The Tear Garden’s conception can literally be traced back to a seat on an aeroplane high over Greenland in 1986. cEvin Key, composer and instrumentalist of an emerging Skinny Puppy had asked Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots to write lyrics for a piece that deserved more than a bonus slot on a cassette release. The song was “Center Bullet” and Ka-Spel’s contribution was requested as he had been invited to perform a string of performances in Key’s home city of Vancouver in Canada. The connection had been building for some time and after a new version of “Center Bullet” had been laid down in less than an hour, it seemed logical to write a few songs from scratch. The collaboration was set in stone… the Tear Garden was blooming and it deserved a future. A first album , “Tired Eyes Slowly Burning” was recorded a year later and as the years rolled on, the band/ project expanded, taking in Dwayne Goettel from Skinny Puppy and literally the entire lineup of the Legendary Pink Dots. Fast forward 3 decades and the Tear Garden thrives; the new album , ‘Astral Elevator’ has been gleefully received and a long persistent cry from an audience clamouring for a tour look set to have their prayers answered. For some , the combination of Skinny Puppy’s sonic overload and the Pink Dots’ hallucinogenic labyrinth may seem like an unlikely combination, but the evidence of the music and the longevity of the project exemplifies a perfect marriage.