Mickey’s Corner: Off Weeks & Wicked Picnics
- Mickey Fingers
- Oct 2
- 7 min read
This month, everything got a little… undone.
Between spoons running low, travel mishaps, and a rogue missing cell phone (RIP), our little creative coven took an unplanned pause, and you know what?
We needed it.
Sometimes rest is the real performance.
About “Picnic for the Wicked”
Release Date: October 19, 2025
First single from: Masquerade of Shadows
"A sultry invitation to the darker side of autumn".
Though it originally appeared on Gifts from the Sirens, “Picnic for the Wicked” holds a special place in our spellbook. It was the first song we recorded together for what would become Masquerade of Shadows, back when we didn’t even have a name for the album, the band, or the rabbit hole we were about to fall into.
It started as play: demos, experiments, voice memos, and pedal twiddles.
Mickey was deep in Ableton.
Tea was scribbling lyrics as assignments.
Collin had just picked up the bass.
Silent Mike was testing mics.
Belle was whispering harmonies.
And somewhere in there, the Puppet Master reached through the veil and said:
“Tell my story.”
So we did.
From Demos to Dark Cabaret
Gifts from the Sirens was a haunted mixtape of raw demos and sonic exploration. We didn’t know what we were yet.
Some of the songs even shared similar intros, like echoes from parallel timelines brushing up against each other.
By the time Gifts was released, Masquerade had 10 finished tracks, 20 more written, and a world was forming.
A story. A stage. A mask. A mirror.
A wound. A flame.
We wrote a pre‑story.
We wrote a post‑story.
We stitched together 34 tracks, because love insisted on being let in.
Spoonies Need Boundaries...
Tea:
“I was trying so hard to not feel like I failed us...
and then Mickey said: ‘No. We’re taking a break.’
It helped me realize… we were all pushing ourselves too far.
That it wasn’t just me. That we’re all Spoonies with trauma stories and bodies that whisper ‘stop’ louder than most.”
Mickey:
“Yeah… we had to build in daily check‑ins. Mandatory rest.
I didn’t want to be the adultier adult, but someone had to call time.”
We’re so grateful we did.
Because the fire’s still burning.
And the shadow play continues…
Upcoming Releases from Masquerade of Shadows
🥀 “Picnic for the Wicked” — 10.19.25
🪞 “Mirror Mirror (On the Ceiling)” — 10.03.25
💣 “Boom Boom Boom” — 10.17.25
🎭 Full Album — 10.24.25
What’s Next?
People have asked:
“Will you stay in the dark cabaret world?”
We’re not sure, and we kind of love that.
Our next project, Paper Dolls, already has its own voice:
more theatrical, more mirror-world, more songs that didn’t quite belong in Gifts From The Sirens, but demanded a stage of their own.
We’ll keep playing.
We’ll keep healing.
We’ll keep holding each other through the fog and fire.
And yes, we’ll keep making mixtapes, matching moods, and chasing ghosts in harmony.
Mickey’s Corner: Family, Fire & Finding the Music Between the Notes
Sometimes the real magic of Gala Violet isn’t just the songs; it’s the way we hold each other up while making them.
We’re all Spoonies. We’ve all pushed too far.
We’re learning, slowly and gently, that we don’t have to do this alone.
-Mickey Fingers
Tea:
I want to say, out loud, how grateful I am for Mickey.
He’s helped with blogs, edits, playlist support, and recorded some of the most iconic Station IDs for Eclectic Wonderland.
But more than that, he’s been the voice reminding me to breathe.
To ask for help.
To stop trying to do it all.
Mickey Always Says:
"This isn’t a factory. It’s a family."
And He reminds us..
"We work smarter now.
We let the songs speak."
Sometimes that’s Mickey building beats from junk percussion.
Sometimes it’s me chasing a lyric until it becomes something real.
Sometimes it’s just a haunted piano, waiting to be heard.
