As the editor of this august journal
is wont to point out, I rarely go to gigs these days. Nor, for that matter do I pretend to
be a journalist and go off to interview people too often. He thinks it's because I'm
getting old. In fact this is palpably untrue - there are simply fewer and fewer bands I
want to go out and see, let alone write about at any length. No doubt he would argue that
my lack of appreciation of new bands is due to advancing middle-age, but who needs to see
a bunch of wimpoid Byrds impersonators or guitar thrashers (Where are they on? Get me a
drink in! Ed.) - pause for editorial backlash... (See! You're too late for that
too,
reflexes not what they were? Sarcastic Ed.).
Fortunately there are few genuine talents
about and even some with a story worth relating. Like the Feelies - a band so good that
they deserve to be constantly splashed in the world's press. They aren't and
wouldn't want
to be. And therein lies half the story.
The Feelies dropped in for one gig recently (of which more
later) and I took the opportunity, not only to see them again, but to talk
to guitarist and co-founder Bill Million. Much of the information in what
follows, therefore, comes from him, but thanks are also due to Steve Daly and Steve Fallon of
Coyote Records and "The BOB" magazine, who like the band as much as I do. It's a
complicated saga (the best ones always are) so if I don't get it all in a comprehensible
form - tough.
This story centres around Haledon, a quiet,
suburban town in New Jersey, about 45 miles west of Hoboken (itself just across the river
from New York City). Virtually all of those who have passed through the Feelies (and
offshoots) grew up there and most still live there. There never was much of a music scene
in New Jersey (disregarding Bruce and his pals) and for the teenage Bill Million in the
late 60's, the music he wanted to hear was coming out of Detroit (MC5 and
Stooges) and to
some extent New York. Frequent trips to the Fillmore east and other clubs all over NY
state were the order of the day. He learnt to play the guitar but pretty much in
isolation, until one day, around 1975, he was walking past a garage in Haledon (in an
"altered state of mind") and heard this weird version of Iggy's "I Wanna Be
Your Dog". Bill, "It was Glennn (Mercer) and Dave (Weckerman). I was a very big
Stooges fan and I stopped in my tracks and went in and introduced myself. We found out
that we had common musical grounds, especially Glenn and I, like The Stooges, The
Velvets,
MC5 and the Modern Lovers. I remember going home and feeling great because there was
someone in my town that I could actually discuss music with and possibly get a band
together with."
It was nearly a year before it gelled into
something approximating to a real band. Allegedly Bill came up with the name (I forgot to
ask him to confirm it) and according to "The Bob" it derives from Aldous
Huxley's "Brave New World" ("Going to the Feelies this evening, Henry?
-enquired the Assistant Predestinator- I hear the new one is first-rate. The most amazing
tactual effects").
The very first line-up featured Glenn and
Bill on guitars and vocals, Weckerman on drums and a guy called John on bass, who's last
name Bill can't remember (and presumably the same chap as "Jimmy J." mentioned
by other writers). In fact this line-up lasted only a few weeks and a couple of gigs
before both Weckerman and Jimmy J. left. The latter disappeared, but Weckerman has always
been around. Bill, "I don't think we were happy with his drumming, I don't think he
fitted in with the sound of the band. He's a real good drummer, sort of Mitch Mitchell
style. Lots of our songs feature straight repetition, something he wasn't really adapted
to and are probably very physically demanding but boring to play."
The percussive elements are a very obvious
facet of the Feelies sound (both Glenn and Bill play percussion on the albums and
occasionally live) - one that was formulated by Bill and Glenn right from the start,
rather than something that grew naturally.
Weckerman and Jimmy J. were replaced by two
brothers, Keith and Vinny DeNunzio on bass and drums respectively. This line-up found it
almost as hard to get gigs as the first one - usually it was in the local high
schools,
including Manchester High School, the one Bill had attended. They weren't very
popular. At
one of them several students asked if they could borrow their instruments to play
something that the audience wanted to hear! Basically they were a cover band performing
their favorite Velvets, Stooges, MCS etc, etc numbers. None of these acts were big in
Haledon high schools in the summer of '76. At another high school gig, two of the band
showed up one and a half hours late (they'd left some equipment behind). The other
two,
really nervous, took to hiding behind the amps until the others turned up. They finally
arrived and the band played, only to be laughed off after three numbers.
