Tea Leaf Green New Year’s Eve Show Announced
 Tea Leaf Green |
Tea Leaf Green has announced that they will be celebrating New Year’s Eve at The Compound in Phoenix, AZ. Join the band as they celebrate the arrival of 2010 at this brand new venue and ring in the New Year in style! Presale tickets are available now.
Tea Leaf Green play this Halloween weekend at the Las Tortugas Music Festival in Groveland, CA near Yosemite.
Tea Leaf Green tour dates available here.
Words by: Justin Gillett | Images by: Dave Vann
Golden Gate Gramble II :: 08.22.09 :: Mezzanine :: San Francisco, CA
 The Gramble :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
When San Francisco experiences a rare day of high temperatures masses of people take to the parks and streets to escape buildings that are typically without air conditioning systems. Hipsters flock to Dolores Park, hippies to hippie hill, crack heads to The Tenderloin, and so on. On Friday August 28, the first day of Outside Lands (read the review here), the heat was stifling and caused many festival-goers to seek shade during the day while eagerly anticipating the cool night to come. When the music in the park ended, due to the strictly enforced 10 p.m. noise curfew, festival revelers with no intention of sleeping headed downtown to Mezzanine for the second annual Golden Gate Gramble. The lineup featured a who’s who of Bay Area jammers including ALO, Tea Leaf Green guitar player Josh Clark‘s side project Counter Clarkwise, the Beck cover band New Fangled Wasteland and a large amount of surprise guests. While there is no solid definition of the word “gramble,” one of the founders of the musical event, Greg Loiacono of The Mother Hips, has said a gramble is “an undefinable word and or action.” However ambiguous that definition may be, all who showed up for the second annual Gramble undoubtedly came away from the amazing show with their own unique understanding of what the word means.
Beck cover band New Fangled Wasteland played first, and is comprised of bassist Steve Adams (ALO, Big Light), drummer Dave Brogan (ALO), freelance guitar extraordinary Chris Haugen and Trevor Garrod (Tea Leaf Green) on keys. For a side project/cover band, New Fangled Wasteland is as tight and just as apt to carry on musical improvisation as any of the members’ respective main bands. The group typically started off a Beck song and drifted into an extended jam that saw all the musicians playing with such commitment and skill that it’s unfortunate the band only plays special engagements; a fact that makes their rare performances something to truly appreciate. Haugen’s guitar style really added to the overall musical palette, especially on “Earthquake Weather,” “Farewell Ride” and “Mixed Bizness.”
 ALO :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
Up next was Counter Clarkwise, a band formed on a whim after Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction suggested the name to Josh Clark while the two were touring together with Region of Darkness. With a constantly revolving cast of musicians that has included Steve Molitz (Particle), Steve Adams and Reed Mathis (TLG), Clarkwise is used as a vehicle for Clark stay busy when his time isn’t consumed with Tea Leaf. The musical endeavor also provides an avenue for Clark to do some musical lampooning. Coming from the “jam scene” and living in San Francisco, Clarkwise songs like “Condescending Hippy” and “Ninja Hipster” seem to act as an outlet for Clark and playing the songs to a hometown audience is a form of therapy. While at its core, Counter Clarkwise is a country rock group, there are occasional bouts of psychedelia and free form jam that really highlight the ensemble’s varied talents.
When ALO took the stage, vocalist and key master Zach Gill tried to offer his understanding of what a gramble is: “[It's] some sort of combination of grinning and rambling,” although noting that his definition is still open for interpretation. Gill was in no rush with ALO, telling the crowd that the music was going to go extremely late into the night. Due to the lack of consistent touring in the past two years, the group has spent less time together as the ALO collective in recent years, instead, opting to invest time into individual solo and side projects. ALO has apparently been working on new material, though, and played some of the new songs this night. At one point, keyboards were brought out for Adams and Lebo, typically the bass player and guitarist of the band, and an electronic drum pad was carted out for Brogan. With the electronic instruments in place, the band went into an interesting version of “Girl I Want To Lay You Down.” The song sounded like the end result of a lot of Kraftwerk listening, and acted as a live PA version of the ALO classic. A cover of Steely Dan‘s “The Fez,” off the studio kings’ 1976 gem The Royal Scam, was a surprise treat. Around 2 am, as the group left the stage, the crowd looked uncertain yet extremely hopeful for the annual gramble to come.
