Hello from Ocracoke!

We are ankle deep in wintertime projects here on Ocracoke Island. This is dream-time on the Outer Banks . . . a time when island residents enjoy friends and family and begin to construct the next season's activities. Fiddler Dave is currently traveling with his family on the west coast, Gary has been working on new songs and video projects, Gerald is carving away at instruments in the middle of the state, and Kim has been honing her classical chops in the mountains.

Gary has a new song!
 https://youtu.be/MP_Qb3OOrt8
We wanted to let you know that Gary has written a new song in response to our new political reality entitled “Can We Agree on Love?” He’d love for you to check it out here:
https://youtu.be/MP_Qb3OOrt8.  Lou Castro and Jubal Creech are special guests on the song, along with Gary, Fiddler Dave & Gerald (Kim was in the midst of concerts in the mountains, so Gerald filled in on bass). If you like the message, please spread it around!

Deepwater Theater 2017 Shows Announced

It's official! The 2017 season at Ocracoke Alive's Deepwater Theater has been unveiled. We begin shows in June (maybe a few teasers in May). Of course, Molasses Creek will return for shows on Thursday nights, and Blackbeard: An (Historical/Hysterical) Account will return for a second season on Mondays. A brand new venture, A Dingbatter's Guide to Ocracoke Island, is making its debut on Wednesday nights. Catch the gang from Hysterical Blackbeard (Fiddler Dave, Gary, Desiree Ricker, and Peyton Piquard), for the ultimate guide for Ocracoke visitors. This new show answers the most burning questions . . . What really happens on the island in the off season? How can you sneak home your own piece of the island? What is a Russian Rat? . . . and more!

To find out more and reserve your tickets ahead of your visit to Ocracoke, click on the link above.

All the best!

Molasses Creek

Molasses Creek Touring North in September and October. We will see you on the road!

Hey there folks,

Shows are wrapping up this month on Ocracoke.  If you are heading towards the NC Outer Banks, hope that you can see us at Deepwater Theater.  Otherwise, catch us at one of our upcoming concerts in NC, PA, MD or VA.

 Coming up this immediate weekend, Gary and Fiddler Dave grace the stage of the Heartworks Haborfestival, Saturday, Sept 19 at noon at the River Dunes in Oriental, NC.  The Heartworks organization is a non-profit that provides programming for underserved Pamlico County youth and families. We are excited to be a part of this new fundraiser for this great cause. Come show your support!

On Sept 26, we look forward to a return to the lovely land of chocolate at the Hershey Area Playhouse in Hershey PA.  Hmm-good! This will be our third appearance at this beautiful theater.  We encourage everyone to reserve their tickets early as this show usually sells out.  Today, just happens to be his birthday . . . here is a link to CBS.com article on the candymaker who changed the world. Hope to see you there!

On October 1, we continue our fall tour to the Eastern shore of MD, to the quaint town of Easton and the Stoltz Listening Room at the Avalon Foundation. The Avalon enriches the lives of over 100,000 people each year through nearly 300 events, performances, educational programming and celebrations throughout the year. They also run the local Farmer’s Market in town on Wednesdays and Saturdays (Not to be missed for fabulous baked goods and local produce.)

October 2, Molasses Creek will be in concert at the Carroll County Arts Council. Westminster, MD is the home of Common Ground on the Hill festival, so there are always lots of great folk musicians traveling through.  This Arts Council definitely has its finger on the creative pulse of the region, and always has great performances and arts shows (Backstage it is fun for us to read performer signatures on the walls of the greenroom!)

October 3^rd, we return to one of our favorite haunts in eastern Virginia, the Ashland Coffee and Tea, in Ashland, VA.  If you haven’t taken in a concert at this intimate listening room, do stop in.  We love getting to know our audiences there . . . they even sometimes show up in piratical costume! Arrgg!

            By the end of September we are hoping to have the Molasses Creek “Holy Smoke” video live on our website.  This song by our friend, Tommy Edwards, is on our new release, Waterbound.  Take a listen on this page on our website. Our friends in Italy, Andrea Tani & Alex  Martan have been hard a work.  Check back if you want to see some goofiness from the crew lugging BBQ implements and singing out to the side of Hwy 12 on Ocracoke while visitor cars stream past.

Love you folks and see you soon!

Gary, Fiddler Dave, Kim, Gerald

Molasses Creek

www.molassescreek.com

Here is the schedule in a nutshell.

