The Felice Brothers at Spiegelworld

The Felice Brothers
Spiegelworld’s 2008 season drew to a close on Sunday, with performances from country and bluegrass tinged The Felice Brothers and Deer Tick.
Rhode Island natives Deer Tick played first, and warmed up the crowd (who were shivering after waiting in a loooooong line until 10:30ish). The band’s southern bluesy rock tunes and sense of humor were embraced, and they even ended their set with a cover of Santo & Johnny’s classic ‚”Sleepwalkin’” which segued into ‚”La Bamba.” The crowd cheered eagerly as they chugged pumpkin ale and sang along.
Next up were headliners The Felice Brothers, whose sound is more in line with rootsy bluegrass proper. The eclectic group worked well with the vaudeville feel of the venue, allowing themselves to be sloppy and ragged at times, but certainly more fixed when needed. And as The Felice Brothers’ harmonicas and organs squealed, the audience danced and stomped – so much so that at times it felt like Spiegeltent might end up collapsing into the East River. The fans especially lit up for raucous songs like ‚”Whiskey in My Whiskey” and ‚”Helen Fry,” but these were also complimented by more tender tracks such as ‚”Mercy.”
Sure, they get flack for sounding a hell of a lot like Bob Dylan and The Band, among other monoliths – but last night The Felice Brothers put on a lively show, and their fans devoured it whole. See you next year, Speigelworld!

The Felice Brothers


The Felice Brothers


Deer Tick


Deer Tick

All photos c/o Clarissa Roudabush

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