Memorial Music

Jason’s cousin Mckenzie Humphreys posted a few videos from Tim Krekel’s memorial celebration at the Vernon Club. Here’s Mad Tea Party joined by Gus Cutty (Jason’s bro), Henry Westmoreland (tuba) and Jake Hollifield (keyboard):

And here’s Mad Tea Party and the Tim Krekel Orchestra (TKO):

MTP at HRW

Here are some photos of Mad Tea Party playing at the Heavy Rebel Weekender taken by Carrie Faye Harder:

Thursday Hooray!

This week’s Hooray goes out to Pete Yorko, one-man-band. Mad Tea Party met Pete at the Heavy Rebel Weekender last year. We didn’t get to see him play, but he gave us a CD, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Of course we’re partial to one-man-bands. We finally got to see him perform at HRW last weekend, and he was GREAT. His set was one of the best things I saw all weekend. I took some video of him, but I haven’t processed it yet. So here’s a video I found:

Heavy Rebel 2009

The Heavy Rebel Weekender was exactly what we needed – a killer party. June kicked us on our asses in a major way, so it was nice to get a chance to kick ass instead. Mad Tea Party’s set on Saturday night on the Main Stage for a huge crowd was cathartic, crazy fun. It was a treat having Jason’s sister Emily at HRW with us, too. I would like to describe our whole experience in detail, but I’ve been on the computer for too long tonight trying to catch up on various band administrative tasks (which understandably I’ve gotten behind on) so for now I’ll just post some photos. If I get motivated, I’ll re-visit this later and share some stories. There’s a video in the works, too.

We arrived in time for the mud-wrestling.

The classic car show was far out.

Don't mess with the Tremors.

Jason Krekel is not afraid to rock.

New tattoo.

The Koffin Kats tore it up. Note flying beer cans.

Ring of Fire

Bass-slapping Contest

Ready to Rock

Mad Tea Party just had our first practice in weeks, then we shot off fireworks in the front yard. We’re shifting our mindsets, getting ready to rock the Heavy Rebel Weekender. Sorry I haven’t written much in first person lately. I am just too tender to revel much about my emotional landscape. We are processing so much.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos that I just found from last year’s Heavy Rebel taken by Not Stock Photography. I’m psyched that this year I have my new hot rod flaming Pohaku ukulele! And bangs!

Wow. A lot happens in a year.

Singing in the Band

This is a video from June 14th of the last song Tim performed with his band TKO (and Jason), “State of Grace”. He played the same song acoustically a few days before he died. Powerful, sad, beautiful.

Celebration of Tim’s Life

Fans honor passing of beloved musician
By Diane Heilenman 

From the Louisville Courier-Journal

Here’s a photo gallery.

The parade to mourn the passing of musician and songwriter Tim Krekel was a joy to see.

The marchers, some wearing Mardi Gras necklaces, carried colorful umbrellas, maracas, tambourines and helium balloons down Frankfort and Story avenues yesterday. They wore flip-flops and cowboy boots, red suede and black patent leather.

There was a trombone, a tuba, a trumpet, a half-dozen saxophones, mouth harps, guitars and one accordion, all riffing to honor one of Louisville’s best-known musicians and songwriters.

Krekel died Wednesday at his home. He was 58.

“He could go to amazing places on the guitar with his songs,” said artist Peggy Middleton, who first heard Krekel in the 1970s at the Snack Shack. “He was really special.”

Krekel got his start in Louisville at 13, playing guitar at Fontaine Ferry Park for 35 cents. He later played with Jimmy Buffett, Bo Diddley, Skeeter Davis and Lonnie Mack, and wrote No. 1 hits for Patty Loveless and Crystal Gayle.

The parade began at a private memorial service at James Lee Presbyterian Church on Frankfort Avenue and ended with a public memorial service at The Vernon Club on Story Avenue.

Krekel’s widow, Debora Cooper, who wore her husband’s wedding suit, was at the head of the procession, along with Krekel’s son, Jason, who played his father’s guitar and sang his father’s gospel-style song, “State of Grace.”

