The Felice Brothers

With James playing accordion, Simone playing drums, Ian handling guitar/vocal duties, and a former dice-playing friend named Christmas Clapton on bass, the quartet held informal performances in subway stations while hawking its debut album, 2006's Through These Reigns and Gone. Recorded in a chicken coop by the bandmates themselves, the album was rough and imperfect, as was the follow-up effort, Tonight at the Arizona. Such a distinct, ramshackle sound found a quick audience, however, particularly after the band toured alongside Bright Eyes and participated in one of Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble performances in late 2007. The new year brought similar luck, as the Felice Brothers inked a deal with Team Love Records and released a self-titled LP in early 2008. Several rounds of touring followed, including festival stops at Bonnaroo, All Points West, Mountain Jam, and the Newport Folk Festival (where an afternoon rainstorm cut power to the stage, resulting in an impromptu acoustic performance in the mud). The Felice Brothers then returned to the studio, emerging in 2009 with Yonder Is the Clock. More touring followed, including stints with Old Crow Medicine Show, Justin Townes Earle, and the Dave Matthews Band, culminating in the release of a new long-player, Celebration, Florida in 2011