Moroccan-Roll Band Returns to Canada
Story by Michael Seguin
Photography by Francesca Ludikar
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And perhaps no band has ever been quite as imitated as The Tea Party.
Formed in 1990, The Tea Party has a sound that is wholly their own. Combining both industrial rock and Middle Eastern influences, they once described their music as “Moroccan-roll.”
And perhaps even more significantly, the band was formed by three childhood friends—Jeff Martin (vocals and guitar), Stuart Chatwood (bass guitar and keyboard) and Jeff Burrows (drum kit and percussion).
“It was never hard for us to click together, to mesh,” Jeff Martin explains. “By the time we formed The Tea Party, we’d already been playing together for some time. Myself and Jeff Burrows had known each other since we were five years old. We had our first band together when I was eleven and he was twelve. The chemistry between us has always been electric. I mean, if you do the math, we’ve been performing together for almost as long as the Rolling Stones! And we met Stuart Chatwood in our first year of high school.”
Even after decades of performing together, Jeff remains in awe of his bandmates.
“The three of us have been in and out of bands together our whole lives,” Jeff states. “We’ve been in and out of bands together all that time. So when it came time to give it a red-hot go at original music, I couldn’t have picked two better musicians to take to the stage with. They’re both, in my eyes, some of the greatest rock musicians in the world.”
The Tea Party’s ascent to success is the stuff of legends. The trio first cut their teeth at the Coach and Horses in downtown Windsor where they developed their unique sound and their style. They later signed with EMI Records in 1993 where their first self-titled record went double-platinum. And their next successive eleven albums have all reached the same heights.
And now, when pressed on how he’d describe their distinctive sound, Jeff takes a moment to ponder both their own legacy and the legacies that inspired them.
“Back in the early days, we got lumped in with Led Zepplin a lot,” Jeff states. “And my voice was often compared to Jim Morrison of the Doors. And when you put that combination together, hey, that’s not a bad band! But we shook those comparisons off quite quickly with our second album. We shook off our influences and took them a lot further.”
Jeff now describes The Tea Party and their iconic sound as “world music.”
“It’s a combination of Middle Eastern and Indian sounds, combined with hard rock music,” Jeff states.
The Tea Party has performed in countless venues, across all manner of stages. But when asked about his own personal favourite show, Jeff recalls a time when he broke the old adage about not meeting your heroes.
“We opened up for Page and Plant in the Montreal Forum,” Jeff recalls. “This would have been in 1996 or 1997. It was just an absolute honour to open up for our childhood idols. They say not to meet your heroes, but they were such lovely people, and we struck up genuine friendships from it! It was a dream come true.”
Though despite the thousands of hours Jeff has spent on stage, he still approaches every new gig with a certain pleasant tightness in his chest.
“Performing is the best drug in the world,” Jeff admits. “The adrenaline is something else—especially when fronting a band like The Tea Party. That’s a big monster. The sound is intense. Being up there is enchanting. Almost dangerous, but in a really good way. There’s a charming, nervous energy that courses through my veins. And even though we’ve played these songs thousands upon thousands of times, the fine details always change every night just because of the musicianship of the band. You never quite know where it’s going to go!”
And when asked about his relationship with his fans, Jeff can only smile.
“It’s all about that connection with the audience,” Jeff stresses. “I want them to walk away feeling emotionally drained—in the most positive way. And at my solo shows, it’s easier for me to meet with fans afterwards. I’ve had people walk up to me and explain how our music has affected their lives. People have said that certain songs have talked them down from the ledge.”
While The Tea Party has spent some time on international shores, the band (along with Headstones and Finger Eleven) will soon be returning to Canada for an arena tour from November 25th to December 13th, including a stop at Caesars Windsor on December 10.
“It’s very exciting,” Jeff states. “We haven’t done arenas in quite some time. Not since we toured with either Ozzy Osbourne or Def Leppard. We’re eager to get the band’s music back into that sort of form on that sort of venue. Because let’s face facts: The Tea Party’s sound is pretty big! We think an arena’s sound system will do it justice. With my solo shows they can be more intimate and feature more storytelling. But with arena shows, it’s all about the spectacle! It’s a different hat to wear, but I’m looking forward to wearing it.”
Jeff describes the upcoming tour as an absolute celebration of Canadian music.
“We’ve got some of the best Canadian musicians performing with us,” Jeff states. “And it’s time to celebrate our country. It’s time to gather some of the best rock musicians that have come out of Canada, have a big party and just enjoy ourselves.”
And aside from the upcoming Canada-wide tour, Jeff also has designs for greater projects on the horizon.
“My fingers are crossed,” Jeff explains. “I’m hoping that in 2026 we can record some new The Tea Party music. I’d like to take us back to that whole Moroccan-roll thing. So, we’ll see what comes next year!”
More information on The Tea Party is available at teaparty.com.
Published in the Anniversary 2025 Edition.
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