The Tea Party

Nostalgia time and here's a band that I saw live more than any other, and who have created music that still stirs emotions like no other: The Tea Party.

The Tea Party, one of many amazing bands out of Canada, have found a spiritual home in Australia as much as their rabid fanbase here have almost adopted them as our own.  Indiciatively I never saw the band in a major venue like The Hordern Pavillion. I always saw them in small venues like Leagues clubs and the like, because the band, when doing a major tour of large venues, would often venture off the beaten track to places like The Central Coast of NSW, or Newcastle, and play smaller shows to between 200 to 500 people. Indeed, some of these shows were among the wildest shows I've ever seen. From the crowds going nuts to long, extended versions of their songs, their live shows are some of my most treasured memories.

The band have taken a lot of flak for what critics perceive as their slavish copying of both Led Zeppelin and the Doors. But in fact they sound nothing like either of them, despite lead singer Jeff Martin having a haircut like Jim Morrison, and sometimes using a violin bow on his Les Paul.

The band split circa 2005 but reformed in 2012 for an Australian tour and a live album. The live album kicks some serious butt and is almost like being there, without the crowds...or the actual band being on stage in front of you. The only real issue I have is that the audience noise wasn't continuous throughout the entire record. Rather it is faded out to silence at the end of each track, but this is a minor quibble. The music is amazing.

Check it out below.

Sunday Sessions: Bachman Turner Overdrive

One of the great things about having a large music collection is that you never get tired of playing the same old albums over and over again. There is so much to choose from that variety is almost automatic and over-exposure is avoided.

One of the drawbacks is that you often forget about a lot of great music at the expense of what ever current thing you're into at that stage.

My employer was gracious enough to give me a day off on Friday, so I spent the day with my wife. During lunch, the video jukebox in the restaurant played a number of great tunes but it played a song by a band that I had not necessarily forgotten about, but had avoided listening to for a long time.

They played a tune by Bachman-Turner Overdrive called "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" which, if ever a commercial radio station ever play a track by BTO, that's the one and only tune they'll play. As I don't listen to commercial radio anymore, I'd avoided that song altogether.

If you were to believe what radio programmers think their audiences like, then you'd believe that Bachman-Turner Overdrive were one hit wonders, based on the amount of times that the aforementioned song is played on their stations. Dig a little deeper and you'll find many a gem that could use some extra attention.

For trainspotters, Bachman-Turner Overdrive were a stridently blue collar, working class rock band who slotted nicely into the 1970s rock scene alongside Status Quo and US southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd, even though BTO were Canadians. Co-Lead singer and guitarist Randy Bachman was a peer of Neil Young and played in one of Neil's first groups "The Squires" before joining Guess Who. Randy's voice is smoother and more soulful, while the other lead singer C.F. (Fred) Turner's voice is quite gruff.

Trawling through the band's back catalog there are plenty of gems, and today I present to you just two.

"Let it Ride" is pretty much the meta-song for a lot of the crap going on in my life at the moment. This live version is performed by a reformation of sorts featuring Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, billed as "Bachman and Turner".



The other track I wanted to share was a simple working class classic, the other big "hit" is ever there was one by BTO, called "Takin' Care of Business". Note that big guitar sound of theirs belting out that riff...



Until next time, ENJOY!

Cadence, a capella from Canada

Yesterday my sons were introduced to a capella music for the first time via the brilliant vocal group The Voca People. Their History of Music Medley doing the social media rounds at the moment is nothing short of brilliant.

The young-uns just couldn't get their head around the fact that there are no instruments in this besides human voices.



Sensing a chance, I decided to get them to check out some Cadence, who are a four man a capella group from Canada. Their second LP from 2005 is brilliant. Titled "Twenty For One" it features some original material but also some well chosen covers, such as the one below.

Among versions of Gershwin, 10CC, Cyndi Lauper and Queen is this one, a gorgeous version of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon.

I'm not too sure as to what is happening with the band these days since their second LP was released in 2010, but around here we hope they are still doing great things with that inimitable sound of theirs.