We made Masquerade of Shadows this way:
by listening deeply.
By trusting resonance over perfection.
And for that, and for each of you:
Mickey, Silent Mike, Collin, Belle
I am endlessly grateful.
-Tea
Hear the magic yourself —
Explore episodes of Eclectic Wonderland featuring Mickey’s fingerprints: playlists, IDs, or songs birthed from our Hap-Slappy Moments.
-Playlist, Art & Blog By Mickey Fingers
-Station I.D. Blog & Playlist Help
-Waffles & Fish Head Cafe (Started as A Joke)
About Eclectic Wonderland
If you haven’t yet tuned into Eclectic Wonderland with DJ Tea & Mr. Announcer Man…
you owe it to yourself to check it out. (Yes, that is our very own Tea.)
Broadcast weekly on WDRT 91.9 FM, and streaming from the mystical hills of Viroqua, Wisconsin... Eclectic Wonderland is not just a radio show, it’s a musical storybook with teeth.
From glam rock to ghost choirs, glitter to grunge, it’s where forgotten vinyl, indie gems, and haunted lullabies tumble out of the record bin in perfect, peculiar harmony.
You never know what you’ll find,
but it will find you.
So tune that dial, light a candle, and Listen With Us
Wednesdays, 1–3 PM Central at WDRT.org
“What crawled out of the record bin this time?” — Mickey Fingers
If you haven't listened to Eclectic Wonderland with DJ Tea & Mr. Announcer Man, you owe it to yourself to check it out. They put on an amazing show!
A Quick Note from Mickey
Before we wrap…
Charlotte has stepped back from the group for a time, taking space for healing, clarity, and rest.
There was a bump , a moment where something meant with kindness sparked unintended tension. It happens.
But here’s what’s real:
Charlotte’s been under a lot of pressure.
We respect her decision to step away and tend to her mental health.
That’s not weakness. That’s courage.
There’s no bad blood here.
Just boundaries, grace, and an open door.
We’re leaving the light on for her. Always.
-Mickey, Tea & the rest of Gala Violet
Companion Book Update
We’ve had questions about the Masquerade of Shadows book… and we hear you!
Yes, the full lyric & storybook companion is still in the works.
It’s bigger than we expected (because of course it is), but we should have a very rough draft available for download soon.
We’ll post the link on our blog, playlist pages, and in next week’s Mickey’s Corner.
Stay tuned — it’s worth the wait.
Invitation to the Masquerade
The curtain is rising. Everyone wears a mask. No one leaves unchanged.
Album Release: October 24, 2025
Singles leading the way:
Picnic for the Wicked —
September 19, 2025
Mirror Mirror (On the Ceiling) — October 3, 2025
Boom, Boom, Boom —
October 17, 2025
The Companion Book
Alongside the album comes a companion book to pull back the curtain even further. Inside you’ll find:
Playbill — introducing band ↔ character roles.
Pre-story — a glimpse into the world before the curtain.
Storybook (34 scenes) — the cabaret itself, scene by scene.
Post-story — reflections after the final bow.
Character stories — truths, illusions, and puppet-strings revealed.
Symbolism Cabinet — where the images, artifacts, and hidden threads of the masquerade are explained.
Lyrics — book versions, stylized and full.
Extras — letters, mixtapes, wedding invitations, and other treasures too strange (and too beloved) to leave behind.
This isn’t just a lyric book — it’s an invitation to live inside the masquerade.
Playbill Summary
In a decadent world on the brink of collapse, secrets are currency and performance is survival.
In a decadent world on the brink of collapse, secrets are currency and performance is survival.
Masquerade of Shadows follows masked heirs, haunted debutantes, puppet-bound saints, and fractured lineages feeding a hidden power beneath velvet and gold.
As revolution stirs outside the gates, the youngest struggle to rewrite the story — while the true puppet master waits.
Some fight to escape the cycle. Others fight to survive it. But no one escapes untouched..
