The Current
April, 2006








It's a My-Tea Kind interview
By Joe Mack

       It's a blustery second day of spring and the beautiful folks of My-Tea Kind are alive and well. This particular interview brought the band together for the first time in more than three weeks, but their harmonious answers led me to belive that no 1000 miles could separate this tightly knit bunch of kindred musical souls.
       To sit in a room with My-Tea Kind easily gave me a sense of belonging to the moment of their movement, that undulating pulse that a band on the verge of breakout success carries around and questions, "How did WE get HERE?" Though questions like that aren't too hard to answer, the quratet humbly abided to answer several more questions that will put Current readers in the know about the most dynamic and prolific groups to come out of Tahlequah since the Sons of the Boutineers.

The Current - How did you come up with the name My-Tea Kind?
James Townsend - It's Annie's fault! (everyone laughs)
Annie Paine - No way! (more laughter)
J.T. - We were eating lunch downtown and they brought out the right sandwiches but kept messing up our side orders. The servers eventually would bring us the right sides, and we kept saying, "That was mighty kind of you."
A.P. - And the last part of that quick phrase just kept hanging around all afternoon, and grew on us. After the phrase stuck with us, we added that dash that made it My-Tea Kind. The dash is supposed to be there...

T.C. - So when did My-Tea Kind (M.T.K.) finally get out of the rehearsal room and on stage?
Bonnie Paine - I think it was around March of 2004. We were playing a few shows at Roxies's, opening up for Randy a bunch. About a year later we really picked up the traveling shows.
A.P. - We did a tour opening up for Kirk Rundstrom around the Midwest and that really opened us up to an accepting and appreciative audience outside of Oklahoma. We owe a lot to him, and we hope that he fully recovers from his battle with cancer (all chime in agreement.)

T.C. - James, have women always been a part of your life?
J.T. - Very much so. I seem to have always connected more with women. I was raised by my Mother and my two sisters and didn't connect well with my father. Women can be so beautiful. It is hard to be delicate enough to help see that into existence. Often testosterone can shatter what creative beauty women have. For me, it is a continual journey to not stifle their creativity and to try to help elaborate their feminine delicacies.

T.C. - What other women have influenced you?
J.T. - Fiona Apple has influenced me. She protects herself and reminds me that most people want to protect themselves from disruption. Bonnie has definitely influenced me. Her wavering delicacies truly amaze me. It is as though a fluttering leaf can affect the deepest roots.

T.C. - Who spends the most time on their cell phone?
B.P. - Annie totally!
Sarah Garde - Annie really takes charge for us. She doesn't take any bull from anybody. She handles a lot of things for the band and does a great job representing us through her cell...

T.C. - Calling all fans! How did you get such a large fanbase in Tahlequah?
S.G. - Playing in a band with Randy for so long made us familiar faces. All the time we hear "We remember when you were just little girls!" There's a familial aspect in our scene that's truly a blessing.
B.P. - Our Dad (Michael Paine), too, is so much a part of our support team. He'd work all day, eat a quick dinner and load the P.A. up in his truck, setup sound for us, mix the show and tear it all down at the end of the night for us. He's truly a sweetheart and the most kind and supportive man we've ever known.
A.P. - Jen and Regan have also done a lot for us as My-Tea Kind Cheerleaders. They really get people into it at every show. Jenny Taylor does that too, but she's done more through internet promotions for us. All these people helped our fan-base multiply and we are so thankful for them.

T.C. - What's the most outlandish thing that M.T.K. fans have ever done?
J.T. - The Cheerleaders are full of suprises. (everybody nods and smiles in agreement)
A.P. - They made and sold some birthday cake at Bonnie's birthday gig.
B.P. - That was crazy! This guy Dave from Texas drove to Tahlequah to see our show and he had on some flashing horns and a cheerleader outfit and he was doing this... thing..
S.G. - Our fans' devotion to us sometimes seems strange, but we love it.

T.C. - What city in Oklahoma besides Tahlequah shows the greatest love and respect for M.T.K.?
A.P. - Stillwater definitely...
J.T. - Yeah, Payne County Line gave us a Best New Band nomination...
B.P. - Mike's College Bar is a great place.

T.C. - What about out of state? Where do you do best?
S.G. - Wichita has really been supportive of us. Kansas really likes what we do and the crowds there just eat it up.
J.T. - Yeah, Wichita is great, and Lawrence has always been fun as well, especially with Kirk. The rooms there are interesting though..
B.P. - They're either really small, like the size of a living room, or really big. The Bottle Neck in Lawrence was great for us, that's where we won the Battlerusa finals.

T.C. - Where is your favorite place to play?
All in unison - Tahlequah!
A.P. - There's no place like home...

T.C. - Sarah and Annie, how is the balance of school and music treating you?
S.G. - It's pretty good. I wish I could be more motivated in school, and to tell you the truth, I'm kinda burnt out on it. Music has always been a central part of my life and we have an opportunity to really excel, so I'm more interested in that right now than school.
A.P. - I think our focus right now is to make this music happen and make this band work, but learning is an ongoing process for us, whether we're in school or not.

T.C. - Is it true you've thought about moving away from home?
B.P. - I'd say it's possible, but I would likely still spend at least a quarter of my year in Tahlequah.
J.T. - It would be great for us to move together and be a force for other markets and towns to deal with.
B.P. - Yeah, I think they're definitely ready...
A.P. - I think it would be cool to move away from here but we also realize that we can really dig our roots a lot deeper in Missouri and Arkansas much easier from Oklahoma than say, Colorado.

