1930’s

Introducing the Mint Julep Jazz Band

After a week of brainstorming and polling our friends on Facebook, Lucian Cobb and I have a name for the new band we are forming: Mint Julep Jazz Band!

We are excited about having a name because this means we can start marketing the band and setting up all those things bands need, like a website, business cards, a Facebook page, and other identity-related things. It’s hard to book a band without a name, right?

Speaking of booking, we are also excited to announce that the Mint Julep Jazz Band already has two gigs lined up for next year, a wedding and a Lindy exchange – we’ll be playing the Queen City Lindy Exchange in Charlotte, NC on March 10, 2012!

Closed Doors, Open Windows, and Starting a New Band

In light of recent events and a lot of questions from friends and fans, I feel the need to clarify a few things. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Atomic Rhythm All-Stars bandleader, George Knott, terminating my involvement with the band as the vocalist and as the marketing person for the band. My involvement was terminated over a dispute regarding intellectual property rights. As of two weeks ago, I will no longer be performing with the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars and have been removed from all future performance dates.

I’d like to thank those of you who have been supportive of me during this time. It’s tough to pour your heart and soul into a project for three years, use your contacts to obtain gigs for the band, invest time and effort into developing an online presence and fan base, share in the joys and woes of being part of a band, and see something you got into on the ground floor grow and flourish, only to have your efforts and talents be deemed unnecessary.

To borrow from lyrics, the song is ended, but the melody lingers on…after hearing the news, my friends expressed that I should start my own band. I discussed this with my husband, trombone player and arranger Lucian Cobb, who is leaving the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars as well, and we both decided that we love this music too much to stop playing it. As our options for joining other bands as regular members are non-existent in Raleigh/Durham, we will be forming our own group to play 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s jazz, featuring Lucian’s arrangements from Atomic and many more new arrangements. We will also need a band name, equipment, ideas for songs, a book, a website, and gigs, among other things I’m sure we haven’t considered. It’s hard to start all over again, but, hopefully, we will continue our dreams of playing vintage jazz music and share the joy of this music through a different conduit.

We already have a gig on the books for next year and are accepting gigs for dates in March 2012 and beyond. Thank you to everyone who has faith in my abilities as a vocalist, organizer, and business-woman. I look forward to performing for you again!

The Best of Our State at Pinehurst

The Atomic Rhythm All-Stars are looking forward to playing at the historic Pinehurst Resort on August 6, 2011 for Our State Magazine‘s “The Best of Our State,” an event that is “a celebration of North Carolina music, history, humor, art, and food.” Atomic is appearing as part of a weekend of special events at the Pinehurst Resort, featuring storyteller Donald Davis, author Michael Parker, historian Dr. Tom Hanchett, singer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett, author Libby Bagby, author Diane Daniel, and artist/musician William McNeill. For more information on the weekend, visit the Our State Magazine website: http://www.ourstate.com/events/pinehurst

Atomic Plays TSDS and TCF Perform at Summer Solstice Festival

There’s another busy weekend in the works, with The Atomic Rhythm All-Stars taking the stage at the Murphey School in Durham, NC this Saturday, June 18, 2011 for a night of swing dancing, thanks to the Triangle Swing Dance Society.

On Sunday, June 19, The Carolina Fascinators will be performing their Shortenin’ Bread routine at Greensboro, NC’s Summer Solstice Festival, around 4:30 p.m. TCF member Abigail Browning will also be performing social swing dancing with her dance partner and partner in crime, Adam Speen. Looking forward to being a part of this outdoor festival!

Atomic Rhythm All-Stars play Raleigh and Winston-Salem, NC

This weekend the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars have a double header, kicking off this season’s Music on the Porch concert series at the historic Mordecai House in Raleigh, NC on Friday, May 13. We’ll be playing from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the lawn. Feel free to bring a picnic, kids, pets, and enjoy the sounds of hot jazz as the sun sets. More details at the Music on the Porch website at http://www.musicontheporch.com/.

On Saturday, May 14, we’ll be taking the bus to Winston-Salem, NC to the Piedmont Swing Dance Society’s dance at the Vintage Theater. The Carolina Fascinators will also be performing at this event. More details about the dance at http://www.piedmontswingdance.org/.