Review & Photos | Mad Tea Party Jam | Hedgesville
By Andy Kahn Jun 26, 2015 • 12:10 pm PDT
Words by: Carly Shields
Photos by: Germination Photography
Mad Tea Party Jam :: 6.18.15 -6.21.15 :: The Bavarian Villa :: Hedgesville, WV
Down the winding roads of West Virginia, past abandoned trailer homes and cluttered lawns, a small dirt path leads Alices of all kinds down the rabbit hole to the 4th annual Mad Tea Party Jam, hosted by publishers of the free Appalachian Jamwich magazine. Festival-goers break through the tree line to see a wide-open farm of rolling hills with a picturesque mountain backdrop. They can see the main stages, set side-by-side, ahead in the distance, with a smaller third stage tucked into the campgrounds in their peripheral vision. Smiling vendors welcome music-lovers as they come down Shakedown Street looking for a perfect camping spot. As tents are pitched and shade areas popped up, music begins on the main stages signaling the start to a glorious weekend.
Festival founders Taco and Elise Olmstead use this event not only to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but also to celebrate the abundance of great, up-and-coming bands in the Appalachian region. Pulling largely from the Baltimore area, they handpicked festival favorites of the future and set them up so that attendees could catch at least a little bit of every band. Kicking it off Thursday was Nicky C & The RSB, Cutting Agency, Threesound, Mateo Monk, Deaf Scene and Definition of One. Then the heavy hitters took the stage, starting with a fantastic show from The Heavy Pets on the March Hare Stage. Their exploratory jams lead perfectly into a set from The Mantras on the Mad Hatter Stage, who really got the crowd going as more people arrived after ending their day jobs. TAUK played their first set of the weekend next, which was a first for many festival-goers who were thrilled with their dark but danceable riffs.
Never failing to impress, Turkuaz played a super funky and groove-able collection of their own songs plus a few covers. A fairly new power trio, People’s Blues of Richmond, tore the stage up with a fresh sound that might seem too metal for a “jam band” festival but was exactly what the crowd needed to rally them into the night. But shortly after their set, in the middle of Broccoli Samurai’s performance the first storm of the weekend came. It didn’t seem so bad, most people hid in their cars or buckled down with their lowered EZ ups, but there was enough lightening for organizers to close the stage for the night, and the acoustic set from Consider the Source, as well as the last main stage set Brokedown Hustlers, had to be canceled.
Friday’s music started right on time, with Ron Holloway Band opening the day at 11 a,m. Word had gotten around that the Essential Productions stage in the campgrounds had to be permanently shut down for the weekend due to the weather the previous night, so everyone congregated at the main stages to see the local talent Appalachian Jamwich brought out: ESP, Peridoni, Litz, Moogatu, The Royal Noise from Philly and Aqueous -making for a phenomenal display of the talent in this region and the commitment to spreading live music. Primate Fiasco, who brilliantly mixed a horn band with a bluegrass band, played their first main stage set as the heat finally broke on the day and the mud continued to dry out. Coming all the way out from California, Andy Frasco & The UN played a fun, inspiring set reminiscent of something from Michael Franti & Spearhead. The Heavy Pets played again, right before Earphunk, a funk band from New Orleans who were one of many great finds this weekend.
TAUK played another rowdy set before The Werks came out to one of the their personal favorite events of the summer. The whole Werks team is tightly tied to the festival, the band having played every anniversary since the Olmstead’s marriage and their touring crew handling the festivals’ site operations and production. Dopapod closed out the March Hare Stage as rain fell lightly on a dancing crowd already drenched in sweat. Consider the Source was finally able to take the stage for their full set of worldly grooves, playing all their fascinating foreign instruments perfectly. To make up for the weather the night before, the band added about 20 extra minutes of acoustic tunes to close the Mad Hatter Stage for the night. Then they announced that the previously canceled “Consider the Smores” marshmallow roast was still happening at the fire domes hosted by the Incendia Troupe, and a mass of people walked down to the river campgrounds together to toast marshmallows with the band and watch gypsies play with fire.
