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EspañolTHE TEA PARTY
'The Tea Party' was 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 Pavillion, 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
Formation and first 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.
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 tuning and goblet drums to imitate Indian sounds, something they continued to employ throughout their career, while continuing in a blues influenced style. 1994 saw the album released in Australia with the single "Save Me" launching the band's career in the country and with 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.
The Edges of Twilight and beyond (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 defining what the band set out to do; combining three-piece rock compositions with music from the world. "Sister Awake" being acoustically based 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 went onto record ''Alhambra'' an Enhanced CD which features acoustic re-recordings of songs from ''The Edges of Twilight'', followed by a brief tour "Alhambra acoustic and eclectic" around Canada. 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''.
Tangents and later years (2000 - 2005)
After releasing '' a singles compilation in 2000 and ''Illuminations'' a DVD compliation of music videos which Martin remixed in Surround sound in 2001 Band biography: Illuminations The Tea Party Collection 2001, DVD, EMI Music Canada, Mississauga. The Tea Party released ''The Interzone Mantras'' and in November 2002 joined symphony orchestras across Canada in adapting their live show.The Tea Party 2004, Band biography. 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.
Breakup (October 2005)
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. 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. Jam! Music Accessed 5 April 2006. and toured parts of Europe, Canada and Australia, and released two live albums ''Live in Brisbane 2006'' and ''Live in Dublin'', in November 2006 and May 2007, respectively.
Members
★ Jeff Martin -- Vocals, guitar, sitar, sarod, oud, banjo, mandolin, dumbek
★ Stuart Chatwood -- Bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, harmonium, percussion, mandolin, tambura, cello, lap steel guitar, bass pedals
★ Jeff Burrows -- Drums, percussion, djembe, goblet drums, tabla
Discography
Videography
★ "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 Canada.
★ '' (2007)
Video awards and nominations
The Tea Party were nominated for 22 MuchMusic Video Awards, 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
★ The Tea Party official site
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