Jeff Martin has more professional titles than you can poke a stick at. Tea Party frontman, lyricist, guitarist, record producer, solo artist, musical collaborator, A&R rep. It’s hard to imagine how he has time, but Jeff has just embarked on an extensive Australian solo tour.
He called from the road the day after his solo show at Sol Bar feeling energised. “The entire show was a highlight. It was the first time I’ve played the Sunshine Coast solo, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but we had a full house. You never know how you’re going to perform, but there was something magical in the air last night and the performance was, even by my standards, really good. People responded, there were lots of tears in the audience, I tried some new songs and it was just great so I’m feeling very upbeat today and really looking forward to the rest of the tour. Being quite the studio rat for a good part of the last six months it was just so refreshing to get on stage and wear a different hat” Martin explained.
Martin’s studio in north Fremantle, affectionately referred to as ‘The Palace’, and the inspiration behind the release The Palace Vol 1: Sub Rosa, is a location that has seen visits from Jeff’s Tea Party bandmates Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows as well providing the setting for forthcoming collaborations with Sarah McLeod and Mick Skelton, among others, but it’s time to say goodbye.
“It’s very sad but you know, a new chapter’s opening. I’ve got (new indie label) 93 Records about to launch in June and The Black Diamond Express and Revelator coming out on that and also pursuing new acts for 93. So I’m going to kind of go back into studio producer mode and record mogul mode [laughs].”
The Palace produced something very interesting for fans on those nights where ‘nothing was coming’ as far as Jeff’s own compositions were concerned – an EP entitled The Palace: Vol I: Sub Rosa, a release only available at the Australian solo shows.
It was simply things that didn’t belong on The Black Diamond Express and didn’t belong on Revelator. It’s songs that I love, from different artists like Taj Mahal, Daniel Lanois and B.B. King. These covers turned out to be something very, very special. For this tour I didn’t have any new music, per se, that I could release yet but I thought this would be more of a curiosity for fans who would really love to see what’s behind the rose, the rose being the creator,’
While he’s in the studio, it’s compelling to consider how Jeff experiences the soundscapes he creates due to his condition known as ‘synaesthesia’, where the senses are crossed. “It doesn’t really play up that much performing live, it’s more a studio thing. I get into this state where as I’m producing, as I’m putting on layers of sounds onto the canvas which is the soundscape, those sounds are colours. The closest thing [I can describe it as] is if you looked at some of Australian surrealist James Gleeson’s work. Especially some of the bigger ones, that’s kind of what I see when I am creating music.”
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An especially unique chance to create is coming in October with Jeff preparing for a sojourn to Morocco accompanied by a group of eager fans. It might finally give Jeff the chance to write some material in French. “I wouldn’t put it past me, especially with the Tea Party, it’s something that we’ve been asked to do in the past, so it’s quite possible. French is one of the languages spoken in Morocco, it’s quite possible that some French might come up then.”
For those who want to immerse themselves in Tea Party songs new and old, Jeff’s live solo show is a treasure of the retrospective and the modern. “I’ve known over the years what works and what doesn’t and there’s a certain emotional impact that I want to achieve by the end of the show. But there’s always going to be the songs that have to be played, like ‘Sister Awake’. I find that opening with ‘Still Water’ sets the esoteric mood of the show. Playing new [Tea Party] songs like the ‘Black Sea’, ‘Water’s on Fire’ and ‘Black Roses’ has rejuvenated the set. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to it. It’s also getting out there and playing in front of people again. I’ve missed it. It was October when The Tea Party last toured. I’m going to take it all in and enjoy it.”
Die-hard Tea Party fans will be delighted to know that Jeff has no objections to the rare and much coveted 1991 Tea Party indie album The Tea Party being re-released. “I don’t think the original tapes are in any condition to be mixed once again but it certainly can be remastered and then reissued. Perhaps it will be something that the three of us will discuss the next time we get together and talk.”
If you’ve ever had a chat to Jeff after a solo gig, you might have stalwart guitar tech Kenny Watt to thank, as he explains “the beauty of these small acoustic shows is that even though there might be a hundred people who want to talk to you, you still have time to do it. There’s no time to do something like that with The Tea Party when you’ve got a couple thousand people and so, if I do have any opportunity to do it, I will and usually Kenny makes me do it.’
Performing can still be cathartic for Jeff, although he doesn’t need catharsis quite so much these days. “There is this dark side to everyone, mine is quite well documented. Any time I want to access that, it’s there for the taking. But I’m surrounded by a lot of love and really good people these days, so I don’t often have bad days.”
JEFF MARTIN UPCOMING TOUR DATES
THURSDAY APRIL 9 – THE ESPY, Melbourne VIC
www.espy.com.au
FRIDAY APRIL 10 – KAROVA LOUNGE, Ballarat VIC
www.karovalounge.com
SATURDAY APRIL 11 – WORKERS CLUB, Geelong VIC
www.theworkersclubgeelong.com.au
MONDAY APRIL 13 – BAHA, Rye VIC
www.bahatacos.com.au
WEDNESDAY APRIL 15 – THE WORKERS CLUB, Melbourne
www.theworkersclub.com.au
THURSDAY APRIL 16 – ROYAL OAK, Launceston TAS
www.facebook.com/royaloaktas
FRIDAY APRIL 17 – REPUBLIC BAR, Hobart TAS
www.republicbar.com
SUNDAY APRIL 19 – JIVE BAR, Adelaide SA
www.jivevenue.com
SUNDAY APRIL 26 – MOJOS, Fremantle WA
www.mojosbar.com.au
FRIDAY MAY 1 – THE VENUE, Townsville QLD
www.thevenuetownsville.com.au
SATURDAY MAY 2 – BROTHERS LEAGUES CLUB, Cairns QLD
www.brotherscairns.com.au
SUNDAY MAY 3 – DARWIN RAILWAY CLUB, Darwin NT
www.darwinrailwayclub.com