By Saturday, the blistering sun was back and the grounds were almost completely dried up. Vendors had taken down their tent sidings and were open for business as people walked throughout the wonderland. A giant Cheshire cat invited wanderers into a large tented hall with psychedelic art covering every square inch, some for sale, some in process, some just for looking, and some too wild to comprehend sober. Walking out the opposite end of the tunnel brought people right to the main stage, where Telesema started the day at noon. DJ Lee Turley debuted his remix of TAUK’s “Collateral” before Primate Fiasco took to the stage again, this time featuring the festival founders’ son, Alex Olmstead, on saxophone. Mojoflo played a soulful and funky set to the folks who could stand the heat, while other groups of adventurous spirits wandered down to the lower fields by the river and went for a dip or joined in one of the many playshops of the weekend. VIPs got to see sets by The Southern Belles, Arpetrio, Heady Ruxpin and Dynamo from Nashville – all just in time before the second major storm of the weekend hit. This one shut the main stages for about three ours while campers took cover anywhere they could and waited for it to pass. Weather is unpredictable in the mountains, and before anyone had time to start worrying, it had blown over and the sun was out again.
Producers assessed the damage and got the main stages back up and running with Rising Appalachia, a breath of spiritually fresh air in the music community. They played songs from their rich family history rooted mountain music, and explored a new sphere of that same style with their own twists. The night was a total dance party from there, with (mostly second) sets from ELM, Earphunk, The Werks, Dopapod, and The Mantras. B Side Shuffle from Washington D.C. closed the festival as the sun peaked over the shoulders of the earth. The crowd was unstoppable as they played exciting, funky originals mixed with covers like Jamiroqui’s “Canned Heat” and Lettuce’s “Madison Square.”
As people gave hugs to all their new friends and reminisced on all the wonderful moments behind them, they wandered reluctantly back to their campsites, or back to what they were doing before the music swept them off their feet. Either way, they knew that dreaded time of the festival was coming, when they had to pack up their gear and head back to their daily routine.
But for the rest of the week, for the rest of the summer, maybe even for the rest of the year, they would carry with them the love they witnessed and helped create as this little family festival in West Virginia. They would drive out of those muddy, slippery roads knowing that they contributed to something beautiful, that they felt real joy and passion as Taco and Elise renewed their vows, as The Werks started a chant for their tireless tour manager and as adoring artists invited their longtime inspirations and friends to join them on stage. As people left the Mad Tea Party Jam, a few lessons from the weekend were undeniable: do more for others than you take, and remember that love is an action word.
JamBase | Mad Tea
Go See Live Music!
Photos by: Germination Photography
Mad Tea Party Jam :: 6.18.15 -6.21.15 :: The Bavarian Villa :: Hedgesville, WV
Down the winding roads of West Virginia, past abandoned trailer homes and cluttered lawns, a small dirt path leads Alices of all kinds down the rabbit hole to the 4th annual Mad Tea Party Jam, hosted by publishers of the free Appalachian Jamwich magazine. Festival-goers break through the tree line to see a wide-open farm of rolling hills with a picturesque mountain backdrop. They can see the main stages, set side-by-side, ahead in the distance, with a smaller third stage tucked into the campgrounds in their peripheral vision. Smiling vendors welcome music-lovers as they come down Shakedown Street looking for a perfect camping spot. As tents are pitched and shade areas popped up, music begins on the main stages signaling the start to a glorious weekend.
Festival founders Taco and Elise Olmstead use this event not only to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but also to celebrate the abundance of great, up-and-coming bands in the Appalachian region. Pulling largely from the Baltimore area, they handpicked festival favorites of the future and set them up so that attendees could catch at least a little bit of every band. Kicking it off Thursday was Nicky C & The RSB, Cutting Agency, Threesound, Mateo Monk, Deaf Scene and Definition of One. Then the heavy hitters took the stage, starting with a fantastic show from The Heavy Pets on the March Hare Stage. Their exploratory jams lead perfectly into a set from The Mantras on the Mad Hatter Stage, who really got the crowd going as more people arrived after ending their day jobs. TAUK played their first set of the weekend next, which was a first for many festival-goers who were thrilled with their dark but danceable riffs.
Never failing to impress, Turkuaz played a super funky and groove-able collection of their own songs plus a few covers. A fairly new power trio, People’s Blues of Richmond, tore the stage up with a fresh sound that might seem too metal for a “jam band” festival but was exactly what the crowd needed to rally them into the night. But shortly after their set, in the middle of Broccoli Samurai’s performance the first storm of the weekend came. It didn’t seem so bad, most people hid in their cars or buckled down with their lowered EZ ups, but there was enough lightening for organizers to close the stage for the night, and the acoustic set from Consider the Source, as well as the last main stage set Brokedown Hustlers, had to be canceled.
