Minstrels of Mayhem

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The Minstrels of Mayhem were a popular American Renaissance Festival music group. They released 8 recordings under their own label, M.O.M Productions, and performed live primarily at Renaissance fairs. The band became extremely popular on the Eastern and Midwestern Renaissance Faire/Festival circuit and went through many musician changes. They recently were nominated a top 10 band in Marc Gunn's Renaissance Festival Podcast music awards. The most recent incarnation of The Minstrels of Mayhem consisted of Ty Billings "Melodio", Jerry Barry "Pompador", Jimi Torrey, and Craig Broers.

On May 16, 2007 the band issued a press release announcing the (perhaps temporary) disbanding of The Minstrels of Mayhem. It reads in part:

It is with great sadness that we announce the closing of an era where M.O.M. goes on tour. Because of personal reasons, The group can no longer commit to the tour schedule of the past. Each person has chosen to continue making music, but circumstances make it impossible for this to be as The Minsterels of Mayhem. If you attend festivals you cand find Jerry playing with other musicians. The Minstrels hope, in the future to reunite ,as M.O.M. when the time is right . Thank you for your support of M.O.M.s music over the years, for the hundreds of Emails of praise and admiration, for the chance to to let M.O.M. make you smile.

Since splitting, Jerry Barry and bassist J. Bradley Collier now tour together as "The New Minstrel Revue," augmented by percussionist Jimi Torrey and the multi-talented Craig Broers. Ty Billings currently performs with bassist Mark Belenson and fiddler Jack Stamates, occasionally joined by founding Minstrel of Mayhem Gary Ward, as "Celtic Mayhem."