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The arrival of the venerable Canadian exotic rock trios highly anticipated new studio album, The Ocean At The End, marks the official end of the 10-year vacuum of fresh The Tea Party original material. The Black Sea, a stellar track from the 11-song-deep effort and the electrifying tandem of Jeff Martin (vocals, guitars, producer, songwriter); Stuart Chatwood (bass, keyboards) and Jeff Burrows (drums, percussion), completes the bands cycle of resurrection, some of the first new music weve heard from them since 2004s Seven Circles and the first project since the double-disc Live From Australia: The Reformation Tour 2012.

The three of us probably never thought wed be sitting here right now, admits Martin, whose booming baritone, emotionally candid and mystical songwriting and string-bending guitar prowess has served as the creative catalyst for eight platinum and gold studio albums, one EP, one greatest hits collection, a live disc and over 2 million in global album sales.

Its a testament to the strength of the music that weve created in the past and a testament to the friendship that exists between the three of us. We had to do a lot of soul-searching, but now the bond between the three of us is stronger.

Its what Jeff Burrows calls, simply, a rebirth.

This album is selfishly taking back what is collectively ours, says Burrows. For me, this record means taking back everything my family and my music with my brothers, and what we are going to give people around the world when they hear it.

Chatwood adds: For me, its the beginning of a new chapter in the bands career. This is a gateway record. Its an improvement on what weve done in the past and a catalyst to a new direction as we mature as songwriters.

Produced and engineered by Martin, mixed by Grammy-award-winning David Bottrill (Rush, Muse, Peter Gabriel, Tool) and recorded largely at Torontos Revolution Recording, The Ocean at the End contains some of the most streamlined music in The Tea Partys career.

Its a rock n roll record, declares Martin, one whose genesis began last year in Byron Bay, Australia and eventually migrated to the trios original home base of Windsor, Ontario. We started the writing process in Australia in Byron Bay, and songs like Brazil and the Cass Corridor, Submission and The Waters On Fire came out of that session, he continues. But where things got really exciting for us was when we jammed in Windsor: songs like The 11th Hour and The Line Of Control came out and it was really rock n roll. We were having fun and not over-thinking it anymore. The water had passed under the bridge, and were three friends now. What do you guys want to do? Rock! Okay, lets go!

We grew up right next to Detroit and the influence of that city infects our music more than any other extraneous influence, states Chatwood.

We dont really take ourselves so seriously anymore, says Martin. There are no insecurities. Were making music for ourselves and were having fun. Its the whole point of it all.

This easygoing attitude is a result of the new respect and appreciation of each other that The Tea Party principals felt while separated. The time apart gave us such a richer experience to bring to the table when it came to songwriting, because weve gone, done other projects and grown up as individuals, says Chatwood. The quality of this record speaks for itself.

Percussionist Burrows concurs. Individually, we came back with more confidence in ourselves, Burrows explains. Were more mature and self-reliant.

As much as theyre self-reliant on The Ocean At The End, a couple of guest stars also grace the album: For the percussively driven Brazil, Aline Morales knocks out some polyrhythms, while the title track relies on flute from one of rocks seminal figures, Jethro Tulls Ian Anderson.

Now that the album is complete, the interaction begins. Only this time, its different: three brothers reunited, finding new musical purpose and ultimately, enjoying the ride and each others company. Its all of us equally in it together, which is why The Ocean At The End stands quite possibly might be the strongest thing weve done. Say Martin. Now its time to go out and tour Australia, Canada, South American and Europe, and go to places we havent gone before. Weve laid all this kerosene in different parts of the world through our music now its time to go to those parts and light the match.

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The Tea Party | Official Website

In 1770, American protests led to Parliament's repeal of the Townshend duties except for the duty on tea retained by the British as a matter of principle. The colonists demonstrated their displeasure with the remaining tax by drinking smuggled tea. The effectiveness of American resistance was shown in the precipitous decline in tea sales in the colonies a drop of 70 percent over three years.

In 1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave the English East India Company a chance to avert bankruptcy by granting a monopoly on the importation of tea into the colonies. The new regulations allowed the company to sell tea to the colonists at a low price, lower than the price of smuggled tea, even including the required duty. The British reasoned that the Americans would willingly pay the tax if they were able to pay a low price for the tea.

On November 28 the Dartmouth arrived in Boston harbor with a cargo of Darjeeling tea. Samuel Adams and other radicals were determined that the cargo would not be landed in the city. His mobs roamed the streets in the evenings, threatening violence if challenged by the authorities. Governor Thomas Hutchinson was equally belligerent and vowed not to capitulate in the face of public opposition as had happened in other colonies.

Two other ships, the Beaver and the Eleanor, arrived with more consignments from the East India Company. Hutchinson remained firm and stated that the cargoes would be brought ashore and taxed in compliance with the law.

