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"We are so pumped right now..."
Interview by Willa Slater

Here’s the “interview” I did with Jeff Burrows on Tuesday, October 21st, 2003. I didn’t record the conversation because I don’t have the technology so none of this is verbatim except the text in quotation marks. Text in square brackets is either clarification of something implied or a word I’m not 100% sure of. I’ve tried to capture the tone of the conversation because it was more of a conversation than an interview. Jeff was clearly very excited and I did my best to listen well and get it all down. Enjoy!

TTP.de: Hi Jeff, how are you?
JB: Sick! I’ve got this virus and it’s in my ears and throat and I feel lousy.

TTP.de: Are you OK to do this?
JB: Yeah, but we may have to split it up over two sessions.

TTP.de: OK! So, how was Hawaii?
JB: Amazing! Great! All the fears and concerns we had about working with Bob just disappeared. Jeff just loved working with Bob and they are best friends now! Bob has over 120 guitars there and Jeff had free access so... We went up there to work on 2 or 3 singles but things went so well we worked on more. We had about 22 songs ready when we went up there and right away Bob picked one that wasn’t even supposed to be a single. It’s called “Coming Back Again” and it has a real Edges [of Twilight] feel. And Voodoo, especially in the drums, really voodoo. And I’ve never heard Jeff scream with such anger in the choruses.

TTP.de: Really? More so than in Correspondences?
JB: It’s a different vibe. Anger. Like OEI want to rip your head off’ anger!

TTP.de: Wow, scary.
JB: Yeah! Then we did “Overload” It’s a heavy M.F., heavy guitars and Jeff is singing like Rob Tyner of the MC5. This wasn’t one of the songs we were supposed to be working on either.

Jeff let me listen to a verse and chorus of “Overload” and I am blown away. It is definitely Tea Party but it’s crisper, clearer some how. It starts with drums, then adds guitars and vocals with some beautiful harmonies and it ROCKS!!!! The vocals are beautiful like on Edges but with Triptych’s range. It seems to have a lot of texture (remember I was listening via the phone so the sound quality was sorely lacking) like the Tea Party songs we’ve come to know and love but it’s different too. Stuart’s assertion that Bob Rock is helping them focus their ideas comes to mind and I could hear his influence in that focus... like a magnifying glass focusing a sunbeam! I found myself tapping my foot almost immediately and I couldn’t help but say this is a hit! It’s a very powerful song! I cannot wait for this album!

JB: This is the song I like best as a single but I don’t think it will be the first one. It’s all up in the air right now. Then we got to one of the songs we were supposed to do, “Stargazer”. It’s a lot heavier now [than the demo] and cooler too. I couldn’t do another Heaven Coming Down but I’m liking this song now. It’s still very melodic though. But heavy. I like it now. Another song we were supposed to work on was “The Watcher” so we did that. It’s like Psychopomp but heavier. Then we did the bed tracks for a new song. Right now it’s called “The Glock Song” as in glockenspiel. We got the bed tracks for that one down and Bob was nice enough to put it on CD for me. But then Bob reminded us that we had to finish up the other songs so we haven’t gotten past the bed tracks on that one yet.

TTP.de: Have you picked the first single yet?
JB: No, but probably “The Watcher”. That’s the one A&R picked and that’s the one Bob likes for the single too.

TTP.de: So is Bob going to produce the whole album now?
JB: Yes, well we think so. We want that but there’s no money committed for that yet. But Bob’s even called our manager and his manager and set aside the time. We are supposed to be going into the studio [here] now but that’s all been canceled. We should be going back [to Hawaii] in January for 5 or 6 weeks. Bob was supposed to mix the singles now but he says he’s not going to because he knows we’re coming back in January and we’ll do it all then.

TTP.de: So Bob was excited about working with you too?
JB: Yes! He usually sets aside 4 to 5 days for a song, to get all the tracks, the beds, the wall of guitars, the vocals but we were knocking out the tracks in a couple of hours. We’d do two takes and say, that’s good for us, is that good for you? and he’s say yeah, that’s great, brilliant. Bob was just blown away by Jeff’s ability to harmonize on practically any note! And you know Lars was taking like 130 takes to get a track. [in a teasing tone-- laughing]

TTP.de: [laughing] So Bob didn’t make you cry?
JB: No! [laughing] Most of work was in the micing. Bob’s really a great recording technician more than anything and he’s really good at micing. So a lot of times we’d do a take, then he’d adjust the mics and we’d do it again until it sounded right.

TTP.de: So Jeff [Martin] was learning new stuff too? That’ll make him happy.
JB: Oh, yeah. We’re all a happy! The creativity is really flowing. We haven’t felt like this since the Edges of Twilight sessions in LA. It’s great! Working with Bob is great. Here’s a quote for you: “It’s 100% The Tea Party but Bob is adding ten-times-ness” [giggle-- he was probably laughing at the thought of me trying to spell “ten-times-ness”!]

TTP.de: What are we looking at, then, for a release date? June?
JB: Well, maybe. No, sooner than that. We could release the 1st single before the album is finished, say in mid-February. I mean, look at Nickelback. They released the first single and they hadn’t even written 3 of the songs. So we could release the single in February and then the album could come out in late April/May.

TTP.de: Is it still going to be called “The Seven Circles”?
JB: That’s up in the air too. I hope so because I like that song but if the song doesn’t make it on to the album then... I hope it does though. I love that song. It’s a huge, huge song.