Close to 500 walkers and a few mourners on bicycles made the three-block trip, with perhaps that many again showing up at The Vernon Club, a bowling alley and nightclub.

They brought flowers, dance steps, happy memories and a robust thirst for one more beer and one more round of Krekel’s music.

“The last show he did was here,” said Eric Widmayer, manager of The Vernon. It was May 30, after Krekel was diagnosed with stomach cancer in March.

“He loved the place,” Widmayer said. “He wanted the club to do really well.”

That’s why the family picked The Vernon for the memorial, he said.

The crowd filled the club to capacity, and some people had to wait outside for others to leave before they could enter. The stage was packed with Krekel’s band members and other musical colleagues. They played only Krekel’s songs. 

Paula Watson was there, recalling that Krekel, “played at my wedding.”

Her former husband, Bob Watson, was there too. The former accountant and retired high school business teacher wore a T-shirt that said “Tim Krekel and the Groovebillys.”

“I met Tim in 1969 at the Red Dog Saloon on Washington Street,” Watson said. “He played lead guitar for Jimmy Buffett. He went to Nashville and wrote songs and when he came back to Louisville he lived upstairs in my house. … He didn’t care he wasn’t big, he told me a couple of years ago. He just wanted to make his music and write songs. He was just an amazing musician.”

Cindy Boel, a saddlebred horse trainer in Prospect, said she was a “long, longtime fan.”

“Fan is not quite the word,” she said. “I am at the core of a group that loved him as a person and as a musician. Whether you are a doctor, a lawyer, a biker, you came to see Tim. You were a Krekel fan — a Krekkie.”

Most of the Krekkies are “between 50 and 70,” she said. “That’s an amazing group to go out dancing their asses off on a Saturday night until 2 a.m.”

Working with Buffett, Krekel played on the “Son of a Son of a Sailor” album and appeared with Buffett on Saturday Night Live and in the film, “FM.”

He also worked on his own, and had the bands the Groovebillys, the Kasualties and TKO, as in the Tim Krekel Orchestra.

He won a BMI Country Award in 1997 for “You Can Feel Bad,” a song he co-wrote with Matraca Berg that hit the top of the charts when sung by Loveless. His last personal album was “Soul Season” in 2007.

“He was one of a kind” and won’t be quickly replaced as a musical giant and mentor in Louisville, said John Cage, a Baptist minister and musician.

“He called me every day,” said TKO saxophone player Michael Murphy. “I know Tim had a lot of best friends but he was my best friend. I was there when he died.”

Ear X-tacy Records is handling a fund to offset Krekel’s medical bills. Donations can be made to The KREK fund, c/o ear X-tacy Records, 1534 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205.

Reporter Diane Heilenman can be reached at (502) 582-4682.

Walking in a State of Grace

“Tim Krekel’s health took a drastic turn for the worse these last few weeks. At the final stages of what he described to me as, ‘A most wonderful life!’ Tim was able to die at home under the loving care of his family and hospice. Now he is experiencing the most glorious adventure we all will ever face. With the blessing of knowing that death was near, love and last goodbyes were shared. Now Tim is totally a part of the Love he’s told us about throughout his entire life. God Bless Tim Krekel. Pray for us who will be left behind.” – Al Moreshi. Here’s an article.

Jason and I, and other family and close friends were with Tim in his last moments. It’s all way more than I can write about.

John Brown & Teddy

Here’s a field recording from Mad Tea Party’s recent Northeast tour. It takes place in Pittsfield, MA, where we had a surprise visit from our dear friend John Brown and his yodeling dog, Teddy. Of course they had to be part of the show.

Goldie

Our recent wreck had the Mad Tea Party down, but not out for long. We now have a new (to us) van, which we purchased directly from our buddies the Wiyos. It’s just like dear old Homer (same year and everything), with fewer miles and plenty of attitude. We’ve started calling her Goldie, per our friend Erin’s suggestion. Let’s see if that name sticks.

Goldie is the fourth Mad Tea van in about the same number of years. Each of our former vans now represent a distinct phase of our career in my mind. I have a good feeling that this next phase will indeed be golden.

No matter what, we will “Respect the Van“.

