I’ve been sitting on this one because I keep trying to review it and no matter how I slice it, no matter how long I sit here typing and retyping, I have to admit defeat. Pencil down. I’ve been officially and completely swept off my feet and given a 1-2 punch right to the gut by The Felice Brothers and words simply fall short. You just have to be there and see them live. And dance your ass off. And then you’ll want more after it’s all over. They are so completely addicting it’s ridiculous. I think I even might secretly want to BE a Felice Brother. And I’m a girl for cryin’ out loud.
How’s that for a review?
Moving on ever so slightly, I’m now here simply to make good on a promise to share the heap of photos Ady and I took under the guise of Two Sisters and A Show, so over you go to Flickr to over 200 photos, and a video (one that’s not found on youtube) right….here—> The Felice Brothers at Mauch Chunk Opera House 2011.
As always, feel free to share the images amongst your loved ones, but please give credit to Two Sisters.
“Greatest Show on Earth” video footage by Ady:
Speaking of, Two Sisters is starting to morph into an entity of it’s own, we’ve begun tweeting our chronic travels to see live music via a new joint account very recently, if you wish to follow us we can be found at Two Sisters and A Show via Twitter
That is all.
(The video above was shot by another audience member from the opposite side of the stage from where we were…spot the Two Sistas?)
The saga of the two sisters continues. Last night as a birthday present from Adrienne to me, we hopped a train and attended an intimate and close-quartered musical bash courtesy of The Felice Brothers in the heart of Philadelphia, PA.
Before Adrienne told me of her surprise plans for us to celebrate, we’d each independently knew of the band (both of us had heard only good things) but not much else, so when I found out this was my gift, I poked around to listen to them before setting off on our next adventure into music land. Usually when we are on our journeys together it is to see a band in our collective list of very favorite and familiar bands. This time was a little different.
What neither of us anticipated as we headed out the door was just how completely blown away we’d be. The moment The Felice Brothers walked on stage, opening with “Fire at the Pageant,” they had my full and undivided attention. As cliché as it may sound, the stage came alive with intense, menacing, fabulous energy. Here we were in the sparse, crudely lit basement of a church, elbow to elbow with about 200 (?) fortunate others witnessing (no pun intended) the explosive energy spewing forth.
Most-of-the-time lead singer/guitarist Ian Felice’s voice is a vague cocktail of two parts Bob Dylan (running the risk of sounding like everyone else’s observation there), one part Paul Westerberg, and one dash of Kid Rock and even a sprinkle of Eazy E (the last two as noted by Adrienne), all shaken on the rocks of his own truly distinctive and amazing voice. Brother James Felice’s voice, his, booming, powerful and melodic and bassist Christmas each contribute perfect contrast and timbre giving the band a rich vocal sound.
By the time they rolled out “Ponzi,” another track from their forthcoming album Celebration, Florida (which will be released on May 10) Adrienne and I turned looked at each other for that “Holy shit” moment. We both knew that we’d be seeing them live again soon.
Musically The Felice Brothers are all over the map, which I loved. Within their repertoire one could picture being in an 1890’s saloon, down on a bayou in the dark, at a rave, and a second later on a peeling, sunlit porch with a pint of cider. Wafts of Beastie Boys-esque attitude, tints of very early Replacements, dashes of Pink Floyd, Old Crow Medicine Show and Bob Dylan drifted in at times but ultimately I’m most fond of the way they reminded me of a real life version of The Riverbottom Nightmare Band from Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas, and that, in my opinion is just freaking spectacular.
But these are just words and observations and nothing will explain away the mood, excitement and energy of their live show, as with most things nothing will adequately do except you getting out there and seeing them live yourself and there’s plenty opportunity here in the USA, Canada and a few dates in Australia over the next few months.
With that I’ll leave you with a bit from their website, along with some of the videos taken by our trusty blog photographer/videographer, Adrienne.
