We just got through playing at River Bank Books and Music and we had a great time!!! Our friend Pete Bass recorded the show and we got some stuff that we can definetly use (Maybe even put one live track on the forthcoming album). The audience was small but appreciative and we thank them for their generosity with the tip jar! Anyway, the owner Barbara wants us to come back soon so we will keep everyone updated as to when soon will be. Meanwhile, it's time to break camp and head to the next gig. Peace.

Ahhh!!! The good life. There's nothing like a few tunes around the fire after setting up camp.

Tinker's Tea's own Jessie MacIntosh has just been nominated for a 88.1 WYCE Jammie award for best World Beat Album of the year. It is called Skean dubh and is available at River Bank Books and Music and Schuler's Books and Music (Alpine). He will also sell you one personally so don't hesitate to ask! Also, listen for (or better yet, request) it on 88.1 WYCE www.wyce.org . It is in rotation and they will happily play you a cut off it.

Here we are playing The Foggy Dew/Cannongate at one of our favorite places. Aries London Pub and Grill in Kalamazoo. If you are down that way make sure to stop in and have a pint.

We are currently in the process of recording at Soundfield Studios! Pete Bass is doing a great job in getting everything sounding just like we want it. Below is an audio post of the march Soldier's Return which we recorded a couple weeks ago. With audioblogger you record over the telephone so it' s not CD quality but this tune is over 150 years old so I think it makes it sound more authentic! Enjoy.

Open Mike at Billy's ( music club in Eastown) was great fun! We arrived, signed up, and promptly missed our call up to the stage. The guy running it wasn't terribly excited but what can you expect from a couple of tinker's who rarely know what day it is, let alone the time! Happily, he forgave us after a bit of a berating on his part. Anyway, we were able to do a couple of tunes and chose an original called Rain (banjo and mandola) and an old northern march that was popular during the Civil War called Soldier's Return (fiddle and mandola). The place was filled with early 2o somethings and we weren't sure of what the response might be (we are not that old ourselves, I'm 30 and Jessie is 27). To our great suprise and delight. People started approaching the stage and dancing (ecclectically mind you) to the music-How do you dance to a march anyway? After we did our two tunes the crowd wanted more and were asking for a pipe tune from Jessie (he lives in Eastown and everyone knows him as the mad piper) but the house music was turned on as Billy's runs a very tight ship. Oh well, there is always the next open mike. Maybe we'll be a bit more conscientious of the time!

We have just been asked to perform at River Bank Books in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday. Jan.27th! We will be playing from 5:30 until 8:30 on the Steketee stage. For anyone who hasn't visited this fine new totally independent book/music store, I strongly recommend that you do. It is a wonderful addition to the downtown area. A perfect place to grab a latte, cup of tea! or fair trade coffee and listen to great local music! 44 fountain NW, for more info call (616) 451-4900.

Hello- Welcome to the Tinker's Tea room! My name is Terry Lancaster and together with the infamous (multi-instumentalist) street performer Jesse MacIntosh we are Tinker's Tea. You may be asking: What the hell is a tinker? Well, simply put, the tinker's are the gypsies of Ireland and the British Isles. They haven't been as popular in the New World but they still do exist here and there (try Canada). Anyway, a lot can be said about the Tinker's and their lifestyle/ethics but why go into it. Let's just say that they are a small marginalized population that are never really on anyone's guest list and are generally considered a troubled group of individuals that don't fit into a progressive social system. Kind of like us!!! We have found that we don't really fit into modern culture. Perhaps we were born a few hundred years too late. Perhaps we were born a few hundred years too early. One can never tell and we don't really put a whole lot of thought into it anyway. We just play the music that we want to play as it moves through us. I was in and out of Ireland for about four years and picked up a bit of fiddle and a whole new appreciation for the traditional music I had grown up listening to. I settled back home in the states and moved to Grand Rapids, MI. In a fit of syncronicity, whom did I move next door to? None other than Jessie MacIntosh. He was just starting to learn bagpipes and on a daily basis we would hear the squeals coming from down the street. While most of the neighborhood was probably considering moving, I made it a priority to meet this aspiring maverick piper and we became fast friends. We talked about music, music, music and were extremely excited to discover our shared musical interests. He introduced me to (my now much beloved) Robin Williamson and I introduced him to some really popular Irish traditional groups that I had heard across the pond. Anyway, that was six years ago and we have been great friends ever since. We have both come a long way musically since then, both independently and with each other. We are both multi-instrumentalists. Jessie plays guitar, mandolin, highland and small pipes, mountain dulcimer, all sorts of harmonicas and mandola, amongst others that I am probably forgetting. I play guitar, fiddle, plectrum banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, bodhran amongst others that I am probably forgetting. Now, to explain the "tea" part. We both love tea. Whether it is with Barry's or a good old Brodies of Edinburgh we almost always start our music making with a cup of tea. It has become a ritual (think Japanese Tea Ceremony, only not nearly as cultured or meaningful!) Actually, it is just a couple of buddies trying not to spill-on/burn ourselves while making sure that there are no beard hair floaties in the brew. After throwing back a few cups its off to making music. Usually something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue-ish?? Well, I like to think of it as green (much more organic) or perhaps black would be the most appropriate color as what we do is a mixture of just about everything that rings of folk/traditional music on either side of the Atlantic. Now, as everyone knows, the Irish/Brits all love a cup of tea. The only problem is that the Tinkers (being of limited means) can't afford the newest fancy teas from India or China. They follow the ancient Tinker's Tea recipe: take a bit of that over there, mix it with a pinch of this under here, heat over an open flame until boiling. Then let stand for a bit and state (dramatically) "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger lads!!! Then drink fully. This has not only been our approach to making music but to life in general for the past decade or so. Therefore, this name seems to be extremely well suited for us. Come see us having our fun if you get the chance. Whether we are playing in front of the fireplace upsetting the upstairs neighbor who is trying to watch TV-thank you very much (gag!!!) or in a small pub for those who will listen, we will be trying our best and more importantly, having a great time. Cheers!!!
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