featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
July 22, 2026
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Last week's announcement of Felice County Fair: A Celebration Of the Felice Brothers (Sony, Oct 16) pleased us beyond measure. We're typically a tentative fan when it comes to tribute collections, which can be hit-and-miss, but this one seems especially promising. In addition to Bright Eyes (whose "Wonderful Life" we included in last week's ROUTES-cast) contributors include Nathaniel Rateliff, Deer Tick, Old Crow Medicine Show and more.
The news triggered in us memories of our initial discovery of Felice Brothers prior to the 2007 release of Tonight At the Arizona, back when Catskill brothers Ian, James, and Simone recorded tracks for Through These Reins and Gone in chicken coops and subway stations. Those earliest tapes are unavailable for streaming (as are a few other collections), but we have enough to assemble this week's thirty favorites streaming below. If we really wanted to muddy the waters, we would include some of the stuff Simone recorded under his own name and beneath the Duke & the King moniker, as well as James' very good Little Ones from last year. We also chose to leave off anything from 2015's Felice Navidad holiday EP.
But what's below ably represents the ramshackle outfit, from their lovably diy material to more current material that is admittedly more polished though still loose. We'll quote Ian Felice here, who responds to the tribute sessions in typically charming, albeit cryptic fashion: Now imagine animal crackers, goldfinches, quiz shows and chestnut vendors and just know that things will continue as they always have. The only difference is that there will be a tribute record to the Felice Brothers, but know that, in general, things will progress more or less as they always have; the coyotes will continue to chase rabbits through the heather and the windblown tents of circus folk will tumble down the canyons.
FELiCE BROTHERS: thirty favorites
- "Roll On Arte" Tonight At the Arizona (2007)
- "Hey Hey Revolver"
- "Your Belly In My Arms"
- "Rockefeller Druglaw Blues"
- "Take This Hammer"
- "Frankie's Gun!" Felice Brothers (2008)
- "Wonderful Life"
- "Love Me Tenderly"
- "Whiskey In My Whiskey"
- "Penn Station" Yonder Is the Clock (2009)
- "Run Chicken Run"
- "Cooperstown"
- "Fire At the Pageant" Celebration Florida (2011)
- "Honda Civic"
- "River Jordan"
- "Dream On" God Bless You Amigo (2012)
- "Lincoln Continental"
- "Bird On a Broken Wing" Favorite Waitress (2014)
- "Cherry Licorice"
- "Aerosol Ball" Life In the Dark (2016)
- "Plunder"
- "Special Announcement" Undress (2019)
- "Poor Blind Birds"
- "Days Of the Years"
- "Jazz On the Autobahn" From Dreams To Dust (2021)
- "To-Do List"
- "Inferno"
- "Crime Scene Queen" Valley Of Abandoned Songs (2024)
- "Flowers By the Roadside"
- "Younger As the Days Go By"
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