The band received some media criticism for Jeff Martin's Jim Morisson-like stage persona in some of its videos and their Led Zeppelin-esq riffs, although he seemed determined to be striving to create his own image and sound. His looks certainly do draw some comparison, however, to The Doors' late front man.
Their sound is hard to categorize as each album possessed different themes and influences. Splendor Solis (1993) was a more acoustic, blues-based record, while Edges of Twilight (1995) was much darker with strong Middle Eastern influences on several tracks. Transmission (1997) saw a dramatic change to a darker, more industrial-tinged sound, and it was distributed in the USA by Atlantic Records. The last three albums by the band featured various efforts to attract a wider commercial audience, with the single "Heaven Coming Down" reaching No.1 on the Canadian mainstream charts in 1999.
In 2000, Capitol Records finally released a retrospective compilation in the USA of their Canadian singles entitled Tangents after only releasing their first two albums south of the border.
The Tea Party released The Interzone Mantras in 2001, but it did not possess the singles of its predecessors.
In October 2005, a year after their final album Seven Circles was released, Jeff Martin left the band and embarked on a solo career, releasing an album in early 2006. Jeff Burrows (drummer) and Stuart Chatwood (bass/synthesiser) have also had post-Tea Party successes, the former in several projects and the latter in soundtrack composition. Burrows and Chatwood worked together on a new project called The Art Decay before Burrows joined Crash Karma in 2008.
On April 12th 2011, an official Facebook page was launched with a biography section that closed with "The band is scheduled to play a select number of dates in 2011. No other info was available at this time." The following day, the local radio station K106.3 announced the Sarnia Bayfest lineup including The Tea Party, which was later confirmed by drummer Jeff Burrows on his radio show on April 13th. Burrows further stated that a Canadian tour was also in the works.
The Tea Party performed at the Cisco Systems Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario on July 14th, 2011, and the band will be playing a Canadian tour commencing on November 15th, 2011 in Vancouver. The band's website and tour is called "THE TEA PARTY - No Politics... Just Rock and Roll". In September 2011, the band was reportedly approached to sell its website URL for over a million dollars by the extremely popular American political movement bearing the same name: www.teaparty.com.
Pulse
The Tea Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That made my blood run clear
I think I've waited too long
I went along for the ride
She complicated the slide
I went to take her hand
I couldn't feel a pulse
Senseless is pleasure
Nothing's forever
The sooner you see
You can't deny me
I had a dream that within
A celebration of sin
We do a dance with denial
I only wanted a friend
To see the beautiful end
She went to take my hand
She couldn't feel a pulse
Senseless is pleasure
Nothing's forever
The sooner you see
You can't deny me
In this song, The Tea Party explores the themes of mortality, desire, and denial. The opening line, "I saw a face in the mirror that made my blood run clear," suggests that the singer sees something within themselves that scares them, perhaps their own mortality. The following line, "I think I've waited too long," implies regret or a sense that they haven't truly lived their life to the fullest.
The second verse recounts a failed romantic entanglement, with the singer saying, "She complicated the slide." The line "I went to take her hand, I couldn't feel a pulse" suggests that the passion in the relationship has died or is dying. The chorus emphasizes the fleeting nature of pleasure and the inevitability of death.
The third verse includes a reference to denial, with the singer saying they "do a dance with denial" during a "celebration of sin." The final line, "She went to take my hand, she couldn't feel a pulse," suggests that the singer's mortality has caught up with them and that they are alone in their realization of their own finitude.
Overall, "Pulse" is a thought-provoking meditation on the impermanence of life, the importance of living fully, and the inevitability of death.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a face in the mirror
I caught sight of my reflection and was disturbed by what I saw
That made my blood run clear
The image I saw was so shocking it made me feel completely alert and conscious
I think I've waited too long
I realize now that I should have taken action much sooner than I did
I went along for the ride
I followed someone else's lead without much thought or consideration
She complicated the slide
Her involvement made things much more complicated than they needed to be
I went to take her hand
I attempted to connect with her
I couldn't feel a pulse
I was met with rejection and a sense of lifelessness
Senseless is pleasure
Some people seek pleasure without regard for consequences
Nothing's forever
Everything in life is temporary and subject to change
The sooner you see
The quicker you realize
You can't deny me
You cannot avoid or ignore me forever
I had a dream that within
I imagined a scenario where
A celebration of sin
People were reveling in immoral behavior
We do a dance with denial
We intentionally ignore or dismiss the reality of our actions
I only wanted a friend
All I really desired was companionship
To see the beautiful end
To experience something positive and uplifting
She went to take my hand
She attempted to connect with me
She couldn't feel a pulse
However, she was met with rejection and a sense of lifelessness from me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFFREY SCOTT MARTIN, STUART CHATWOOD, JEFF BURROWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DrawnBlinds
One of the very first shows I ever attended at the Moore Theater in Seattle. Transmission is easily the best offering from The Tea Party. None of the others come close, as good as a few might be. This one pulls the pain from your heart and dissects it on display on a big screen while you are force to watch with your eyelids peeled back and your screams silenced.
Pipe Choir
+DrawnBlinds I totally agree...i liked almost everything they did...but when i heard this...it was so much better....song for song...and so different from everything else coming out at that time...and ...even now...really
BayviewFinch
Why would you scream if your pain is taken away? That would be a good thing. Anyhoo... glad you like the song, or at least that you did 2 years ago.
Turbine Divinity
I was at that show. One of the best shows I have ever seen.
Christopher Howell
Coming from doom guy ...and he knows the horrors!
alanialuvzu
My favorite music when I was in highschool..... <3 I grew up on this stuff.
emilyrl
Still perfect.
Testicle gaming
This should have more views
lorilynnful
Tea Party kicks ass
JagoFettNZ
I love drumming to this !! AAAAARRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH !!!!!! >:)