Saturday, September 19, 12-1 PM
Gary and Fiddler Dave of Molasses Creek Heartworks Harborfestival
River Dunes
East Harborside Road
Oriental NC 28571 
http://heartworksnc.org/

Saturday, September 26 @ 7:00 PM 
Molasses Creek at the Hershey Area Playhouse 
Hershey Area Playhouse, Hershey, PA 
http://www.hersheyareaplayhouse.com/

Thursday, October 1 @ 8:00 PM 
Molasses Creek in Concert at the Stolz Listening Room, Easton, MD 
Avalon Foundation, Stoltz Listening Room, 40 East Dover St , Easton, MD 
https://tickets.avalontheatre.com/

Friday, October 2 @ 7:30 PM 
Molasses Creek in concert with the Carroll County Arts Council 
Carroll County Arts Council, Westminster, MD 
http://www.carrollcountyartscouncil.org/attractions_artscenter_events.asp

Saturday, October 3 @ 8:00 PM 
Molasses Creek in Concert at Ashland Coffee and Tea 
Ashland Coffee & Tea, Ashland, VA 
http://ashland.shop.ticketstoday.com/calendar.aspx

Molasses Creek's "Waterbound" Official Video is here! . . . Have fun!

We are so excited! The new Molasses Creek "Waterbound" video is now live on our site at www.molassescreek.com. Many thanks to Andrea Tani, Alex Marton, and Anna Rose for bringing their talent & vision all the way from Italy to Ocracoke.  We love it! Also, many thanks to Matt Mitchell for introducing us and keeping everyone afloat!


Of course, you can support our music by purchasing your very own copy of the "Waterbound" album through our online store at http://www.molassescreek.com/waterbound or on iTunes.

If you are headed to Ocracoke Island this season, Ocrafolk Opry & Molasses Creek shows are in full swing at Deepwater Theater on School Road.  Hope you can come and see us!

All the best!
Molasses Creek

 

Here are our upcoming dates:

Molasses Creek summer shows at Deepwater Theater
Wednesdays ~ Molasses Creek presents the Ocrafolk Opry
Thursdays ~  Molasses Creek in concert
Deepwater Theater, School Road, Ocracoke Island, NC

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Much love from all of us!
Molasses Creek
www.molassescreek.com

Molasses Creek's new album, Waterbound, has arrived!

Hey there folks,

We are so excited that our brand new release, Waterbound, arrived in yesterday to the island! The recording features new originals as well as some old favorites performed by Gary Mitchell, Fiddler Dave Tweedie, Gerald Hampton & Kim France, plus a special guest appearance by Sarah Osborne playing claw hammer banjo and raising the rafters with lead vocals on Cindy and I've Been Working on the Railroad.  Lou Castro also makes an appearance with some tasty guitar on Weeping Willow Blues by our friend Catesby Jones (Kitty Mitchell adds a sweet vocal harmony to that song as well).  To take a listen to tracks and read more, order your own copy or download it from iTunes, visit this link to our website.

In other news, we have an upcoming fundraising concert for Rotary Club of James City County at the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg, VA this coming Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 PM. The acoustics in this hall are wonderful!  Hope you will join us as we feature some new material off the Waterbound album.

We are also knee deep in preparation for the Ocrafolk Festival and for the start of our summer season at Deepwater Theater on School Road.  Hope you can come and see us!

All the best!
Molasses Creek

Molasses Creek Hard at Work on New Release ~ "Waterbound" . . . Special Guests Add Their Talents!

Last night, a frigid Arctic blast swept in, shaking Gary's Soundside Studio with 45 mph winds . . .but we know compared to our friends up north in New England, that we have it pretty easy, so we'll just step outside for sunbathing before returning to work on our brand new Molasses Creek release, Waterbound.  Just make sure not to lick anything metal, Fiddler Dave!

Fans of Ocracoke Island, often ask us "When is the best time to go shelling on the beach?" Although not always the most pleasant time of year, after a winter blow, the careful treasure hunter has a better chance of finding beautiful shells.  Today was bitterly cold, but Dave and his wife, Amy, scored this great find . . . a rare helmet shell.

Recording news
Joining us on this new recording is friend and bassist, Kim France, from near Boone, NC. In January, she traveled to the island to lay down some tasty standup bass tracks.  Kim first discovered Ocracoke in the early 1990s, and has spent many summers in the village, performing solo and with various groups.  She will be returning for this season to play with Gary and Fiddler Dave at the summertime Molasses Creek shows at Deepwater Theater. We are thrilled to have her with us!

