August
We are taking some time off in August to work on another Halloween EP! I'll be posting more info on that soon. We do have two shows planned - August 13 in New Bern, August 14 in Charleston and August 28 in Charlotte. I hope you are having a lovely summer! - Ami
July 23, 2010
Bele Chere!
We're playing Asheville's Bele Chere Festival this Saturday from 2:15 - 3:45 pm on the Haywood Street Stage. Should be a hot and sweaty good time.
July 14, 2010
New York City!
Mad Tea Party is playing in New York City this weekend, and we couldn't be more excited. We look forward to seeing our big city friends this Friday night at Googie's Lounge above the Living Room, 9:30 pm - 10:30 pm.
In other news, here's a nice quote from last week's Independent Weekly, "Retro rock can be divisive: If one decade is the pinnacle of pop, the next might be the end of days, and vice versa for the next listener. But multiple generations might agree on Asheville duo Mad Tea Party. The hyper jangle of Ami Worthen’s electrified ukulele adds ’60s pop glee to the rockabilly swagger of Jason Krekel’s guitar."
July 6, 2010
Bopping Around
We'll be bopping around the next couple of weeks. We're sticking to our home state this week, with shows in Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Chapel Hill.
Next week we head north for a couple of shows and a beach-y vacation. We're at Googie's Lounge at the Living Room in NYC on Friday, July 16 at 9:30 pm. On Saturday we're playing a wedding in Manhattan. Yeah love!
I'm still blogging about everything at www.ukulelerockstar.com.
I'll end with a quote from a nice review of ZOMBIE BOOGIE that is in the most recent issue of Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, "The veteran purveyors of bluesy-surf-stomp-boogie have a sweetheart ukulele\singer in Worthen, whose voice is as bubbly and endearing as the eccentric outfits she wears on stage. Krekel sings, plays guitar and fiddle, and drums with his feet. The pair rips it up on the four tracks on ZOMBIE BOOGIE. Worthen's vocals are reminiscent of a sweetened Janis Martin combined with the unmistakable flair of Wanda Jackson's honky-tonk swagger while Krekel channels his inner Dick Dale-meets-Chuck Berry guitar style in songs like Cemetery Stomp. The upbeat What's the Matter and the wailing jam of You Spooked Me is reminiscent of classic '60s garage rock with the undeniable rockabilly finesse."
Thanks for checking in!
Ami
June 17, 2010
Asheville Show
The Suspect:
Mad Tea Party
The Asheville duo Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel make music that the Metro Santa Cruz described as “A bubbly amalgam of juke-joint blues, pop, tiki exotica and rockabilly.” Their 2006 release, Big Top Soda Popwas voted the No. 2 regional release by WNCW listeners; dancing shoes are a must.
Can Be Found:
Lexington Avenue Brewery, Friday, June 18
RIYD (Recommended if You Dig): The Ditty Bops, Old Crow Medicine Show, Southern Culture on the Skids.
You Should Go If: You never met a clothes swap you didn’t like; It’s not a party until somebody gets kicked in the shins; You were easily the coolest member of marching band; You enjoy ordering cocktails that the bartender has never heard of.
- Mountain Xpress
May 17, 2010
"Spectacular Set"
Here's an excerpt from the Homegrown Music Network's review of the French Broad River Festival:
"Next up was The Mad Tea Party (Ami Worthen on ukulele and Jason Krekel on foot percussion / guitar.) Hailing from Asheville, Mad Tea Party put on one hell of a show. Seeing the two of them feeding off of the energy of the crowd I can see why they are an Asheville favorite. Caroline Pond graced the stage for a couple of songs which added a lot of fun to the already spectacular set. Ami was so exciting to watch, singing about zombies eating brains was hysterical as well as singing about not being a cool girl and never getting high (ha, yeah right)."
May 9, 2010
Bronchitis
We had to cancel our shows that were booked for this weekend because Krekel has bronchitis. Sigh.
April 23, 2010
Spring Fun
We have two shows coming up in and near Asheville. The first is the YWCA of Asheville Stand Against Racism on April 30th at 4:00 pm in Aston Park. Mad Tea Party is going to play a couple songs at this family-friendly event which will also feature poetry by Celeste Sherer and a song by the YWCA After-School Program.
Then on Saturday, May 1, we will be performing at the French Broad River Festival - a super fun gathering in Hot Springs, NC. The line-up for the festival includes our friends Snake Oil Medicine Show and the Blue Rags, plus Phil Cheney's Dynamic Art Gallerie.
Hope to see you there!
If you can't make it to where we'll be this time, I'll be sure post a report of our adventures on my blog, www.ukulelerockstar.com.
April 12, 2010
Columbia and Atlanta
Mad Tea party has a couple of nice shows planned for this weekend. On Friday night we will be at the Hunter-Gatherer in Columbia, SC. Showtime is 11 pm. Then on Saturday we are playing the Atlanta Dogwood Festival at 4:00 pm. We're looking forward to making music for smiling, dancing people. Ain't life grand?
April 2, 2010
April Update
The Doo-Nanny was totally magical. I will be posting photos, etc. on my blog: www.ukulelerockstar.com.
Now we're spending a couple of weeks recording on our home studio (working towards our next release) and visiting family.
Happy Spring!
March 24, 2010
Doo-Nanny!
This weekend we head to one of our favorite events - the Doo-Nanny in Seale, Alabama. This wonderful happening features folk art and eclectic music. We actually manage the stage, which is extra fun. If you can make it to Seale, prepare to be inspired! Find out more at www.doo-nanny.com.
March 17, 2010
Side Projects
Happy Spring! Mad Tea Party will be celebrating the Equinox this weekend by working on songs and side projects. Krekel is playing Friday night with the Screamingjs and Saturday night with the Krektones. Ami is playing Friday night with her friend Angi West.
March 8, 2010
Next Up, Floyd
This Friday we are scheduled to appear at the Sun Music Hall in Floyd, VA. Floyd and the Sun Music Hall are both beautiful.
Don't forget to read about our adventures on Ami's blog, Ukulele Rockstar.
March 1, 2010
Change in Plans
Our shows in Chattanooga and Asheville last weekend were great, but I'm sad to report that the Gulf Coast shows we had booked with SCOTS have been canceled due to a SCOTS family emergency. Hopefully they will be rescheduled soon.
We are looking forward to playing in Winston-Salem and Charlotte this weekend!
February 19, 2010
SCOTS and Hellsayers
Mad Tea Party is super stoked that we have more shows coming up supporting our heroes Southern Culture on the Skids! We'll be opening for them on Feb. 26 in Chattanooga, March 1 in Baton Rouge, March 2 in New Orleans and March 3 in Mobile. Check our shows page for details. We are also stoked that we are opening for the Hellsayers CD Release show at the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Saturday, Feb. 27. Yeah!
February 8, 2010
Snow
We have had a lovely time in Colorado, but we have to cancel our last couple of shows of the tour due to dangerous driving conditions. Our mini-van is not the best in crazy mountain snow. Thanks again for everyone who came out to see us, sorry we don't get to see folks in the towns we are missing.
January 27, 2010
Rockin' the Rockies 2010
We're heading out to Colorado for our second annual "Rockin' the Rockies" tour. We're looking forward to playing shows and seeing our friends out there. Please spread the word to your Colo peeps. All of the glorious details are on our Shows page. Thanks so much!
January 18, 2010
Charleston and Charlotte
We're excited to be returing to Charleston and Charlotte this week - we have such great fans in both of those cities! We're playing new venues in both places - the Mill in Charleston and the Common Market in Charlotte. We look forward to familiar faces - and new ones, too!