The Feelies were an alternative rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992. They frequently played at Maxwell's, a live music venue and bar restaurant in Hoboken in the 1980s. Their first album, Crazy Rhythms (Stiff Records, 1980) was cited by the Athens, Georgia band, R.E.M., as a major influence. The Feelies rarely worked with outside producers and created shimmering soundscapes with multiple guitar layers that sounded very unique compared to the punk/new wave atmosphere of the late 1970's and early 1980's. The terms alternative rock and alternative music were coined in the early 1980s to describe punk rock-inspired music genres which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Haledon is a borough located in Passaic County, New Jersey. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Maxwells is a music club in Hoboken, New Jersey that also has a restaurant and bar. ... Image of Hoboken taken by NASA (red line shows where Hoboken is). ... Image:Arch. ... R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. ...

Early Days

Glenn Mercer, Bill Million and Dave Weckerman began playing together in 1976 in Haledon, New Jersey in a band called the Outkids.

Crazy Rhythms

Most of the vocals and songs were written and sung by Glenn Mercer. Along with original band members Bill Million, Keith Clayton and Anton Fier, The Feelies released their first single “Fa Ce La” on Rough Trade Records in 1980. The album that followed on Stiff Records, Crazy Rhythms, was #78 in Rolling Stone's top 100 albums of the 1980s, and #69 on Pitchfork Media's similar list. Anton Fier, born: June 20, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is a drummer, composer and bandleader. ... Crazy Rhythms is the Feelies first album. ... Pitchfork logo Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a US-based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. ...

After the departure of Fier and Clayton, Mercer and Million collaborated with other local New Jersey musicians, forming a band called the Trypes, featuring future members of The Feelies, Brenda Sauter, David Weckerman and Stanley Demeski.

Other members of the Trypes, which released one EP on the Coyote label, ”The Explorer's Hold” became members of the band Speed The Plough circa 1982.

The Good Earth

As a quintet, The Feelies recorded The Good Earth in 1985 with Peter Buck of R.E.M. as producer. The Feelies enjoyed success as an opening band for Lou Reed as well as R.E.M. that year. The band also found the time and energy to record the songs of David Weckerman under the name Yung Wu in 1986. The album was released on Coyote Records and was titled “Shore Leave”. The only difference between The Feelies and Yung Wu was that the songs were sung by Weckerman and featured John Baumgartner of Speed The Plough on keyboards. Peter Buck (born December 6, 1956 in Oakland, California) is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, of the seminal 1980s college rock band R.E.M.. After spending time in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Buck family moved to Athens, Georgia... R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. ... Lou Reed Lou Reed, born on March 2 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter. ...

Only Life

In 1988 the Feelies signed to a major label and released their album Only Life on A&M Records. The smooth sound of the two guitarists and two drummers and the sensual bass playing of Brenda Sauter made Only Life a critical favourite. Mercer and Million produced the album and achieved a great deal of texture in the recording.

Time for a Witness

Their final album, Time for a Witness, was released in 1991. The album broke little new ground from Only Life but still earned the band critical praise.

Origin of Name

Although they never said so, The Feelies probably got their name from the Aldous Huxley novel Brave New World in which there was a fictional technology for multisensory virtual-reality entertainment called the Feelies, where people would go to the movies and there would be extrasensory accommodations to the films such as actually feeling the physical sensations along with what was happening on the screen. Aldous Leonard Huxley (July 26, 1894 – November 22, 1963) was a British writer who emigrated to the United States. ... Book cover of Brave New World. ...

Film Appearances

The band was featured in a Jonathan Demme movie called Something Wild playing as a high school reunion band. They were not however featured on the soundtrack. Credited as the Willies, they performed bits of five songs, including Crazy Rhythms as well as covers of David Bowie's Fame, and the Monkees' I'm a Believer. A Feelies song also made it onto a Demme soundtrack with the film Married to the Mob, although the band did not appear in that film. Million and Mercer were also brought together by director Susan Seidelman to create the score for her film, Smithereens. Jonathan Demme (born February 22, 1944, in Baldwin, New York) is an American film director, producer and writer. ... Something Wild is the 1997 debut album from the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. ... Married to the Mob is a 1988 comedy film. ... Susan Seidelman (born December 11, 1952, Philadelphia) is an American movie director. ...

Side Projects & Alumni Bands

The band has spawned many side projects such as:

• Wild Carnation featuring Brenda Sauter and her husband Richard Barns (both also of Speed the Plough).

• Wake Ooloo featured Mercer and Weckerman; they released three albums with both Mercer and Weckerman singing in turn.

• Anton Fier formed The Golden Palominos and has toured with Bob Mould.

• Stanley Demeski joined the band Luna and went on many successful tours with them.
• Currently both Feelies drummers, Demeski and Weckerman, along with Glenn Mercer have been playing in a band together called the Sunburst which features Toni Paruta and John Baumgartner both of Speed The Plough.

• Bill Million reportedly moved to Florida and became a locksmith at Disney World. On one occasion he helped Michael Jackson with his services there.

The Golden Palominos was an American musical group headed by drummer and composer Anton Fier that was first formed in 1981. ... Bob Mould (b. ... The term Luna can refer to the Earths Moon. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 260 km 800 km 17. ... Cinderella Castle, at the center of the Magic Kingdom, is Walt Disney World Resorts most recognizable icon Introduction Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA is home to four theme parks, three water parks, several resort hotels and golf courses... For other people with the same name, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation) Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), also known as the King of Pop and/or Wacko Jacko, is an American musician who has written music spanning many styles, including R&B/soul, pop, disco, funk, rock, and hip...

Legacy

The Feelies are remembered as one of the most underappreciated indie-rock bands of the 1980's and to this day have many fans through out the world. Although the band never sold many records, they are considered to be tremendously influential in the indie rock scene today, with a great number of current artists name-dropping the band and citing them as influences. A WFMU DJ once said that they were "The best thing to come out of New Jersey since the light bulb", and that assessment is viewed as correct among fans of the 1980's jangle-pop and indie music scenes. WFMU-FM is a noncommercial radio station in Jersey City, New Jersey, broadcasting at 91. ...

Band Members

• Keith Clayton - Bass (1979-1982)
• Brenda Sauter - Bass and Vocals (1983-1992)
• Bill Million - Guitars (1976-1992)
• John J. - Bass (1976-1979)
• Vinny Denunzio - Drums (1976-1978)
• Anton Fier - Drums (1978-1979)
• Glenn Mercer - Vocals and guitars (1976-1992)
• Dave Weckerman - Percussion (1984-1992)
• Stanley Demeski - Drums (1983-1992)

Anton Fier, born: June 20, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is a drummer, composer and bandleader. ...

Discography

• Crazy Rhythms (1980)
• The Good Earth (1986)
• No One Knows EP (Coyote / TwinTone) 1986
• Only Life (1988)
• Time for a Witness (1991)

Crazy Rhythms is the Feelies first album. ...

Singles

The Modern Rock Tracks chart is a music chart that has appeared in Billboard magazine since the early 1980s. ... See also: 1987 in music, other events of 1988, 1989 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // Events Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... See also: 1990 in music, other events of 1991, 1992 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ...

References & Links

• a Feelies web site
• Sunburst web site
• Wake Ooloo web site
• Trouser Press article on The Feelies
• Twin Tone record label