As a result of these experiences, they
decided to move further afield to look for gigs. Amongst other things this resulted in a
now legendary audition at CBGB's in New York. They came on at about 2.30 in the
morning,
having followed three heavy metal bands and a terrible troupe of comedians from Boston! In
the audience was Terry Ork (of Ork Records/Television fame) who was impressed by the band.
They struck up acquaintance and worked with him for a while, although not much resulted
from it.
More substantial was a review in the
"Village Voice", October '78, the headline for which read, "the best
Underground Band In New York". The next gig, at the Mudd Club had a line going round
the block. "Our audience went up from about 12 to 600 people." It was then that
they realised that they could probably make a go of it - carry on and make
records. It
should be stressed, however, that "making a go of it" had a different
connotation
for the Feelies. They'd probably only played about a dozen gigs in that first
year. Partly
because there weren't that many places to play, and partly because then as now the Feelies
were not desperate about worldly success. Bill, "The band was essentially a hobby.
I've almost always regarded it that way. It was only recently after we'd been doing it for
12 or 13 years that we realised that it was some sort of a career." None of the band
like touring for more than three or four weeks, and in any case they all have day
jobs.
Anyway, back to the story. By the time the
aforementioned "Village Voice" article had appeared the band had changed again -
drummer Vinny DeNunzio was fired (for over-use of cymbals! Mercer and Million preferred
the Mo Tucker style of virtually cymbal-less drumming) and was replaced by Anton Fier (at
some point though at least two other drummers including one Charlie Beasley came and
went). Although the band knew of the Electric Eels and Pere Ubu (Fier's former
bands) they didn't know him and in fact he got the gig only because he replied to the band's ad in the
"Village Voice".
Undoubtedly a brilliant drummer, Fier added
a new dimension to the band's already exemplary percussive sound, an affect heightened
by the return of Weckerman as second percussionist on live gigs. Feelies performances
(always pretty much on the edge) were apparently at their most intense during this
period. Fier, for example, was wont to bleed from hands and mouth and occasionally threw up behind
the drum kit!
Inevitably record companies began to sniff
around, several expressed interest but oddly (and in the event unfortunately) it was an
English company, Stiff, that signed them. Bill, "The main reason we got involved with
Stiff was because our manager at that time was good friends with Paul Conroy (of
Stiff)
who was also good friends with Geoff Travis (of Rough Trade) and we had a lot of respect
(and still do) for him. Unbeknownst to us the guy who ran Stiff was an asshole. We got
involved with them strictly because of Paul - he was the one who came to see us play and
the one who talked to us."
The band were signed on the basis of the
live performance and a four song demo comprising early versions of "Moscow Nights",
"Fe Ca La" and "Boy With Perpetual Nervousness" and what was to become
the album (and single) version of "Raised Eyebrows". The tape had actually been
produced with Ork Records in mind, before Stiff had appeared on the scene, but just to
confuse things a one-off single deal in late 1979 saw "Raised Eyebrows"/"Fa
Ce La" come out on Rough Trade. As far as I can tell "Fe Ca La" is the
original demo version. The album "Crazy Rhythms" was released in March 1980 and
comprises the aforementioned tracks plus "Loveless Love", "Forces At Work",
"Original Love", the title track and a cover of the Beatles' "Everybody's
Got Something To Hide". It is quite simply a superb record and essentially defines
the Feelies' sound. Perhaps the first thing you notice is the incredible, syncopated
layers of percussion, or maybe its the constantly shifting interplay between the
guitars.
More likely it's the sheer manic energy that puts most punk or new wave bands to
shame.
It's also hypnotic, sounds constantly changing, rhythms subtly altering. The words
(like
early R.E.M.) disappear tantalisingly in the mix or - almost chanted - become a rhythm in
themselves.
