The Tea Party @ Kool Haus

The Standstills opened for The Tea Party at Kool Haus on November 27th, 2014.  This is definitely a misnomer if ever I heard one.  If you were standing still at any point during their performance it was not due to any deficiency among the band members.  They may be from the Dutty Shwa but they know how to play a clean show.  

I don't know about you but I am always intrigued by the dialogue that comes out between songs.  It gives you an incite into the bands creative process, life on tour, and hopefully their sense of humor.
Unfortunately, at this concert that was the only audio you could hear clearly.   

The Tea Party front man, Jeff Martin, acknowledged at one point during the performance that he was just getting over a cold due to travelling from Australia's 38 degrees to "here".  LOL  He made it perfectly clear that it was NOT one of those "rock and roll colds." 

If there was a way to make his vocals stand out and minimize the volume of the instrumentation then that should have been done.  Otherwise, this sounded like thrash metal.  What an incredible injustice to the stand alone vocal talents of Jeff Martin.  

Have a listen to this video for Water's On Fire a single from The Tea Party's new album The Ocean at the End.  Certainly you would agree that the vocals are a key component of their music.  It breaks my heart that I couldn't hear them clearly.     

In addition, here's a link to an article I wrote for Fresh Print Magazine about the performance.