Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon tea break with our Afternoon Tea curators.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Tara MacLean.
Internationally acclaimed Canadian East Coast singer/songwriter Tara MacLean has released a new version of her 2000 hit song, “If I Fall.” The re-recorded version comes from her album, Sparrow.
The song was originally intended to be an upbeat and inspiring theme song for a TV show. Tara had never written music for anyone other than herself, and found that it was a wonderful exercise that allowed her to be unabashedly hooky in her approach. With this song, Tara wanted people to feel like there was nothing they couldn’t do.
“I love this part of the song because in re-recording it, I realized how prophetic this song has been for me, in my search for stillness, in my dreams coming true,” says Tara. “Now I look at my life and career and see how I have achieved so much of what I set out to do, and this song was a vehicle that brought me there.”
Sparrow is a companion soundtrack to her memoir about her life in music, which was released with a major publisher in March 2023. The album is a reimagined collection of her past work, as well as brand new material.
Music– Sanvean by Dead Can Dance from Toward The Within album. This piece of music is one of the most powerful I have ever heard. Lisa Gerrard is my favourite living singer, and something about this piece cracks me open like nothing else. I was at the concert when this was recorded, and it changed my life forever. As a singer, it showed me the difference between performing and opening. It showed me how a poem can become a prayer set to music. This piece gave me permission to hold back nothing.
Tea- Guayusa. This tea was just introduced to me this year and I love it. I have it in the afternoons when my energy dips. It is caffeinated, but it has an interesting relaxing effect as well, so you feel alert but calm. It is a loose leaf from South America and can be purchased through Harmonic Arts for excellent quality. I even have a special tea pot just for this tea!
Art- I love these metal sculptures by Peter McFarlane, an artist who lives on Salt Spring Island, BC. I’ve seen them in person and they are intriguing, intricate and brilliant. Check out his portfolio at petermcfarlane(dot)com.
Tea + Me 