The Tea Party

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Tea Party


Img_capt = The Tea Party in 2001
L–R: Stuart Chatwood, Jeff Burrows, Jeff Martin
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Hard rock, world music, blues, progressive rock, industrial rock
Years_active = 1990–2005
Label = EMI
Associated_acts = Roy Harper
The Art Decay
URL = [http://www.teaparty.com/ www.teaparty.com]
Current_members =
Past_members = Jeff Martin
Stuart Chatwood
Jeff Burrows

The Tea Party were a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s and half of the 2000s, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records worldwide, and achieving a #1 Canadian single "Heaven Coming Down" in 1999.

The Tea Party toured Canada on twenty-one occasions and Australia on twelve, where they headlined a show in 2002 to an audience of 5,800 at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney. In November 2002, The Tea Party toured Canada with symphony orchestras reinterpreting a decade's worth of shared songwriting. Their career together ended abruptly in 2005 due to creative differences.

History

Early years (1990–1995)

The Tea Party was formed in 1990 by Jeff Martin, Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows after a marathon jam session at the Cherry Beach Rehearsal Studios in Toronto. Each member had previously played together during their teenage years in a number of different bands. They had decided to name their new group The Tea Party after the infamous hash sessions of famous Beat generation poets Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. [http://www.wavegeneration.ca/4105/09_01_STUARTCHATWOOD.asp]

The Tea Party released their eponymous debut album in 1991, distributing it through their own label Eternal Discs. The album drew influences from psychedelic rock and blues, and was produced by Martin; album production was something Martin would continue with for all of The Tea Party's albums, as a way of giving the band complete artistic control. In 1993 The Tea Party signed to EMI Music Canada and released their first major label recording, "Splendor Solis". The band employed open tunings and goblet drums (Dumbek) to imitate Indian sounds, something they continued to employ throughout their career, while continuing in a blues influenced style. In 1994 the album released in Australia, with the single "Save Me" launching the band's career in the country. The band gained the support of national radio station Triple J, enabling the band's first tour, with "Save Me" becoming a staple of their setlists.Stuart Chatwood, In Tangents The Tea Party Collection 2000, CD, EMI Music Canada, Mississauga.]

Success (1995–2000)

Further developing The Tea Party's sound in 1995, "The Edges of Twilight" was recorded with an array of Indian and Middle-eastern instrumentation. "Sister Awake", the third single from the album, defines what the band set out to do, combining three-piece rock compositions with music from the world. "Sister Awake" is an acoustically based arrangement on 12-string guitar, sitar, sarod, harmonium and goblet drums.Stuart Chatwood, In Tangents The Tea Party Collection 2000, CD, EMI Music Canada, Mississauga.] "The Edges of Twilight" is The Tea Party's most commercially successful album; with sales exceeding 270,000 units, the album is certified double platinum in Canada and platinum in Australia.

Upon returning from successful tours in Canada, Europe and Australia in 1996, The Tea Party recorded "Alhambra", an Enhanced CD which features acoustic re-recordings of songs from "The Edges of Twilight", and followed its release with a brief tour of Canada called "Alhambra Acoustic and Eclectic". English folk musician Roy Harper appeared on "The Edges of Twilight" reciting a poem and on "Alhambra" providing vocals for the song "Time".

"Transmission" released in 1997 saw The Tea Party's first foray into electronica, the sound not unlike Nine Inch Nails, with a sampled world music foundation and thrust. "Transmission" is a collection of aggressive songs influenced by upheavals around the band; the firing of their management and the feeling of a lack of support from their record company. Epitomising the feelings were the first single "Temptation" and the album's title song, but the band stepping forward from this catharsis a wiser group of men, with the reflection seen in their following albums.Stuart Chatwood, In Tangents The Tea Party Collection 2000, CD, EMI Music Canada, Mississauga.]

"Triptych" followed in 1999, the first single "Heaven Coming Down" rose to #1 on Canadian radio. The Tea Party's music took on a more orchestral sound, maturing from the blues base. "Live at the Enmore Theatre", the band's only live album was released through Australian radio station Triple J during the band's tour for "Triptych".

Later years (2000–2005)

The band released a singles compilation called "" in 2000, and then a DVD compilation of music videos (which Martin remixed in surround sound) called "Illuminations" in 2001.Band biography: Illuminations The Tea Party Collection 2001, DVD, EMI Music Canada, Mississauga.] The Tea Party released "The Interzone Mantras" later in 2001, and in November 2002 joined symphony orchestras across Canada in adapting their live show.The Tea Party 2004, Band biography. [http://www.teaparty.com The Tea Party official website] Accessed 15 January 2007.]

"Seven Circles", the band's final album, was released in 2004. Both "The Interzone Mantras" and "Seven Circles" saw the band return to their earlier sound with maturity.

In October 2005 The Tea Party disbanded due to creative differences, with Martin abruptly announcing he was beginning a solo career. Afterward Chatwood stated on the band's forum "that Jeff Burrows and myself are sincerely sorry for the way this was handled. As far as Jeff Burrows and myself were concerned, the band was taking an extended break."Chatwood, S. 2005, Stuart Chatwood statement. [http://teaparty-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2573 The Tea Party official forum] Accessed 15 January 2007.]

