It's surprising that Tea Leaf Green hasn't ever been to NedFest, since they would have fit well with so many of our artists over the years. So we are very pleased to finally get this mainstay of the jamband world up to a new venue in a state that they dearly love. For this band, the word "jamband" only describes the way they play, not what they play. Their music is so diverse that in a set you might hear songs that are totally pop, a song that has a soulful Motown groove, a jazzy upbeat rockish fusion tune, a song with a county tinge, and a jam with an old school Grateful Dead feel. You simply cannot pigeon-hole these guys except to say that they consistently put on performances to rave reviews.
Like so many bands, Tea Leaf Green had it's beginnings on a college campus. This time it was San Francisco State University circa '96, where drummer Scott Rager, keyboardist and vocalist Trevor Garrod, and the band's first bassist hooked up. Guitarist Josh Clark, who grew up with Rager in southern California moved upstate to join them. By '99 they were regulars at The Elbo Room. The San Francisco music scene at the time was flourishing with similar bands like New Monsoon and Animal Liberation Orchestra (both former NedFest artists also). In 2007 Reed Mathis replaced the band's original bassist. Recently in 2011 when the drummer Rager had a foot injury they enlisted the help of Cochrane McMillan on percussion. They apparently had so much fun that they kept Cochrane on as a permanent member of the band. When you hear the way the two of them brilliantly meld you will see why.
These guys are hard workers and have toured prolifically, playing all the biggest festivals from Wakarusa and Bonnaroo to High Sierra. Their eighth studio album, "In the Wake" will be released this month. In 2006 Bill Kreutzmann's son Justin directed a movie entitled "Rock and Roll Band" that featured Tea Leaf Green with footage of them at Boulder's Fox Theater. Check out a great YouTube clip of the film here:
Tea Leaf Green will be opening for (the last spot before) the Funky Meters on Saturday, August 24th.
Saturday advance tickets are $55. Currently 3-day tickets are on sale for $120.
For tickets visit: https://www.facebook.com/
