Off-the-wall sounds: East Village crowds embrace The Jeffries, where poetry, punk riffs and weirdness collide | amNewYork

"The Jefferies are already gathering a fan base with their off-the-wall repertoire and quirky stage presence. Consisting of Jeffery Klier on vocals, Xeth Feinberg on guitar and James Bell on drums, the trio lacks a bass player and, to be honest, a singer, but Klier's plain-spoken not-quite poems are delivered with a dry wit over Feinberg and Bell's catchy riffs in a way that simultaneously rocks and amuses."

"The band came together a few years ago when Klier who has been a funeral director for more than 30 years had one of his backyard birthday party/talent shows and asked a couple of his friends to perform, maybe telling a story or doing a poem. James, the drummer, said, How about you do the poetry, and we'll back you up with drums and guitar?' So, I said, Well, that sounds okay. Yeah, that's not a bad idea,' he recalls."

"The combo's name, unexpectedly, is not the result of frontman narcissism. I wanted to call it Klier and Present Danger, Klier explains. But prior to their first gig at the Parkside Lounge, Bell and Feinberg expressed their displeasure with that moniker. And so then we were kicking around names and we couldn't agree on anything, he continues."

"Xeth, the guitar player, said, Let's call it The Jefferies.' And I was like, I don't like that at all! Because we're a band, you know? I wanted something that sounded like anarchy, you know, rough. But, we had to come up with a name very quickly. So the two of them voted for The Jefferies', and I just went with it."

The Jefferies are a three-member band featuring Jeffery Klier on vocals, Xeth Feinberg on guitar, and James Bell on drums. Their performances blend off-the-wall material, dry wit, and plain-spoken not-quite poems with catchy riffs and energetic backing. The group has performed only a handful of times, including shows at Otto’s Shrunken Head and the Parkside Lounge, and has begun gathering a fan base. The band formed when Klier asked friends to join him at a backyard birthday party/talent show. Bell suggested Klier handle the poetry while they provided drums and guitar. The band name came quickly after disagreements, with Feinberg proposing “The Jefferies.”

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