The Tea Act required that the requisite tax be collected within 20 days of a ships arrival, making December 16 the deadline. Sam Adams kept public fervor high by holding public meetings in the Old South Meeting House; crowds as large as 5,000 clogged the surrounding streets.

At one of these gatherings, a resolution was adopted that asked the consignees to return the tea. Those tea agents, some of them relatives of the governor, refused to do so. On December 16, the owner of the Dartmouth agreed to sail his ship back to England. This opportunity to ease tensions was abruptly ended, however, when British officials denied permission for the ship to clear the port and began preparations to seize the vessel for nonpayment of the tax.

That evening the ship owner reported his inability to depart from Boston to the throng at Old South. With that news Adams gave a signal to the group and loud Indian war whoops broke out. A group of some 50 men, unconvincingly disguised as Mohawk Indians, moved the short distance to Griffins Wharf where the three ships were moored.

The vessels were boarded, the cargo carefully taken from the holds and placed on the decks. There, 342 chests were split open and thrown into the harbor. A cheering crowd on the dock shouted its approval for the brewing of this saltwater tea.

The Tea Party was quickly restaged in other port cities in America and tended to polarize the sides in the widening dispute. Patriots and Loyalists became more ardent about their views. The prevailing view was that the destruction of private property was unwelcome, but understandable under the circumstances. A popular song of the day was called "Revolutionary Tea." Its first stanza was, "There was an old lady lived over the sea, And she was an Island Queen; Her daughter lived off in a new country, With an ocean of water between. The old lady's pockets were full of gold, But never contented was she, So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax, Of three pence a pound on her tea, Of three pence a pound on her tea."

Parliament and King chafed at the destruction of private property and the deliberate flouting of royal authority. They would soon turn to sterner actions.

- - - Books You May Like Include: ----

Boston Miscellany, An Essential History of the Hub by William Marchione. Look back to a time when riots raged through the streets of Boston, when Beacon Hill was a neighborhood of beggars and vagabonds and papal effigies bu... The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution by Alfred F. Young. On December 16, 1773, some 150 men boarded three ships docked at Griffin's Wharf. Dressed as Mohawks, their faces darkened with soot, the men cracked ... Samuel Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll. In this stirring biography, Samuel Adams joins the first tier of founding fathers, a rank he has long deserved. With eloquence equal to that of Thomas... Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot by Joseph Cummins. Everyone knows the story of the Boston Tea Partyin which colonists stormed three British ships and dumped 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. Bu...

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Boston Tea Party - United States American History

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

AP

CBS News and the New York Times surveyed 1,580 adults, including 881 self-identified Tea Party supporters, to get a snapshot of the Tea Party movement. There is a lot of information to unpack; let's begin with the demographics.

Eighteen percent of Americans identify as Tea Party supporters. The vast majority of them -- 89 percent -- are white. Just one percent is black.

They tend to skew older: Three in four are 45 years old or older, including 29 percent who are 65 plus. They are also more likely to be men (59 percent) than women (41 percent).

More than one in three (36 percent) hails from the South, far more than any other region. Twenty-five percent come from the West, 22 percent from the Midwest, and 18 percent from the northeast.

CBS

More than half (54 percent) identify as Republicans, and another 41 percent say they are independents. Just five percent call themselves Democrats, compared to 31 percent of adults nationwide.

Nearly three in four describe themselves as conservative, and 39 percent call themselves very conservative. Sixty percent say they always or usually vote Republican. Forty percent say the United States needs a third party, while 52 percent say it does not.

They are more likely than American adults overall to attend religious services weekly (38 percent do so) and to call themselves evangelical (39 percent). Sixty-one percent are Protestant, and another 22 percent are Catholic.

More than half -- 58 percent -- keep a gun in the household.

More than three in four Tea Party supporters (78 percent) have never attended a rally or donated to a group; most have also not visited a Tea Party Web site.

For the purposes of the poll, those who have attended a rally or donated to a group have been deemed Tea Party "activists." Four percent of Americans fall into this category.

Tea Party activists tend to be even angrier, more pessimistic about the country and more negative about President Obama than other Americans who identify as part of the Tea Party movement. For a breakdown of the beliefs of these activists, click here.

What They Believe

AP

Asked what they are most angry about, the top four answers among Tea Party supporters who identify as angry were the health care reform bill (16 percent), the government not representing the people (14 percent), government spending (11 percent) and unemployment and the economy (8 percent).

More than nine in ten (92 percent) say America is on the wrong track, while just six percent say the country is headed in the right direction. Fifty-nine percent of Americans overall say the country is on the wrong track.