 Adams, Garrod, Gill – Grambling :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
Opening up the gramble section were keyboardists Gill and Garrod, who shared keys and vocal duties on Kenny Rogers‘ time-honored classic “The Gambler,” a truly deserving song to start off the set. With a nonstop rotation of musicians coming and going during the gramble it was hard to keep track of who was playing. All the members of New Fangled Wasteland came out and played “Devil’s Haircut” and “Scarecrow,” once again highlighting the underrated guitar talent of Chris Haugen.
Next out was Big Light, a band that has received much attention in the Bay Area and beyond over the past year. Going through several lineup changes, Big Light has been scaled back to a tight-knit four piece, including Steve Adams on bass. Big Light’s guitarist Jeremy “Swordfish” Korpas has really grown into his own as a lead six-string shredder. When Eric McFadden and New Monsoon‘s Jeff Miller came onstage and picked up guitars many musicians would have been intimidated, but Swordfish rose to the occasion and met his peers with fierce, confident playing.
Artist-at-large Charles Gonzalez came out at one point to lend vocals to The Modern Lovers’ “Pablo Picasso.” With a ragtag cast of performers onstage, Gonzalez seemed to perfectly capitalize off the anything-can-happen mentality of the gramble. Also noteworthy was a bluegrass themed cover of Radiohead‘s “Creep” some time before 4:00 am, when the night wound down after an exhausting display of grambling.
Continue reading for a few more pics of the Golden Gate Gramble II…
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JamBase | Grambled
Go See Live Music!
Words by: Justin Gillett | Images by: Dave Vann
Golden Gate Gramble II :: 08.22.09 :: Mezzanine :: San Francisco, CA
| The Gramble :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
When San Francisco experiences a rare day of high temperatures masses of people take to the parks and streets to escape buildings that are typically without air conditioning systems. Hipsters flock to Dolores Park, hippies to hippie hill, crack heads to The Tenderloin, and so on. On Friday August 28, the first day of Outside Lands (read the review here), the heat was stifling and caused many festival-goers to seek shade during the day while eagerly anticipating the cool night to come. When the music in the park ended, due to the strictly enforced 10 p.m. noise curfew, festival revelers with no intention of sleeping headed downtown to Mezzanine for the second annual Golden Gate Gramble. The lineup featured a who’s who of Bay Area jammers including ALO, Tea Leaf Green guitar player Josh Clark‘s side project Counter Clarkwise, the Beck cover band New Fangled Wasteland and a large amount of surprise guests. While there is no solid definition of the word “gramble,” one of the founders of the musical event, Greg Loiacono of The Mother Hips, has said a gramble is “an undefinable word and or action.” However ambiguous that definition may be, all who showed up for the second annual Gramble undoubtedly came away from the amazing show with their own unique understanding of what the word means.
Beck cover band New Fangled Wasteland played first, and is comprised of bassist Steve Adams (ALO, Big Light), drummer Dave Brogan (ALO), freelance guitar extraordinary Chris Haugen and Trevor Garrod (Tea Leaf Green) on keys. For a side project/cover band, New Fangled Wasteland is as tight and just as apt to carry on musical improvisation as any of the members’ respective main bands. The group typically started off a Beck song and drifted into an extended jam that saw all the musicians playing with such commitment and skill that it’s unfortunate the band only plays special engagements; a fact that makes their rare performances something to truly appreciate. Haugen’s guitar style really added to the overall musical palette, especially on “Earthquake Weather,” “Farewell Ride” and “Mixed Bizness.”
| ALO :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
Up next was Counter Clarkwise, a band formed on a whim after Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction suggested the name to Josh Clark while the two were touring together with Region of Darkness. With a constantly revolving cast of musicians that has included Steve Molitz (Particle), Steve Adams and Reed Mathis (TLG), Clarkwise is used as a vehicle for Clark stay busy when his time isn’t consumed with Tea Leaf. The musical endeavor also provides an avenue for Clark to do some musical lampooning. Coming from the “jam scene” and living in San Francisco, Clarkwise songs like “Condescending Hippy” and “Ninja Hipster” seem to act as an outlet for Clark and playing the songs to a hometown audience is a form of therapy. While at its core, Counter Clarkwise is a country rock group, there are occasional bouts of psychedelia and free form jam that really highlight the ensemble’s varied talents.