T.C. - How does it feel to share the stage with your sister?
(Annie, Bonnie and Sarah all smile at each other)
S.G. - It makes perfect sense. We've been playing on stage together since we were eight years old...
A.P. - Yeah, we've been playing music together all of our lives, which is pretty extraordinary. We're able to communicate on a level that not many people may ever get to understand.
B.P. - We don't have to speak to each other. Just our looks and expressions can tell the other what we feel. It's a unique channeling thing, flowing together in a rhythmic connection that probably exists because we're related.

T.C. - James do you realize the power of these three women?
J.T. - I have always tried to find a band with telepathic people. I'm truly amazed by the way they could tune in to every song I threw at them. They're fast learners and I'm dumbfounded by their beauty, and they draw a lot of attention live too. I'm fortunate to play with these cool, creative people that have taught me so much...
S.G. - Yeah, he's had to deal with our repercussions all the time. (all the girls laugh)
J.T. - Yeah, but I feel that their power extends beyond the current concept of time.

T.C. - How does, or rather, who writes M.T.K. songs?
A.P. - We all do. It's a homegrown, shared style of songwriting. Somebody will come up with a hook or a line and everyone will contribute to the song.

T.C. - Tell us about some of your favorite songs on your new album that's coming out this month.
J.T. - "Silver Streams" is their Dad's favorite song. I think he heard it on NPR one day.
B.P. - One of Dad's friends heard it and turned us on to (the fact that it was on the radio), and this friend was tripping on the M.T.K. song that had a full "Celtic feel."
J.T. - It does seem to reflect that feel. I was camping with my friend Allison by the Secret Hole and she was getting ready to fall asleep, and she said, 'play me some sleepy music.' So I started creating this beautiful thing that was inspired by the reflection of the night sky on the water. It was silvery and from that came "Silver Streams."
A.P. - I love Mike's (West) dobro on "Round and Round." It's to die for. I had three distinct bass lines and I showed them to James and he brought them together, and it just amazed me how it happened.
S.G. - "Let Go" came to us while hanging out at Annie's house. It was raining out so we went outside and played in the rain.
J.T. - The guitar line just came out of me and I played it constantly.

T.C. - It's a great tune. The melody line rocks real hard and sticks to you like Thanksgiving dinner..
J.T. - It's waiting to burst...

T.C. - How was the recording session?
A.P. - Mike West writes songs that everyone can connect to and that reach across every bit of society, especially to Eastern Oklahoma. His influence and ear were a huge asset during our recording session. We laughed and we cried...
S.G. - Yes we did! We started recording at the very beginning of the year, and the timing of it couln't hav been better and I think it started the momentum for us for 2006 through Battlerusa and even up to right now...

T.C. - Is this momentum and recent success overwhelming?
S.G. - It's given us a serious boost of course with all the recognition. From the moment we found out we were playing Battlerusa at Cain's to the time we stepped off the stage in Lawrence it's just been one seriously fun adventure.
J.T. - The other bands at all of the battles were really good and very deserving of winning the spot at Wakarusa. And when we won, it was kind of weird, like 'Wow, we won this! But, everyone else is so good too, so how did we do this?'

T.C. - I think it's from your support from the home team all the way. Is the Tahlequah scene changing for better or worse?
S.G. - It's slowly getting better and always has it's ups and downs. There are so many talented folks here and hardly any places to play at. Sometimes it feels like the Twilight Zone..
A.P. - Yeah like a whirlpool or a vortex where you get sucked in and sometimes stuck here...
J.T. - Totally, you either develop and nurture a creation that can get you out of here and be fruitful, or you can get sucked in to not doing much.
A.P. - When you look at The Dream Theater and the Jazz Lab, and down the street you have the Iguana and Town Branch, you see the potential for something wonderful to happen. It just takes the right people at the right time to bring a music scene and culture to life. I think it's cool to be from that bakwoods little part of the Southern Ozarks and to be the folks that can take down those preconceived notions that Oklahoma doesn't have anything unique to offer other than down home family bluegrass bands.

T.C. - Do you have any fond memories of Battlerusa?
S.G. - The hotel room party was crazy in Tulsa!
J.T. - The fire alarm was set off and I remember playing my guitar to the sound of the alarm. It was so cool!
A.P. - Some of those bands we met were really awesome to hear.
S.G. - Yeah, like those Skillbillies! (all chime in agreement)
A.P. - Harmonious Monk, Mama's Cookin', Euphorchestra..
B.P. - The Dewayne Brothers, Jah Roots...
J.T. - They were all so good. It's amazing we won...

T.C. - Thank you all so much for your time. You've been extra cool this evening with your willingness to talk to The Current. Is there anything that you can tell the readers to look forward to in 2006?
J.T. - Our new album will be coming out this month. Keep your eyes out for when that will be officially out...
S.G. - We'll be at MayFest in Tulsa this year....
A.P. - The Blue Dome Festival will be very cool as well...
B.P. - We're open to communicate with folks and they can reach us through our website, myteakind.com. Please get in touch with us whenever for whatever. You can also keep up with our tour through the website...

T.C. - Thanks again. Ya'll are so Kind!
M.T.K. - Thank you!!!







The Current Music Showcase and Reader's Choice Awards
Featuring My-Tea Kind, The Skillbillies and Red Eye Gravy
       The Current Music Showcase and Reader's Choice Awards will be on Saturday, April 22. Come enjoy a fine evening of entertainment with My-Tea Kind, The Skillbillies and Read Eye Gravy under one roof.
       The Dream Theatre presents The Current Music Showcase and Reader's Choice Awards announcements. Awards will be handed out to winners of the Reader's Choice Survey that was distributed in the January and February issues of The Current. The winners will be announced after the Red Eye Gravy set, and those winning representatives present may pick up their awards at the show or during the following week.

       General admission is only $5 for the 18 and up show. The doors open at 8 p.m. and Read Eye Gravy starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are available in advance at The Dream Theatre box office. For more information, logon to thedreamtheatre.com.