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The Feelies Reunite for Shows, Pursue New Album
Posted May 6th 2008 12:15PM by David Chiu
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Exclusive
The Feelies, an influential ’80s post-punk band, are reuniting after a 17-year hiatus. Known for their distinct dual guitar sound and percussion, the Jersey-based group is marking the occasion by performing two sold-out shows at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, N.J. on July 1 and 2, before opening for Sonic Youth in New York’s Battery Park on July 4.The Feelies‘ lineup will feature singers-guitarists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, percussionist Dave Weckerman, bassist Brenda Sauter and drummer Stanley Demeski. According to Mercer, he had his conversations with Million, who was living in Florida and reportedly became a locksmith, about reforming the band since five years ago.
„[Bill] always expressed the desire to do it,“ he tells Spinner, „but it was the timing. He had a lot of things he had to deal with, and, being a bit further away, it’s not as easy as grabbing your guitar. The fact that it was over the summer [made it] a little bit easier to arrange. So Bill just said, ‚Yeah, let’s do it.'“
Mercer says the band had already rehearsed 30 songs, and describes the vibe as great. Playing together again didn’t feel unusual to Mercer because, with the exception of Million, he had other members of the Feelies appear on his debut solo album from last year, titled ‚Wheels in Motion.‘ „I think for Bill it would probably the hardest or weirdest,“ he says. „It felt good, natural and easy.“
The Feelies first formed in 1976 in Haledon, New Jersey, where both Million and Mercer grew up. The group’s sound, a reaction to the music that was popular at the time, was characterized by the duo’s guitar chemistry similar to Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine’s in Television. With earlier drummer Anton Fier and bassist Keith Clayton, the group released its debut record, ‚Crazy Rhythms‘ (1980), which has since become a staple on best albums lists.
„I guess what we did with the textures,“ Mercer says about the record, „you probably didn’t hear much of that at the time. Also, the way we play guitar is real simple [that] transcends styles in a way. It could be kind of folk, it could be kind of jazzier elements.“
The group released three more well-received albums — their last was 1991’s ‚Time for a Witness.‘ While never achieving commercial success, the Feelies have been cited as influences to future alternative rock artists. Former Luna singer-guitarist Dean Wareham described Crazy Rhythms as „another perfect record“ in his memoir ‚Black Postcards.‘
„Just speaking personally, [major success] never really appealed to me,“ Mercer says. „We’ve always said early on that it was more important to how you impacted people rather than how many people you impacted.“
Mercer maintains that this reunion won’t be a one-off after this 4th of July gig with Sonic Youth. „If it was just a one-shot thing,“ he says, „we probably wouldn’t do it, really, especially with the amount of effort for Bill to come up from Florida for rehearsals and stuff. We want to pursue it with an album and more playing.“
There is a legend that says that the Feelies only perform on holidays, even though the group had toured America and Europe, including once opening for Lou Reed. Mercer sets the record straight: „We had one gig that happened to fall on a holiday. Somebody picked up on it and mentioned it, so that clubs started to request us on holidays. It kind of snowballed from coincidence really. But that’s what’s great about the Fourth of July — it’s kind of full circle in a way.“
http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/06/the-feelies-reunite-for-shows-new-album/
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WerbungAn Exclusive Interview with Glenn Mercer, Front man for the Feelies
(The Feelies were the “it” bad of the indie press back in the early and late 1980s. In fact, R.E.M. says the Feelies‘ “Crazy Rhythms” album was a major influence. The Feelies were a band that gave new meaning to guitar-driven rock. They infused punk and alternative stylings into classic rock components to create a unique sound. The band, which received rave reviews from critics, never quite broke into the mainstream. They broke up in 1992. But the music gods are kind and the Feelies are gearing up for a reunion tour this summer and possibly a new album. Glenn Mercer, the Feelies lead guitarist and singer, gave an exclusive interview to DaRK PaRTY.)
DaRK PaRTY: You started playing music with a band called Outkids in 1976, which evolved into the Feelies. Who came up with the name and why did you decide that the „Feelies“ represented the music you were playing?
Glenn: I started playing music in bands for years before the Outkids, but that was the first one to play original songs. Bill suggested the name, from the book Brave New World. It didn’t really have any connection to the sound, which was more traditional garage/punk early on. When the textures developed, the sound seemed to fit the name more, but it wasn’t planned, it was a natural progression.
DP: Was there a philosophy behind the music? What were you trying to accomplish with the Feelies?
Glenn: We didn’t discuss ‚band philosophy‘, we just played, jammed, developed, like most bands, until we arrived at a sound. It was based as much on what we left out as what we put in to the music. Another factor is that we wanted to reflect the environment that we lived and worked in – the suburbs and the sounds within our neighborhood.
DP: „Crazy Rhythms“ was released to amazing critical praise in 1980 (the Village Voice called it one of the best albums of 1980). What was your reaction to being an „it“ band and having the music industry fawn all over you?
