“We definitely didn’t want to make the same kind of record that we made the last time,” Ian remarks. “It’s really just an interest in learning and expanding musically; drawing from different influences; approaching songs in a different ways; and paying attention to different aspects of the recording process than we generally do. It’s just about growth and progression, and most of all, learning.” Laughing, Ian finishes, “If you do the same thing over and over, you won’t learn much.”
Interestingly, given the dramatic shift in the overall sound and heightened emphasis on the production process, one would presume that a new producer or engineer was involved, but the Felice Brothers remained with longtime friend, Jeremy Backofen. Backofen has been with the band since its inception, and has recorded and produced all of their material.
“It’s a collaborative effort between the band and him,” Ian explains. “He likes to follow our direction and help facilitate it. We always present a pretty solid direction and he helps get us there. He’s a very talented older musician and a great friend, so it’s very harmonious with very little tension. It was fun. It all developed very organically.”
On every record to date, the Felice Brothers have also recorded with their own gear. For a number of reasons, the band prefers to find and create their own studio as opposed to the more sterile environment of a professional studio. Their process takes longer than most bands, as they often record more than 20 songs to whittle down into the final product. Plus, they have a tendency to favor weird hours, often working late at night and into the early morning.
“We like to do a lot of experimenting, and we don’t really have the money to be in a real studio that long,” Ian comments. “Plus, we don’t really like the environment that most studios have. So, we like to find a building that’s kind of inspiring that we can work off of and use a lot of the sounds.”
[Photo by Nolan Conway]
After looking for the right location for a long time, the Felice Brothers discovered a vacant school in Beacon, New York on a tip from a friend, which served as the ideal inspiration. The school board still owned it, but they rented it out on the cheap, so the school provided a playful setting and plenty of time to sink their teeth into the project. With just a few other inhabitants dispersed throughout the expansive building, they basically had free reign of the place, giving them endless ideas and options for experimenting.
“There was a bakery, a kitchen, a couple different painting studios, a theater and a huge gymnasium,” Ian reflects. “We used the hallways to do a lot of the ambient sounds and percussion stuff using lockers and scratching chalkboards. It was a cool environment and kind of surreal. It was just like being back in school when class got out of session. Everything was still there, it wasn’t deconstructed at all. It had the desks and everything, so it was an interesting environment to be in for a couple of months. We felt very fortunate to find it.”
A question arises with this new musical direction as to what this means for the live show, traditionally a more stripped down acoustic affair. Now, they require more gear and instrumentation on stage to tackle the new material, and the overall feel of the show can deviate materially.
“We play eight or nine of the tracks off the record live. We like to let it change and morph,” Ian expresses. “When we play it every night, we embrace improvisation so it’s not exactly like the album. But a lot of the sounds and samples, we keep during the live show with a sampler. We have a couple different synths and keyboards. A lot of the sounds, parts, arrangements, and even lyrics might change. We definitely don’t feel like machines regurgitating and same thing over and over. We try to play in the moment and be expressive.”
As the excitement mounts, Ian Felice awaits tomorrow’s release date for Celebration, Florida with eager anticipation. “It’s always a relief to put something out that’s new. I’m excited to see people’s reactions. Hopefully, people like it.” He finishes laughing jokingly, “I’m looking forward to people learning and getting to know these songs, so we don’t have to keep playing all the old material all the time.”
2 Responses
Great work Ryan! The new album is definitely a new direction, but there is still plenty of the band’s signature sound sprinkled throughout.
great interview !!