Banjoist and singer, Sarah Osborne, also ferried across the Pamlico Sound to add claw hammer banjo and vocals to tracks (If you attended the 2014 Ocrafolk Festival, you probably saw Sarah performing with the South Carolina Broadcasters).  Molasses Creek backed her up on Cindy and I've Been Working on the Railroad. What fun!

Gerald Hampton was in town to hold down the bass line for Sarah's banjo picking, and to lay down some tasty mandolin picking.  Both he and Sarah are hoping to join us for our upcoming performance at Music Across the Sounds in March.

When Molasses Creek begins on a new recording, we start out with a large list of songs and pare them away as we see what magic happens in the studio.  So . . . without making any guarantees, here are the songs on the album to date. Some might be added and some removed . . .

Molasses Creek's Waterbound

• Waterbound ~ traditional song
• But I Got Love ~ by Gary Mitchell
• By Half ~ one of our favorite songs by Bill Hicks
• I've Been Working on the Railroad ~ traditional song
• Cindy ~ traditional
• Holy Smoke ~ by Tommy Edwards
• Weeping Willow Blues ~ by Catesby Jones
• Lady of the Harbor ~ by Joe Jencks of Brother Sun
• Love All Around ~ by Gary Mitchell
• An Artist's Prayer ~ by Fiddler Dave
• Waltz ~ by Fiddler Dave (unnamed yet . . . not Fiddler Dave, the waltz)
• Wayfaring Stranger ~ Traditional
• House on the Lane ~ by Fiddler Dave
• Digital Blues ~ by Fiddler Dave

That's all for now.  We will have more lyrics and track info for you in our next update. Our goal is to have this album out for when we begin touring in April!

Here are our upcoming dates:

Molasses Creek at Music Across the Sounds, with special guest Sarah Osborne

Saturday, March 7 @ 7:00 PM

Mattamaskeet High School, Swan Quarter, NC

Molasses Creek at Cycle NC Event in Washington, NC

Friday, April 17, Details TBA

Near Washington Civic Center, Washington, NC

Molasses Creek at the Fountain General Store

Sunday, April 19 @ 7:00 PM

Fountain General Store, Corner of NC 222 & US 258, Fountain, NC

 

 

Molasses Creek rounding out Ocracoke Island concerts at Deepwater Theater . . . looking forward to concerts around NC & VA in the fall!

Shrimp boats at night in Ocracoke's Silver Lake Harbor

Hello Molasses Creek friends,

Summertime has come to a close and kids are back in school.  The hot and humid weather continues on Ocracoke Island, making a dip in the warm Atlantic Ocean even more inviting!

Our weekly shows at Deepwater Theater run through the end of September, except for Thursday, September 18 when we will be driving across the state for a Friday residency and concert in Yadkinville with the Yadkin Arts Council.  Join us on Wednesday nights presenting the Ocrafolk Opry and Thursday nights for a full Molasses Creek concert if you are coming to the island.

Fiddler Dave's father-in-law (Philip Howard-70 years) and son (Lachlan-10 years) celebrate their shared birthday on August 2nd.

The fall brings a bit of travel all over North Carolina and beyond, so we hope to see you out on the road these next couple of months.

The first annual Ocracoke Fig Festival was a great success!

For a special treat we have attached one of Fiddler Dave's commercials for the Pneumatic Fig Picker from this year's Ocrafolk Opry show. Enjoy!

Here is where we will be for the rest of the year! All the best!

Molasses Creek
Gary, Fiddler Dave, Marcy, Lou, & Gerald

September 19, 7:30 PM (Friday) ~ Yadkin Arts Council presents Molasses Creek. Willingham Theater, 226 E. Main Street, Yadkinville, NC. For tickets visit http://www.yadkinarts.org/explore/event-ticket-marketplace/

September 20, 11:30 & 2:30 (Saturday) ~ Apple Festival in Historic Bethabara Park, Winston-Salem, NC - for times and details visit:  http://www.cityofws.org/departments/recreation-parks/historic-bethabara/hbp-events-listing/apple-fest

September 21, 1 PM (Sunday) ~ Rooster's Wife @ the Poplar Knight Spot, Aberdeen, NC. 114 Knight St, Aberdeen, NC.  The Rooster's Wife is a non-profit association organized to celebrate the performing arts in Aberdeen, North Carolina. They produce events year round, rain or shine. This is a listening house, folks. Absolutely no crowing during the shows. Concert hotline: (910) 944-7502, or email theroosterswife@ yahoo.com

