Do you ever wonder what happens to all the art that is castaway or disavowed by an artist? Where does it go and what stories do we miss in the process? Once in a while this unsettling question dawns upon me, and I get innately queasy in my bones thinking about all the ideas I will never know and understand.
It is rare for these art pieces to ever likely be perceived by the world, yet even rarer for a band to make a whole album out these pieces, let alone so exquisite it warrants the creation of a whole new label for special release.
Comprising of 13 euphonious and whimsical tracks, often featuring bizarre and enigmatic other-worldly characters, Catskills-based folk and rock quartet The Felice Brothers impressively accomplished this feat with the release of their latest album Valley of Abandoned Songs. Recorded live in an 1870’s church, this collection incorporates unreleased songs from their previous releases 2019’s Undress and 2023’s Asylum on the Hill.
Instrumentalist James Felice described this collection as “little snapshots of places that we were at and ideas we had over the years,” and we talked more about Valley of Abandoned Songs before their show at Bowery Ballroom on July 11.
The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Alisha Goel: People often categorize your music as folk and Americana. What are your thoughts on it? How do you describe your band style?
James Felice: When we first started, the label Americana or folk was so annoying to us. We didn’t want to be pigeonholed, or we thought that we were too cool for it. But honestly, we are. All of our music, the way we play and the music we grew up with is folk music. It’s the music that we are most connected to. So yeah, I’m okay with that. I think we’ve been doing this long enough to have our sort of thing.
AG: Describe the Valley of Abandoned Songs in three words.
JF: It’s abandoned songs. These are songs that we recorded over the course of the last few years. Most of them did not fit any records, but they were songs or demos that we’ve loved or felt connected to. We didn’t have high hopes for it and we didn’t know if it was worth putting out in the world. It’s surprising that it exists and that people are listening to it. Sometimes you’re not the best judge of your own work.
AG: There is a lot of vivid imagery and distinctive characters in this album. How do these characters come alive? Are there any particular literature or media sources that acted as your inspiration for this album?
Ian Felice: The characters come alive through the act of songwriting, which is an esoteric process that I don’t fully understand. They grow in my mind. Sometimes they are versions of myself or people that I know. Sometimes they are ghosts that appear and vanish at will. The songs span over a six-year period of writing so I cannot say there was a particular writer that inspired the album as a whole. I recall having certain writers in mind for specific songs, Elizabeth Bishop for example, when I was writing “Raccoon, Rooster and Crow.”
AG: Since we are in NYC, we have to talk about “New York By Moonlight.” You have a rich history with the city itself, from starting your journey as subway buskers to now playing at the Bowery. How do your personal experiences in this city tie into this song?
IF: Yes, when we first started our band we lived in the city and busked a lot in the subways. The song brings to mind some imagery and feelings from those days. It’s a dreamy rainy song about loneliness in the midst of so many people, but the gloom is pierced by moments of beauty, hopefully. It’s like daisies blooming in a prison yard. The character is a lost old man who walks with a cane and scares the pigeons.
AG: I know your writing process and creation process mutates a lot for every project you work on. Can you walk me through how the writing and production process was for a project that was so unique?
IF: A lot of the songs were intended to be demos and were never meant to be heard by anyone outside the band so the production process was extremely loose. We recorded them by ourselves with usually only one or two takes.
JF: We had these sweat sessions, which was like five or six songs recorded in one session. It was so hot, even higher than it is now, and we were just dripping sweat. A couple of the songs on the album are from the sweat sessions. Musically, this record is very simple. It’s very raw, live and just trying stuff to see how it feels. Sometimes when I hear it, I wish I played something differently or better, but if people are enjoying it, it’s fine.
AG: I imagine there were a lot of abandoned songs. How did you thematically decide which ones are going to make the cut for this album?
IF: They were all castaways that lived in a remote valley. They grew to love each other and their stories were made more rich by their interrelation. Obviously, this wasn’t a conscious decision but it’s how it worked out somehow. It’s a record about reincarnation and imperfection.
AG: What are you working on next and do you have any plans of ever stopping?
IF: We are touring a bit this year. I’m also working on a painting show for Half Gallery in NYC this November.
JF: I don’t ever want to stop. I get more joy every year. I really do. I find that playing music is the best part of my life. Maybe the music will change as we get older. Maybe we will stop hopping around so much on stage. Maybe we will get quieter or weirder, hopefully. I have nothing else I would like to do. Just this music and playing it with the band.
Listen to Valley of Abandoned Songs below.
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