Cardinal

Today’s sunny spring afternoon still life at my house…

Good Stuff

Birthdays and a Wedding

On Saturday Mad Tea Party picked up a last minute afternoon show at MoDaddy’s in Asheville for our friend Tonia’s birthday party. We were joined by the Manic Pianic Jake Hollifield. Jake plays with Mad Tea sometimes, most recently at the Doo-Nanny. We always have fun together. Luckily, we had just practiced with him the day before with for a few shows he’s joining us on at the end of June. Playing for Tonia’s party was totally fun. And I felt great about how we sounded. So satisfying. After MoDaddy’s, Jason and I piled into a rental car and drove to Louisville. We got there in time to celebrate his sister Katy’s birthday some of her cool friends.

The next day Jason’s dad Tim married Debora Cooper in their lovely backyard. It was a beautiful beautiful ceremony. Afterward there was a raging party and hours of music at Rudyard Kipling. It was a very special thing to be a part of.

“Love is all there is.”

Fiddlin’ Around

Here’s a video of Mad Tea Party playing “Wolves a’ Howlin” last Friday night in Hallowell, Maine, and “Lost Indian” in Connecticut last Saturday. Two fiddle tunes in two distinct settings.

Thursday Hooray!

Tonight The Wiyos are playing at the Rocket Club in Asheville and I can’t wait for the show. The Wiyos are a super swell band, and good pals of ours. In fact, Mad Tea Party may be buying their old Honda Odyssey. Funny how these things work out, huh? They have a new CD, Broken Land Bell, coming out soon. I’ve heard an advance copy and it is top notch, really excellent. AND they are getting ready to go on tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson! Lucky dogs! Isn’t it great when good things happen to good people? Go get ‘em, boys!

Mad Tea Miracle

On Sunday morning around 10:00 am, Jason and I started south from Connecticut. Our goal was to make it home that night, switching turns driving every 2 hours. Our conversation that morning was about how successful our tour had been on so many levels, and how we couldn’t wait to get home.

Around noon I was driving the speed limit on 84 near East Fishkill, NY in the left lane when I saw a dead deer in the lane in front of me. I swerved slightly to the right to avoid it, but a semi truck was in the lane directly to my right. So I swerved back to the left and lost control of the van. I somehow steered into the guard rail, with a chilling crash. Jason and I looked at each other. We were completely ok, and no other cars were involved. It was a miracle. I am SO grateful!

What could have been a tragedy is now just a major inconvenience. Our van is completely smashed up. We are still waiting to hear from the adjuster, but as a 2000 van with 200,000 miles, the guy who towed us said it will most likely be totaled. We had to rent an SUV from New York to Asheville (very price-y, and insurance won’t cover this). And now we have no van even though we still owe money on it. Ugh! We’ll work it all out, of course. Still beats the alternative.

I am thankful beyond belief that no one was hurt. I am also still shaken up, processing this intense experience. Here is a video of the the van being towed and a few raw emotional moments right after the wreck.

Connecticut Wedding

The last show of our Spring 09 Northeast Tour was a wedding in eastern Connecticut at Tyrone Farm. Our S09NT was filled with picturesque setting, and Tyrone Farms was no exception. It’s a romantic place with lots of big old trees, terrific views, and flowers. The main house on the property was built in 1747. We played in the barn which was built in 1850. I loved the rustic yet elegant look of the inside of the barn, and the fact that it had a disco ball!  

After we set up our gear, we talked for a long time with Ian, whose family owns the property. He has really progressive philosophies about running the farm. They are growing organic flowers for the weddings they host, using solar power, and encouraging couples to hire bands instead of DJs. We felt in synch with Tyrone Farms. Later in the evening the bride told us that the two most important things for her for the wedding were the location and the band. She has good taste! : )

The evening went smoothly, and we had a great time playing music for happy people celebrating love. Congratulations, Erin and Patrick!

Throwdown in Hallowell

It was really hard to drag ourselves away from the Big House on Friday morning, but we were excited about our next stop – Hallowell, Maine.

