Last Friday, Brooklyn fans welcomed Tea Leaf Green for their first-ever performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Of course many of the faithful had been with the band from the last two nights at Mexicali Blues. They were grinning from ear to ear as they spoke of shows that brought the magic back, Reed Mathis singing, Josh Clark playing harmonica and the reintroduction of favorite songs that had fallen by the wayside during the band’s new transition. Filling the venue with their faces painted and bouncing balloons from the upper decks, it felt more like a re-birth than a rock show.

[All words by Carla Danca, photos by Jeremy Gordon]

The band has always had the strong musical personalities of Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark moving it forward, but it’s been Reed Mathis that has been the fan focus of late. Many understood that it would take time to integrate his magical gifts and diverse abilities to push the band to new heights, however this didn’t eliminate some of the frustration fans felt. During this run, it was apparent that the Reed they had been waiting for had arrived.

Looking more comfortable on stage (in his dapper hat) his body language showed off the new dynamic. Instead of standing on the side following, Reed was seizing the moment and showing off his immense skills. Leading the band into funky jams, taking Josh Clark’s challenges and throwing them back – with a smile – and joining in on harmonies with Trevor, the band has a rich new blend that sounds energetic and exciting again.

READ ON for more of Carla’s words and Jeremy’s photos from TLG…

The strong first set included a shower of confetti over the crowd during Red Ribbons and ended with a memorable Arise, yet it was the Hotdog> Kali-yuga > Stormcloud that had the audience most excited. The set break ended with a round of happy birthday wishes to Trevor before leading into a California>Dragonfly (reworked)>7th Story.  On Dragonfly, the boys gave the tune a new fresh face with a bluesy sound that had fans talking all night long (similar versions were played at an earlier show this tour). The night ended with a blistering Beatles’ cover of Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey before TLG encored with Pretty Jane and Garden (Part 3).

Sometimes you have to tear it all down before you can start again.  Sometimes you have to return to the start to find a new path.  It can be safely said that the past 14 months have been tumultuous ones for Tea Leaf Green.  From the publicized departure of Ben Chambers, to the inclusion of the highly talented but vagabond Reed Mathis (see JFJO, Benevento Trio), to the move over to Surfdog Records and the release of their new album Raise Up the Tent, and with sets at Rothbury, Jam in the Dam, Jamcruise and The Jammys, it sure hasn’t been a boring year for the quartet.

Though their January East Coast tour is wrapped up, TLG is on the road again and sounding great. They finish out this month opening up for moe. out in Colorado and then are back on the road again in March to visit the mid-west. Do yourself a favor and make sure you catch these guys.

Setlist:

Set 1: Make A Connection > Devils Pay > Hot Dog > Kali-Yuga > Stormcloud, Let Us Go > Stick to the Shallows, Jezebel, Red Ribbons, Arise

Set 2: I’ve Been Seeking, California > Dragonfly, 7th story > Franz Hanzerbeak, Hangin From a Tree, Morning Sun, Innocent, Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me and My Monkey > Sex In The ’70s

Encore: Pretty Jane, Garden (Part III)

Jeremy Gordon

Jeremy Gordon is a photographer, registered architect, and current Jersey City resident. Beginning in a small bar in Teaneck, he started photographing local bands and eventually built up to such legendary artists as, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Etta James, Furthur, Phish, and Snoop Dogg. Jeremy has stated that live music photography at its best, is about capturing the split second of sweat and emotions shared between an artist and their audience and that the honor of standing in front of the creators of Rock and Roll and 20,000 of their loyal fans is one of the greatest thrills in the world. Jeremy can be contacted at gordonjer@gmail.com

Website - More Posts