Tea Leaf Green
Midnight on the Reservoir
© 2001 Tea Leaf Green
CD OUT OF STOCK for re-production. Expect long delays.
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Original exploratory rock n' roll with a vision definitively unique to this band.
tracks
- 1 Reservoir
- 2 Sex in the 70's
- 3 Panspermic De-evolution
- 4 Sister Said
- 5 I Believe
- 6 Sea Monkey's
- 7 Hot Dog
- 8 Moonshine
- 9 Papa's in the Backroom
- 10 Sleepwalker
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The genesis of Tea Leaf Green is entrenched in the environment in which the band members were raised. From the pastoral vineyard blanketed surroundings of the hills of San Jose in the north to the glittering dreams of the Sunset Strip in the southland, the origins embody California, the land of hard fought progression as well as lazy days in the eternal sun.
Guitarist Joshua Clark and drummer Scott Rager were childhood chums, brought along in the positive and enriching environment of a Los Angeles suburb. The two first began playing together in 1995 in a classic rock inspired outfit by the name of Parmalot. Rager brought to the fold the experience of playing to sold out audiences at both the Whiskey A-go-go and the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, with his then band, Salty Onion.
After high school, Scott packed up his leaving trunk and headed for the lights of San Francisco, where the grass is much greener. It didn't take long for him to encounter bassist Benjamin Chambers on the campus of San Francisco State University. It was a chance meeting at best, but in hindsight, the destiny of both players. Chambers was also a transplanted Los Angelino, thus the roots ran deep.
The two musicians, spurred by a mutual desire to start a band, met casually for instrumental jam sessions in Ben's tiny bedroom in a back house off Church Street. This period together allowed both to get to know each other personally and artistically and the foundation of a stellar rhythm section was solidified. The musical interest were similar, yet diverse enough, to spark interest at both ends. Scott introduced his crisp rock drumming to Ben's funk inspired basslines.
Not long after, Josh also made the move from the San Gabriel Valley to The City. Clark brought to the table lightening fast fingers and an intrinsic ear for his art. A trio was instantly formed. The group, though each adequete songwriters, still lacked a true tune-smith. A handful of singers, guitarists, and hanger's-on made their way through the threshold at Church Street, but none were able to supply what the three desired so badly, a fourth, and equally potent, wheel to get the car motoring down the highway.
One night, at a warehouse party, a young, blond, bomber-jacket clad, keyboard virtuoso named Trevor Garrod caught the boy's performance. He asked if he could play with them. After hearing what Trevor had to offer, quick hands and melodic chord progressions, they readily agreed to allow him to join the band.
Trevor delivered an instant jolt to the outfit. Songs poured from his banks like an endless pitcher of beer. He presented his own musical numbers and helped complete the solid, though unfinished, arsenal of songs the band already possesed. The foursome soon cut a rough demo that, while antiquated now, was a glimpse into the greatness and complexity currently associated with the group.
As any musician will tell you the only way to improve and progress is, simply, constant gigging. This is what the lads set out to do. They provided entertainment at studio parties, art shows, small clubs, backyards, and anywhere else that would allow them to plug in and jam.
Before they knew it, they had a small, but extremely dedicated, following. A fanbase was developed in San Francisco, on the campus of UC Davis, and in the Los Angeles basin. Soon the band was preforming at clubs like the Paradise Lounge, Boomerang, and the Hotel Utah. Over the next three years ceaseless exploration musically and a vault of original material help propel them to the position they maintain today. In the last year and a half the band played the Davis Whole Earth Festival, The Last Day Saloon, and currently hold the weekly Monday night slot at the fabled Elbo Room located in the Mission District.
The band continues to improve with each performance, showcasing a stunning array of sophisticated material that explores the sonic landscape of progressive, experimental rock music, From the Doors to the Grateful Dead, from Steely Dan to Yes, from the Jayhawks to Frank Zappa, from The Allman Brothers to Phish, the list of influences in endless. But more importantly, the music is distincly their own definitive vision. Such songs as Baseball Jam, Sex in the Seventies, Professor's Blues,(fill in the blanks) reveal each member's individual brilliance as well as a cohesive understandinding painfully absent from today's music scene.
There is no limit to the band's future. As new fans discover the awe inspiring quartet, as old fans shake their heads in understanding, as girls whirl beneath the psychedelic overtures, one aspect can be confirmed and agreed upon- THIS BAND ROCKS!