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 Alex Whorms.
Alex Whorms crafts music that is essentially a genre unto itself. From her beloved piano, the Hamilton singer, songwriter and composer flows freely and flawlessly between styles and sounds, gracefully blending classic singer-songwriter pop, jazz, rock, folk, classical and almost anything else that strikes her fancy — while investing everything with honest tales and authentic emotions drawn from her own life and experiences.
Her Once, In a Dream EP sprang to life as an instrumental collection of songs inspired by the extreme upheaval of life in lockdown, which led to letting her emotion flow into the keys, whilst lyrical writing remained evasive during the demanding times, accompanied by a head-space of composing score as a music composition student with Humber College.
Highlighted track “Faded” came from the emotional space a lot of us found ourselves in during the quarantines. Lonely and distant from others, focusing on the quiet isolation that allowed a bittersweet freedom to play as quietly or loudly as she chose. It was both beautiful and frustrating to have that quiet and uninterrupted environment to play the piano with so much abandon.
Stream + share the resonating and reflective “Faded” now:
Tea – “Organic Chocolate Orange” by Stash
I became obsessed with this tea while I was a student at McMaster University, because it wasn’t expensive and I love the flavour combo. Use two teabags per mug for the best flavour! It has just a little caffeine for when you have “just a bit more work left to do tonight…” (and I always do).
Art – [dis]appearing by Hilary Miriam Whorms
My cousin Hilary Miriam Whorms is an incredibly skilled and versatile artist who specialises in painting, drawing, and multi-media textile work, emphasising materiality and exploring the intersections between painting and photography. This piece, created using embroidery thread on canvas, is based on an image of Hilary’s grandmother and great aunt, in the late 1940’s.
Hilary’s Instagram: @hilarymiriamart
Music – “Sonsick” by San Fermin
This has been my favourite song for 2 or 3 years, a distinction previously held by Sarah Slean’s “Drastic Measures” for over 10 years!
I discovered it while listening to Alex Whorms Radio on Spotify, where the magical algorithms always bring up new music I’m sure to like. When “Sonsick” came on, I instantly felt great excitement. The arrangement, melodies, lyrics, and the band’s performance are breathtaking and so full of energy. I have spent hours (and at this point, probably days) listening to this song on repeat.
San Fermin features a rotating cast of singers, and many different studio and live recordings of “Sonsick” exist. My favourite version is this live recording with Rae Cassidy on lead vocals.
Tea + Me 