NOLA Update From The Keels on Recording the Bluebrass Project 2!

Bluebrass Strings- Horns - Big Chief Monk

Here’s a note from Larry and Jenny Keel and some snapshots of the Bluebrass Session they were recording last week in New Orleans:

Bluebrass String Section

We were honored this last week to be a part of a project where all the musicians created an entirely new form of music…legends from the New Orleans music scene and pioneers of the acoustic music scene collaborated to create Bluebrass 2… it is the continuation of the first project which we recorded in 2004, combining influences from Ireland, Scotland, England, Africa, America,delta blues, western swing, on and on … made for the most spiritual project I have ever been a part of…

Recorded entirely inside the legendary Maple Leaf Bar, on Oak Street, and produced by the presiding King of Oak, Chris Jones, and executive producer Little King Steve Metcalf (royalty out the ass!!),  we were guided into an adventure of epic proportions-  taking a magical musical journey with all kinds of string musicians and brass and drummers:  a cast of up to 15 people.. so far!

Lionel Batiste Jr

including heavy weights from the Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs, Acoustic Syndicate, Mad Tea Party, Aaron “Woody” Wood, and 101 Runners!

Stay tuned for more info and for this music you won’t be able to resist-  we’re still reeling with funky goodness from that trip!

Bryon McMurry and Kirk Joseph's Souzaphone

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HATCH Music Panel: ‘What’s Working From Who’s Working’ Workshop on Thursday, April 14th at 5pm

Exciting news! I will be speaking on a HATCH Music Panel, What’s Working from Who’s Working,  in Asheville this Thursday! More info is posted below.

The HATCH Experience takes place in Asheville from April 14th to 17th.  HATCH is a great opportunity for creative professionals on a local and National level to network.  Join in on the Music panels and workshops for discussions on how technology is changing how we interact with music.   Meet thought and creative leaders in music to discuss the cultural trends, the future and you. Find out more about the various HATCH Music events at: http://www.hatchasheville.org/music/. Other creative areas within HATCH are film, photo, fashion, architecture, design/ technology, and journalism. More information is on the website.

Music Conversation: What’s Working From Who’s Working Workshop
Echo Mountain’s API  Recording Studio
Don’t miss this conversation with musicians, publicists, agents, club and festivals at Echo Mountain’s API Recording Studio Thursday, April 14th at 5 pm – 7 pm. Join local musicians and industry pros for a discussion about making money making music.  Real advice for musicians who are making a living performing music.  Network with your peers and learn tips from musicians and industry folks on how to make it in the new music business.

Justin Ray ~ Professional Musician (Michale Buble, Spork, Boathouse All Stars)
www.facebook.com/#!/Sporkband and www.facebook.com/#!/BoathouseAllStars

Justin Ray has spent the last 8 years touring as a trumpet soloist, composer, and
arranger for Warner Bros recording artist Michael Buble. In addition to his duties with
Buble, he also fronts two other ensembles: Spork, a jazz quintet comprised of Asheville-
area musicians; and the Boathouse All-Stars, an internationally recognized group that
performs his original compositions for big band.

Jay Sanders ~ Musician (Acoustic Syndicate, The E.Normus Trio) and Application Developer (Creative Allies)
http://mindtonic.net and www.creativeallies.com

Jay Sanders has been a successful musician in the Western North Carolina music scene for almost 20 years.  He is best know for his work with Acoustic Syndicate, Donna The Buffalo and The E.Normus Trio.  When not shaping low frequency sound waves into genre bending styles, he is an active participant in the local technology sector through his work with Creative Allies and many other community minded projects.

Jessica Tomasin ~ Studio Manager at Echo Mountain Recording, Band Manager
www.echomountain.net

Jessica Tomasin has been the studio manager at Echo Mountain Recording since it’s start five years ago and has assisted it’s growth to become a world renown recording studio working with acts such as Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Avett Brothers, and Dierks Bentley amongst many other national and local acts. She was also the manager of the label, Echo Mountain Records. Jessica had been managing Aaron Wood for the past two years and launched the first successful Kickstarter campaign in the Asheville area to fund Wood’s self-titled album which was released this month.

