The Feelies

The Feelies
The Feelies performing in Central Park on July 18, 2016
Background information
Origin	Haledon, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Post-punk jangle pop
Years active	1976–1992 2008–present
Labels	Stiff Coyote Rough Trade A&M Bar/None
Website	www.thefeeliesweb.com
Members	Glenn Mercer Bill Million Dave Weckerman Brenda Sauter Stan Demeski
Past members	Keith DeNunzio Anton Fier Vinny DeNunzio John Papesca

The Feelies is an American rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008, and most recently released an album in 2011.

The Feelies rarely worked with outside producers and created shimmering soundscapes with multiple guitar layers and percussion. They frequently played at Maxwell's, a live music venue and bar restaurant in Hoboken during the 1980s, often on national holidays.

Although the Feelies never sold a great number of records, their influence was felt on the indie rock scene. Their first album, Crazy Rhythms (Stiff Records, 1980) was cited by R.E.M. as a major influence. The Feelies were influenced by The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed. Novelist Rick Moody has cited the band as one of his influences.

The band's name is taken from a fictional entertainment device described in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, Dave Weckerman and vocalist Richard Reilly began playing together in 1976 in Haledon, New Jersey in a band called the Outkids. The Outkids evolved into the Feelies with the addition of Vinny DeNunzio on drums and John Papesca on bass.

In 1978, the Village Voice dubbed the then-unsigned Feelies "The Best Underground Band in New York". With the line-up of Mercer, Million, Vinny DeNunzio's brother Keith DeNunzio on bass and Anton Fier on drums, the Feelies released their first single, "Fa Cé-La", on Rough Trade Records in 1979.