Jason and I have a long history with Hallowell, stemming from his dad’s long-time friendship with Abbott Vaughn Meader. We have great friends and supporters in there. And, as an added bonus, our booking agency, Charisma Artist, is based in Maine. So we were able to visit with our Hallowell friends AND the Charisma Artist crew.

Mad Tea Party played at the Liberal Cup and the show was wild and rowdy like our shows always are in Hallowell. In fact, the dancing got so frenzied at one point that beer ended up getting spilled all over our gear. Nothing was broken, and a bit of stickiness was a small price to pay for such a raucous good time.

We stayed with the delightful Sheila and Don that night and had a lovely breakfast with them and our friend Greta the next morning. Then we had to jet to Connecticut to play a wedding.

Our visit to Maine was a blast but much too brief.

The Big House and The Church

We woke up on Thursday in a completely magical spot – “The Big House” in Jamaica, Vermont. Out our windows were trees and birds and the sound of rushing water. The part of the house we slept in was the original farmhouse from the 1760’s  – which is the oldest standing farmhouse in Vermont. We had driven up a dirt road deep into the woods of Vermont and stepped back in time.

The Big House is aptly named – it is a huge maze of rooms that have been added on to the farmhouse over the years. Even the barn has been attached to the house and made into a living space. The B.H. is rustic, well-lived-in, and filled with books, vinyl records and instruments. The property it sits on is absolutely gorgeous – completely remote and mystical. There are no words to describe it. We were there to visit our friends Amos, Ilana, Abram and Sam (and to play a show in a nearby town). The B.H. has been owned by Amos’ family for years and years and years. It was a school at one point. Now it is a very self-sufficient homestead with big gardens, fruit trees, a root cellar filled with canned goods, chickens, pigs, etc., etc. Our friends are about as far removed from modern culture as possible. It is a powerful way to live – eating all organic, locally grown food, trading with neighbors for things they cannot grow or make themselves, spending lots of time in nature and zero time on a computer (can you imagine? no computers or tvs or cell phones?!?!). It would be hard not to be inspired by their lives.

After a wonderful breakfast cooked on the wood stove, we sat outside and played fiddle tunes with Amos under the trees. SO special. (I keep wanting to use the word magical.) Amos is one of my most favorite old-time guitar players. Then we all hiked down to a nearby waterfall. I could have spent hours and hours there, but we had a gig to get to.

Our gig was in the tiny town of West Dummerston, VT at “The Church”, which is the home of a wonderful woman/artist named Natalie Blake. Natalie had agreed to host a Mad Tea Party house concert based on Sam’s endorsement. The Church is beautiful and comfortable, with high ceilings and great art. It’s a perfect space for a show. We set up, and before long folks started arriving. First we played old-time with a fine group of musicians from the area, then we plugged in and played rock ‘n’ roll. We were thrilled by the responsive, dancing crowd! It was so neat to be way out in the country entertaining interesting, open people. We were so grateful for everyone that was there, and for Natalie being willing to create an opportunity for us to share our music.

We left the Church with full hearts.

Yodeling Dog + Moose

Our show last Wednesday evening was at Mission Tapas Bar in Pittsfield, MA. The owner, Jim, is super nice and we felt very welcome. While we were setting up, we were totally surprised when our friend John Brown walked in! We know John Brown from Maine and New York. He had some things to do in the area, and he planned them so he could come to our show! What a treat! (I was also pleased to find out that he is a loyal reader of Ukulele Rockstar. It’s really nice to know my efforts here don’t go un-noticed.)

Anyway, we had some yummy food and then it was time to play. There was a nice crowd at the club that included some friends of friends. Now that REALLY rocks – when someone knows we are going to a town where they know someone and they send an email, or call to encourage them to come out to our show and that person actually does it. That’s how we can build a dream, folks.

The crowd in Pittsfield got to enjoy our uke-abilly show that night. They also had the extra-special bonus of seeing John Brown and Teddy, his yodeling dog, perform (stay tuned for the video). Thus making a truly unique experience (Electric ukulele/juke joint guitar one-man-band rock duo? Do you see that every day?) all the more memorable. John Brown also rocked out on the washboard with us, wearing a Mad Tea shirt circa 2005. (Side note: In New York City I saw Mad Tea shirts from 2006 and 2008.) John Brown knows the best jokes, too. “How much does a pirate charge for an ear of corn?” “A buck an ear.”