The curtain is rising. Everyone wears a mask. No one leaves unchanged.
Gala Violet – Band & Production Credits
Music & Lyrics
Tea, Mickey Fingers, Silent Mike
Story & Book
Tea & Mickey Fingers
(based on Tea’s journals, adapted and expanded for stage and album)
Final Edits & Writing Support
Silent Mike (Ashen Quill)
Production, Arrangement & Engineering
Mickey Fingers — primary engineer, producer, Ableton Live wizardry, mixing & mastering
Tea — co-producer, percussion, finishing touches
Instruments
Mickey Fingers — piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, synths, sampling, sound design
Belle — strings
Collin — stand-up bass
Tea — percussion, auxiliary instruments
Silent Mike — arrangements, textures, editing support
Ensemble Vocals
All members of Gala Violet (Mickey’s Magic)
(Belle, Tea, Charlotte, Mickey Fingers, Collin, Silent Mike, The Third Mike)
Album Art & Book Art
Tea Mickey Fingers
Masquerade of Shadows: What It Is
A dark fairytale, stitched into cabaret.
A theatrical gothic pop experiment with Victorian shadows.
An album, a book, and a world where no mask stays in place for long.
Genre & Style:
Dark Cabaret / Theatrical Gothic Pop / Victorian Goth / Dark Fairytale
Influences: vaudeville, circus noir, cabaret, baroque pop, glam, score composition
Spiritual Ancestors: Kate Bush, Nine Inch Nails (The Fragile), Danny Elfman, Siouxsie, Bowie (Outside), Dresden Dolls, Soap&Skin, Tori Amos (Boys for Pele)
Side Quests & Coffee Breaks
Mickey Fingers adds:
“We actually wrote more music than lyrics. Scenes zigged and zagged, moods and transitions demanded different elements, and that’s where Silent Mike’s musical theater mastery really saved us. He swooped in with rewrites, chord progressions, and fresh structures that stitched the chaos into something whole. Of course, all that experimenting left us with a heap of extra cabaret bundles, odd clips, and half-
finished delights.
And then came the side quest: Necromancy Coffee. ‘It brings us back to life…’ started as a joke jingle in one of our delirious late-night sessions, and the next thing we knew, it had its own legs. Out of that madness, the Necromancy Coffee House EP was born, a quirky break from the shadows, stitched together from the parts we loved but couldn’t fit into the main masquerade. We were all so wrapped up in the dark cabaret vibes, it just… made sense.”
☕ Special Thanks
Tea jumps in: “We absolutely have to thank Karly & A. Joseph of Necromancy Coffee; they were the spark for the whole jingle experiment. What started as a playful ‘you need a jingle’ moment turned us into loyal fans of their brew (and gave us way too much fun in the process). Honestly, without them, the Necromancy Coffee House EP might never have been conjured. Proof that sometimes, side projects really do bring us back to life.”
Invitation to the Masquerade
The curtain is rising. Everyone wears a mask. No one leaves unchanged.
✨ Pre-save Picnic for the Wicked — Sept 19
🪞 Pre-save Mirror Mirror (On the Ceiling) — Oct 3
💥 Pre-save Boom Boom Boom — Oct 17
🎭 Pre-save Masquerade of Shadows (Full Album) — Oct 24
(Album covers embedded, each one clickable.)
“This isn’t just an album. It’s a masquerade stitched from trauma, laughter, ghosts, and the fire of making art when everything else tried to stop us.
We’re so glad you’re here. Take your mask, step into the story, and let the shadows dance.”
-Mickey Fingers
✨ About Mickey Fingers
Mickey Fingers is the co-creator of Velvet Umbrella Records and Gala Violet. A multi-instrumentalist and engineer-producer, he moves between drums, guitar, bass, piano, and synth with ridiculous ease, building worlds in Ableton Live. Equal parts mystery and mischief, he’s a steady hand in the chaos and a spark in the shadows.
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