Bowie van Ling ~ DJ / Producer / Percussionist, Graphic Designer, Event Producer
http://playlowmusic.com

Bowie van Ling of Playlow, the Asheville based DJ / Producer / Percussionist with complimentary expertise in multimedia design, event production and promotion. Has been observed in the wild wielding a multi-faceted multi-genre approach that empowers his career in the music industry. He’s seen great success with hundreds of shows at venues, spanning 3 continents from Amsterdam to the rainforests of Costa Rica. Locally he’s known as the four year consecutive hall of fame winner of best DJ/Turntablist in WNC.

Katherine “KP” Powell ~  founder / partner at Geniass Productions, partner at Tree Power & Sound, owner Asheville Music Hall / The One Stop Deli & Bar
www.geniassproductions.com and ww.treeleafmusic.com/treepower.html and

Katherine Powell has been working in the industry for the past 6 years with the intent of propelling music and musicians towards a place of business stability and financial security. She founded Geniass Productions in 2005 and shortly after teamed up with Laura Reed to form Deep Pocket which they quickly grew into a successful touring operation. Katherine also does solar-powered production, talent buying, publicity and is currently working on opening a music venue in Downtown Asheville.

Erin Scholze ~ owner of Dreamspider Publicity & Events
www.dreamspider.net

Erin Scholze has long been one of the greatest supporters of the Asheville music scene.  Her love of celebration has manifested itself through the work she has done for the community at large for such events and organizations as the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, Music Video Asheville, the All Go West Festival, Community Choreography and more.  Her company, Dreamspider Publicity, raises international awareness of the amazing local, regional and national talent that she represents.  Her client list includes Donna the Buffalo, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Acoustic Syndicate, Galen Kipar Project, Dehlia Low, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Mad Tea Party.

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Mad Tea Party plays in “Night Terrors” Sat, April 9th at the Star Bar in Atlanta

Rock and Roll duo, The Mad Tea Party, who is described by No Depression as “punkabilly” and as “digs up the bones of classic ‘60s garage rock” in heading to Atlanta this Saturday, April 9th!  They are joining a wild line-up for “Night Terrors” that includes Pinche Gringo, The Clap,  Mermaids, and more at the Star Bar.

Sarah Morgan did a wonderful writeup for the Atlanta Jam Band Examiner; read some of it here and follow the link for the full article:

The government may be shutting down but the music continues with Mad Tea Party at Star Bar. While their name may resemble the other tea party, this Asheville duo leaves politics at the door. Jason Krekel is too busy playing drums, guitar and singing simultaneously, and Ami Worthen’s hands are better served playing electric ukulele than making picket signs.

. . .   . . .   . . .

Making the trek from North Carolina to Georgia is not something the band does often, however Krekel is hoping to play Atlanta more than their staple twice a year.

“We’re more like weekend warriors,” Krekel said discussing Mad Tea Party’s tour schedule. “We probably average two to three weekends a month and every now and then we do a weeklong tour. The game has changed a lot out there on the road for small bands. It’s just not quite as worth it to go out and beat the highway like I did when I was younger. There are a lot more bands touring and lot less people listening. The recession has hit.”

There infrequency in Atlanta makes the opportunity to see them on Saturday too much to pass up. Where else are you going to hear punk ukulele? Exactly.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.examiner.com/jam-bands-in-atlanta/mad-tea-party-at-star-bar-saturday

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Music Video Asheville tickets on sale now! National Music Industry Exposure & Music Allies Grand Prize for Participants

Click to visit the MVA website

FOAM and HATCH Present the 4th annual MUSIC VIDEO ASHEVILLE to showcase the pairing of Asheville musicians and filmmakers. We are thrilled to announce this year’s Music Video Asheville is presented by HATCH and sponsored by Music Allies, Creative Allies, Echo Mountain Recording, and fiscal sponsor The Media Arts Project. The MVA Mission is to increase the awareness and appreciation of Asheville musicians and filmmakers/ videographers by showcasing their collaborative works in a public event. The MVA screening is open to the public and takes place on Wednesday, April 13th, 2010 at the Fine Arts Theater in downtown Asheville starting at 7pm. Tickets are available now for $6 each at the Fine Arts Theater, Mamacitas, Static Age, Harvest Records, and Orbitz DVD.