Friday’s music started right on time, with Ron Holloway Band opening the day at 11 a,m. Word had gotten around that the Essential Productions stage in the campgrounds had to be permanently shut down for the weekend due to the weather the previous night, so everyone congregated at the main stages to see the local talent Appalachian Jamwich brought out: ESP, Peridoni, Litz, Moogatu, The Royal Noise from Philly and Aqueous -making for a phenomenal display of the talent in this region and the commitment to spreading live music. Primate Fiasco, who brilliantly mixed a horn band with a bluegrass band, played their first main stage set as the heat finally broke on the day and the mud continued to dry out. Coming all the way out from California, Andy Frasco & The UN played a fun, inspiring set reminiscent of something from Michael Franti & Spearhead. The Heavy Pets played again, right before Earphunk, a funk band from New Orleans who were one of many great finds this weekend.
TAUK played another rowdy set before The Werks came out to one of the their personal favorite events of the summer. The whole Werks team is tightly tied to the festival, the band having played every anniversary since the Olmstead’s marriage and their touring crew handling the festivals’ site operations and production. Dopapod closed out the March Hare Stage as rain fell lightly on a dancing crowd already drenched in sweat. Consider the Source was finally able to take the stage for their full set of worldly grooves, playing all their fascinating foreign instruments perfectly. To make up for the weather the night before, the band added about 20 extra minutes of acoustic tunes to close the Mad Hatter Stage for the night. Then they announced that the previously canceled “Consider the Smores” marshmallow roast was still happening at the fire domes hosted by the Incendia Troupe, and a mass of people walked down to the river campgrounds together to toast marshmallows with the band and watch gypsies play with fire.
By Saturday, the blistering sun was back and the grounds were almost completely dried up. Vendors had taken down their tent sidings and were open for business as people walked throughout the wonderland. A giant Cheshire cat invited wanderers into a large tented hall with psychedelic art covering every square inch, some for sale, some in process, some just for looking, and some too wild to comprehend sober. Walking out the opposite end of the tunnel brought people right to the main stage, where Telesema started the day at noon. DJ Lee Turley debuted his remix of TAUK’s “Collateral” before Primate Fiasco took to the stage again, this time featuring the festival founders’ son, Alex Olmstead, on saxophone. Mojoflo played a soulful and funky set to the folks who could stand the heat, while other groups of adventurous spirits wandered down to the lower fields by the river and went for a dip or joined in one of the many playshops of the weekend. VIPs got to see sets by The Southern Belles, Arpetrio, Heady Ruxpin and Dynamo from Nashville – all just in time before the second major storm of the weekend hit. This one shut the main stages for about three ours while campers took cover anywhere they could and waited for it to pass. Weather is unpredictable in the mountains, and before anyone had time to start worrying, it had blown over and the sun was out again.
Producers assessed the damage and got the main stages back up and running with Rising Appalachia, a breath of spiritually fresh air in the music community. They played songs from their rich family history rooted mountain music, and explored a new sphere of that same style with their own twists. The night was a total dance party from there, with (mostly second) sets from ELM, Earphunk, The Werks, Dopapod, and The Mantras. B Side Shuffle from Washington D.C. closed the festival as the sun peaked over the shoulders of the earth. The crowd was unstoppable as they played exciting, funky originals mixed with covers like Jamiroqui’s “Canned Heat” and Lettuce’s “Madison Square.”
As people gave hugs to all their new friends and reminisced on all the wonderful moments behind them, they wandered reluctantly back to their campsites, or back to what they were doing before the music swept them off their feet. Either way, they knew that dreaded time of the festival was coming, when they had to pack up their gear and head back to their daily routine.
But for the rest of the week, for the rest of the summer, maybe even for the rest of the year, they would carry with them the love they witnessed and helped create as this little family festival in West Virginia. They would drive out of those muddy, slippery roads knowing that they contributed to something beautiful, that they felt real joy and passion as Taco and Elise renewed their vows, as The Werks started a chant for their tireless tour manager and as adoring artists invited their longtime inspirations and friends to join them on stage. As people left the Mad Tea Party Jam, a few lessons from the weekend were undeniable: do more for others than you take, and remember that love is an action word.
JamBase | Mad Tea
Go See Live Music!
