Molasses Creek Prepares for Big Tour and Records a New Album!

Fiddler Dave's winter garden goes nuts with the sunny weather! Yum!

Hey there folks,

A lot of exciting activities have happened this last week on and off of Ocracoke. As Molasses Creek prepares to launch a month-long Northeast tour and complete recording tracks for its 11th album, warm weather on Ocracoke Island brings a steady stream of spring-breakers to the beach and happiness to salt-sprayed gardens.


Lou and Gerald tackling "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie!"


Marcy and Lou add parts to a track while Mr. Big (Gary Mitchell) masterminds

Mandolin Orange Performs at Deepwater Theater


Mandolin Orange

Last Friday at Deepwater Theater, we the Ocrafolk Festival Winter Concert Series hosted our friends, Mandolin Orange from Chapel Hill, for a day of school residencies and a wonderful evening concert. Mandolin Orange is a band fronted by songwriter Andrew Marlin and vocalist/instrumentalist Emily Frantz. The duo ornaments lyric and harmony-focused tunes with acoustic & electric guitars, fiddle, and mandolin. They are currently finishing up their second album with Jeff and James at Arbor Ridge Studios in Chapel Hill. Wonderful songwriters, performers and people! Take a listen and find out more about them at www.mandolinorange.com

Molasses Creek Joins Mainland Performers at Music Across the Sound
On Saturday all of us traveled over to perform at Music Across the Sound at Mattamaskeet High School in Swan Quarter. In addition to Molasses Creek & Mandolin Orange, the crew was joined by storyteller Rodney Kemp, Jamie Tunnell, the Mac and Tammy McRoy with Chuck Williams, the Snow Hill Baptist Choir, and more! Here are some pictures.


Rodney Kemp


Katy Mitchell


Lou Castro

Mac and Tammy McRoy


Chuck Williams and daughter


Snow Hill Baptist Choir


Mattamaskeet Band

Become a Tour Sponsor and Your Rewards Will Be Endless!



Well perhaps not endless (unless your are referring to a general sense of well-being that will stay with you the rest of your life). But by becoming a tour sponsor YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO RECEIVE THE HOT NEW MOLASSES CREEK RELEASE, CATHARSIS, AUTOGRAPHED WITH MANY THANKS BY THE BAND, and sent to your doorstep at the beginning of June.

For the mere $30 you will also have your name listed on our tour sponsor page on the website, and will be able to proudly point out to your friends that you helped pay for those new van tires that took Molasses Creek to 15 performances from North Carolina to Maryland, Buffalo to Albany, Vermont to Boston, and back! Thank you! Thank You! Click here (or on the funny little van above) to find out more about sponsorship! Here is where we are going. Please let all your friends know! For more details click on the Google Calendar Shows at the bottom of the page.

Fri Mar 18 8pm – 10pm Molasses Creek Concert with the Beaufort County Arts Council - Turnage Theater, Washington, NC

Sat Mar 19 8pm – 10pm Molasses Creek in Concert at The Washington Theatre, Washington, VA - Washington, VA

Sun Mar 20 7pm – 9pm Molasses Creek in Concert with the Frederick Arts Council - Cultural Arts Center, (15 W. Patrick Street, Frederick), Frederick, MD

Tue Mar 22 7pm – 9pm Molasses Creek in Concert in Cranberry Township (N of Pittsburgh) - Dutilh United Methodist Church, Cranberry Township, PA

Wed Mar 23 7pm – 9pm Molasses Creek House Concert at Music Right Next Door - Pittsburgh, PA

Thu Mar 24 7pm – 9:30pm Molasses Creek Benefit Concert for YWCA Northeast Regional Council - Riviera Theater, North Tonawanda, NY

Sun Mar 27 2pm – 3:30pm Molasses Creek in Concert at the Bethlehem Public Library - Delmar, NY

Sat Apr 2 7:30pm – 9pm Molasses Creek in Concert at The Grange Hall, Whallonsburg, NY - Whallonsburg, NY

Sun Apr 3 11am – 1pm Molasses Creek at the Bee's Knees - The Bee's Knees, 82 Lower Main Street, Morrisville, VT

Thu Apr 7 8pm – 10pm Molasses Creek in Concert at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington, VT - The Skinny Pancake, Burlington, VT

