On the Road Again
Live Reviews:

The Tea Party
May 20, 1999
The Drink, London, Ontario

The familiar dark haze that surrounds The Tea Party was out in full force as they performed at The Drink on May 20. The band, known unofficially as the "black sheep of the Canadian music industry", proved that their sound has not gone pop despite the sponsorship of Pepsi.

Rather, they are still the same powerful band with the same passion for music. The Tea Party performed four new songs: "Great Big Lie", "Touch", "Heaven Coming Down", and "Underground", as well as: "The Bazaar", "The River", "Release" and "Temptation". "Great Big Lie" is a heavy song inspired by people telling Jeff Martin what to believe, and "Underground" was introduced as an "autobiographical song".

Although the lighter sound of "Heaven Coming Down" does not reveal the shattering drum lines and heavy guitar that one might expect, it is part of the combination of emotions that the new album TRIPTYCH is expected to distill. Jeff's lyric writing still remains poetic and complex as he ventures deep within his psyche to convey his experiences to a captive (and captivated) audience.

As a whole, Jeff Martin, Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows seem content with their new tour. They appear to have left the sorrow and pain of Transmission behind. When talking with Jeff Burrows after the show, he simply called Transmission "bad times". It wasn't that he didn't enjoy playing the songs from that album; rather, the memories the album brings back are better off left behind.

The Tea Party's newfound happiness is apparent by the way they interact with their audience — a much more intimate bond exists. In addition, the band seems more confident when they play; they know what they want to do, and they won't be stopped. Although the bar was relatively quiet for a Tea Party, the performance was first rate.

After the show, I overheard Jeff Martin say that "Touch" would be the first single released in Australia rather than "Heaven Coming Down", because he believes that there is "a bigger market" for a song like "Touch" (it also removes any cheeseball opportunites for bad puns a la "Heaven Coming Down Under" — ugh!). In addition, The Tea Party will be touring this summer with performances at the White Ribbon Campaign benefit during North By Northeast, and Woodstock En Beauce. They will resume touring in Canada in support of TRIPTYCH in November.