Many of the lyrics display a degree of
naivety (songs about suburban living, "your mind is like a TV show, but it's alright
I'll watch it anyway") that seem at first to be at odds with the sophistication of
the music, with its echoes of the Velvets and even (yes) Terry Riley. Equally the lyrics tie
in perfectly with their "high school kids" image as portrayed on the cover. They
were presumably happy with that, despite being at least 10 years on from
graduation! In
fact the image seems totally planned right down to the name changes (Anton Fier became
Andy Fisher, Keith DeNunzio became Keith Clayton and well... apparently Glenn and Bill's
real names are not Mercer and Million) not to mention publicity shots of them sitting at
school desks. An odd mix to be sure.
Despite critical acclaim the album failed
to sell in huge quantities. It was Stiff's reaction to that fact that started
(if they hadn't already) the problems between the band and the label. There
isn't enough space to
go into the problems in detail, but one farcical episode took place in Stiff 's New York
office. Glenn and Bill were played a Lane Lovich single and told, in essence, "ok
boys, this is what a hit record sounds like". They also wanted the band to do these
huge tours supporting other acts, something the band had made perfectly dear to Stiff they
had no interest in.
They did, however, visit England in October
1980, an episode that contributed to the friction. Somehow all of the band's equipment
(including all their exotic percussion) never left the tarmac in New York.
Jetlagged,
pissed-off and with borrowed gear their two gigs here (the Electric Ballroom and a late
support to the Cramps at the Venue) failed to do them any justice at all. (As it happens I
really enjoyed the Venue set - but then I had nothing, other than the album, to compare it
with). The band drifted on for a few more months until it finally fell apart..... sort
of.
Anton went on to the Lounge Lizards & the Golden Palominoes, I'm not sure what
happened to Keith. Glenn and Bill became the Willies.
The Willies grew out of the somewhat
simpler and less frenzied material, like "Company Comes" (eventually on the
second Feelies album) that Stiff disliked intensely. When the band broke up Glenn and Bill
continued in that vein. Bill, "We started becoming very interested in recording
things on 4-track - like a lot of the outdoor sounds you hear on "Company
Comes". Glenn and I started doing occasional gigs under the name, The
Willies,
accompanying the tapes. We set up speakers around the room, getting a three dimensional
sort of sound, usually we played seated. Usually there were no vocals, if there
were, we
just sung without mikes. Each time we played it would be different. Sometimes it was three
or four people, Dave (Weckerman) would play simple drum parts and a guy called Paul Casler
would play some percussion, like big sheets of metal. Sometimes someone else would work
the 4track, sometimes I would work it by foot. Later on Stanley Demeski joined
(of whom
more later) and the band kind of evolved."
One Willies-type project was the soundtrack
Glenn & Bill did for the movie "Smithereens" (starring Richard
Hell). Mostly
they play instrumental versions of some of the "Crazy Rhythms" numbers but they
recorded a lot of material, including a mandolin part for the scene in a cafe during a
fight sequence; the soundtrack music to a horror film that Hell goes to see plus lots of
percussion. Also included is a Weckerman song.
Throughout this period a bunch of Bill's
old high school friends had been putting a band together, called the Trypes. Originally a
strict acoustic trio, the group was led by John Baumgartner (keyboards) plus his wife Toni
Paruta (woodwinds) & Marc Francia (guitar). This line-up cut a demo tape (possibly
with another friend L. Bruce Kelferman aka Turk, on vocals, who was around for a
while)
which came to the attention of Glenn and Bill. The two offered to produce the band, but in
the event what happened was that Glenn joined on drums - using his sister's kit - and the
band started gigging at places like Haledon's Peanut Gallery and Maxwell's in
Hoboken. At
most of these shows Bill did the sound.
In the summer of '82, Glenn's sister
returned from college and requested the return of her drums. It seemed easier for Glenn to
go back to guitar and get in a new drummer who turned out to be Dave Weckerman. Except he
didn't work out too well and was replaced by Stanley Demeski, late of several local bands
including the Phosphenes and Red Buckets. The new line-up (or possibly the one with
Weckerman) cut two 16-track demos of "A Plan Revised" and "Veszpren"
which were played a lot on the radio in the New York area..
