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!!!
posted by Tinker's Tea 11:14 PM 0 comments