Good news for all you Simone Felice fans…..I just added photos and videos from the Duke and the King’s concert at City Winery this past Tuesday. It was an amazing show and I plan on having a full review up soon. Anyway below are some samples…..click the links to go to the pages.
Sample Photo: (click to enlarge)
Sample Photo: (click to enlarge)
Click here to go to the Duke and the King -- Live at City Winery Photos page.
Sample Video: Don’t Wake the Scarecrow
Click the image below to head to the Duke and the King Video page.
What’s this? MTV was a part of something innovative and creative involving up and coming musicians who are actually talented? Who would have thought?
Anyway, Here’s a link to an interactive video for the Cold War Kids. It’s more of a game type thing than a video but it’s impressive nonetheless. Basically you have all four members each contributing four different versions of their part for the song I’ve Seen Enough. You have control over the band. By clicking the color you change the instrument/version of the individual band member and then you can mute or unmute the performers by clicking on the guys themselves. Click the image below to try it out:
The Duke & The King, the new group formed by good friends Simone Felice and Robert “Chicken” Burke are tearing up the music scene with countless great reviews -- for both live shows and their debut album Nothing Gold Can Stay. They are currently on tour supporting the album and are about to begin a string of European dates. Below I’ve gathered a bunch of links to recent reviews and interviews for those that are fans…and those that just want to know more about this phenomenal group.
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Here’s an amazing video of Simone playing One More American Song
Album Reviews:
“If Simone Felice ever finds himself in hell, he’ll manage to somehow make it sound pretty good…. Felice and Burke write songs that are honest, raw and sometimes painful, as evident on their debut CD.” -NPR Weekend Edition: Saturday
“The overall sound is supremely sun-kissed, with swathes of high harmonies shadowing Felice’s every beautiful melodic twist. It is, surprisingly, ‘70s west coast FM rock that seems to be a constant sonic reference (perhaps for nostalgia’s sake), though often with enough of a modern rhythmic feel to never feel unsure as to which decade this record was made.” -Americana UK
“Neil Young meets Marvin Gaye on the kind of record that cults are made of.” -Word Magazine
“a wondrous album… the music is sweet, soft and for the most part, hopeful.” 4 stars, album of the week -Sun Times
“Felice’s songs are trim and chiseled, most notable for their sheer honesty and attention to detail… Brilliant.” -Boston Globe
“The duo swaddle their songs in subdued arrangements that would have sat well among the Laurel Canyon balladeers of Asylum Records: acoustic guitars, pianos, and restrained rhythms, sewn together with subtle detailing, warm harmonies, and a peaceful easy feeling.” -The Independent
“Songs so perfectly formed they might have been around forever” -The Daily Telegraph
“They have pulled off a quite remarkable feat on Nothing Gold Can Stay -- one of my favourite albums of the year. Each song somehow sounding like a classic, each live performance suggesting we are in the presence of a rare, fiery brilliance.” -The Guardian
“Simply has to be the must-have album of the year so far.” -Maverick Magazine
““One More American Song,” on which Felice makes bittersweet nostalgia especially heartfelt, really keeps Nothing Gold Can Stay from being just one more American folk album.” -Paste Magazine
Just made the page for the videos of the Big Surprise Tour’s stop at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on August 6th 2009. The show was just amazing. Simply put, just an outstanding collection of artists. Justin Townes Earle, The Felice Brothers, Dave Rawlings Machine and Old Crow Medicine Show all played with their hearts and souls and looked like they had a great time. Be sure to visit the videos page and catch the beautiful music.
Thanks to Rich Kassirer for his contributions to the photo page and this update. He attended the Big Surprise Tour at the House of Blues in Boston and got some awesome photos of the show. One look will tell you all you need to know about this amazing stage show. Be sure to check out his blog here and visit his music magazine at ModernAcoustic.com.
