Notes
'73% Post-Consumer Novelty' captures the Mad Tea Party's post-modern parlor music era. Recorded during the band's first duo phase, it features members Ami Worthen (ukulele, vocals) and Jason Krekel (guitar, fiddle, tenor banjo, kazoo, slide whistle, horns, drums). Guests on the album are Joe Edel (sousaphone), Sean Foley (accordion) and Reese Gray (saw, piano). Produced by Mad Tea Party. Recorded and mixed by Chris Rosser at Hollow Reed Studio in Asheville. Mastered by Seva. Whose That Records. Here's what Peggy Seeger has to say about the Mad Tea Party around the time '73%' came out: 'The Mad Tea Party is a serious, silly, cheerful, colourful, funny, hoppity-hippity, bouncy, Alice-in-Wonderland kind of 'mad'. They play old favorites and create new ones. Jason Krekel's one-man instrument set-up is hilarious. Ami Worthen's ukulele playing makes you want to dance and her butterfly/wallpaper couture are... well, MAD. Drop whatever you're doing when they're in your neighborhood and join in the fun.' Ukulele player, singer & songwriter Ami Worthen offers an eccentric musical combination that brings a swing to your step and a smile to your face. Ami's clever lyrics, distinct voice and nimble fingers are enhanced by a stage performance that is infused with humor, an eye-catching wardrobe of coquettish nostalgia, and Ami's own unique presence. As Carol Mallett wrote in the Citizen-Times, 'Worthen's warmth and personality shine through in all her performances and her endearing quality and talent come through just as well in Hawaiian clothes and a lei as they do in old-time garb.' Multi-instrumentalist and virtuoso Jason Krekel is a favorite musician of the Western North Carolina area. In a review of a Mad Tea Party performance writer Will Cumberland (Bluegrassjam.net) had this to say of Krekel, 'onstage his music is explosive, imaginative and wildly improvisational.' Will Cumberland also wrote, 'I've heard the Tea Party's style defined as whimsical, quirky, delightfully nerdy and folkish. However, when you peel back that layer of definition and classification, what you find is a band that uses their music to tackle social and personal issues head on. Attempting to classify their sound can prove to be an exercise in futility, so I'm not going to even bother to try. Their sound is definitely an eclectic amalgamation of jazz, ragtime and folk, but like I've said, it's the underlying message of the music that makes this duo stand out. I've been to quite a few shows over the summer, but the Tea Party has to be one of the most original acts that I've seen so far.'
