|
Francis
Fell
Available
at: Spotify,
YouTube, YT
Music, Amazon,
iTunes,
Bandcamp |
|
|
Francis Fell began as a
musical collaboration between singer Jack Fellers and musician/actor Scott Schiaffo
(Clerks). Songs came quickly; after a short time gigging in the tri-state's original club circuit under the name "Chayne", Fellers and Schiaffo's songs caught the attention of musician/producer/friend David Biglin (Art Garfunkel, Jessie Baylin, Steve Howe).
Three albums of material were written and
recorded over the course of several years. Various band names and lineups resulted in three distinct collections of music, each with its own flavor, always grounded by
Fellers's |
3 Song EP |
|
The songs in the first collection were recorded as an acoustic guitar trio, still under the name "Chayne". The untitled album combines swampy folk and beatnik elements with clearly crafted harmonies and arrangements. The songs were recorded at the House Of Music (Kool & The Gang, Meat Loaf, Deodato) and produced by David Biglin (Art Garfunkel, Jessie Baylin, Gary US Bonds) and engineer Dan Grigsby (Joe Cocker, Keith Richards). The second EP showcased the writing partnership under a new name: Skinbeam. This entry ("Mother, Uncle Tasty, Delicious") was recorded at Rave Tesar's (Renaissance) Studio X and Roy Cicala's iiwii studio. Biglin produced; Dan Grigsby and Roy Cicala engineered. |
|
"Mother Uncle Tasty Delicious" features a fuller band sound, with Dave Bartell on drums and the late
Eric Weissberg
(Dueling
Banjos, Barbara
Streisand, John
Denver) on acoustic guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, and flute. Biglin plays
bass, guitar and keyboards. As always, Jack's solid acoustic anchors the rhythm
section.
The reliably sublime Weissberg truly shines on the Fellers/Schiaffo gem "Rowboat Me Home". |
|
|
The third batch of tunes, "Waste Fat, Grease & Bones", features Chris Testa (The Chicks/formerly The Dixie Chicks) on drums and Lance Doss (John Cale) on guitar. Biglin plays bass, keyboards and acoustic guitars. This collection has a big feel and big ambitions; it includes the psychedelic tune "Dig A Hole" (Shehadi/Biglin/Fellers) and the muscular "No Small Bones" (Fellers/Schiaffo/Biglin), featuring a haunting guitar solo by Doss. Produced and engineered by Biglin at his studio in NJ, with additional engineering by Steven Szymanski. |