September 27, 7:30 PM (Saturday) ~ Heathwood House Concert, Raleigh, NC. For information or a reservation for this very special evening in Raleigh, please contact Terry and Brenda Winebrenner at heathwoodhouseconcerts@ gmail.com

October 10, Time TBA (Friday) ~ Hatterasity Festival, Hatteras Civic Center, Buxton, NC. Molasses Creek will perform a two set concert on Friday evening at the festival. Details at http://www.hatterasitybluegrass.com

October 18, 11 AM (Saturday) ~ Outer Banks Seafood Festival, Nags Head, NC. Our third year returning to one of the most delicious events on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, celebrating great local seafood and culture! http://www.outerbanksseafoodfestival.org/

October 25, 1-3 PM (Saturday) ~ Bear Grass Chicken Mull Festival, Bear Grass, NC.  This is the first annual Chicken Mull Festival in Bear Grass! For more information on what Chicken Mull and such visit their website at http://www.chickenmullfestival.com/

November 1, 8 PM (Saturday) ~ The Theatre at Washington, VA, 291 Gay Street. For information visit: www.theatre-washington-va.com or call 540.675.1253

November 6, 7:30 PM (Thursday) ~ Craven Community College, New Bern, NC "Explorations in The ARTS" Series. For details visit http://cravencc.edu/llc/performing-arts-series/.

November 9, 7:00 PM (Sunday) ~ Mountain Spirit Coffeehouse Series, Asheville, NC. Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Edwin Place Asheville NC. One of the best listening rooms we have played at!  Come on out! http://uuasheville.org/mountain-spirit-coffeehouse/

Summertime is here on Ocracoke Island, in spite of Hurricane Arthur!

Hello Molasses Creek friends,

Fiddler Dave's son Lachlan, with a tree downed from Hurricane Arthur on the Back Rd of Ocracoke

Summer has arrived on Ocracoke Island and we have jumped into our weekly shows at Deepwater Theater.  On Wednesdays, Molasses Creek presents the Ocrafolk Opry and on Thursdays we feature an all Molasses Creek concert. If you are planning on coming to a show while visiting this summer, we do recommend making reservations online at our Deepwater Theater page at www.molassescreek.com/deepwater-theater, or by putting your name on the Will Call list by calling Fiddler Dave at 252-921-0260.  June shows were almost completely sold out!

We had a most unusual 4th of July this year. Hurricane Arthur roared through on Friday morning, July 4th. Unfortunately, it drove away visitors, took down some trees, and snapped the boom in half of Ocracoke Alive's Skipjack Wilma Lee tore up the mainsail. Ocracoke Alive is currently having an Indiegogo Campaign to help raise funds for repairs.  There are some great Ocracoke rewards if you want to pitch in and lend a hand. Fortunately, the damage to the rest of the village was fairly minimal with little flooding. The village chipper is making its way around the island and tourists have returned. Time to come and see what shells the storm dredged up!

Howard St on Ocracoke after the storm

This year's Ocrafolk Festival, June 6-8, was a great success and we experienced some of the most perfect weather in festival history.

Molasses Creek and the Ocrafolk Festival were featured in the June edition of Our State magazine in an article on summer festivals. Read all about it by clicking here!

   

We loved seeing all our friends from years past, including the MacDonald Sisters, Caravan of Thieves, Jef the Mime, John Golden (this list could go on quite a while), and meeting some new folks like Mipso and the South Carolina Broadcasters.

This spring Molasses Creek toured out west and also to the North. We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the presenters, hosts, and worker bees who help us along the way!  Here are some pictures from our travels.

Winfield, Kansas, home of a fabulous festival!

Fiddler Dave's hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma, next to the famed Eskimo Joes

Conway, Arkansas, home of Toad Suck Park!

At the beautiful First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh

With Kris Rust and students from Franklin Regional School

Hershey Area Playhouse in PA

Gerald tries on a new backstage persona under the guidance of our host and friend, Mark Cuddy

A visit to the Hershey School

Lou's quest for great tasting Ketchup is successful!

Of course, a visit to the original Martin Guitar Factory

On air with Wanda Fischer, host of WAMC's Hudson Valley Sampler out of Albany

On to New York City for a concert at the Holyrood Episcopal Church with the Hudson Cliffhangers!

Gary, Dave & Gerald visit the Cloisters, NYC

An afternoon concert and visit to the The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School, with director Dalia Sakas.

