The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band from Windsor, Ontario. Formed in the early 1990s, The Tea Party is a power trio that plays rock influenced by Led Zeppelin and The Doors; its leader is Jeff Martin who gives a musical identity to the group. The albums Transmission, The Edge of Twilight and Triptych represent the different facets of the group. After the release of the Seven Circles album, the band breaks up. Jeff Martin continues the solo adventure by returning to what the band was doing in its early days. The Tea Party has eight albums at EMI Music Canada, including two million sold internationally; four are certified platinum double-disc, platinum and four gold records in Canada.
The Tea Party was formed in 1990 by Jeff Martin, Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows after a jam session marathon at Cherry Beach Rehearsal Studios in Toronto. As teens, each of the members played in various local Windsor bands, from which they originated. They decide to name their new band The Tea Party from the hash sessions of Beat Generation poets Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs.
The Tea Party released its first self-titled album in 1991, released on their own label, Eternal Discs. The album is inspired by rock and psychedelic blues, and is produced by Martin; the production of the album is something that Martin will continue on the Tea Party albums, so that the band can have total control of his music. In 1993, The Tea Party signed with EMI Music Canada and released his first album with a major, Splendor Solis. In 1994, the album was released in Australia, with the single Save Me launching the band's career in the country. The band is supported by the local Triple J radio channel, allowing the band to tour internationally, with Save Me as the favorite piece by their audience.
Developing the musical style of Tea Party in 1995, The Edges of Twilight is recorded under Indian instrumentation in particular. Sister Awake, the third single from the album, defines what the band does, mixing rock and world music. Sister Awake is acoustically based on the 12-string guitar, sitar, sarod, harmonium and goblet drums. The Edges of Twilight is the best-selling Tea Party album with 270,000 copies; he is certified double platinum in Canada and platinum in Australia.