Music Video Asheville will be highlighting the music video achievements of Ben Lovett and featuring amazing animation video “Eye of the Storm” (See below). MVA is honored to have Lovett give a Q&A session during the event. MVA has invited the producers of his three videos to come and speak as well.

MVA’s partnership with HATCH and Music Allies has landed MVA some exciting judges for the “Best of Music Video Asheville 2011 Award.” MVA’s guest panel will include the following mentors from HATCH: Malcolm Campbell – Publisher of Spin, Sean O’Connell – Founder of Music Allies and  Creative Allies, Crissa Requate – Director of Publicity Music Allies, and Tor Hansen – Founder Red Eye Distribution / Yep Roc Records. All their bios are on the hatchexperience.com site.

Music Allies has generously offered a $500 cash prize for the Best of MVA winner and Echo Mountain Recording Studio has offered a full day in the studio for the runner up. The other big prize is the “Crowd Favorite Award” which will receive a large portion of the ticket sales to the event! The MVA Submission Board will give a series of honorable mention trophies for outstanding work as well.

Artists that have submitted to this year’s MVA include: Ben Lovett, Acoustic Syndicate, Agent 23 Skidoo, Aaron Woody Wood, Stephanie’s id, Mad Tea Party, Jar-e, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Rock Eblen, Enemy Lovers, Alisa Kumba, Kovacs and the Polar Bear, Jen and the Juice, Brian McGee, Juan Holiday, Chompin at the Bit String Band, Now You See Them, Ten Cent Poetry, Quetzatl, GalaxC Girl , Serious Clark, and many more… See them all on the big screen…

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Attendees are encouraged to dress-up glamorously and quarkly awesome!
Music Video Asheville tickets on sale now! http://musicvideoasheville.com/tickets/

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More info about film mentor, Ben Lovett’s ‘Eye of the Storm’:

“The self-released first single, “Eye of the Storm,” showcases Lovett’s uncanny knack for storytelling and production with its haunting vocals and acoustic guitar expertly melded with somber cello and violin into a lush watercolor of sound. The song’s visual counterpart, directed by Chris Alender of Soapbox Films, is a stunning steampunk masterpiece that became a viral sensation, generating over 2 million plays in its first month.” ~ http://themusebox.net/lovett:

“Set in a visually arresting steampunk world, ‘Eye of the Storm’ is the epic tale of a lonely sky captain who must literally and figuratively brave a raging tempest in order to find his salvation on the other side. Featuring the music by Lovett” ~ http://atlanta.bside.com/2011/films/eyeofthestorm_christopheralender_atlanta2011

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Krekprints Action Monster Prints

…So the Mad Tea Party is just cranking out the fun new videos!

Not only is Jason Krekel in the Mad Tea Party and a one man band on the fiddle, vocals, guitar, foot percussion; but he also helps to run the HandCranked Letterpress.

Krekel is offering a special on Monster Prints on his Etsy site (www.krekprints.com). Here’s a video of them being made…

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Mad Tea Party’s “Hey Teabaggers, Leave Our Party Alone!”

NEW video by Asheville, NC band, The Mad Tea Party, “Hey Teabaggers, Leave Our Party Alone!”

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Mad Tea Party’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul Video!

Title track off of the new EP, Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul, by Mad Tea Party (Krekel & Ami), produced by Greg Cartwright.

Thanks to the Asheville Zombies!

http://www.themadteaparty.com

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Mad Tea Party Releases Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul THIS Friday at Stella Blue in Asheville

Mad Tea Party released Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul a 4-song EP that is also available on 7″ vinyl this month! It was produced by Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, Oblivions). Visit their Bandcamp page to hear, find out more out the recording, see the great art by Gus Cutty, and to order the record (or just buy the downloads).  Start off the season with some new spooky songs!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul has already gotten a few great reviews. Read them in the Mountain Xpress, on the Sanuk D blog, and Bootleg Mag.

The Mad Tea’s big hometown show is on Friday, October 15th at Stella Blue in Asheville. They’re opening for Mark Sultan and Dr. Filth will be spinning vinyl between acts.

