Since the band’s inception in 2003, Mock Turtle Soup has played concerts and contra dances across the country and internationally. This versatile three piece ensemble is based squarely in the old time traditional sounds of the Appalachian Mountains, but from the basics of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar, MTS has added a wide variety of influences and instruments to create a sound that is uniquely theirs. Equally at home with an Irish ballad, Mexican waltz, or old time dance tune played on distorted electric banjo, Mock Turtle Soup is an energetic and forward thinking traditional band.
Pearl Mueller (fiddle, vocals, and others) grew up in a musical family in Black Mountain, NC, and has been playing old time music almost since she was born. Chris Holleman (banjo, guitar, and others) started playing banjo as a high school student in Charlotte, NC, and quickly became adept at clawhammer style, and later began crafting his own banjos. Typically, each of the three or four banjos on stage with Mock Turtle Soup –including the solid-body electric— came from Chris’ basement. Willie Repoley (mandolin, guitar, vocals, and others), also originally from Charlotte, found an old SS Stewart mandolin in his grandfather’s closet, and taught himself to play along with Chris in high school, met and played with Pearl at Guilford College, and convinced Chris to move join them in the mountains to concentrate on playing music in 2002.
Their new CD, Bound for Carolina, was recorded over the course of one year at Collapasable Recording Studios in Asheville, NC, and includes an eclectic mix of dance tunes, traditional songs, and covers. The album highlights some of the vocal harmonies the band honed while singing a capella in the car between gigs on their 5 week cross country tour in 2004, as well as the driving traditional tunes that make them popular on the contra circuit. Many of the songs have been long-time concert favorites, and two feature especially unusual lyrical progenies: their version of “Lavender’s Blue” combines the band’s favorites verses from different versions of the song dating back to the 17th Century, and “Johnnie Don’t Get Drunk” is an Old-Time tune that –with a title like that—was practically begging for lyrics, which the band provided.
Many tracks feature some of the guest artists that often play with Mock Turtle Soup. Laurel Willoughby joined the band for the weeklong Alnwick International Music Festival in Alnwick, England in 2005, and adds bass and vocals to numerous tracks. Julia Weatherford (Pearl’s mom) produced the CD and plays cello on two tracks. Ben Shirley, who plays jazz sax with Russ Wilson’s Nouveau Passé Orchestra, and Justin Whitlow of On The Take, Subramanium, and Juan Prophet Organization are also featured.
Ironically, Bound for Carolina was released only a few weeks before Mock Turtle Soup went on temporary hiatus from the local music scene, to allow Chris to pursue a doctorate in Environmental Engineering in Berkley, California. In the meantime, look for the Turtles at select gigs somewhere between here and the west coast!
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