When ALO took the stage, vocalist and key master Zach Gill tried to offer his understanding of what a gramble is: “[It's] some sort of combination of grinning and rambling,” although noting that his definition is still open for interpretation. Gill was in no rush with ALO, telling the crowd that the music was going to go extremely late into the night. Due to the lack of consistent touring in the past two years, the group has spent less time together as the ALO collective in recent years, instead, opting to invest time into individual solo and side projects. ALO has apparently been working on new material, though, and played some of the new songs this night. At one point, keyboards were brought out for Adams and Lebo, typically the bass player and guitarist of the band, and an electronic drum pad was carted out for Brogan. With the electronic instruments in place, the band went into an interesting version of “Girl I Want To Lay You Down.” The song sounded like the end result of a lot of Kraftwerk listening, and acted as a live PA version of the ALO classic. A cover of Steely Dan‘s “The Fez,” off the studio kings’ 1976 gem The Royal Scam, was a surprise treat. Around 2 am, as the group left the stage, the crowd looked uncertain yet extremely hopeful for the annual gramble to come.
| Adams, Garrod, Gill – Grambling :: 08.22 :: San Francisco |
Opening up the gramble section were keyboardists Gill and Garrod, who shared keys and vocal duties on Kenny Rogers‘ time-honored classic “The Gambler,” a truly deserving song to start off the set. With a nonstop rotation of musicians coming and going during the gramble it was hard to keep track of who was playing. All the members of New Fangled Wasteland came out and played “Devil’s Haircut” and “Scarecrow,” once again highlighting the underrated guitar talent of Chris Haugen.
Next out was Big Light, a band that has received much attention in the Bay Area and beyond over the past year. Going through several lineup changes, Big Light has been scaled back to a tight-knit four piece, including Steve Adams on bass. Big Light’s guitarist Jeremy “Swordfish” Korpas has really grown into his own as a lead six-string shredder. When Eric McFadden and New Monsoon‘s Jeff Miller came onstage and picked up guitars many musicians would have been intimidated, but Swordfish rose to the occasion and met his peers with fierce, confident playing.
Artist-at-large Charles Gonzalez came out at one point to lend vocals to The Modern Lovers’ “Pablo Picasso.” With a ragtag cast of performers onstage, Gonzalez seemed to perfectly capitalize off the anything-can-happen mentality of the gramble. Also noteworthy was a bluegrass themed cover of Radiohead‘s “Creep” some time before 4:00 am, when the night wound down after an exhausting display of grambling.
Continue reading for a few more pics of the Golden Gate Gramble II…
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JamBase | Grambled
Go See Live Music!
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A well-executed cover tune serves the two-fold purpose of illuminating one’s influences and bowing respectfully towards the source material, often sparking greater appreciation for the original version in the listener. However, the perfect balance of homage and a band’s own distinct flavors is tougher to pull off than most think. This week the Playlist inaugurates a spotlight on covers that have achieved this happy yin-yang, and we’ll circle back around periodically to present y’all with more killer interpretations.
