Felice Brothers
The Loft
November 13, 2010
Better than: wondering how far TCU will fall in the BCS standings because they didn't win by 50 points.
For the second consecutive night at The Loft in Dallas, a band showed up and gave the crowd not only more than it bargained for, but almost a different product than what was expected, altogether.
On Friday night, Freelance Whales managed to beef up and bolster their
cute tunes into something substantial and rather dramatic.
On Saturday
night, The Felice Brothers provided the crowd of what seemed to be
around 250 an hour and a half of shock and awe. Featuring an accordion, fiddle -- and, get this, a washboard -- a night of
rootsy porch-stomping seemed to be imminent. Of course, anyone who
would expect such a vibe completely from this band hasn't truly been
paying attention. Sure, the New York outfit's recent releases lean
heavily towards the indie-country and folk ends of the musical spectrum,
but not without several notable detours in terrain that rocks a goodly
amount.
After the first few tunes -- including the opening number, "Murder by
Mistletoe" -- were complete, one thing was apparent and would prove to be
theme for the night: A sonic unpredictability and generally loose vibe
would reign supreme, regardless of how a song may sound on record. And, truth be told, early on in the set, it wasn't clear as to whether such recklessness would be a positive or negative.
The set list surely satisfied any who have followed them for the last
few years. Even with a newer album out, the set focused on the two
albums previous to their Mix Tape, released this past spring. Perhaps the
familiarity of the songs was key, as the Brothers Felice weren't
exactly worried about executing finely honed and exact replicas of the
various album cuts. At times, especially with the songs that featured a greater focus on
electric instrumentation, the ramshackle feel wore thin and some of the
song-ending cacophonies simply distracted from the performance, and, on
occasion, resembled little more than plain noise. At other times,
however, the inventive nuances that certain songs were given helped them
become far more dynamic than they are on record.
Guitarist and lead singer Ian Felice isn't what most would deem a great
singer, but man, the dude sounds great when he sings. His seemingly
one-dimensional tones were the perfect counterpoint to the times when
accordion and piano player, James Felice and fiddle and washboard
player, Greg Farley, would boisterously join in on harmonies, as they enthusiastically did in "Run, Chicken, Run," and "Frankie's Gun!"
It was the fun, rambunctious moments that lifted the evening out of any
possible let-down. While "St. Stephens End" and "Wonderful Life," surely
provided the evening with a calming few minutes; "Love Me Tenderly"
steered the ship back into the bouncing, rootsy hayride that many have
come to expect from this band.
But, the unpredictable fun wasn't over. For the encore closing,
fan-favorite "Whiskey in My Whiskey," the band stepped up the tempo of
the historically plodding number -- which is about a man who is planning
on doing some bad things to a bad girl named Eleanor -- and presented it
as an all-out Gospel-flavored sing-along that satisfyingly celebrated
the dark events of the tune, instead of lamenting them, as is the case in the
studio version.
With each player changing positions and switching instruments throughout
the set, a certain chaos could've been detected, but the madness that
carried over into the tunes actually seemed to help it all make sense in
the end.
Personal Bias: I really think that "Frankie's Gun!", even as popular as
it is in certain circles, isn't near as famous of a song as it should
be. It's pretty genius.
By The Way: Greg Farley, the fiddle player, dances and moves like a hype
man for a hip-hop act. As a friend of mine mentioned to me during the
set, it was tough to reconcile the image of a wranglers-wearing fiddle
player bopping and weaving while wagging his chain during the set.
Regardless, his energy and passion were as undeniable as they were
appreciated.
Random Note: I'm tired of the traditional encore routine. This
antiquated method is especially awkward at a place like The Loft, where a
band basically has to either stand directly next to the stage, in plain
sight of the crowd, or walk all the way to the back of the room, only
to walk back immediately. Enough already. Bands: Play your set -- every
song you intend on playing -- and then leave the stage for good. Thanks.