Photo by Michael Traister http://www.traisterphoto.com

You can also catch The Mad Tea Party on 98.1 The River in the 5:00 hour today 10/13!

They will also be in Bruisin’ Ales from 5-7pm tomorrow 10/14 (Thursday) selling records!

Stay up to the minute with The Mad Tea Party on their website, facebook, and  twitter.

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Ukuleles aren’t just for luaus anymore!!! The Mad Tea Party headlines Hub City Ukefest 9/24!

Ukuleles aren’t just for luaus anymore!!! The Mad Tea Party headlines Hub City Ukefest 9/24! Read more about it in this great interview with Matt Wake from the Greenville Metromix! Also find out more about their NEW Halloween EP, “ROCK-N-ROLL GHOUL” at this previous post.

In October, the band will release its “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul” four-song Halloween EP via seven-inch vinyl and digital download. The set includes detours into doo-wop and psychedelia. (Credit: Jonathan Welch)

Ukuleles aren’t just for luaus anymore

Hub City Ukefest boasts three bands, instrument-maker

By Matt Wake, Metromix

The ukulele Ami Worthen plays in Asheville indie duo Mad Tea Party is hot-rodded, both visually and sonically.  Berkley, Calif., luthier Peter Hurney built Worthen a uke with a black-with-flames paintjob (a la ’50s dragster) and she plugs the axe into a guitar amp. And distortion pedal.

“I’m really into the ukulele as a rhythm instrument and the percussive sound of it,” Worthen, 29, says. “The way I play it is almost like a snare drum. That’s the thing I really dig about it: Its ability to provide an exciting groove.”
She first heard the ukulele on an old-time album from Brad Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham. Worthen took up the instrument about five years ago.

On Sept. 24 Mad Tea Party—which includes guitarist/drummer Jason Krekel and draws from influences including Bo Diddley—will headline the Hub City Ukefest. The show also features Greenville’s Lil’ Junior, who cover Ry Cooder and Velvet Underground tracks, and Spartanburg combo Snidely Sidewinder & The Unrepentant Uke Boys.

…

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://greenville.metromix.com/music/article/ukuleles-aren-t-just/2192390/content

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Just in time for Halloween: Mad Tea Party releases ROCK N ROLL GHOUL

Click the album art to get downloads and the vinyl~

Just in time for Halloween:
Mad Tea Party’s  ROCK N ROLL GHOUL

EP Release events:

Oct 2nd ~ The Pour House ~ Raleigh, NC
Oct 15th ~ Stella Blue (opening for Mark Sultan) ~ Asheville, NC
Oct 16th ~ The Double Door Inn~ Charlotte, NC

Asheville’s rock ‘n’ roll duo Mad Tea Party celebrate their favorite holiday again this year with ROCK N ROLL GHOUL, a follow-up to 2009’s ZOMBIE BOOGIE. With garage-rock icon Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, Oblivions) at the production helm, this year’s monster offering promises to make you howl at the moon.

Mad Tea Party provides their usual palate of shimmering vocal harmonies over Jason Krekel’s one-man-band juke joint guitar/percussion and Ami Worthen’s electric ukulele. Of course, ROCK N ROLL GHOUL also includes some sonic surprises.

The EP offers up 4 spooky selections for your rockin’ Halloween party. “Possessed,” a 60s-tinged psychedelic number, features Worthen’s wicked vocals and a demonic guitar solo from Mr. Cartwright. The furious screamer “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghoul” expounds upon the theme of flesh-eating music critics while drivin’ rocker “Dr. Phibes” is an ode to the popular Vincent Price villain. The duo close with the Hollywood Flames’ song “Frankenstein’s Den” with Cartwright on drum kit and Caroline Pond (Snake Oil Medicine Show) joining Worthen on doo-wop vocals.

ROCK N ROLL GHOUL is available as a 7” vinyl record and as digital downloads. The EC horror comics inspired art for the record was hand drawn by San Francisco artist Gus Cutty.

Start off the season with some new spooky songs! If you pre-order the vinyl record before October 1, they will also give you a limited edition hand-carved Dr. Phibes poster by Mad Tea Party’s own Jason Krekel!

The Mad Tea Party on the Web

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