Tea Leaf Green

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Tea Leaf Green
Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark with Tea Leaf Green performing at Wakarusa 2006.
Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark with Tea Leaf Green performing at Wakarusa 2006.
Background information
Origin San Francisco, California, USA
Genre(s) Rock, Jam
Years active 1998–present
Website www.tealeafgreen.com
Members
Scott Rager
Josh Clark
Trevor Garrod
Reed Mathis
Former members
Ben Chambers

Tea Leaf Green is a quartet rock band from San Francisco, California. They focus both on the piano and the guitar as the driving force in their music. Tea Leaf Green is Josh Clark (guitar/vocals), Scott Rager (drums), Trevor Garrod (keyboards/vocals), and Tea Leaf Green's newest member, Reed Mathis (bass).

Contents

[edit] History

The band made heavy touring a staple of their group. The band has released four studio albums, Tea Leaf Green, Midnight On the Reservoir, Living In Between, and Taught to Be Proud, as well as a number of live albums, all while continuing to tour across the United States. In autumn of 2005, the band caught the eye of improvisation heavyweight Trey Anastasio of Phish fame and were asked to support his tour. On one of those dates (November 12, 2005 at Lewiston, Maine), the former Phish bandleader came out to play with them during their set. Later that same year, the band also supported the popular blues rock outfit Gov't Mule.

"Taught To Be Proud" won Song of the Year at the 6th Annual Jammy Awards in 2006.

On November 13, 2007, former Tea Leaf Green bassist Ben Chambers announced:

“ After ten great years on the road as a touring musician, I have come to the realization that this life is not for me. As a result, I have decided to leave Tea Leaf Green to pursue some of my life's other passions. I wish my brothers in the band only the best. Their future is surely bright. Most of all, I am so grateful to my family, friends, and fans. You've always encouraged my free spirit; thanks for your continued support." ”

Ben often operated under various noms de plume, including Milky, The Weed, Dechron-c, and Franz Hanzerbeak. Ben contributed a rap style to the repertoire, rapping lead in such songs as "Planet of Green Love," "Biscuits," and "Addressing the Community." The band simultaneously announced Reed Mathis as their new bassist. In a version of Planet of Green Love Ben Chambers raps,"I'm a pot smoking mother fucking gangster."

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

  • Tea Leaf Green (1999)
  • Midnight On the Reservoir (2001)
  • Living In Between (2003)
  • Taught To Be Proud (2005)
  • Raise Up the Tent (2008)

[edit] Live albums

  • 5/3/02 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
  • 6/6/03 - Slim's, San Francisco, CA
  • 8/23/03 - Project THERE, San Francisco, CA (double album)
  • 3/6/04 - The Independent, San Francisco CA
  • 5/19/06 - Rock 'n' Roll Band, Boulder, CO (released October 2006)

[edit] DVDs

  • Green Dream (2004)
  • Rock 'n' Roll Band (2006)

[edit] Compilations

  • Seeds (3-Disc Set of their first three studio albums)

[edit] Coffee Bean Brown

For smaller acoustic shows, Tea Leaf Green has often used the alter-ego Coffee Bean Brown. Aside from the acoustic guitars and piano, banjos, cellos, and mandolins were also used. Although the band still performs many acoustic shows, they had largely stopped using the Coffee Bean Brown name until Saturday, September 8, 2007, when it resurfaced for the opening set of a Tea Leaf Green show on the final night of a three night run at Blender Theater in New York City. Coffee Bean Brown was in action again on the following Tuesday, September 11, 2007, at a very special invitation only show for fifty lucky fans, upstairs at Mo Pitkin's on the Lower East Side in New York.

[edit] External links