TTP.de: Like Save Me or Sister Awake huge?
JB: No, like, like, [hums something I can’t make out] like, you know... off the first album...

TTP.de: Nope, [laughing] I don’t know.
JB: You know... anyway...

TTP.de: Who is going to be doing the artwork for the album? Stuart?
JB: That’s up in the air too. Everything is up for grabs. Stuart will supervise for sure. If the American deal happens that may change things. They like to get right in there with that. There’ll be a picture of our butts walking into the ocean. Our white butts. [laughing]

TTP.de: Speaking of pictures, are there any studio pictures?
JB: Hundreds. We’ve been taking lots for the “behind the scenes” DVD.

TTP.de: Oh, a “making of”? How will that be coming out?
JB: It’ll be with the CD, packaged together, free, well, you know?

TTP.de: So you think a US deal is a real possibility?
JB: Yes. There are a lot of nay sayers but there always are. What we’re really looking for is a fair shake. To get on a tour as an opener. Lots of bands are given that opportunity and we want that too. Bob is really excited about the songs so far. He says we’ll get a deal. He says if we don’t he’ll go to LA himself and get us a deal.

TTP.de: Wow. So you won him over?
JB: Yeah, he’s a Tea Party fan now!

TTP.de: And you’re writing new songs?
JB: Yeah, we’ve written some already and we’re getting together next week to write some more. ”Coming Back Again” is new and some of the ones Bob likes best are new.

TTP.de: It sounds like the album will be very different from the demo.
JB: Yes, definitely. Completely. There’ll be lots of extra songs for a b-sides disc. There are probably 5 songs from each album that never saw the light of day but those will come out after... you know.

TTP.de: And I hope that “after” won’t be anytime soon!
JB: Not after this CD! We are so pumped right now, the creativity is just sparking! It was great being in Hawaii and going to the beach in the mornings but really we were having so much fun in the studio that we were just waiting to get in there. After the recording sessions we gave Bob a thank you card and said thank you for rejuvenating, respiritualizing the band. We are just really happy right now! Jeff [Martin] is just rocking and it’s just great.

TTP.de: Are there going to be some ballads on the album too?
JB: Yes, “The Watcher” is more of a ballad, heavy but more like that and this is new... an exclusive for you: ”If I Promised You The Ocean” is really new. Jeff is just working on the lyrics right now. Management doesn’t even know about it yet! And there are quite a few eastern elements on the album too.

TTP.de: Is there collaboration with Holly McNarland still on?
JB: Yes, maybe. I don’t know. At first Jeff was really pushing for that for his [vision] of the album but now there’s just so much going on creatively that we just don’t know. We don’t know how it will fit. A definite, definite maybe. [laughing] There’s a song, Empty Glass that’s just beautiful, beautiful, really beautiful but we don’t know if it will fit. We are just realizing we don’t know what to do with that song now because it won’t fit the album. Right now we’re working on 5 more songs. Even one from the Transmission era, or was it Triptych? Anyway, one of our older songs that never got used is being looked at again.

TTP.de: And what about touring?
JB: All the fans want to see us. Everyone wants us to come to where they are to play but... well it costs money you know?! I don’t like to get into the business stuff but we do this for a living right? And no one pays us to go to Europe or the US or anywhere really... we put up our own money and we make money in Australia and Canada but we lose money in Europe so it’s hard. We want to play everywhere but there’s business to think of too. I hate talking about the business side!

TTP.de: If you do go back to Europe are you going to make the effort to promote yourselves properly?
JB: We don’t do that, they do that and, if they don’t, there’s nothing we can do.

TTP.de: Are you going to keep recording concerts?
JB: Yes, but not all the time. We’ll do some here and there.

TTP.de: Will you be playing any new material before the album comes out?
JB: Definitely not. No way!

TTP.de: Will the Orchestra DVD ever come out?
JB: That’s out of our hands. To pay the Quebec symphony would cost like $300,000 to $400,000 and then there’s the mixing and packaging. So, probably not.

TTP.de: And now the question on everyone’s lips: What’s up with the TV Pilot??
JB: I probably shouldn’t have said anything! It’s something I’m involved in with 3 partners and we’re pitching it to CTV/Global. It’s a show about rock and its reality based, sort of. Its like nothing that’s been done before. It’s called Headtrip.

TTP.de: Sounds interesting! Have you been keeping track of the Drumstick auction? Did you check out what the Rush stuff is going for?!
JB: Most people don’t realize what a great band Rush is.

TTP.de: I’m one of them!
JB: Ah, yes, the vocals... but anyway... this auction is just the start. I’ve kept all the drumsticks used in the EOT sessions, for instance, and each one has the name of the song it was used for and is signed by all of us. Those will be auctioned off some time. And I have friends who give me stuff! [laughs] I have some stuff from Lars [Metallica] and Ryan from Nickelback has given me tons of stuff. It’ll all be auctioned at some point.

TTP.de: It sounds like you’ve got an entire new career there!
JB: [laughs] Yeah, philanthropist! [laughs again] But I’ve got to go, my throat is sore and my shoulders too [from drumming]. I love having sore shoulders!

TTP.de: Thanks Jeff! You sound so excited about the new album!
JB: You should have caught me 2 days ago! I was pumped! Now I’m sick.

TTP.de: You still sound pumped to me!
JB: Well I’m happy! We’ll do this again some time. Keep your questions coming and I’ll try to answer them!

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