Add caption

Finishing out with a jam session with Neal Vorus and friends in Washington Heights.

Marcy and Gary onstage at the Tosco Music Party in Charlotte, NC

Stiltwalkers at the Lake Eden Arts Festival, Black Mountain, NC

Gary Mitchell peers out the Barn Stage window at the LEAF festival

Feasting at the lake at the LEAF Festival

Tales from "Something Worth Having" Photoshoot, Ocracoke Christmas Happenings, and an Update on our Indiegogo Crowd Fundraising Campaign

Hi Molasses Creek friends!  What a busy time we have had these past couple of weeks! Before we move along to the top news stories, here are some upcoming concerts in January.  Hope to see you out on the road!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

  Molasses Creek Residency and concert in Tyro Middle School Auditorium, Tyro, NC, 7 PM.

Friday, January 17, 2014

 Molasses Creek at Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA, 8 PM

Saturday, January 18, 2014

 Molasses Creek at Cooper's House Concert, Columbia, MD, 7:30 PM

Sunday, January 19, 2014

 Molasses Creek House Concert in Raleigh, NC, 7 PM (please contact us for details at info@molassescreek.com)

Molasses Creek's Thanksgiving Photoshoot for "Something Worth Having"

 We had a warm Thanksgiving on Ocracoke this year and rounded up our island concerts with a sold out show at Deepwater Theater.  Gerald Hampton, his wife Beth, and his mother Nancy came to Ocracoke to spend the holiday with kids and grandkids. 

On Sunday after Thanksgiving, we rendezvoused with Justin Casey and Randy Woolard for a photoshoot for the new album.  Last time we did this was in 2012 for An Island Out of Time.  Much warmer this round!  In 2012 we shivered up and down the beach, trying to look casual while the wind cut through our thin dressy clothes.  We didn’t exactly sweat this year, but the weather was beautiful.

We shot most of the photos around the Ocracoke Lighthouse property, even venturing inside for a few pictures.  

Great acoustics!

 Twas quite a treat and the acoustics inside the lighthouse made us want to record an album in there. 
After we finished at that location we shuffled our gear over to the historic Hurricane House, another place that we love.  Many thanks to the National Park Service and to Bobby Woodwell for allowing us to search for inspiration around their places!

In the Hurricane House

Finley Woolston and the Joyful Band of Singers visit Ocracoke Island

This last Friday we had a real treat on the island when the voice of Public Radio East, Finley Woolston and his Joyful Band of Singers presented us with an energetic concert of Choral Music for Advent and Christmas through the ages.  The performance was a musical journey from Gregorian Chant to the Renaissance, early Latin and German, Traditional English and American, Modern Carols and Gospel.   The lights on the towering Christmas tree at the Ocracoke United Methodist Church illuminated the singers on stage, creating a glowing setting for the audience that packed the church.  Thanks to Finley and crew for sharing their talents with Ocracoke, and to Ocracoke Alive and the Ocracoke United Methodist Church for helping to bring them here!

Molasses Creek's “Something Worth Having” Indiegogo Campaign Off to a Good Start.  Come stay on Ocracoke and have dinner with us!

Since our last newsletter, we shot a mini-film and launched a crowd fundraising campaign to raise $10,000 in support of the promotion of our new album, Something Worth Having.  In the first ten days you helped us raise $4025/10,000.  Great job and thank you so much!  As of this post date on 12/12/13, we had 20 days to go (Dec 31) and were a little over 40% of the way there.

            There are some great Patron rewards for donations towards the campaign, for all levels of contribution.  We wanted to highlight  the “Ocracoke Island Retreat” level of sponsorship, for lovers of Ocracoke Island.  Although at $1500 it is a more significant patronage, the reward (A WEEK’S STAY ON OCRACOKE ISLAND FOR YOU AND UP TO 5 FRIENDS + MOLASSES CREEK COOKS YOU DINNER) is the going rate for a cottage retreat on the island. 

Availability for the cottage for this reward is September-April.  Fall is an incredibly beautiful time to come to the island . . . the water is warm, the crowds are low, the shops and incredible restaurants are still open.  What a treat to surprise someone with for Christmas!  If you have any questions about any of the Patron Rewards, feel free to contact us at info@molassescreek.com. Many thanks to Fiddler Dave’s parents for their willingness to donate time at their rental cottage to help us raise some money!  Also, many thanks for spreading the word about our quest amongst your friends.  We tried to make the video entertaining enough to be a reward in itself! Click on the panel above or below view the latest in Patron rewards!