Fri Apr 8 7:30pm – 9pm Molasses Creek in Concert at the Chandler Center for the Arts - Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, VT

Sat Apr 9 8:30pm – 10pm Molasses Creek in Concert at Delrossi's Trattoria, Dublin, NH - Delrossi's Trattoria, Dublin, NH

Fri Apr 15 All day Molasses Creek in Concert: Produced by the Chelsea Players Norwich, CT - Norwich, CT

Sat Apr 16 8pm – 10pm Molasses Creek in Concert at the Amazing Things Arts Center, Framingham, MA - Amazing Things Arts Center, 160 Hollis St (Rt 126), Framingham, MA 01702

Sat Apr 17 7pm – 8:30pm Molasses Creek in Concert -- Vanilla Bean Coffeehouse and Restaurant, Pomfret, CT

Did we say things were slowing down?

Whew! Forget what we said last week about quiet on Ocracoke! What were we thinking? October is busy, busy on the island, not so much because of visitors, although there are a few here enjoying out fine fall weather, but because local folks are finally getting around to all the projects they had to put off during the summer.
And for those of us who have kids, the busy season has just begun what with all the extra-curricular activities that start up this month.

Music Club
The Ocracoke School Music Club and Pep Band will be holding try-outs this week for aspiring young musicians. Under the tutelage of Lou Castro and Kitty Mitchell, the after-school music program is continuing to develop the talents of our local youngens.
Over the past two years, what started out as a Pep Band to play at Ocracoke School home basketball games has morphed into a genuine rock and roll band who prefer to be called The last Rebels of Rock. They’ve moved out of the gym and onto stages at the Ocrafolk Festival, the 4th of July parade, and island fundraisers.
Recently, they took their show on the road and up the beach to perform at the 19th Annual Artrageous Festival at Dare County Recreation Park.


Casey Tolson and Kade Nagakane work their magic

Kitty reports that "a good time was had by all – everyone had their hair done in Artrageous colors including me and Lou, who was sporting an orange mohawk midst a mullet of lime green. All of the guitar players had massages as well. There was some fear that the mellowing effects of the massage would turn the band from hard-driving rock and roll to soft rock, but not to fear! They were just more limbered up!"

End of Season for Deepwater Theater Shows


Molasses Creek played their last Deepwater Theater show of the season on October 2. The show was free for island residents, and a small group of Girl Scouts took advantage of the offer even though it was a school night. The Ocracoke Junior Girl Scouts are working towards earning their "My Community" badge, which requires, among other things, that the girls learn about and attend some cultural happenings in their community.

The girls enjoyed the Molasses Creek show and thought Katy was "the best!" They also liked it when Ms. Kitty (their art teacher by day, and rock star by night) put down her bass and did some impromptu drawings of drunken rodents (you had to be there…) and when she had to do some quick thinking to make up the rhymes in "Jenny Jenkins."



The highlight was holding Ms. Kitty’s bass and posing for a picture with the band.


Left to right: Lou Castro, Caroline Temple, David Tweedie, Deana Seitz, Gary Mitchell, Karla Perez, Kitty Mitchell, Bricia Moreno, and Katy Mitchell

Katy’s Off To Seek Her Fortune!

Lil’ Miss Katy Mitchell will be leaving for parts west this week, joining Skye Zentz in Berkley, California where the plan to take the coffee-shop music scene by storm! (Katy’s gotten a lot of press lately for her soulful singing in "Nights in Rodanthe," but long before she was a movie star, she put out an album, Baby It's You with her dad’s Soundside Records. And, not coincidentally, Skye Zentz did, too with Legitimate Bohemia.

Well, you can’t leave Ocracoke without a proper send-off, so a bunch of folks gathered at the Friday night performance of Marcy, Lou, Gary and David (a.k.a. The Band With No Name) at Howard’s Pub to wish Katy all the best in her travels.

Besides annoying the management by commandeering the two tables closest to the band, the party organizers also brought their own rather large festive decoration – a good, old-fashioned Ocracoke Money Tree. Ocracoke Money Trees are a common sight at baby showers and weddings on the island, and are always made out of wax myrtle (pronounced "myrkle") branches. Judging by the mouths agape on folks passing by, the wax-myrtle-branches-stuck-in-a-beach-bucket-full-of-dirt-and/or-sand-with-legal-tender-of-all-denominations-(and one IOU)-paper-clipped-to-them has not caught on off the island. Howard’s Pub was packed that night and more than a few visitors felt compelled to comment "Money must grow on trees on Ocracoke!"

