Sounding like hopeless hobos after a three week bender, The Felice Brothers mine a Basement Tapes freewheelin’ approach with a lead singer with an uncanny resemblance to Dylan (prime Dylan, not the current wounded bluesman dog version). These songs are full of murderers, thugs, pimps and whiskey in their whiskey (novel concept!), all undercut with equal parts menace and celebration. Ian Felice as a songwriter is the real deal, and lyrics like these from the shambolic, small town hood’s tale “Frankie’s Gun” don’t come much better:
“Spit makes a fender shine
Frankie you're a friend of mine
Got me off a bender after long legged Brenda died
I thought we might be on a roll this time Frankie
I could have swore the box said Hollywood blanks”
Video from the Mean Eyed Cat, SXSW 2008 (me and Vinnie!)