1983 saw the band change again, Brenda
Sauter came in on bass and Bill Million finally joined - on percussion. Towards the end of
the year this line-up (the final one) cut the four tracks that were released on the Coyote
12" "The Explorers Hold". A fifth track, "A Plan Revised"
surfaced on the "Luxury Condos..." compilation.
Many people thought of the Trypes as a
Feelies spin-off, which wasn't really true. To start with, John Baumgartner wrote most of
the material and the whole texture and feel of the band was different. One difference was
in their choice of Beatles covers. The Feelies opted for uptempo rockers like "Me
& My Monkey" whereas the Trypes went for the dreamy acid numbers like Harrison's
"Love You To" which appears on their 12". The Trypes Ep was released in
England on Rough Trade but for various reasons (like I didn't know it existed) I failed to
obtain a copy. It's now deleted, so could anybody out there sell me a copy (or even make
me a tape) it would be much appreciated.
The Willies had been semi-active all
through the Trypes and we'll return to them in a minute. In the meantime mention should be
made of yet more Feelies related projects from around that time. During the summer of '83,
the Trypes persuaded a bar in Haledon to let them play there on Sunday evenings -
primarily because it was air-conditioned! The Trypes played there, but in the main it was
the excuse to put together a series of ad-hoc bands each specialising in covers of just
one band. The musicians were basically varying permutations of Trypes plus friends from
other bands like The Bongos. These groups included Foggy Notion (the Velvets), Dr. Robert
(Beatles) and the Ex-Lion Tamers (Wire). Most only played together for one night, but
Foggy Notion, at least, played several, including headlining New York's Peppermint
Lounge.
The other side project was Dave Weckerman's
band, Yung Wu. The group evolved during Trypes rehearsals when Dave was on
drums. Every so
often they would all swap instruments and "goofed around". Dave wound up on
vocals and guitar. Yung Wu proper first performed at the Peanut Gallery in Haledon in the
summer of '82. Weckerman was usually drunk and no one took it seriously until one day
someone said "hey, this could work". Even then they never rehearsed properly -
but they did continue to gig - often opening for the Willies or the Trypes. The band
(basically Glenn, Bill, Stan, Brenda and John Baumgartner continued on and off and
eventually recorded the album "Shore Leave" that came out on Coyote in 1987. In
some ways the sound is like the Feelies (more so than the Trypes) but the songs
(mostly Weckerman's) are completely different - lyrically and melodically. Weckerman's view of the
world Is undoubtedly a singular one. According to Bill it was incredibly difficult to
record - Dave had felt that passion and commitment were enough. They weren't, the vocals
are very strange but it's as fascinating and rewarding as any of the other Feelies related
projects (there's even a version of Neil Young's "Powderfinger" on the album).
Ok, back to the main story. In late '84 the
Willies metamorphasised for the last time. Stan Demeski had already joined, closely
followed by Brenda Sauter, making it a 5-piece with Mercer, Million and
Weckerman. Glenn
and Bill had more or less come out of their experimental phase and were doing Feelies and
Feelies-type material again. So the band, in the face of the obvious, readopted the old
name. However it should be pointed out that just to confuse everybody, the old Feelies had
done at least three gigs during the time they officially didn't exist. They were
apparently amazing shows with three drummers, Anton Fier, Stan Demeski and Dave
Weckerman.
Anyway in the summer of '85 the 'new'
Feelies actually toured the States. They also started to think about a new album
which, in
the event and not surprisingly, came out on Coyote, the label run by friend Steve
Fallon,
who also runs Maxwell's in Hoboken, the Trypes/Feelies home base. Curiously, Glenn and
Bill being by then well versed in studio techniques, they accepted R.E.M.'s Peter Buck's
offer to produce the album. If nothing else he got the job done in a matter of weeks and
the result "The Good Earth" is marvelous. The 'new' Feelies sound was more
mature and relaxed. The frenzied high-school look and sound had largely gone. They now
looked like slightly world weary adults. The sound was still exciting (the guitar on
"Slipping Into Something" fizzes like early Lou Reed crossed with Barry Melton)
and the percussion parts are still uniquely their own. With its variety of moods and
fabulous melodies it's probably their best recording to date. Around the time the album
was released (mid '86) the band worked on Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild"
movie. They appear in the film as themselves (although the credits say 'The
Willies'
played by 'The Feelies') at a high school reunion. They perform the Monkees "I'm A
Believer" after which they are joined by Gary Gettman - one of the film's
producers.
