Photo: Loud/FilmMagic

So we're a little late to the party -- the record came out in April -- but we've seriously been digging Yonder is the Clock, the newest effort from mountain boys the Felice Brothers.

The Felice Brothers are made up of brothers Ian (vocals and guitar), James (accordion, piano, vocals) and Simone Felice (percussion, vocals) and family friends Christmas (bass) and Farley (fiddle). They've been playing music together for years, starting at backyard BBQs in upstate New York before moving to Brooklyn to try their hand at busking in the streets and subway stations.

The Bros have been a staple at folk and jam festivals over the past few years and are about to embark on an extensive tour across the country. "We're looking forward to heading out west, it's always fun," James Felice tells us. "Touring with my brothers and close friends, it's pretty laid back. Every now and then there's a moment of violence, but it's very few and far between. And now we have XM radio so we can listen to Yankee games while we're on the road."

Onstage, the Felice Brothers ar super-high energy. There's a story about the brothers playing at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival during a wicked thunderstorm. The power was cut, so the guys jumped off stage and played an impromptu acoustic gig in the mud with their fans. "That energy came about when we started playing in the streets and in the subways," James says. "We just had to be as loud and obnoxious as possible to get people's attention. To play in a dour sort of way, especially our music, would be ridiculous."

Check out two tracks below, "Penn Station," which James tells us he wrote about architect Louis Kahn, and "Run Chicken Run," which is "just a wacky, fucked up tune."

The Felice Brothers - "Penn Station"

The Felice Brothers - "Run Chicken Run"

Photo: Mazur/WireImage

Green Day's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, has topped charts across the globe.

A few days ago we chatted with drummer Tre Cool about their crazy week in New York City, which included SNL with Will Ferrell, club gigs at Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge, and their massive summer tour featuring opening acts Franz Ferdinand, the Rapture and Kaiser Chiefs. Check out the tour dates here. And there's even more Green Day Q&As here: Tre Cool, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt.

On SNL:

"It was the last show of the season, so everybody came out. Will Ferrell was the host, Tom Hanks did one skit, Amy Poehler, Norm MacDonald and Anne Hathaway of all people! After we did the show, we waved bye and hugged each other, the credits rolled and it it cut to commercial. Then the producer said to us, 'Hey, if you guys want to jump on your equipment and play some more songs, we can make this a little show.' So we jumped on and played a couple more songs, and of course, here comes Will Ferrell with a freakin' cowbell, and we're doing "East Jesus Nowhere," which has some pretty complicated starts and stops, and he'd never heard it, so he was kind of a deer in headlights up there. It was great.

"At the afterparty, we were standing on the ice rink in Rockefeller Center where the ice usually is, and there was about an inch or so of water, and it was cool to see all these dudes in their new sneakers and chicks in their rad  $400 Manolo shoes just cruising around in two inches of water and not giving a fuck. There were people dancing and Will Ferrell showed up in a Gucci jumpsuit with gold chains and money rings and shit, and it was pretty wild."

On Club Shows:

"We rocked Bowery Ballroom really fucking hard. That place, that's holy ground, man. That's a holy place. All of the cool bands that have gone through there, all the kickass shows, all the carrying on that has come as a result of that place's existence.

"Webster Hall is pretty awesome, too. Both places felt like they were going to cave in. We actually have footage of Webster Hall -- the ceiling is buckling and nearly collapsing. It was moving like a foot up and down. It was basically a giant wooden trampoline with a thousand people jumping up and down.

"Oh man, and we feed off of that fun and energy, especially now that the album's out. It seems like most of the kids know the words. Billie can stick his arm out into the audience with a microphone and they'll sing the lyrics for him."

On the Tour:

"We'll be going at it full force starting in Seattle in July.  We wanted to get supporting bands that we actually like. The first leg of the tour is the Bravery. I've bought two Bravery records, and I'm a fan of that band so we suggested them and they were available. They'll be with us for two weeks. Then we've got Franz Ferdinand, who's going to come for another two weeks another band that we really like. If I was a concertgoer and I got to see Franz and then Green Day, I'd need a new pair of panties. And then we have the Kaiser Chiefs. It's debatable who's better of those two bands. They both kick ass in their own special way. It's a real treat!

"It's tough competition, but we always step it up. We're not worried, we'll play after anybody. We're Green Day, dude."

Leading up to the release of his new album Together Through Life, Bob Dylan's website has been releasing snippets of an interview with Dylan conducted by our buddy, Bill Flanagan.

Photo: Retna (Willams Sr) Getty (Williams III)

We're stoked that Hank Williams III's new album Damn Right, Rebel Proud just debuted at Number 18 on the Billboard charts (and #2 on the country chart), his highest chart position ever!

The S.S. had the chance to chat with the hillbilly hellraiser, grandson (and spitting image) of country legend Hank Williams, and son of Bocephus. 

Hank elaborated on his grandfather's unfair dismissal as a standing member of the Grand Ole Opry -- Nashville's home of country music -- and about the grassroots movement to get his grandfather reinstated. Hank Williams' Opry membership was stripped in 1952 (many speculate it was due to his alcoholism), yet despite being booted, his grandson claims that the Opry, "continues to put out records saying, 'This is Hank Williams live from the Grand Ole Opry' and using his image and likeness."

Hank III said there are plenty of ways for people to help stop this exploitation. "We have a petition that anybody can sign, and just spreading the word, letting people know, that's the biggest thing."

On Damn Right, Rebel Proud, Hank III included the tune, "The Grand Ole Opry (Ain't So Grand)," which boasts the following verse:

"To most people listening to this sit might seem like we're talking shit 

But if you look behind the scenes to see who is pulling strings, goddammit it will make you sick

Hank Williams still ain't reinstated and I'll tell you that's fucking bullshit."

Listen to the full track below and click here to sign the petition to reinstate Hank Sr.

Hank Williams III - "The Grand Ole Opry (Ain't So Grand)"

Click the jump to read more of Hank III talkin' about his grandpa. 

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Photo: Getty

Phish are back! After a five year hiatus, the jam-giants have booked three shows at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia (on sale October 18), and the band plans on gigging more in 2009.

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Photo: Gries/Getty

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Check out Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band's video for "Souled Out!!!" off the new self-titled album. Both the song and the video rock, so we sat down with the Bright Eyes front man to discuss some of the video's details. Click the jump to read what Conor has to say about his sailboat tattoo, why he's reading a Grace McSorely comic book, and what's going on with the Monsters of Folk side project—the supergroup made up of My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, M. Ward, Mike Mogus, and Oberst. 

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Check out the new video from TV on the Radio, for "Golden Age," from their upcoming masterwork, Dear Science.

The S.S. caught up with TVOTR producer/guitarist Dave Sitek, after one of the band's recent rehearsals in Brooklyn. He told us the story behind the disc. Click more to check it out.

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Photo: Walter/Getty

On August 7th, the Police wrapped up their world tour with a blowout at Madison Square Garden. The day before, the boys were at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, taping a guest spot for Elvis Costello's upcoming variety TV show.

The S.S. had the pleasure of interviewing each Policeman, but drummer Stewart Copeland was especially amusing. For instance:

He went into great detail about Sting's "hairy asshole". 

Click more for the full Copeland transcript.

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