Summer tour kicks off in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge June 17; San Francisco band offers fans chance to win handwritten lyrics
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—It ain't easy being gypsies, especially ones who sing for their supper. San Francisco Bay Area troubadours Tea Leaf Green are newfangled Lost Boys, a traveling gang dedicated to seeking wisdom and experience in places both glorious and seedy. The band's seventh studio album, Radio Tragedy!, will be released through Thirty Tigers available worldwide on June 7. Fans who pre-order the album by May 1st are eligible to win handwritten lyrics from the songwriter.
In many ways, this quintet is the essence of rock's adventurous, playfully outlaw spirit, all of which ultimately fuels songs that resonate with classic vibrations, open-ended possibilities and radio-ready charm. TLG are bruised romantics with heavy minds and a lighthearted way with experimentation, as likely to jam out a number as they are to nail a primo verse-verse-chorus pop gem.
All the steadily growing promise of Tea Leaf Green comes to fruition on their new album with the aid of producer Jeremy Black (Apollo Sunshine). The band has crafted a powerhouse work in Radio Tragedy!, with the oomph of their stellar live performances melded to a truly impressive array of vocal nuance, rib-sticking song craft and smart studio flourishes.
From the Bee Gees-esque bite of “Easy To Be Your Lover" to the bouncing modern rock of “You're My Star," Radio Tragedy! showcases a contemporary American rock monster fully emerging from the shadows, ready to take on any comers with a sound that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with skilled contemporaries like My Morning Jacket and The Strokes.
Together, Trevor Garrod (keys, vocals), Josh Clark (guitar, vocals), Scott Rager (drums), Reed Mathis (bass, vocals) and newest member Cochrane McMillan (drums) have made a record that's both timely and timeless—a strange, beautiful space that Tea Leaf Green inhabits naturally and gracefully.
“Much of this record is a reflection on the ups and downs on the road to radio gold, chasing dreams and ghosts on America's highways and finding triumph, sorrow and sacrifice in the pursuit," says Josh Clark. “Tea Leaf Green has been a band for over a decade. We've tried to simply focus on music, just music, honest music, operating in the shadow of braggart auto-tuned rappers and inane teeny bop prop puppets that has come to rule and choke the life out of what was once America's greatest export—rock 'n' roll."
“I don't think any of us have ever felt completely satisfied with our past studio experiences, so we went into this one with the deliberate intent of making a complete album. Each of us brought our own vision and we did our best to fuse those ideas in the studio, all of us committed to seeing each member's vision take shape," says Scott Rager. “TLG has been a band for 13 years and I think we've made the record we always thought we were capable of making."
“I wanted a story—something loud, something bright, something to scare your kids goodnight. There is adventure to be had. There is an undiscovered country," says Trevor Garrod. “We have been there for each other through thick (rarely) and thin (mostly). There are five of us now and like a pack of pickpockets, we will steal your heart."
“At the center, our commitment to this music and our passion for making it and performing it has remained rock steady," continues Josh Clark. “Like countless bands creating phenomenal music today, we work on the edges of the mainstream where we can be heard, looking in on the tragedy that radio seems to have forgotten where to find the gold. This album is a true story of our lives in pursuit of a dream from another time and how we survive despite it all."
Track listing:
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—It ain't easy being gypsies, especially ones who sing for their supper. San Francisco Bay Area troubadours Tea Leaf Green are newfangled Lost Boys, a traveling gang dedicated to seeking wisdom and experience in places both glorious and seedy. The band's seventh studio album, Radio Tragedy!, will be released through Thirty Tigers available worldwide on June 7. Fans who pre-order the album by May 1st are eligible to win handwritten lyrics from the songwriter.
In many ways, this quintet is the essence of rock's adventurous, playfully outlaw spirit, all of which ultimately fuels songs that resonate with classic vibrations, open-ended possibilities and radio-ready charm. TLG are bruised romantics with heavy minds and a lighthearted way with experimentation, as likely to jam out a number as they are to nail a primo verse-verse-chorus pop gem.
All the steadily growing promise of Tea Leaf Green comes to fruition on their new album with the aid of producer Jeremy Black (Apollo Sunshine). The band has crafted a powerhouse work in Radio Tragedy!, with the oomph of their stellar live performances melded to a truly impressive array of vocal nuance, rib-sticking song craft and smart studio flourishes.
From the Bee Gees-esque bite of “Easy To Be Your Lover" to the bouncing modern rock of “You're My Star," Radio Tragedy! showcases a contemporary American rock monster fully emerging from the shadows, ready to take on any comers with a sound that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with skilled contemporaries like My Morning Jacket and The Strokes.
Together, Trevor Garrod (keys, vocals), Josh Clark (guitar, vocals), Scott Rager (drums), Reed Mathis (bass, vocals) and newest member Cochrane McMillan (drums) have made a record that's both timely and timeless—a strange, beautiful space that Tea Leaf Green inhabits naturally and gracefully.
“Much of this record is a reflection on the ups and downs on the road to radio gold, chasing dreams and ghosts on America's highways and finding triumph, sorrow and sacrifice in the pursuit," says Josh Clark. “Tea Leaf Green has been a band for over a decade. We've tried to simply focus on music, just music, honest music, operating in the shadow of braggart auto-tuned rappers and inane teeny bop prop puppets that has come to rule and choke the life out of what was once America's greatest export—rock 'n' roll."
“I don't think any of us have ever felt completely satisfied with our past studio experiences, so we went into this one with the deliberate intent of making a complete album. Each of us brought our own vision and we did our best to fuse those ideas in the studio, all of us committed to seeing each member's vision take shape," says Scott Rager. “TLG has been a band for 13 years and I think we've made the record we always thought we were capable of making."
“I wanted a story—something loud, something bright, something to scare your kids goodnight. There is adventure to be had. There is an undiscovered country," says Trevor Garrod. “We have been there for each other through thick (rarely) and thin (mostly). There are five of us now and like a pack of pickpockets, we will steal your heart."
“At the center, our commitment to this music and our passion for making it and performing it has remained rock steady," continues Josh Clark. “Like countless bands creating phenomenal music today, we work on the edges of the mainstream where we can be heard, looking in on the tragedy that radio seems to have forgotten where to find the gold. This album is a true story of our lives in pursuit of a dream from another time and how we survive despite it all."
Track listing:
- All Washed Up
- Easy To Be Your Lover
- You're My Star
- My Oklahoma Home
- Fallen Angel
- Sleep Paralysis
- Germinating Seed
- Honey Bee
- The Cottonwood Tree
- Arise
- Nothing Changes
TEA LEAF GREEN Tour Dates 2011
- Thurs., Apr. 21 GREENSBORO, NC The Blind Tiger
- Fri., Apr. 22 ISLE OF PALMS, SC The Windjammer
- Sat., Apr. 23 ATLANTA, GA Variety Playhouse
- Tues., Apr. 26 MOBILE, AL Saenger Theatre
- Wed., Apr. 27 OXFORD, MS Proud Larry's
- Thurs., Apr. 28 BATON ROUGE, LA Chelsea's Caf
- Fri., Apr. 30 NEW ORLEANS, LA Tipitina's French Quarter
- Sat., May 14 SAN FRANCISCO, CA S.F. Int'l Oyster Festival
- Fri., May 27 CHILLICOTHE, IL Summercamp
- Sat., May 28 GENEVA, MN Bella Tempo
- Fri., June 17 NEW YORK, NY Le Poisson Rouge
- Sat., July 2 SNOWMASS VILLAGE, CO The ECO Music Festival
- Sat., July 23 BRIDGEPORT, CT Gathering of the Vibes
For more information contact conqueroo.