Glenn: I think we felt a little bit of relief, because we knew the record was unique and didn’t really fit with much of what was around then. At the same time, we had the confidence that it would do well. We had recorded a four song demo that came out sounding real good, considering that it was done quickly in a small, bare-bones studio, so we had faith in our recording capabilities. We also realized that good reviews can only take you so far, and that many other challenges lay ahead.
DP: Despite the great reception to „Crazy Rhythms,“ the Feelies didn’t release another album until „The Good Earth“ in 1986. What was the reason for the delay and do you think it played a role in why the Feelies didn’t become a commercial success?
Glenn: The delay was a result of the band breaking up and re-forming. The second line-up was in place by ’83/84, so it wasn’t that much time. We then spent a few years writing songs and securing a record deal, so we stayed pretty busy during that time period. We also had involvement with our side-bands, the Trypes, the Willies and Yung Wu.
As far as the impact to our commercial success, I don’t think we ever fit into the traditional idea of ‚commercial‘. At that time, during the late 80’s, college radio was a major outlet for alternative music and we had a lot of success at that level. The long time between our 1st and 2nd record may have even helped the band in many ways. It gave us a better perspective on how and why we fit into the ‚industry‘. I think that we found that the business had changed in good ways, making it easier for us in the long run.
DP: Our favorite album is „Only Life“(1988) — which kicks major ass. Can you tell us about how the album came about and your favorite song from the LP?
Glenn: “Only Life” began the same as the others, with a collection of songs written over the course of several years. This was our first on a ‚major label‘, so we might have felt a bit more pressure to produce something that would take us to another level beyond the college market. At the same time, we felt very confident, having the success of the “Good Earth” and “Crazy Rhythms.” We recorded most of it at a top-level studio in New York City in comfortable surroundings and it was a pleasure to make. My favorite song on that album is Higher Ground. I’ve had many people tell me that the song has been an inspiration to them, and you can’t ask for more than that, as a song writer.
Bonus Question: It’s been announced that the band plans to have a reunion tour this summer. Are the Feelies back and are you recording a new album?
Glenn: We’re playing a few shows in N.J. and N.Y. and might play more in other places, like Chicago and Boston. We’re also working on some new songs, with the idea of recording another record.
http://darkpartyreview.blogspot.com/2008/05/5-questions-about-feelies.html
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Captain Beefheart to audience: Is everyone feeling all right? Audience: Yeahhhhh!!! awright...!!! Captain Beefheart: That's not a soulful question, that's a medical question. It's too hot in here.Oh, gut. Nachdem ich gerade dabei bin, mich mit der Band zu beschäftigen, ist das interessant. Und Crazy Rhythms wird auch wiederveröffentlicht.
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If you talk bad about country music, it's like saying bad things about my momma. Them's fightin' words.Die Crazy Rythms habe ich enttäuschend empfunden. Könnte nicht mal sagen wieso.
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Get 'em Dan
AnonymRegistriert seit: 01.01.1970
Beiträge: 0
Wer Silvester in New York verbringen möchte, am 31.12. spielen die Feelies und Yo La Tengo im Wellmont Theatre.
http://www.wellmonttheatre.com/calendar/show/2221/
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Geil und für mich unerschwinglich. Bin für ein offizielles Doppel-Liverelease.
Hab die Feelies auch grad erst entdeckt und bin von Crazy Rhythms ganz gut begeistert. Werde auf jeden Fall Ausschau nach der Platte halten.
latho, woher hast du die Info mit der Reissue von CR?
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i bleed green[/I][/SIZE] [/FONT]Jay.latho, woher hast du die Info mit der Reissue von CR?
Water hat vor acht Monaten ein Reissue angekündigt und es im Laufe des Jahres mehrfach verschoben. Mittlerweile haben sie die Veröffentlichung erstmal auf Eis gelegt – ich vermute aus lizenzrechtlichen Gründen.
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Hey man, why don't we make a tune... just playin' the melody, not play the solos...Jay.Geil und für mich unerschwinglich. Bin für ein offizielles Doppel-Liverelease.
Hab die Feelies auch grad erst entdeckt und bin von Crazy Rhythms ganz gut begeistert. Werde auf jeden Fall Ausschau nach der Platte halten.
latho, woher hast du die Info mit der Reissue von CR?
atomWater hat vor acht Monaten ein Reissue angekündigt und es im Laufe des Jahres mehrfach verschoben. Mittlerweile haben sie die Veröffentlichung erstmal auf Eis gelegt – ich vermute aus lizenzrechtlichen Gründen.
Ich hatte eine Ausgabe bei Amazon gesehen (nicht marketplace) – das ist aber schon eine Weile her. Es wird wohl leider so sein, wie atom schreibt.
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If you talk bad about country music, it's like saying bad things about my momma. Them's fightin' words.Dank Sebastian Frank darf ich mich seit heute Besitzer der Only Life nennen. What Goes On =
Ganze Platte ist aber fantastisch.
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i bleed green[/I][/SIZE] [/FONT]Von den Feelies ist ALLES gut!
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Include me out!
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