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.
Transmission
The Tea Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're shattered by life's soft deceit
Enslaved to our thoughts by our reason
Refusing to walk with the weak
Betrayed by the past's desolation
We slept listless nights by the shore
Searching for signs of salvation
Tell me what I have when it all slips away
Tell me what I see when the light fades away
Tell me what I hold in the palm of my hand
Tell me what I feel because I'm trying
To understand
I'm sending transmission
Confused by the weight of our virtue
We follow the paths of the slain
In silence we walk through these shadows
Embracing the pleasures of pain
Once again
, The Tea Party delivers profound lyrics in their song "Transmission" that offer insight into humanity's fundamental struggles and existential questions. The song's opening lines, "We fear what we see in the distance, we're shattered by life's soft deceit," speak to the innate human fear of the unknown and the disillusionment that often comes with the harsh realities of life. The next lines, "Enslaved to our thoughts by our reason, refusing to walk with the weak," suggest that our rational minds can sometimes work against us, causing us to reject empathy and compassion for others who are less fortunate.
As the song continues, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of the past's desolation and our ongoing search for salvation or something more meaningful in life. However, despite the pain and confusion that we experience, the singer sends a transmission, seeking connection and understanding. The final lines, "Confused by the weight of our virtue, we follow the paths of the slain, in silence, we walk through these shadows, embracing the pleasures of pain," suggest that we are often conflicted by the ideals we hold dear, struggling to reconcile the harsh realities of the world with our beliefs and desires.
Overall, "Transmission" by The Tea Party is a thought-provoking song that explores human nature, existentialism, and the quest for meaning. The lyrics are rich in symbolism and metaphor, allowing listeners to interpret and connect with the emotions and experiences described.
Line by Line Meaning
We fear what we see in the distance
We are scared of things that we do not fully understand or things that are far away and unknown to us.
We're shattered by life's soft deceit
We are broken by the subtle but constant lies and illusions that life presents us with.
Enslaved to our thoughts by our reason
Our own logic and reasoning have trapped us into our own beliefs and thought patterns.
Refusing to walk with the weak
We refuse to associate with people who we perceive to be inferior to us or not on our level.
Betrayed by the past's desolation
We have been let down and abandoned by the events and people in our past, leaving us feeling alone and empty.
We slept listless nights by the shore
We have spent countless sleepless nights contemplating our existence and searching for meaning in our lives.
Searching for signs of salvation
We have been looking for some sort of hope or way out of our current situation.
Hoping to find something more
We yearn for something greater than what we currently have or know.
Tell me what I have when it all slips away
We want to know what we are left with when everything we have is taken away from us.
Tell me what I see when the light fades away
We want to understand what we are left with when we are faced with darkness and uncertainty.
Tell me what I hold in the palm of my hand
We want to know what we possess and what we are truly in control of.
Tell me what I feel because I'm trying to understand
We are struggling to comprehend our own emotions and need help to process them.
I'm sending transmission
We are trying to communicate our thoughts and feelings to the world and hope that someone can relate and help us find answers.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFF BURROWS, JEFFREY JOHN BURROWS, JEFFREY SCOTT MARTIN, STUART CHATWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lone Ranger
GOTTA LOVE THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD IN 1 EPIC JAM . THE TEA PARTY WERE HUGELY OVERLOOKED . PHENOMINAL LIVE BAND . SUPERB MUSICIANSHIP . DRUMMER IS INTENSE AF . 🤘🤘🤘🤘 . IF U EVER GET A CHANCE , SEE EM LIVE FOLKS . WORTH MORE THAN TICKET PRICE I ASSURE YOU !! ✌ 🌎 🇺🇸
ZarathustrasCrown
This album had a few gems on it, this one, Emerald and Psychopomp too were always big favorites of mine. I remember an interview with Jeff talking about this and I guess he ran into the room with the other guys basically with all the ambient noise in the background with no instruments yet ranting about how he "could hear it all"...they apparently looked at him like he was nuts :)
MisterSausage
Best song on an album full of great songs.
Babylon Central
@Red21Viper Same! Splendour Solis, Edges of Twilight and Transmission the big three that represent The Tea Party for me.
Red21Viper
MisterSausage1 My fave Tea Party album
Sanity Theorist
In all of my years, I never thought I'd hear hard rock injected into Nanocult style ethnic influences. Even after being a fan for 2 1/2 years, they have surprises...amazing!
Stefan Rheaume
anyone else hyped to hear this again on their anniversary tour? :)
Red21Viper
Stefan Rheaume i am so jealous of u guys
doubleplay1919
best song on the album i believe
Shawn Murphy
Dark album... but their best by far.