Taking the stage armed with books The Felice Brothers got a good laugh and would jest a number of times about libraries. The Felice Brothers opened their set with "Big Surprise", which starts off stark but subtly expanded in sounds before circling back to the guitar vocal intro. They followed it with a peppy piece with more vocals and band members hopping around to their own groove. Their energy and enthusiasm were contagious as the crowd was swaying among the book shelves.

The Felice Brothers quickly connected to their audience, encouraging clapping and playing plenty of foot tapping tunes during their fourteen track set. The third song - "Memphis Flu" - was spirited despite the fact that it was about being sick. James on accordion was animated in his music and movements as was Farley who is a feisty fiddle player.

James Felice alternated between keyboards and accordion.

The Felice Brothers are tight yet loose in their lively interpretations of songs that often have sad under currents despite lilting tones. The different instruments such as accordion, piano, violin and washboard add depth to their straight-forward storytelling.

"Helen Fry" was slightly sinister with its bleak, bold bass lines and Greg speedily strumming the washboard and smashing it on a drum cymbal a couple of times. Slower songs were contrasted by the majority that were spunky with sassy instrumentation and varied vocals.

Joking that this was one of the earliest shows they've ever played - The Felice Brothers fit right in with the literary environment. The band is known to be carrying on the American storytelling tradition with their rich roots rock recipe that pulls ingredients from varied and diverse reaches of American life. Of course, their own story of emerging from the underground is the stuff dreams are made of and their most recent CD's title was inspired by a Mark Twain tale.

An energetic cover of Townes Van Zandt's gospel number "Two Hands" and their own "Run Chicken Run" kept the crowd moving and "Cooperstown" was a moving tribute to turn of the century baseball, thus paying homage to the past-time and adding more color to their Americana canvas.

"Saint Stephen's End" was quirky and questioning, featuring some vibration on the guitar coupled with steady bass lines. The Felice Brothers closed their set with the rowdy "Penn Station" with a rap that induced the crowd to clap, stand and shout. This new song from their 2009 release Yonder Is The Clock was well received and ended their concert on a raucous note.

The Felice Brothers are on the road in support of Yonder Is The Clock.

Related Links: For more information on THE FELICE BROTHERS and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- TheFeliceBrothers.com | RingwoodLibrary.org | Yonder Is The Clock | Search "New Legacy"

(Originally Published on April 20, 2009)