Infectious. If the music of Tea Leaf Green could be summed up in one word, infectious
would be it. Their ’70s throwback sound,
combined with masterful guitar work and carefully crafted lyrics, creates an undeniable vibe that invites concertgoers to join in their onstage fun. The San Francisco outfit will be making their first Canopy Club appearance tonight.
Tea Leaf Green is a quintessentially live band, playing upwards of 150-200 shows a year. When fans attend a show, they indulge in the richness, creativity and sense of community that is the Tea Leaf Green experience.
“When people come to our shows, they come to the party; they make a community happen,” said vocalist-keyboardist Trevor Garrod of TLG’s live show. “Touring is incredibly romantic,” he went on.
Articulate and gracious, Garrod is the reflection of a band with a thoughtful soul and an unassuming worldliness.
“Touring is very cosmopolitan – the whole country is your backyard,” he said.
With their extensive touring schedule, Tea Leaf Green has worked to spread their name across the country, receiving both critical acclaim and success along the way. This past April, their song “Taught to be Proud” won Song Of The Year at the 6th annual Jammy Awards. But don’t make the mistake of classifying TLG as “just a jam band.”
“That’s the music we’ve struggled to differentiate ourselves from,” Garrod said. “We’re not so much about ‘gettin’ the jams out.’
We’re more concentrated on having good songs, first and foremost. We want a complete three-minute song that can stand on its own, and when you can jam on it too, that’s great.”
TLG’s newest project is the October 31st release of Rock ‘N Roll Band. It is a compilation CD/DVD set of a recorded live show, familiar territory to Tea Leaf Green. This album will be their fifth live release since 2002. The DVD, however, was a startling new endeavor. Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, helmed the project.
“He’s so cool, coming from this rock ‘n roll, crazy lifestyle background,” Garrod quipped. “We just let him do what he wanted. He did a really great job.” As far as the record goes: “[I’m] really proud of the quality of the products. The sound quality is incredible, the mixing was great.”
Be sure to check out Tea Leaf Green’s show tonight at Canopy, and take part in the TLG party. They are introspective, talented, accessible and are contributing something truly great to the Champaign/Urbana concert scene. Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are $10.
