The Felice Brothers
"We seek a belt of snakehide, a belt of legend."
Location: New York
Website: http://www.myspace.com/thefelicebrothers
Bio: Simone, Ian and James Felice are the three eldest boys from a family of seven, born carpenter's sons in the wilds of New York's Catskill ... (more)
Mountains. Less than a year ago, the Brothers adopted a runaway dice-thrower and chancer, a 19 year old called Christmas. They convinced him to quit his job and the motley quartet forsook all else but song and moved their Sunday BBQ sing-alongs from their dad's upstate house out onto the streets and subways of NYC.
After months of toil, living in a 1987 special education bus, with arrests, and genuine panhandler fun, a free-lance music writer named Gabe Soria (Mojo, Vice) stumbled upon the boys singing and barking their wares at a farmers market in Brooklyn and one thing led to another.
Now the Felice Brothers and blood brother Christmas all live, tour, sing, write and gamble together on their little bus. Their distinct brand of songwriting and the lawless sound they've forged has earned them comparisons to Woodie Guthrie, a young Springsteen to the Scorsese film Gangs of New York. The boys now travel the world performing homegrown and gritty Americana on the city stages as if they were hosting a sing-along on their own front porch surrounded by family and friends or playing the backroom of a dusty tavern.
In the spring of '07, the Felice Brothers released their first recording Tonight at the Arizona on Loose Records in the UK. They WOW-ed 'em across the pond playing festivals and gigs throughout the UK and Europe with the likes of the Waterboys, Blondie and David Grey. After making their way across America this summer for their first tour, they band hooked up with Bright Eyes for a string of rousing dates on the East Coast ---culminating in a performance on the venerated stage at Radio City Music Hall. The Felice Brothers also kicked it with Levon Helms for one of his classic Midnight Rambles upstate. Along they way, fans at shows were introduced to "The Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol 1", only available at live dates..
The sound that emerges from their instruments is seeped with an instinctive authenticity that’s rooted in tradition. While busking and impromptu subway performances filled their bellies, now their recordings and live performances brings the backwoods to the cities and concert Halls of America and Europe. Starting off '08 on the right foot, the Felice Brothers proudly announce their signing to Team Love Records. The Felice Brothers self-titled American debut will hit the street March 4, 2008.
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