The Feelies Reunite for Shows, Pursue New Album

Posted on May 6th 2008 12:15PM by David Chiu
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The Feelies are reuniting after a 17-year hiatus. Known for their distinct dual guitar sound and percussion, the New Jersey-based influential '80s post-punk band is marking the occasion by performing two sold-out shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, N.J. on July 1 and 2, before opening for Sonic Youth in New York's Battery Park on July 4.

The Feelies' lineup will feature singers-guitarists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, percussionist Dave Weckerman, bassist Brenda Sauter and drummer Stanley Demeski. According to Mercer, he had his conversations with Million, who was living in Florida and reportedly became a locksmith, about reforming the band since five years ago.

"[Bill] always expressed the desire to do it," he tells Spinner, "but it was the timing. He had a lot of things he had to deal with, and, being a bit further away, it's not as easy as grabbing your guitar. The fact that it was over the summer [made it] a little bit easier to arrange. So Bill just said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"

Mercer says the band had already rehearsed 30 songs, and describes the vibe as great. Playing together again didn't feel unusual to Mercer because, with the exception of Million, he had other members of the Feelies appear on his debut solo album from last year, titled 'Wheels in Motion.' "I think for Bill it would probably the hardest or weirdest," he says. "It felt good, natural and easy."

The Feelies first formed in 1976 in Haledon, New Jersey, where both Million and Mercer grew up. The group's sound, a reaction to the music that was popular at the time, was characterized by the duo's guitar chemistry similar to Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine's in Television. With earlier drummer Anton Fier and bassist Keith Clayton, the group released its debut record, 'Crazy Rhythms' (1980), which has since become a staple on best albums lists.

"I guess what we did with the textures," Mercer says about the record, "you probably didn't hear much of that at the time. Also, the way we play guitar is real simple [that] transcends styles in a way. It could be kind of folk, it could be kind of jazzier elements."

The group released three more well-received albums -- their last was 1991's 'Time for a Witness.' While never achieving commercial success, the Feelies have been cited as influences to future alternative rock artists. Former Luna singer-guitarist Dean Wareham described Crazy Rhythms as "another perfect record" in his memoir 'Black Postcards.'

"Just speaking personally, [major success] never really appealed to me," Mercer says. "We've always said early on that it was more important to how you impacted people rather than how many people you impacted."

Mercer maintains that this reunion won't be a one-off after this 4th of July gig with Sonic Youth. "If it was just a one-shot thing," he says, "we probably wouldn't do it, really, especially with the amount of effort for Bill to come up from Florida for rehearsals and stuff. We want to pursue it with an album and more playing."

There is a legend that says that the Feelies only perform on holidays, even though the group had toured America and Europe, including once opening for Lou Reed. Mercer sets the record straight: "We had one gig that happened to fall on a holiday. Somebody picked up on it and mentioned it, so that clubs started to request us on holidays. It kind of snowballed from coincidence really. But that's what's great about the Fourth of July -- it's kind of full circle in a way."