On Saturday, September 13 Massachusetts-based indie band High Tea returned to Park Theater in Hudson on their “A Small Notion Tour”.
Previously, High Tea would record albums independently, and A Small Notion marked the first album working in a studio setting with backup musicians, with the album recorded and produced with Nate Mondschein at Best Mann Music.
Park Theater is nestled on Warren Street and is an intimate venue to hear thought-provoking music. Each night will end in finding another underground artist you can’t stop listening to. Something about the ambiance makes artists feel safe to describe their deepest songs.
High Tea was joined by Mary Elaine Jenkins, a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and guitarist. She set the scene for the night by interacting with the audience. During the show she shouted out a local band The Glass Hours sitting in the audience and invited Megan Barbera to sing a duet.
Concerts at Park Theater in Hudson always have a special feeling many modern venues lack it may seem small, however, as the night goes on the venue becomes something to appreciate. Both High Tea and Mary-Elaine-Jenkins had conversations with the audience explaining their music and the story of how or why they wrote a song. Park Theater often has multiple artists playing together in the same night, curated by the owner Shanan MaGee who perfectly brings together musicians that haven’t met previously.
High Tea is a folk-punk duo consisting of Isabella DeHerdt and Isaac Eliot who come together to tell stories through music. High Tea make honest music which often has a witty delivery, allowing their music to be listened to for fun or for people who relate to and fully understand it. They played a show at Park Theater earlier this year and were so loved by the audience and loved playing the venue just as much themselves, they added it at a stop on their album release tour.
Isabella began speaking about how her deepest songs are often sung by her partner Isaac as it feels easier to share with people through others. “This next song is called ‘Scuba Diving,’ and we recorded it with a full band for our album this is one from my point of view but Isaac will be singing it,” said Isabella. She followed up by explaining the song is about the guilt and confusion you feel when watching a loved one battle mental health, and her personal experience with it in their relationship. They both expressed their support for those going through mental health battles; this resulted in cheers from the crowd for being so open and honest.
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