After the show we drove through the night into the wilds of Vermont so we could wake up at the Big House. When we were almost there, a moose ran out in front of our car! Something I have always hoped to see in this lifetime.

 I can’t believe I got to see a yodeling dog and a moose all in the same day!

Buzzards Bay

Last Tuesday we visited my Aunt Sherbie and Uncle Tom. They live in a 150-year-old house on Buzzards Bay in Wareham, MA (near Cape Cod). My dad grew up in Massachusetts and I was born near Boston. We would visit my grandparents in Duxbury every summer when I was growing up. So it was nostalgic for me to be in that part of the country.

I couldn’t have asked for a nicer a day off. It was wonderful to spend time with my aunt and uncle. They are really interesting to talk to and my Uncle Tom is plain hilarious. He got Jason and me to hit golf balls into the bay. I actually only tried once. Jason got pretty good at it.

Before that, Jason and I went on a gorgeous four-hour hike around Buzzards Bay and had a refreshing swim in the sunshine. It is so important to spend time in nature like that. It definitely charged us.

 A delicious salmon dinner and more fiddle tunes wrapped up the day.

 Thanks, Tom and Sherbie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superfine Snippet

Originally uploaded by lanyard

A super short video of us playing “Zombie Boogie” at Superfine last Sunday. More about “Zombie Boogie” the record soon.

NYC Wrap-Up

Todd with Mad Tea Polaroids

Since I posted my last entry, Mad Tea Party has had some terrific adventures in Massachusetts and Vermont and now we are on our way to Maine for more adventures. So the memories of my New York City adventures are less crisp. But I do want to fill you in on the rest of our time there, so here goes. (Editor’s note: Sometime on Saturday my camera battery died and I had left my charger at home, so there is a dearth of pictures for this leg of the trip, so I am inserting some that are not chronologically accurate. I did get a new charger on Sunday afternoon, so now I’m back on track for photo/video documentation.)

Our gig Saturday night was at Googies in the East Village and I have to say it was my favorite show of the weekend. The sound was excellent (thanks, Steve!). A  slick-looking group of rockabilly fans came out to see us, as well as folks from the Defibulators and an assortment of music lovers from around the world. We really nailed our set. Playing at the festival earlier that day had warmed us up. It was just plain fun. So fun, in fact, that our spirits weren’t dampened when we got a parking ticket. The cop did say that we could protest it since we were loading out of our gig. Cross your fingers for us. Just part of the New York experience, I guess. We ended up having a late-night old-time jam in an apartment in Chelsea before heading back to Brooklyn to crash. We’ve been back on an old-time groove lately, and fiddle tunes are woven throughout this entire tour.

Sunday was fantastic. We woke up at Karen’s and headed over to our friend Sarah Alden’s house for brunch. We’ve been friends with Sarah for years and years. She is part of the Luminescent Orchestrii, one of our favorite bands. Her bandmate Sxip was at brunch, too, as was Joebass of the Wiyos (another band we love). The food and coffee were top notch. After brunch, we sat out in the back yard (yes, Sarah has a beautiful backyard in Brooklyn!) and played more old-time music and sang songs. Did I mention that the weather in New York was perfect all weekend?

Eventually we headed over to Superfine in DUMBO Brooklyn for our next show. We’ve played at Superfine quite a few times over the years, and it’s always a nice gig. The staff treat us SO well, and we get to eat incredible food. We had a nice group of friends that came out to support us, including musical luminaries including Sxip, Andy Bean of the Two Man Gentleman Band, Fro, Rebecca Pronsky, and Karen Duffy, of course, our tour buddy for the whole weekend. The support was so flattering!

After the show, we went and checked out the Jalopy Theater, which is a neat spot. Monday was spent going to some of Jason’s favorite locations – Academy Records in Brooklyn, Kim’s Video in Manhattan, etc., etc. Then we drove to my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Wareham, Massachusetts.