NOVEMBER, 2010
in THE DUKE & THE KING
Long Live The Duke & The King has been placed at No. 32 in Uncut’s 50 Best Albums of 2010 list and No.4 in their 20 Best Americana Albums of the year! The new issue of the magazine also features single, Shaky on the free CD.
“If the Felice Brothers initially seemed to be Woodstock-dwelling Band acolytes, subsequent releases have revealed a much wider-ranging bunch. Hence Simone Felice’s second album with The D&K, which evolved their sound from Laurel Canyon reveries to this invocation of cosmic country soul.”
However, if the magazine’s editor, Allan Jones, had full say on the list, it would have been much nearer the top of the list. He mentions the album as being in his personal top 10!
Not heard it? Really?? Well it is, of course, in the Loose shop, here. Also on beautiful vinyl, with free album download.
Link
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