Kat Harlton
Multi-Platinum selling and Multi-JUNO award-nominated Rock Band The Tea Party recently released their new EP Sunshower via Coalition Music / Warner Music Canada and all streaming platforms. The 5-track collection of songs showcase the trio’s mastery of light and shade, and why they continue to occupy a unique place within the ever-changing musical landscape.
Sunshower serves as a companion piece to the 2019 EP Black River, presenting a message of hope in the face of the most challenging year we as a society have endured so far in the 21st century. Together, the EPs will comprise the eventual full-length album Blood Moon Rising, officially marking the latest chapter in The Tea Party’s on-going saga.
We had the opportunity to chat with The Tea Party’s bassist and multi-instrumentalist, Stuart Chatwood about the band’s latest release, hanging out with ACDC and The Rolling Stones, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your new EP Sunshower?
Stuart: The Sunshower EP was the completion of our plan to record 2 EPs beginning with the Black River EP in 2019. In some parts of the world the two EPs are now combined into a full length album entitled Blood Moon Rising.
Musically both records explore the bands roots, and we get back to doing what we do best which is guitar based rock and roll with forays into folk. We have gone further with world music instruments in the past, but we will be exploring that again in the coming records.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the new EP?
Stuart: There’s not a ton of great rock music coming out right now, so I feel for some people this will be received enthusiastically. These are songs that can be turned up and I think people with find a release in that after a year or two of stress.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Stuart: For our band being geographically apart has been a matter of fact since the band began. In our 31 years together as a band we only spent about a year and a half in the same town. What that means to us is that we have to be more productive when we’re together and schedule in writing and recording weeks at the tail end of tours.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Stuart: The highlight for all of us would be the massive concert for SARS in Toronto where we played for an enthusiastic crowd of 490,000! We got to hang around backstage all day with ACDC and the Stones so you can imagine it leaves an impression on you.
One of the other highlights was travelling to Australia for our first tour there and hearing the crowd sing our lyrics back to us at the top of their collective lungs with that distinctive Australian accent.
As for what we have learned over the years, I’d say be true to yourself. Write music that you like and believe in and others will follow. We have been guilty of straying from this path but regardless it is a truism.
Kat: What’s next for The Tea Party moving into 2022?
Stuart: We have shows starting to be booked for Summer 2022 and a return to Australia later in the year if things go to plan. We have a new record out in Europe so we’d love to get back over there again.
To connect with The Tea Party visit: https://www.teaparty.com