Eighty-eight percent disapprove of President Obama's performance on the job, compared to 40 percent of Americans overall. While half of Americans approve of Mr. Obama's job performance, just seven percent of Tea Party supporters say he is doing a good job.

Asked to volunteer what they don't like about Mr. Obama, the top answer, offered by 19 percent of Tea Party supporters, was that they just don't like him. Eleven percent said he is turning the country more toward socialism, ten percent cited his health care reform efforts, and nine percent said he is dishonest.

Seventy-seven percent describe Mr. Obama as "very liberal," compared to 31 percent of Americans overall. Fifty-six percent say the president's policies favor the poor, compared to 27 percent of Americans overall.

Sixty-four percent believe that the president has increased taxes for most Americans, despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans got a tax cut under the Obama administration. Thirty-four percent of the general public says the president has raised taxes on most Americans.

While most Americans (58 percent) say the president understands their needs and problems, just 24 percent of Tea Party supporters agree. Just one in five say the president shares the values of most Americans.

Only one percent of Tea Party supporters approve of the job Congress is doing, compared to 17 percent of Americans overall.

Twenty-four percent of Tea Party supporters say it is sometimes justified to take violent action against the government. That compares to 16 percent of Americans overall who say violence against the government is sometimes justified.

CBS

Nearly half say the main goal of the movement is to reduce the role of the federal government, far outdistancing any other consideration. Just seven percent say the goal of the movement is to elect Tea Party candidates.

An overwhelming majority of Tea Party supporters, 84 percent, say the views of the Tea Party movement reflect the views of most Americans. But Americans overall disagree: Just 25 percent say the Tea Party movement reflects their beliefs, while 36 percent say it does not.

Socialism, The Birther Movement, and Tea Party Leaders

Ninety-two percent of Tea Party supporters believe President Obama's policies are moving the country toward socialism. Fifty-two percent of Americans overall share that belief.

Asked what socialism means, roughly half of Tea Party supporters volunteered government ownership or control, far more than any other answer. Eleven percent cited taking away rights or limiting freedom, and eight percent said it means the redistribution of wealth.

Thirty percent of Tea Party supporters believe Mr. Obama was born in another country, despite ample evidence to the contrary. Another 29 percent say they don't know. Twenty percent of Americans overall, one in five, believe the president was not born in the United States. (More on this part of the poll here.)

Tea Party supporters were asked in the poll what they thought of a few notable figures. The most popular was Sarah Palin, who is viewed favorably by 66 percent of people in the movement. Only 40 percent, however, believe she would be an effective president, a smaller percentage than Republicans overall.

Fifty-nine percent of Tea Party supporters have a favorable impression of Glenn Beck. Nearly as many, 57 percent, have a favorable impression of former President George W. Bush, despite his role in raising the deficit and overseeing TARP bailout of the financial sector.

Just 35 percent view John McCain favorably, and 28 percent view Ron Paul favorably. (More on this part of the poll here.)

CBS

Tea Party Supporters on the Issues

Tea Party supporters are more concerned with economic than social issues. Seventy-eight percent say economic issues are a bigger concern, while 14 percent point to social issues.

They are more likely than Republicans and Americans overall to see illegal immigration as a serious problem (82 percent), doubt the impact of global warming (66 percent) and call the bank bailout unnecessary (74 percent).

Fifty-three percent say the Roe v. Wade decision was a bad thing (compared to 34 percent of Americans overall), 40 percent oppose same-sex marriage and civil unions (compared to 30 percent overall) and 30 percent want gun control laws eased (compared to 16 percent overall).

Ninety-three percent describe the economy as at least somewhat bad, and 42 percent say it is getting worse. Fifty-eight percent believe America's best years are behind us when it comes to good jobs, compared to 45 percent of Americans overall.

Just ten percent say the stimulus package had a positive effect on the economy (compared to 32 percent of Americans overall), while 36 percent say it actually made things worse. More than half say it had no impact.

Eighty-nine percent say the president has expanded the role of government too much. More than three in four say lowering the federal government is more important than government spending to create jobs.

And while the vast majority opposes the health care reform bill, 62 percent say programs like Social Security and Medicare are worth the costs to taxpayers. (The figure is even higher among Americans overall, at 76 percent.)

Views on Race

Tea Party supporters are less likely than Americans overall to believe whites have more opportunities to get ahead than blacks.

Just 16 percent of Tea Party supporters say whites have more opportunities to get ahead, compared to 31 percent of all Americans. Seventy-three percent say both have equal opportunity, compared to 60 percent of Americans overall.

Fifty-two percent believe too much has been made of the problems facing black people. Far fewer Americans overall -- 28 percent -- believe as much. Among non-Tea Party whites, the percentage who say too much attention has been paid to the problems of black people is 23 percent.