The Mercury Lounge was packed in so tight that trying to move around surely would have gotten dirty looks from your neighbors. The max occupancy is supposed to be 196 people but who knows how many people were there for the Portugal. The Man show on August 5th, 2009. People began filtering in more and more after an energetic opening set by Hesta Prynn in Civil Shepherd which is an act that has a power trio of guys fronted by two females, one a lead singer, the other a backup who worked on soundscapes and tambourine. As we could feel the room filling up, we made our way to the front of the crowd for The Love Language. Knowing nothing about them before heading in, we were surprised to see the stage filled to the brim with players. 3 guitarists, 2 keyboardists, a Bass guitar and a drum set were the makings of the Love Language, and although seeing it at first gave the impression of overkill, the band members each played their role well and led the audience on a sing along journey. A lot of fans of this band attended the show, so the mood was just perfect. By the time they left the stage the back room of the Mercury Lounge was crammed. Portugal. The Man’s guitar tech begin setting up their equipment as the band would slowly take the stage to fine-tune their gear, to a chorus of cheers and name yells. The headliners of the night were ready to go. The lights were dimmed and the only way to see was from the slight glow of a couple of redspotlights. The Approaching AIRballoons started the night off with a massive medley that included Church Mouth and One is the Loneliest Number that then segued right into Lay Me Back Down. The ability of this band to seamlessly go from song to song while also adding a special twist to their tunes in the live setting is one reason why they should be on the top of your “Must See” concert list. The members who make up the band are all stellar at what they do. Jason Sechrist on drums sets the tone and plays off of Zach Carothers on bass so perfectly. Zach is in another world of his own in terms of bass playing, using effects to their full potential at points, slapping the instrument and invoking a fascinating and chaotic sound. Ryan Neighbors sits behind the stockpile of keyboards and bounces from one to the other with ease, adding an eerie vibe to the darker songs, but also complimenting John Gourely’s voice on the softer parts of songs like “Lay Me Back Down”. The talent found in the group is unmistakeable. I felt like I could listen to the singing from Zoe Manville and John Gourely all night. Speaking of Gourley, this guy can make a guitar speak like no other. As the front man for the group he has captivated the audience all over the place, and along with Zach Carothers (who are the original founding members of the band) he has crafted some of the most original and alluring rock anthems of the past few years. Throughout the show at the Mercury Lounge the group played through a good amount of songs from their newest release “The Satanic Satanist” including People Say, The Sun, Everyone is Golden, and Do You. These performances had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands, following whatever they would play and loving every minute of it. I had my first taste of Portugal. The Man’s stage show at this year’s Bonnaroo Music festival and they did not disappoint. They exceeded expectations and won over many fans that night. Seeing them again at the Mercury Lounge was a different type of show, a smaller and more intimate setting with a lot more people who were already fans and knew the songs they were in store for that night. It was great to see the crowd at both concerts having the same type of positive energy and the same kind of experience that can only occur through live music. Portugal. The Man are a band that have no genre. I want to call them a Jam band but they are so much heavier than that. They are just pure rock and soul. Lots of playing straight from the heart and just doing their best to put on a top-quality show.
The Big Surprise Tour, a 9-date tour featuring 4 amazing bands, had it’s first show last night in New Hampshire. The tour includes sets from Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine, The Felice Brothers, and Justin Townes Earle and is sure to be a big party every night. CrowMedicine.com states:
The Big Surprise Tour featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, Dave Rawlings Machine (f/t Gillian Welch), The Felice Brothers and Justin Townes Earle kicks off in Hampton, NH on Tuesday, August 4. Born out of a deep running comradery built on countless tours and ties between a host of excellent musicians, each evening is sure to be a unique experience as they all put their many combined years of musicianship and knowledge of song-craft and American music into play for these performances.
Below are a list of articles about the tour and dates can be found at the bottom:
BONUS: Here’s a setlist of the Felice Brothers set from the opening Big Surprise show….with a few notes from our good friend Digger over at TakeThisBread.
The Big Surprise (all bands)
Marlboro Man
White limo
Loves me Tenderly
Goddamn you jim
Greatest show
Ahab
Lawrence County ( with Keith from ocms)
Farley Song
Run Chicken
Stephens End
Take this bread With all bands:
Like a hurricane
Helen Fry
I’ll fly away
Wagon wheel
Tell it to me
All out at first for Big Surprise
Then Townes Earle played. Friggin awesome. Highlights were Mamas Eyes and What do You Do When you’re Lonesome. Played about thirty minutes, Searcher on drums.
Felice Brothers next. Dave on drums, searcher dancing and harmonies. Tenderly was great. Take This Bread with all Bands , left crowd buzzing. Ian has never been better. You can see the future of the band with Ian freed up to display great Showmanship.(fingers crossed horn section)
Crowd was predominately ocms fans. Maybe a few dozen real Felice bros fans. Musta been couple thousand people there.
Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch next. Very good. Lots of fans up there. Searcher again playing some drums
Highlights were I Hear Them All and Novocaine.
Ocms were next. Played a great set, highlights were Poor man and Caroline. Then all came out on stage for next bunch of songs until Searcher joined Dave R and Gillian and Ocms for a replacements cover to close the show.
He also got word of a new Felice Brothers album that was recorded and will be available at live shows. Not an official label release but it’s still a new album of songs available soon!