“Here’s what might come as a surprise about The Felice Brothers: their new and fourth LP Celebration, Florida is an exhilarating amalgamation of frightening horn sections, unexpected 808s, ambient synth lines, schoolyard taunts, booming, primitive drum beats, heavy bass lines, piano, violin, accordion, ringing guitars, rave beats, and sinister acid jazz that captivates and mystifies. Recorded in the gymnasium and theater of Beacon, NY’s old high school, the band explores a multitude of sounds and instrumentation throughout the expansive album. It’s inspired, imaginative, heady, menacing, passionate, and rollicking. Most importantly, it’s as steadfastly authentic as ever, expanding upon the dark, woozy undercurrent of ramshackle barroom blues, vaudevillian atmospherics, and surreal storytelling of their previous albums. Under The Radar wrote in a review of Yonder Is The Clock that The Felice Brothers find “inspiration and freedom rather than constraints in the traditions of folk music.” Celebration, Florida revels in this inventive, outlaw spirit; it’s the sound of a band that knows its roots and knows where it’s growing. It’s a group who just might expand the definition of Americana music along the way.”
On Tuesday, March 8 and Wednesday, March 9, Ady and I attended the two back to back Bright Eyes performances at Radio City Music Hall—two fantastic shows, with the second being the strongest of the two…utterly amazing.
Images from the March 9th performance can be found on this post, Bright Eyes at RCMH March 9, along with a review, which will then be followed by the complete set (which is rather large), and will be posted on flickr. Check back over the next few days for the link to those, as well as a run down of our adventures in New York City, Radio City Music Hall and the performances.
Word on the streets (and in cyberspace) is that one and only The Penny Black Remedy are currently working on their second album…I will keep you updated as information rolls in, or you can keep up on your own via their website. If you sign up for email updates, I promise you will receive some of the funniest and best news updates from a band ever.
So I was at a concert last night, except I wasn’t really. My sister was, and she decided to give me a call during the show. Not to talk over the performance, not to give me the low down, but to set the phone down so I could listen. I put mine on mute, defied the constraints of time and distance and attended a show 8 hours away in Philadelphia at Tin Angel. Two Sisters and a Show 21 century style. He played one of my favorites, “Devil’s Broom,” and Adrienne filmed it, along with a few others. So, now I get to see what I was hearing live. From what she told me, he was joined on stage by Kraig Jarret Johnson (member of the Jayhawks and one of Joseph Arthur’s Lonely Astronauts), who I had seen perform with Joseph Arthur with the rest of the Lonely Astronauts in 2008. Here’s footage of the same song from both performances.
Joseph Arthur with Kraig Jarret Johnson, “Devil’s Broom”
Tin Angel, Philadelphia PA, January 21, 2011 (video filmed by Adrienne)
Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts (in full Halloween garb) “Devil’s Broom”
Musica, Akron, OH, October 31, 2008 (video filmed by me)
(l-r: Jen Turner—sporting a wonderfully outrageous wig, G. Wiz, Joseph Arthur, Sibyl Buck, Kraig Jarret Johnson)
And a little extra encore . . .
Joseph Arthur “In the Sun” Post show at the merch table, Tin Angel, Philadelphia PA, January 21, 2011 (video filmed by Adrienne)
There are some other Joseph Arthur live concert footage clips, as well as other live performances (Gorillaz, Wilco) taken by Adrienne (or official blog concert videographer) and parked on her youtube channel, which has become the official blog concert footage home for Tulip Tree Presents.
I’ve been sitting on this one because I keep trying to review it and no matter how I slice it, no matter how long I sit here typing and retyping, I have to admit defeat. Pencil down. I’ve been officially and completely swept off my feet and given a 1-2 punch right to the gut by The Felice Brothers and words simply fall short. You just have to be there and see them live. And dance your ass off. And then you’ll want more after it’s all over. They are so completely addicting it’s ridiculous. I think I even might secretly want to BE a Felice Brother. And I’m a girl for cryin’ out loud.
Sisters Dissonance 