We begin this super-sized Playlist with Swiss heavy metal legend Celtic Frost‘s WTF attack on Wall of Voodoos’s early MTV hit “Mexican Radio,” followed by a similarly raucous cover of Brian Eno’s “King’s Lead Hat” by magical punk noise purveyors The Dirtbombs. Next, it’s Oneida with a ballsy take on Creedence’s “Sinister Purpose.” Stick around after the false ending for about a minute for a blazing, crazed organ and abused electric guitar jam that pours out for a nearly 15-minute instrumental jam. Back into proper song territory, Joan Jett gets down on all fours for a spirited take on The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” which is followed by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder backed by Zeke on The Ramones’ “I Believe In Miracles.” Then it’s Mogwai‘s cheeky take on Sabbath’s stoner anthem “Sweet Leaf,” The Replacements moaning a remarkably sincere version of Kiss’ “Black Diamond” and Big Sugar putting some big beat behind Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”
The last section of our baker’s dozen shifts gears for a pair of reggae interpretations, namely Burning Spear‘s liberal reworking of the Grateful Dead’s “Estimated Prophet” and Sly & Robbie‘s cool take on The Police’s “Walking On The Moon.” One good Police cover deserves another, so we give you new kids Kicksville shining an “Invisible Sun” before the nervy final jolt of the Flying Lizards‘ beloved New Wave version of Barrett Strong’s much-covered “Money (That’s What I Want)” and Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry doing Dylan proud on “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”
And check out last week’s highly energized Playlist with Mott The Hoople, Super 400, Boston and more! |
Japanese carmaker Nissan has unveiled its first electric car, taking it closer to its aim to become the first car firm to mass produce the vehicles.
The zero-emission hatchback vehicle, called Leaf, is set to go on sale in Japan, the US and Europe next year.
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn did not announce the prices but said it would be "very competitive".
"The monthly cost of the battery, plus the electric charge, will be less than the cost of gasoline," Mr Ghosn said.
Nissan, Japan’s third largest carmaker, has been slower than rivals Toyota and Honda to embrace hybrids, which run on petrol and electric engines, and is instead pinning its hopes on solely battery-powered cars.
"We need to invest a lot of money to build the car plants"
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn
The future of electric motoringElectric cars have struggled to become mainstream because of limited battery life and high costs.
But Mr Ghosn insisted that the Leaf would not be a niche-market vehicle.
"We need to invest a lot of money to build the car plants and the battery plants at a moment where all the auto companies are saving investments," he said.
"But there is such a high potential that we (will) go ahead with it."
Nissan has chosen the UK as one of its bases to produce batteries for electric cars.
It is investing £200m at its Sunderland factory, which is expected to create 350 jobs.
Nissan has said that it plans to make 100,000 electric cars a year by 2012. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
A HOPPIN’ HALLOWEEN AMONGST TALL TREES
 Josh Clark – Tea Leaf GreenLas Tortugas III by Josh Miller |
“A shared community dedicated to good times accessed through sound waves, dance and a neighborly spiritÂ…Las Tortugas has all the makings of an annual event that folks will mark on the calendar in permanent ink.” – JamBase
The premiere intimate West Coast fall music festival, Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead IV, returns October 29 through November 1. Presented by Terrafin Entertainment, this emerging Halloween weekend gathering at Evergreen Lodge in Groveland, CA (located at the Western Gate of Yosemite National Park) offers a musician and fan friendly experience in an idyllic woodland setting dotted by cozy cabins, a restaurant and bar, a general store and many unique features. Las Tortugas offers a handpicked, quality assortment of diverse, jam friendly artists in a positive, engaged environment that’s quickly becoming a can’t-miss event in Northern California.
This year’s lineup features:
Umphrey’s McGee
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk
Tea Leaf Green
Hot Buttered Rum
Bag of Tricks (featuring Zach Gill, Steve Adams and Dave Brogan of ALO)
The Mother Hips
Blue Turtle Seduction
New Monsoon
Trevor Garrod
Counterclarkwise
Big Light
Papa Mali
Dave Brogan Band
Guitarmageddon
Sean Leahy
Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers
Pimps of Joytime
Izabella
Poor Man’s Whiskey
Tracorum
Tistrya and Friends
Montana Slim
Smokedaddies
In it’s fourth year, Las Tortugas continues to build on its core ideal of active, joyous musical pleasure delivered by road tested pros, who often finds themselves collaborating in unique combinations here. A strong sense of community infuses Las Tortugas, with daily themes, special one-off sets (like TLG’s Trevor Garrod‘s annual Sunday morning solo performances), quality, reasonably priced food and a wonderfully immersive feel where costumes change on a daily basis and the players have as much fun as the attendees.
For Tickets and festival information visit here.
