JACKSON HOLE, WYO – “Love a little more / open up your borders / this is Human Love,” sings Hilary Camino on the title track of Freda Felcher’s debut EP, Human Love. There’s a noteworthy amount of original music that bubbles beneath the surface in Teton County. And unless it falls into a specific range of country-rock, stomp Americana, bluegrass or classic rock, it can be a difficult task to find a regular stage that allows for musicians to grow their music in front of a live audience. Freda Felcher is one of these projects. The band celebrates Human Love with a free, all-ages performance at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of The Anvil Hotel.
Freda Felcher’s driving force is multi-instrumentalist and composer Leif Routman. Recent recipient of a Performing Arts Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council, Routman gets plenty of stage time with cover band Whiskey Mornin’ and as a sideman for various original projects including Benyaro, Patrick Chadwick Trio, and Canyon Kids. Though when it comes to presenting his passion project Freda Felcher, the concert series at The Anvil helps fill the void of alternative venues not focused towards dance bands that drive alcohol sales.
Human Love is a refreshing six-song set to land on the local scene. The loungey, contemporary production engineered by Joe Rudd melds with predominantly downbeat R&B arrangements crafted by Routman and sung by Hilary Camino. It’s inviting and pro. Influenced by the structure of Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, the tracks as a whole are less melodic soul than they are smooth jazz-fusion with hints of funk, bringing to mind the groovy backbeats of mid-70s Kool & The Gang. Adorned with tasty horns via Rudd (sax) and Rachel Bundy (trumpet), the foundation set by drummer Ed Domer, bassist Marty Camino and Rudd on Rhodes is super tight. Aside from a lone instrumental, the Coltrane-inspired “Four Eyes,” Hilary’s enunciated crooning is the most significant stamp, taking a page from Mary J. Blige’s influential prowess as well as Fatima’s modern-day stylings.
In Dumb & Dumber, Freda Felcher was a character introduced in the first film as the source of a love triangle for the guys (the girl that Lloyd slept with when she was dating Harry), but viewers never saw her. In the sequel she finally appears, though the audience learns that her torrid love affair with the guys was a bit different than they were led to believe. The commonality of the fictional character with this Jackson-based band is that there are more than a few layers to peel back, and a patient listen might just reveal something unexpected. Human Love is a slow burn that’ll be fun to hear in the live setting, which will be presented by a talented 9-piece ensemble.
Freda Felcher EP Release Party, 5 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of The Anvil Hotel. Free, all-ages.
