Honnnnnk! So reading through these pages I've discovered East of Venus, thank you, and Miracle Legion has reformed?! Wha...? HonkHonkHonnnnnk! Saw the Feelies and Miracle Legion at Stache's a couple-few times each in the mid-'80s. Really great shows, great energy. Saw ML open for Pere Ubu at The Newport, too. Have all my original vinyl and CD reissues. I binge on them every few months. Thanks for the memory bump.
Hmm, after you provided that good clue, my vaguely inaccurate Google search makes me wanna say... Keith DeNunzio? And for those of us who are unable to cross the Hudson, the Feelies are playing Central Park on July 18th. So that's shows in both Jersey and Manhattan. If they add a Brooklyn show in July, that would be a massive tour by their current standards.
Rent Party - the organization putting on the Maplewood, NJ shows tonight and tomorrow - put on their Twitter and Facebook sites that tonight's show will be a video recording. Rent Party » (That was the amount of detail, and The Feelies' website doesn't mention it)
In case anyone's curious, the two Maplewood shows went like this: The band opened with an acoustic set of 10-11 songs, with everyone sitting down. I should say "acoustic-ish," because Glenn Mercer played mild-mannered electric guitar on several songs. Members of Speed the Plough joined them for three of the songs, including a Yung Wu track ("Shore Leave"). Covers included "As Tears Go By" (sung by bassist Brenda Sauter, with nice accordion by STP's John Baumgartner), Jonathan Richman's "Egyptian Reggae" and a lovely version of Buddy Holly's "Everyday." After a brief intermission, the standard Feelies lineup performed an electric set of a dozen or so originals, including at least one new song. No surprises, but the band was in great form. Another another break, the late 70s lineup of Mercer, Bill Million and the DiNunzio brothers performed several songs -- two originals and covers of "I'm a Believer" and "My Little Red Book." (Anton Fier, the drummer on the Crazy Rhythms album, attended the shows and was acknowledged from the stage, but opted not to perform.) It was interesting how different the band sounded with the original rhythm section, underscoring how vital the contributions of Sauter and drummers Stan Demeski and Dave Weckerman are to the Feelies' sound. (Which isn't to denigrate the DiNunzios, whose relatively simplistic performances are understandable given that they, unlike the current rhythm section, didn't have the advantage of having played with Mercer and Million for the past 30 years.) Then it was back to the current lineup, augmented by Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan (and on Friday his wife/bandmate Georgia Hubley) for a bunch of covers. Selections differed somewhat on each night but included covers of the MC5, Modern Lovers ("Astral Plane"), Television ("See No Evil"), Velvets, Doors, and Stones. Both shows ended with all of the evening's guests back on stage -- so four guitars, five or six percussionists, bass and accordion - for "Child of the Moon," sung by Weckerman. A very nice celebration of Feeliesdom. The band seemed to be in very good spirits, and at least some of them (and the guest performers) mingled quite a bit with the crowd before and after the show.
Glenn Mercer interview: The World Is Still Catching Up to the Genius Indie Rock The Feelies Ignited »
I was playing The Good Earth as my wake up album this morning and decided that it's been too long since this thread has been updated with a post Honk Honk !
I'm digging the new album "In Between," fairly mellow and lots of acoustic textures but they let loose on a couple tracks.
Thanks for giving this place a bump and a honk, Andrew. It's been a while since I've listened to The Good Earth. I'll have to put it on tap for the weekend.
The Feelies have announced several upcoming shows, but for me the exciting news on the Feelies front is that the sole album from Yung Wu -- basically the Feelies fronted by percussionist Dave Weckerman -- is being reissued in April. The album, Shore Leave, came out in 1987 but has never been officially released on CD (though it was available on an "official" CD-R for many years).
Hmm, might have to go to that. For those who don't know, Wild Carnation is Brenda Sauter's side project.
If I were anywhere in the NY Metro area, I would be there, but that's not at all likely. As it stands, I might not even be able to make the Feelies show in DC in June! L.
Can't believe they're playing Chapel Hill / Carrboro! Have they ever played farther south than D.C.? I'm all tingly!
They played the Cradle a couple yrs back, after "Here Before" came out, it was a kickass good time! Got tix for their upcoming NC visit too, but gutted I may not be able to go... Also saw 'em late 80's in Nashville when I was in college...but too far In Between
HONK Various Artists: Ork Records: New York, New York Album Review | Pitchfork Among the many good reasons to invest in the Ork Records Singles box, there's this little jewel from the original lineup of the band. Man, I wish I had seen one of their CB's shows...
I was obviously asleep at the switch then. Sure hope nothing interferes with the June date. I'm really jazzed about this. Good to see some new faces on this wildly popular thread. We've close to hitting 200 posts in just 10 years.