A majority of Tea Party suppers believe the Obama administration treats both blacks and whites the same way. But one in four believe the administration favors blacks over whites, an opinion shared by just 11 percent of Americans overall and seven percent of non-Tea Party whites.

Most Tea Partiers Believe Too Much Made of Problems Facing Blacks Tea Partiers View Palin, Beck and Bush Favorably Tea Party Activists Small but Passionate Group "Birther" Myth Persists Among Tea Partiers, All Americans Most Tea Party Supporters Say Their Taxes Are Fair Bob Schieffer: Tea Partiers Not Just "A Bunch of Yahoos" CBS Evening News: Tea Party Steeped in Fury

Read the Complete Poll on Who They Are (PDF) Read the Complete Poll on What They Believe (PDF)

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,580 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone April 5-12, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

An oversample of people who describe themselves as supporters of the Tea Party movement were interviewed, for a total of 881 interviews. The results were then weighted in proportion to the adult population. The margin of error for the sample of Tea Party supporters is three points. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are and What They Believe ...

Consider a story told by a bankruptcy attorney. If a consumer went to his or her bank the same way that the congress goes to the American People in the form of currency and borrowing, the family would likely be turned around by the banker over and over again. The very fact that a family would visit their bank or other lender and ask for more credit once theyre already far too over-extended is quite absurd.

So what should a family do if they are in a desperate situation financially and need a fresh start to get their family back on track again? Certainly there are a few options, one of which is bankruptcy, but certainly it is not the only option. For a person considering bankruptcy, its important to realize that most of the time, there is another way out prior to getting to the point where bankruptcy is located. Somewhere on a path that ends in a bankruptcy refresh, a family or a head of family, or certainly even any single person who contemplates their finances can read the writing on the wall about things being bad. But the question then becomes one of how did they get there and can they figure out how to get back into the light as opposed to being under the dark and heavy weight of burdensome debt.

So how do you prevent bankruptcy? To prevent bankruptcy, often the willpower of good financial decision making is needed. But more than that can also be required in some situations. You see, most people think that a person chooses to get into a situation that eventually leads to bankruptcy. As a matter of convenience, it is easier for a person to look at those filing bankruptcy and to assume that the person chose a lifestyle which ended in bankruptcy. But many of these people making such assumptions do not realize that bankruptcy is most commonly caused by medical reasons over any other financial hardship.

That said, certainly those people who find themselves in that situation could have had insurance, or some safety net which could help them. Yes, this is the case, but not always. So when you consider your options, make sure that throughout your life you choose to save for a rainy day. Heck, whether a person has not filed, or has filed bankruptcy. It is paramount to save for a rainy day!

Excerpt from:
Arkansas Tea Party Fears Bankruptcy of Federal Government

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When thinking about tea parties, do you find yourself overwhelmed with thoughts of the British gentry, scenes from Alice in Wonderland, Victorian decor, blue haired ladies and pinky fingers stuck up in the air? If so, you're both right and wrong. You're right because as the tradition of "Afternoon" Tea has developed over time, it has become an elegant affair. You're wrong because "High" Tea was often enjoyed by the British working class as their evening supper, with heartier fare than the tea sandwiches and scones that are now associated with tea parties.

As the custom has evolved, tea time is usually scheduled from mid to late afternoon. It's a between meal snack that is a lot more elegant than a bag of chips from the vending machine. It needn't be extremely fussy, although the meal often includes savory, bite size sandwiches, scones or biscuits, and sweets (along with a good pot of tea, of course!) Both men and women enjoy afternoon tea in England, and it's often used as a function for entertaining business clients.

An Afternoon Tea Party is suitable for many celebrations. When you'd like to host a party that isn't as involved as a dinner party, a tea party can be the answer. It's an ideal format for a bridal or baby shower, a retirement party, a birthday celebration, or time to catch up with good friends. The food is prepared before your guests arrive, and is either presented buffet style, or by passing plates of goodies at the table. The only thing you need to serve is the tea itself, leaving you plenty of time to relax and enjoy your guests. Your guest list can include dozens of people or only one good friend with whom you'd like to share an intimate conversation. It can be a very formal affair as you'll find at some of the more elegant hotels, or it can be as casual as a pot of tea and some cookies.

Whatever your reason for hosting your next tea party, enjoy a cup for me!

In many parts of the world, tea time is an honored tradition of refinement and elegance. When you're planning a tea party -- whether for a shower, graduation, birthday, or just for fun -- adorn your table with your best china, silver, and linens.

These add polish and grace to the occasion, and in our "paper cup" world they remind us fondly of earlier times.

If you'd like to find more of Donna Pilato's advice on hosting parties and entertaining friends and familyyou can visit her atThe Delicious Dozen.

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How to Host an Afternoon Tea Party