We hope Katy scored some good travel money and has a great time on her new adventure!
More Cute Kids on Fire Trucks
Not to outdone by Ocracoke Child Care, the pre-Kindergarten class at Ocracoke School celebrated Fire Safety Week with a trip to the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department to check out the cool fire truck.


Firemen Dick Jacoby (left) John Manning and Chief Albert O’Neal showed the kids around the truck and answered questions about the safety equipment. The little varmint in the middle (looking right at the camera) is none other than Fiddler Dave’s youngen Lachlan Howard

The Windfall Makes Sail for Chesapeake Bay

The schooner Windfall and crew are heading north to compete in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race on October 16–18. The race begins at Fells Point, in Baltimore, Maryland, and ends 127 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay in Portsmouth, Virginia. More than 50 schooners will be participating in the 19th annual race this year, and Windfall is the only one that hails from North Carolina.

Her skipper, Captain Rob Temple, is thrilled to be a part of the race. He entered once before in 1996, but weather conditions prevented him from getting Windfall to Baltimore and he was forced to drop out. A few years ago he signed onboard another schooner that needed crew, and was able to participate in the race, but it only increased his hankerin’ to get his own boat up there. We’re all hoping that the Clerk of the Weather is looking out for Rob, and that Windfall is as fast as she is pretty.

Ocracoke raconteur Philip Howard is part of the scurvy crew, as is Rob’s 13 year-old son, Emmet (who thinks the schooner race is a good excuse to miss a week of school). Old salts Frank Phelps of "little" Washington, NC and Steve Musil of Colington, NC are also lending a hand. Philip has promised to take pictures, so check back in a week or so...

Soundside Records Performer Highlights – Captain Rob Temple and Sundae Horn
Speaking of Captain Rob… he’s another one who’s made a CD at Soundside Studios. Along with his lovely wife, Sundae Horn, Rob has been a performer at the Ocrafolk Opry since its inception, and has developed a predilection for telling nautical tall tales of dubious integrity, which he turned into The Rumgagger show with Fiddler Dave.

But long before Rob was The Rumgagger, he was Daddy, and he and Sundae joined their voices in harmony every evening at bedtime for a command performance to the small, but demanding, audience of Emmet and Caroline. (Mariah Daisy came along later and will no doubt demand her own lullaby album in due time.) In 2004, Sundae and Rob decided to record their kids’ favorite lullabies, and that project led to their first CD, Home is an Island.



(Their second CD has yet to materialize, but Sundae’s got big plans…)


Captain Rob and his last mate Sundae Horn

The title track was written by Rob’s old friend, Leslie Clendening, and Sundae first heard (live) on the deck of the Windfall, anchored under a full moon, with baby Emmet in her arms. (Thinking about that night can make her cry, especially since Emmet is now 5’9".)
Some of the songs on the CD are nautically-inspired, and the sea chantey "Help Me, Bob" is not technically a lullaby – it’s not so much about falling asleep as passing out drunk – but it always worked on Emmet and Caroline.

"Home is an Island" is available at Ocracoke shops, on board the Windfall, and online at Soundside Records.

A Rather Blustery Week

As Winnie the Pooh once said, “I think today must be Wednesday, because that’s when the winds blow.”

Here on Ocracoke a strong nor’easter blew in this week. High winds were accompanied by high tides (or, as we say on Ocracoke, “hoi toides”), and by Wednesday afternoon, the ferries quit running and saltwater rose up out of the harbor and into the streets. The flooding wasn’t significant, but enough to make us wary of driving through the overwash. Traveling the Back Road proved tricky – a paddle of ducks claimed the big puddle in the middle of the road and caused a traffic jam during Ocracoke School’s lunch hour.

By Thursday afternoon, the wind had died down considerably, but Highway 12 was only open at low tide.

