Smoking Section by Austin Scaggs

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Back Porch Talk with the Felice Brothers

June 3, 2009 11:42 AM

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"


The Moondoggies Take Manhattan

April 15, 2009 1:12 PM

Photo: Lutze

Not too long ago we told you about our new favorite band from Seattle, the Moondoggies

Here's the deal. They're led by guitarist/singer Kevin Murphy, with Robert Terreberry on bass, Carl Dahlen on drums and Caleb Quick on keys. The 'Doggies debut album Don't Be A Stranger is awesome, full of fuzzy guitars, rad choruses and stacked harmonies.

The Moondoggies – "Changing"

On April 25th, for the first time ever, the Moondoggies will be playing in Manhattan, at Crash Mansion. If you live near here, drop us an e-mail for a chance to win free tix!


Smoking Section Picks...

April 6, 2009 12:57 PM

Here's some new tunes we've been diggin'. Check 'em out...

  

Radio Moscow - "Broke Down"

Hot Panda - "Chinatown Bus"

The Pack A.D. - "Making Gestures"


Black Key Patrick Carney's New Band: Drummer!

March 26, 2009 12:13 PM

Photo: Livingston/Getty

We brought you the goodness from Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach. Now check out a new track from a new band formed by the BK's drummer Patrick Carney.

Called Drummer, the new band features Carney (on bass), Jon Finley from Beaten Awake (guitar/vox), Steve Clements from Houseguest (keys), Jamie Stillman from Party of Helicopters (guitar) and Greg Boyd from Ghostman and Sandman (drums) 

They are into an album that they hope to release in the fall on Carney's label, Audio Eagle, and they'll tour as well. As of now, they've got a couple gigs booked in Ohio in May. 

Check out the first track they ever made, "Diamonds to Shake." 

Head over to their myspace for more info. 

Drummer - "Diamonds to Shake"



Introducing... Wake Up Lucid

March 10, 2009 11:30 AM

Thanks, S.S. readers, for your tips about L.A. trio Wake Up Lucid. We checked 'em out, dug their shit and hunted 'em down. We got them fresh -- turns out their first gig was last December. 

Wake Up Lucid are cousins Ryan Baca (guitars/vocals) and Ian Baca (bass), and drummer Dan Hodge. They've known each other forever and jammed plenty before officially forming the band last March. 

At that first gig in December, at LA's 24K club, "A couple of DJs from KROQ were there and they were really pumped on it," says Ryan, 29, who loves the Beatles and Zep and the Black Keys and the Raconteurs. "The crowd was stoked and they just started asking us back. So we decided to roll with it and kept going."

And they've only played a handful of shows since, and they're still in the process of making an EP.

They certainly have the dedication. "At our second show, we were about to get on stage when our drummer gets a phone call that his house just burned down," says Ryan. "We ended up playing the show -- I mean, it was already burned to the ground."

Check out "Broke Down House" below, and head over to their MySpace to hear more.

Wake Up Lucid - "Broke Down House"


Taylor Hanson Talks Tinted Windows

February 27, 2009 12:47 PM

Photo: Vasquez/Getty

A few days ago we posted this exclusive track, "Kind of a Girl", the first single from the generation-spanning supergroup Tinted Windows, featuring Taylor Hanson, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, James Iha and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos.

The response has been overwhelming. Hundreds and hundreds of positive comments have piled up, most of them coming from hardcore Hanson fans.

So, here's a treat for all of you. Yesterday we spoke with our old buddy Taylor, who told us all about the history of the Tinted Windows, the future of Hanson and the fact that he has FOUR children! 

Click more to read the whole transcript.

(more...)


Set Your TiVo's Tonight

February 10, 2009 4:39 PM

If you aren't tuning into the Late Show with Letterman tonight to see his interview with the crew of U.S. Airways flight 1549, then here's a better reason to watch.

In their first Letterman appearance, our new favorite band, The Heartless Bastards, will perform!

And guess what the song is?

It's called "Out At Sea."

Perfect!

Also on the tube tonight is The Band's Levon Helm, who'll be a guest on Conan


Flight 1549 Survivor Makes Sweet Music

February 4, 2009 1:29 PM

We flew out to L.A. last night and it was a fuckin' disaster! Because of a stream of snow in New York, the flight took off seven hours late!

We would have rather had our flight take off on time, and land in the Hudson. 

Just kidding!

But the ordeal reminded us of our pleasant chat last week with Emma Sophina, one of the survivors of US Airways flight 1549.

Sophina was a working singer on vacation when she boarded a plane at New York's LaGuardia Airport and ended up in the Hudson River.

Emma left her native Australia for a sight-seeing trip in Manhattan, where she caught The Lion King on Broadway and some jazz at the Village Vanguard. Then she boarded US Airways Flight 1549 to visit some friends in Charlotte, North Carolina.  

"I couldn't leave New York because my passport and everything I had went down in the river," she said. 

So she called the only person she knew in town, a music producer named Marc Swersky, who urged Sophina to turn her survival story into music. "I was able to get into the studio and record some songs," she said. Her tunes "Wake Up" and "Send Another Prayer" have already garnered some interest from a few labels. (You can check out clips on her MySpace.)

Sophia's ultimate musical goal in singing with Stevie Wonder, of course. "It's going to happen for me. I believe it."

If you will it, it is no dream. 

(more...)


We Love the Heartless Bastards

February 1, 2009 4:26 PM

On Tuesday, the Heartless Bastards will release The Mountain, and we strongly urge you to buy it, borrow it or steal it.

For a taste, check out the title track, below.

Our buddy, Mark Healy, wrote about Bastards singer and mastermind Erika Wennerstrom in today's New York Times. 

It's an amazing story!

Check it out here.


Heartless Bastards: "The Mountain"


Lovin' the McLovins!

January 13, 2009 5:00 PM

Meet the McLovins, a jam band that covers Phish, the Meters and Weather Report and improvises extensively on their original tunes.

The trio is comprised of Jake (Drumlovin), Jason (Basslovin) and Jeff (Axlovin). 

Jeff is still in middle school!!!

These shredders from Hartford, Connecticut, gained notoriety after a fan posted a YouTube video of them performing Phish's "You Enjoy Myself" on the Phish Phantasy Tour message boards.  

Check out the video for "You Enjoy Myself" below, and click here to listen to a full live-set recording from one of their gigs in the Hartford area. 


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