The Duke and The King - Nothing Gold Can Stay
(CD) Ramseur Records (US) / Loose Records (UK), 2009-08-04

Tracklisting :
01. If You Ever Get Famous 3:47
02. The Morning I Get To Hell 3:27
03. Still Remember Love 3:22
04. Union Street 4:51
05. Lose My Self 2:48
06. Suzanne 3:28
07. Summer Morning Rain 3:14
08. Water Spider 2:34
09. I've Been Bad 1:12
10. One More American Song 5:18

Links :
myspace.com/dukeandtheking
loosemusic.com
myspace.com/looserecords
shorefire.com/clients/thedukeandtheking

Biography :
These tracks were recorded at The Chapel, The Duke and the Kings' cabin / home-studio in the woods of Bearsville by Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers / author of "Hail Mary Full Of Holes" Uncut Book Of The Month March '09) and Robert 'Chicken' Burke (George Clinton/Drugs, Sweet Honey and the Rock/Toshi Reagon) and then taken down The Hudson River to be mixed in Brooklyn by their friend the Grammy award winning hip hop maestro Bassy Bob Brockmann (Notorious B.I.G's Ready To Die).

So where'd the name come from? The Duke & The King are the two roving charlatans from The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, (which Simone read for the thirteenth time as Robert scratched out his signature vocal harmonies by the woodstove), a couple classic American grifters who's lay was to masquerade as European royalty, put on bad accents, find a bandstand, dress up like Romeo and Juliet, stage on an obscene parody and skip town after the first act, ultimately getting them tarred and feathered. And so the name is a reminder, a sort of scarlet letter they'll happily paint over their hearts to help them keep it honest, the music, the poetry.

These bitter-sweet songs speak of a time just out of arm's reach. Days when kids rocked to We Are The World on a new thing called the Walkman, shooting BB guns into the sky only to see The Challenger come crashing down, tweaking bunny-ears cause boy do I want my MTV. A time when pop wasn't a dirty word, when the golden era of 60's and 70's radio still sailed from the boom-box, still echoed in people's heart. If it's true that nothing gold can stay, well no one bothered to tell these dreamers. Or maybe they just don't care. The Duke and The King are putting on a show, and you don't need no ticket, you just get on board. Come one, come all!

Press Release :
The Duke & The King - New Duo Featuring Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers) And Robert Chicken Burke (George Clinton) - Emerge From Winter's Isolation With Sun-Faded Songs For Summer On 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' (Aug 4/Ramseur Records)

On August 4, Ramseur Records will release 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' by The Duke & The King, an album recorded in the the coldest Catskill winter, that shimmers with the light of memory and hope. 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' features ten new songs, all co-written by The Duke (Simone Felice of The Felice Brothers) and The King (Robert Chicken Burke), and was recorded on a two-inch tape machine in Burke's one-room, woodstove-heated cabin - affectionately known as The Chapel - in Woodstock, NY.

The Duke & The King grew out of Simone Felice's decision to take an extended break from The Felice Brothers at the end of 2008, after three years of non-stop touring. He set to work on his third book, and began writing and recording with his longtime friend Burke, himself on leave from recent stints with George Clinton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and film scoring work for acclaimed french director Cedric Klapisch.

The two holed up in splendid isolation at The Chapel with a cache of vintage instruments, and emerged with an album of inspired contradictions. Made in the depths of winter, 'Gold' feels sun-faded and warm. It emits a bucolic calm, yet was mixed and mastered in Brooklyn by hip hop legend Bassy Bob Brockmann (Notorious B.I.G.). Fusing unlikely elements of blue-eyed soul, Topanga Canyon cool, and Marc Bolan-esque acoustic reverie, The Duke & The King sing of a time and place they can never return to, but will never forget.

The Duke & The King will tour extensively this summer and fall. Stay tuned for updates.