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Aside from some infantile frat-party shenanigans Tea Leaf Green's performance at San Francisco's Independent on March 6, 2004 merits documentation. The officially sanctioned companion Green Dream DVD and Live at the Independent CD just don't do it justice. While live concert documentation has become easier, cheaper, and more advanced, it still shouldn't be done with the do-it-yourself, nonchalant production reflected in their first live release. The CD sounds like a soundboard bootleg, and the DVD's often amateurish video production distracts from the strong songwriting of pianist Trevor Garrod and the scorching guitar of Josh Clark.
Tea Leaf Green operates best like Hoist-era Phish: solid songs with infectious hooks, topped off by unified improvisation. Garrod's Paul Simon-esque vocals cast a thick blanket over the familiar melody of "Been So Long" as Clark's harmonies enfold the harder-edged chorus before it explodes with his searing guitar work. "Warm Up" chugs through the arenas of the '70s as Chambers's bass steers the band through a nice jam, and "John Brown" and "Kali-Yuga" highlight Garrod's storytelling abilities. "Vote on Tuesday" and "Earth & Sky" also showcase the band's strengths without the cliché funk and jam grooves that threaten to pigeon-hole them.
In the end, however, Tea Leaf Green takes one career step too many. Scene giants like moe., Phish, and the Disco Biscuits have all recently released full concerts in their entirety, and their successes have made such a project tempting. While Tea Leaf Green has experienced their fair share of success, they don't have an extensive archive to pull from or the budget to do it right. This show at the Independent was obviously recorded for a live release, and this is where they could have used an economics lesson.
For those who slept through Economics 101, About.com defines sunk costs as "unrecoverable past expenditures [which] should not normally be taken into account when determining whether to continue a project or abandon it." The money for audio and video equipment and the blood and sweat on stage are all sunk. Yes, Tea Leaf Green paid to record the burned-out, childish hip-hop of "Gratefulsnoopphish" and "Planet of Green Love," but that doesn't necessitate releasing them. Just because the production team can do neat overlay video tricks doesn't mean they should. Instead of adding a visual complement, the shaky close-ups, out-of-sync fractal effects, and San Francisco skyline shots distract from some often stellar sonic moments.
There is a lot of great music here, and the DVD's sound quality is excellent. With a little more patience and a little more film on the cutting room floor, Green Dream could be much better. Tea Leaf Green deserves your attention, but this particular release, especially the CD, does not. Casual listeners and curious newbies should start with Living in Between, a much better testament to the quartet's abilities than this partially realized project.
Brian Gearing
JamBase | San Francisco
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