Check out JamBase’s rave for Las Tortugas III here.
By: Bill Clifford
Carbon Leaf has teetered on the verge of mainstream success since its 2004 breakthrough recording, Indian Summer. For some, that’s a blessing, in that it is still an enjoyable experience to see and hear a band this good perform in small to mid-level theaters with an intimate vibe. That being said, the wonderful, harmonious and infectious music the band writes and records is just the sort that ought to be blaring from stereos and radios everywhere, rather than the indolent dribble we here on today’s mainstream radio.
The band followed up Indian Summer with the somewhat darker Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat, which was recorded in Nashville. But now, on Nothing Rhymes With Woman (released May 19 on Vanguard), Carbon Leaf returns to its roots, recording back in its hometown of Richmond and reuniting with producer John Morand, who produced Indian Summer. Coming home suited the band well on this release.
That sentiment is clear on the riveting opener, “Indecision,” where clear-voiced songwriter Barry Privett pines for the comforts of home amidst lush 12-string acoustic guitar and lilting ivories. “Another Man’s Woman” is just the vindictive blues scorcher that the title suggests, backed by echoed, harmony vocals and melancholic banjo. “Cinnamindy” is a haunting rocker about a protagonist who is a tough, cowgirl ranch hand by day, while at night she reads the Bible and prays and cries for a good man to hold her tight, and melodic guitars ring like bells in the dreamscape that is “Lake of Silver Bells.” The CD highlight, however, is the heartbreaking ballad “Mexico,” the narrator passionately pleading for another chance with a real love he’s lost, blinded by booze and ignorance. “Drops of Rain” is a reflective look back at the innocence of youth, while the Celtic tinged “Pink” touches on the more serious subject of a woman fighting breast cancer.
Musically, Nothing Rhymes With Woman is a vibrant and upbeat pop record, which disguises some of the more serious lyrical content. And though some of the songs reveal some harsh subjects, Privett once again proves to be an outstanding wordsmith and an endowed vocalist. This CD may not get heard on mainstream contemporary radio, but it deserves to be heard by discerning music fans nonetheless.
JamBase | Leafy
Go See Live Music!
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While veering through some of the Summer’s hottest festivals, Tea Leaf Green has picked some spots to bring their rock ‘n’ roll prowess during their “Around the Bend Tour.” With stops in all corners of the U.S., Tea Leaf Green will be pulling through starting August 20 at San Diego’s Wave House, then to L.A.’s famed Troubadour on August 21, and finish the short California jaunt in San Francisco at Outside Lands Festival.
They’ll then head to the Northeast for stops in Troy, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. The tour will end in the Southeast corner – with shows in Birmingham, Athens, Charlotte and finally Charleston – where the band wowed packed houses early in the year.
Tickets for Tea Leaf Green’s “Round the Bend Tour” are on sale now!
Fans purchasing two or more tickets through Tea Leaf Green’s Ticketing Page will become eligible to win the first run of a limited edition poster designed by Josh Clark — commemorating the band’s Summer Tour — which will also be signed by the band.
‘Round the Bend Tour
07.12.09 Masontown, WV @ All Good
07.24.09 Detroit Lakes, MN @ 10,000 Lakes Festival
07.25.09 Detroit Lakes, MN @ 10,000 Lakes Festival
08.07.09 Denver, CO @ Dancin’ in the Streets
08.08.09 Denver, CO @ Dancin’ in the Streets (Late Night CounterClarkWise show)
08.14.09 Ozark, AR @ Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival
08.16.09 Ozark, AR @ Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival (Saturday Late Night show)
08.20.09 San Diego, CA @ Wave House
08.21.09 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
08.22.09 San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord (Trevor Garrod solo show w/ Big Light)
08.28.09 San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
09.02.09 Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
09.03.09 Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theatre
09.04.09 Buffalo, NY @ Erie Canal Harbor (w/ The Wallflowers)
09.05.09 Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
09.09.09 Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theater
09.10.09 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
09.11.09 Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
09.12.09 Charleston, SC @ The Pour House w/ Gaslight Street
Purchase tickets and learn more about the contest through Tea Leaf Green ticketing here.