He sings a touching C&W number, "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" that
enables the audience to smooch. After that you get a snatch of "Crazy Rhythm",
whereupon they turn into Yung Wu (more or less) as Dave sings "Fame". The whole
section is priceless. Demme is a great fan of the Feelies. He says "I will go see
them anywhere. Maybe because they are so studiously uncareerist".
Since then the band have edged perilously
close to becoming (shock! horror!) a full-time unit. They came to the UK shortly after
"Good Earth" was released and played a low-key, but excellent gig at the
University Of London, with Died Pretty and have toured Europe. Never more than four weeks
away at any one time, though. At the end of last year they released their third album,
"Only Life" now on Coyote/A&M, a measure of their increased sales
potential.
On it they sound crisper and more confident, Glenn is singing better and the vocals are
less buried than before. If anything it sounds as though they have married the more manic
"Crazy Rhythms" style with the softer sounds of "Good Earth". One
critic said something to the effect that they had now realised their dream of recording
the perfect version of the third Velvet's album. I think that's unfair - the Velvet's
influence is there (not to mention a cover of "What Goes On") but the Feelies
are far too original to be so easily pidgeon-holed. For me the songs aren't quite up to
the best on "Good Earth", but that's a minor quibble - it cuts the current work
of 99% of other rock bands to pieces. So there!
They've played here again, of course (hence
my interview with Bill), this time at the T&C 2. Without doubt it was one of the gigs
of the decade, the band finally getting a chance to show how they can really play live
over here. The sound was superb, the vocals and extensive percussion parts being
especially clear. The sound conformed my suspicion that they could be both manic and
subtle - and what a great use of feedback. Whatever, see them when they come back, you
won't regret it.
In terms of the Feelies that brings the
story up to date - but there is more...... When the Feelies "reformed" in late
'84, it left the remaining Trypes somewhat high and dry. The remaining three -
Baumgartner, Paruta and Francia carried on for a while, opting for a minimalist approach
with the use of backing tracks. When that didn't work out too well, they decided to
recruit new members in the shape of Jim DeRogatis (Ex Ex-Lion Tamers and rock
critic) on drums, Pete Pedulla (another Ex-Lion Tamer) on bass and a DJ from station
WFMU, Frank O'Toole on guitar. Gigs were infrequent, but the situation improved after the "release"
of a two song demo tape in '86, "Ella's Way" and "Climb The Ocean".
Another tape appeared in late '87 featuring "Tommy's House" and "Cardinal
Rules". Their first album, released this year, features three of those (the exception
is "Climb The Ocean").
The album "Speed The Plough" was
produced by Bill Million, who adds percussion and on one track plays E-bow
guitar. But in
no way is it Feelies sound-alike. Basically its a refinement and continuation of the
Trypes approach. In many ways it defies description - they go in for intricate layers of
sound that constantly change and weave to produce a truly ethereal and hypnotic feeling.
There are echoes of Nico, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, the Beatles (especially things like
"Only A Northern Song") chamber music and god knows what else. Don't,
however,
get the impression that they are some kind of New Age meusli-eaters. Underneath it still
has real balls - a primarily acoustic approach does not equal vapid. It's a beautiful,
challenging and (despite the influences) a highly original concept. It's doubtful that the
album will come out here, so pick it up on import while it's still around, I cannot
recommend it highly enough.
Since the album was recorded, they have
acquired a new bass player, John Neilson. This change is unlikely to affect the chances of
theta appearing live over here. Even if the record took off it wouldn't make much
difference. At least two of the band suffer from monumental stage-fright and. in a comment
that says a lot about both bands, Bill Million remarked, "they have more home bodies
than the Feelies, which is saying something!"
