A Mad, Mad World

Hurray! Our fifth album is here.

We are back to the high seas with “Shake Those Bones“, our follow up album to “Skull and Magpies”. Ten new tunes (plus a bonus track) inspired by rogues, reprobates, romance and rum. There’s shades of ska, celtic flavors, a cumbiaesque song, a cajunesque song, a song in French, a song in Irish and more.

This is not your Disney pirate fare or rehashed trad — oh no. I can say with confidence that you’ve never heard anything like it. Take a listen and tell me if I am wrong. Go ahead. Be honest.

The beautiful album artwork is by fine artist and illustrator, Dale Horstman (who also did the artwork on “Skull & Magpies“.) He captured the feel perfectly!

We recorded at Wally Sound in Oakland, once again, to 2 inch analog tape, then mixed down to digital. Wally engineered mixed and mastered. Wally gives good sound!

I recently rebuilt our music shop using BandCamp so you can now listen to the tunes in their entirety–no more annoying short snippets. AND when you decide to buy, you can download in high quality audio formats–not just .mp3s. And, of course, you can order physical compact discs, too.

Shake Those Bones, the complete album, is just $9.99 for digital download and $11 for CD.

Our other albums and all individual tunes have a very modest minimum price which you can augment as befits your appreciative mood. You can buy single tracks or albums. And there’s free downloads to be had.

So go take that listen!

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So there I was researching Czech and Slovak tunes (honestly) and I come across this wayout b/w music film from 1964 Czech TV. Wonderfully strange, a bit corny but clever all the same. Dancing girls, befuddled scientists in lab coats, a gramophone, pop stars … Note this is 17 years before MTV launched.

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And I am definitely digging this Karel Krautgartner cat – clarinetist and saxophonist and director/arranger for the Prague TV dance orchestra in the early 60s. This is the only version of this tune I can actually listen to.

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The 2010 Cotati Accordion Festival was two days of squeezin’ bliss and a chance to hang with friends and fans and make new ones. I’m collecting all the photos and video and will be posting asap.

Meanwhile …

Death really, really liked this artwork and insisted that I get a snapshot. The owner was kindly accommodating. (Andrew if you email me your tattoo artist’s info I’ll be sure and give proper credit.)

UPDATE 8/30/10
Thanks, Andrew! The artist is Jeff Rassier at Black Heart Tattoo in SF.

And you can hear my pre-festival interview on KSRO here:
Mags on KSRO

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"Flashbacks – the Mad Maggies play vintage hits", is now available throughout the digital universe. We invite you to listen, buy and share with everyone you know.

For easy listening and recommending, go to one of these sites:
CDBaby – "the" friendliest, most supportive place for indie artists. They provide nice, long audio previews and an easy to use 5 star rating and comment section, CDs or mp3 downloads.
iTunes – 5 Star rating and comments section, mp3 downloads.
Amazon – convenient customer review and 5 star rating process, mp3 downloads.
DigStation – 5 thumbs up and comment section, individual or album mp3 downloads.

You social networkers got choices:
Subscribe and post on our blog, A Mad, Mad World
Become a fan on our Facebook, MySpace and/or Reverbnation
Follow us on Twitter
Add us to your Rhapsody playlists.
Or simply stay connected via email.

We love you. We’re making music for you, our fans and friends. We want to keep you happy and dancing. Let us know how we’re doing.

Show us your love. Word of mouth is the lifeline for an indie band like us. Your taking a moment to give us stars or a review or telling someone about us is seriously valuable…essential actually.

Looking forward to your comments! And, of course all those 5 stars and thumbs up

yours in a mad, mad world,

Mags

Flashbacks – the Mad Maggies play vintage hits

We dipped into the past for 9 musical gems and gave ‘em the inimitable Mad Ms musical touch.

1. Twine Time — Chicago R&B / Alvin Cash 1965
2. Twisting the Night Away — dance crave classic / Sam Cooke 1961
3. A Message to You, Rudy — Ska / Dandy Livingstone 1967
4. Give Him a Great Big Kiss — Pop / George Morton 1965
5. Dead Air — a Maggie Martin original 1986
6. Searching for My Love — Muscle Shoals soul / Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces with Chico Jenkins 1966
7. Vitamin A — instrumental Ska / Baba Brooks 1965
8. Get Ready — Motown R&B / Smokey Robinson 1965
9. Pipeline — Surf / The Chanteys 1962

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Wally Sound, Oakland, California.
Analog, 2 inch tape, 16 track. Digital mixdown.

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Our tune “Luna Marie” from Crazed and Enthused was rated #5 by listeners in the Online Folk Festival’s Top 35 for January 2010

Download and enjoy this fine Mad Maggie’s song for free.

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Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

First things first. We’re still here making music largely because you all come to shows, listen to our tunes, buy swag and generally cheer us on. Thank you!

Please enjoy this free mp3 of our hit “High Seas Lament” as we say good by to 2009.

’09 was good to us, geo-political turmoil and collapsing financial markets aside. We played the most gigs in a year so far. Several of our shows gave us the opportunity to rock very large crowds of revelers. We released our third CD, “Skull & Magpies” to good reviews and garnered radio airplay across the US and in Canada, Australia, UK and Europe. Our online and digital sales have been respectable. We’re still receiving residuals for our 2007 TV show placement. Not bad for an oddball, rowdy folk, roots indie band.

We will begin 2010 in the recording studio working on the first of two CDs planned — a collection of choice vintage tunes. After that we’ll continue our adventures on the high seas in a follow up CD to “Skull and Magpies“. Look for release parties and related excitement. Of course we plan to play as many gigs as we can throughout the Bay Area. And we’re working with a booker to set up mini tours outside of California to expand our circle of friends and fans. Plenty of crazy, good fun ahead.

Wishing you a new year filled with music and love,

Mags

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Good Scientific American article: Why Music Moves Us by Karen Schrock.

“Music is the most direct and mysterious way of conveying and evoking feeling,” Sacks professes. “It is a way of connecting one consciousness to another. I think the nearest thing to telepathy is making music together.”

Yep!

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Speisekammer Restaurant owner, Cindy Kahl taped us performing “Magdalena’s Revenge” at their recent Spring Fest. Thanks, Cindy!

The Springfest was so much fun! Here’s more proof:

Beer Holding Contest with Johny Blood adding tuba excitement. Our Brian Rourke and David Groff tried their arms at it.

Women’s Beer Drinking Contest with yours madly competing.

And the Beer Drinking Contest. You’ll here our “Pica Pica Polka” underscoring the guzzling.

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