With I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck, released just a few months ago, Tea Eater proves that chaos can be catchy and superstition can dance. Led by Tarra Thiessen, the Brooklyn band serves up quirky, dark, gritty, fuzz-drenched, and raw noise-pop spells brewed with humor, heartbreak, and just the right amount of cosmic nonsense. It’s art-punk you can dance to, cry to, and maybe summon something with. Their next ritual goes down Monday, October 27 at Night Club 101 in the East Village, where you can expect screaming, laughing, and possibly someone shouting “BUTTER!”
📷: Michelle LoBianco
★ What’s the tea, Tea Eater?
I consulted the Tea Eater tarot deck and the tea for today is … the 6 of Waffles (aka Harmony Waffles). The image on this card is six vinyl-record waffles in a jukebox, it signifies a lot of good music and shows coming up, including Tea Eater playing free with RSVP on Monday, October 27 at Night Club 101 in the East Village.
★ If you had to sum up Tea Eater in just three words, what would they be?
Fun, Campy & Cunty.
★ In “I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck,” you sing “I don’t care what your cats did today.” But what if they did something weird enough to change your mind?
That line comes from the song’s perspective of Bad Luck, and Bad Luck doesn’t care what your cats did today because cats have nine lives and avoid Bad Luck for the most part. I think cats also avoid Bad Luck by being perceived as Bad Luck themselves. But in general Bad Luck doesn’t even think of itself as bad, it just is what it is and humans are the ones that make it such a thing. Bad Luck is just trying to be its own chill life-force energy.
That being said I love cats, send me all the weird cat stuff you got!!
★ Favorite Brooklyn band that deserves way more hype?
Nite Music, obviously.
★ What’s the most Brooklyn thing you’ve ever seen at a show?
The singer Sal Manzo performed at The Feast of Giglio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this past summer and shouted out the girls on the rooftop of Muchmore’s a bunch.
Later that evening the whole crowd was singing Sweet Caroline and the church pastor was high fiving everyone and I later learned he was the Brooklyn monsignor who let Sabrina Carpenter record a blasphemous music video in his church which somehow led to the indictment of Eric Adams.
★ What’s your dream Brooklyn DIY lineup for a night that ends in noise complaints?
★ Do you want your music to make people dance, scream, cry, or finally dump their situationship?
I want them to scream BUTTER!
★ Do you feel like you’re performing for an audience or disrupting it?
I feel like I’m a bug and I need love.
Check out Tea Eater here