Post-breakup (2006–present)

In 2006 Burrows and Chatwood were still songwriting together as The Art Decay, while Chatwood continued to compose the "Prince of Persia" video game soundtracks for Ubisoft Montreal. Burrows joined Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and other Canadian musicians as drummer in the one-off project the Big Dirty Band as well as presenting the midday shift on The Rock, a radio station in Windsor.

Martin moved to Ireland and recorded his debut solo album "Exile and the Kingdom", which was released in Canada and Australia in 2006 Bliss, K 2006, Jeff Martin in-studio session, Jam! Music. [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Lowdown/2006/02/06/1427599.html Jam! Music] Accessed 5 April 2006.] He has toured parts of Europe, Canada and Australia, and he released two live albums, "Live in Brisbane 2006" and "Live in Dublin", in November 2006 and May 2007, respectively. In August 2008, Martin announced the formation of his new band, The Armada.

Members

* Jeff Martin – vocals, guitar, sitar, sarod, oud, banjo, mandolin, dumbek
* Stuart Chatwood – bass guitar, guitar, keyboard instruments, harmonium, percussion, mandolin, tambura, cello, lap steel guitar, bass pedals
* Jeff Burrows – drum kit, percussion, djembe, goblet drums, tabla

Discography

Infobox Discography
Name = The Tea Party


Released = June 1991
Label = Eternal Discs
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 3,500
Certification =
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Capitol Records demo


Released = 1992
Label = Capitol Records
Type = studio
ChartPosition =
Sales =
Certification =
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Splendor Solis


Released = June 1993
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 235,000
Certification = Double Platinum (Canada), Gold (Australia)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = The Edges of Twilight


Released = March 1995
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 270,000
Certification = Double Platinum (Canada), Platinum (Australia)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Alhambra


Released = March 1996
Label = EMI
Type = EP
ChartPosition =
Sales = 50,000
Certification = Gold (Canada)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Transmission


Released = June 1997
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 235,000
Certification = Double Platinum (Canada), Gold (Australia)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Triptych


Released = June 1999
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 235,000
Certification = Double Platinum (Canada), Gold (Australia)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Live at the Enmore Theatre


Released = October 1999
Label = EMI
Type = Live
ChartPosition =
Sales = 100
Certification =
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Triptych Special Tour Edition 2000


Released = June 2000
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales =
Certification =
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name =


Released = November 2000
Label = EMI
Type = Greatest hits
ChartPosition =
Sales = 100,000
Certification = Platinum (Canada)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = The Interzone Mantras


Released = October 2001
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 50,000
Certification = Gold (Canada)
Tracks =

Infobox Discography
Name = Seven Circles


Released = August 2004
Label = EMI
Type = Album
ChartPosition =
Sales = 50,000
Certification = Gold (Canada)
Tracks =

Videography

Music videos

* "Let Me Show You the Door", 1991 (Scott Souliere and Stuart Grant - filmed in Windsor and Detroit)
* "The River", 1993 (Floria Sigismondi - Toronto)
* "Save Me", 1993 (Floria Sigismondi - Toronto)
* "A Certain Slant of Light", 1994 (Floria Sigismondi - Sydney)
* "Shadows on the Mountainside", 1995 (George Vail - Paris, Ontario)
* "Fire in the Head", 1995 (Dean Karr - Los Angeles)
* "The Bazaar", 1995 (George Vail - Istanbul)
* "Sister Awake", 1996 (Curtis Wehrfritz - Toronto)
* "Temptation", 1997 (Tyran George - Toronto)
* "Babylon", 1997 (Tyran George - Toronto)
* "Release", 1998 (Ulf Buddensieck - Paris and Toronto)
* "Psychopomp", 1998 (Adam Kowalchuk - live on MuchMusic, Toronto)
* "Heaven Coming Down", 1999 (Ulf Buddensieck - Toronto)
* "The Messenger", 1999 (George Vail - Toronto)
* "Walking Wounded", 2000 (George Vail - Havana)
* "Lullaby", 2001 (Don Allan and Miroslav Bazak - Toronto)
* "Angels", 2001 (Craig Bernard - Toronto)
* "Writings on the Wall", 2004 (Stuart Chatwood and Stephen Scott - Toronto)
* "Stargazer", 2004 (Don Allan - Toronto)
* "Oceans", 2005 (Stuart Chatwood, Jaimie Webster and Jonathon Corbiére - animated by York University students)

Releases

*"Illuminations (DVD)" (2001), certified platinum in Canada
*"" (2007)

Video awards and nominations

The Tea Party were nominated for 22 MuchMusic Video Awards, and were awarded three People's Choice Awards for Favourite Music Video: two for "The River" and one for "The Bazaar". "Sister Awake" director Curtis Wehrfritz was nominated at the 1996 Juno Awards for Best Director; "Release" director Ulf Buddensieck won the Best Cinematography Award at the 1998 Juno Awards.

References

See also

* Canadian rock
* Music of Canada
* List of bands from Canada

External links

* [http://www.teaparty.com/ The Tea Party official site]