SIMONE FELICE – FORMER MEMBER OF THE FELICE BROTHERS AND THE DUKE AND THE KING – RELEASED HIS SECOND SOLO ALBUM RECENTLY, AND BEGAN A UK TOUR THIS WEEK.
From the free-flowing Dylan wordplay of OH MOLLY to gospel-tinged bliss-out RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD, and IF YOU GO TO LA’s honey-glazed Grant Lee Buffalo to the tender nobility of THE BEST THAT MONEY CAN BUY, STRANGERS is engaging work from a man with a past and, it seems, more than one life story to tell.
At age 12 Felice suffered a brain aneurysm – and was pronounced clinically dead for several minutes. In 2009, he and his long-time love lost a child in a late-term miscarriage. In 2010, aged 33, following a series of fainting spells, he had to undergo emergency open-heart surgery mere weeks before his daughter Pearl was born. Felice wrote movingly on these experiences in The Guardian, here, in 2011.
In addition to six albums recorded with his siblings and two as part of The Duke And The King, he also penned books GOODBYE AMELIA, HAIL MARY, FULL OF HOLES and the 2011 novel BLACK JESUS, described as “part love story, part protest at the broken promises lying at the heart of the American dream” – a summary which might equally be applied to the fruits of his songwriting.
In this edition of The Mouthcast, Simon Felice discusses new album STRANGERS, and talks about his songwriting.

{   with thanks to  DP   }

Fri 4 Apr   BRISTOL   The Louisiana   BUY
Sat 5 Apr   NOTTINGHAM   The Maze   BUY
Sun 6 Apr   MANCHESTER   The Deaf Institute   BUY
Weds 9 Apr   BRIGHTON   Komedia   BUY
Thurs 10 Apr   LONDON   Bush Hall   BUY
Fri 11 Apr   GLASGOW   King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut   BUY
Sun 13 Apr   NEWCASTLE   The Cluny   BUY
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