Rodanthe had its day in the spotlight. In an amazing coincidence, the exact spot where the ocean breeches the dunes and washes over the road in Rodanthe is the same exact spot where the movie “Nights in Rodanthe” was filmed, and at the exact moment that the film was being screened for the first time in Kill Devil Hills to an invitation-only audience, the high tide was forcing some travelers to spend an unplanned night in Rodanthe. To heap amazing coincidence upon amazing coincidence, it must be noted that a nor’easter blew in during the filming of “Nights in Rodanthe,” halting production and making the crew fear that the house they were using as set would fall into the sea. And not only that, but a pivotal scene during the movie is the storm party (complete with a Storm Party Band) that depicts the hardy folks of Hatteras Island weathering a hurricane while dancing on a pier.

Hollywood Premiere on the Outer Banks


The Knights of "Nights" (Lou Castro, Bob Zentz, Katy Mitchell, Speedy Price, Marcy Brenner, & Jule Garrish

But neither wide nor tide nor rain nor gloom of night could stop the intrepid members of the Storm Party band from attending the Outer Banks premiere of “Nights in Rodanthe” at the RC Theaters in Kill Devil Hills.

The musicians arrived in Hollywood style – by limousine, of course. They made a grande entrance into the theater (walking down the red beach towel), and were happy to see that they all got some “face time” on the big screen. According to proud dad Gary Mitchell, there was good footage of Katy singing with the band.


A Limo ride for the Stars

“The camera goes to the band several times during the scene while Richard Gere and Diane Lane are dancing. All the musicians showed up on the camera, and there was a good close-up of Jule singing. His head was twenty feet tall!” he said.

Bob Zentz came down from Norfolk to join the premier party, and he brought along the newly released “Nights in Rodanthe” soundtrack to play in the limo. They also heard the soundtrack over dinner at the Ocean Boulevard Restaurant, which kindly put it on for them.

Plans are in the works to go see “Nights in Rodanthe” again with even more folks from Ocracoke. Gary says he’ll be able to pay better attention to the plot the second time around.


Mobbed by paparazzi (Ocracoke Observer's Jamie Tunnell)

“It’s hard to judge the movie when you’re watching it for the Outer Banks scenery or to see people you know. I was really just looking for Katy.”

The “Nights in Rodanthe” soundtrack will be available by October 3rd at Village Craftsmen on Ocracoke, and all sorts of albums from theses musicians can of course be found at www.soundsiderecords.com

The Band With No Name


Fiddler Dave, Lou Castro, Marcy Brenner, Gary Mitchell

Marcy Brenner, Lou Castro, David Tweedie and Gary Mitchell have been playing all summer at the Jolly Roger and Howard’s Pub, using the rather unwieldy band name of “Marcy, Lou, David and Gary.” Kitty Mitchell calls them “MuLeDoG” but she’s not the only one to come up with a suggestion. Local writer Jamie Tunnell likes “Nuts and Honey” and I’m pulling for “Marcy and the TestosterTones.” Whatever you call them, you’ll enjoy their blend of fiddle tunes, country ballads (Marcy’s rendition of “Jolene” is not-to-be-missed) and bluegrass favorites. Come out and see them at Howard’s Pub on Friday, October 10th! Listen to Molasses Creek(Gary & Kitty Mitchel & Fiddler Dave) and Coyote (Marcy Brenner & Lou Castro) here!


Fiddler Dave and Lou jam it up (or ham?)

The Turtle with Three Names



Amy’s sculpture class completed the painting of their sea turtle sculpture and christened him with Paco Poochie Boris. Rumor has it that the next addition to the Ocracoke Youth Center sculpture garden will be a surf fisherman!

The Quilting News


The Ocracoke quilters sampler quilt for the WWA raffle

The Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club are close to completing a sampler quilt to be donated to the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association for a fundraiser. Fish, fishermen, boats, seashells, lighthouses, pelicans, ducks – even an embroidered pound net – have all found a place in the latest work of art from the quilters. When raffle tickets become available, we’ll let you know!

Amy Howard recently presented a small Ocracoke Cracker quilt to little Charlotte Castro, who’s mama, Marcy Brenner, is also a quilter. Each block was pieced by a member of the Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club, and then Amy put it all together and finished the quilting and binding.


Marcy, baby Charlotte, & Amy

The Ocracoke Cracker pattern is believed to be unique to Ocracoke. It’s a variation on the traditional cracker, with a twist. Of the four strips in the block one of the middle strips must be red, and the placement of the red strip determines how the quilt is assembled. For Charlotte, the quilters started a new tradition and made the red strip pink – pink for baby girls and for breast cancer awareness.