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Step into the tent… This week we reveal the stories behind Tracks 1–16 of Masquerade of Shadows — a dark cabaret fairytale told in zine-style chapters. Explore the Symbolism Cabinet and follow along with clickable albums, lyric spreads, and scene notes. Spoilers ahead, love. But the curtain only rises if you dare…

There are songs that are written. And then there are songs that arrive. “In Pieces” was one of those... the kind that falls through trembling hands, that won’t stop echoing once it lands.

“At the turning point of our dark fairytale cabaret, the ghosts don’t stay quiet — they sing. This week, we step behind the velvet curtain and into the séance. The floorboards creak, the secrets spill, and the truth rises like incense through every track. Join us as we uncover the shadowed heart of Masquerade of Shadows, spin new spells on Eclectic Wonderland, and laugh with the dead (just don’t trip on your sheet, Tommy).”

We’ve spent this summer chasing down artist profiles and trying to exist across platforms we barely understand. Truthfully, when this all began, our biggest dream was simply to make a demo and start a label. Sharing our bios? Not on the original to-do list. But here we are. Half-baked and ready to roll, released into the wild on Tea’s half-birthday, July 7 (she’s officially 55.5 now), and we decided that’s as good a time as any. We’re not big on social media anymore, we pr

How did a Halloween lyric prompt become a 34-track musical with a living Puppet Master and one very square book? Tea & Mickey pull back the velvet curtain in this behind-the-scenes look at Masquerade of Shadows.

A dark cabaret born from trauma, journals, and joy. Discover the origin of Gala Violet’s Masquerade of Shadows and how Mickey’s Magic helped a Spoonie artist circle find their voice again.

A haunted playlist turned moodboard turned musical. Follow the ghost-laced breadcrumbs from our Rocktoberrr circus séance to the stage of Masquerade of Shadows. New Gala Violet tracks, vintage radio IDs, and the twin-souled heart of a dark fairytale revealed…

"A sultry invitation to the darker side of autumn".

What started as a modest 10-song album grew ... and grew ... until it became a 34-scene dark cabaret-musical, complete with a book to match. The process wasn’t easy. Our spoonie lives clashed with our over-achiever tendencies, and there were times we pushed ourselves too far. We had to learn to step back, breathe, and be okay with delays.

If the Production Blueprint was the skeleton, then this is the séance — the fire and voices that made Masquerade of Shadows breathe. We didn’t just record songs. We conjured characters. We built a haunted cabaret where every voice wore masks, and every laugh lived beside the shadows.

Welcome to Mickey’s Corner, where the curtain lifts and the tricks behind Masquerade of Shadows come into focus. This isn’t just an album; it’s a cabaret stage built inside Ableton Live, layered with ghosts, strings, synths, and secrets. Here’s how the blueprint unfolds.

At the heart of the project is Masquerade of Shadows - part album, part stage play for headphones. Now in its final remastering, with the first draft of the companion book and artwork nearly complete, Masquerade of Shadows is slated for release in Fall 2025 under Velvet Umbrella Records.

“You wouldn’t believe how good a plastic Fisher-Price xylophone sounds once you detune it and run it through a tape echo. It’s not junk — it’s treasure in disguise. That’s the Velvet Umbrella way.

What if every cup could bring you back to life? Necromancy Coffee House EP is a séance in seven tracks, conjured by Gala Violet and brewed at Studio TeaZilla. Featuring ghostly choirs, cabaret charm, and spectral production, this gothic vaudeville ode to caffeine raises more than just your spirits

These weren’t written with an album in mind. They began as private sparks—prompts Mickey gave me to help me write again when I thought my voice was gone for good. Mickey quickly became my Relentless Song Spotter (or, depending on the day, Lyric Detective). He had read my very first lyric diary and wasn’t about to let me drift off—always nudging: “That’s a song. No—that’s a song. You need to develop this one more.” He kept me accountable, even when I just wanted to scribble

It started as a demo. A goal. A whispered dream. Then a flurry of late-night Zoom calls, playlists passed like notes in class, encouragement sent in long texts, half-baked ideas for record labels and comics and healing. It was never meant to be a band, or maybe it was. We just didn’t know it yet.