By: David Schultz
Tea Leaf Green photos by Sugaree.
U-Melt Photos by Alison Holmes.

A little over a year ago, San Francisco based Tea Leaf Green sold out a two night run at New York City's Knitting Factory featuring hometown foursome U-Melt providing an eye-popping opening set. With U-Melt's irresistibly catchy grooves and Tea Leaf's polished mélange of all that's right about music, the scene seemed too large for The Knit to contain. This past Saturday, history wonderfully repeated itself when both bands showed how much can be done in a year before a sold-out crowd at the 1,000 person capacity Irving Plaza.

Tea Leaf Green manages to be a jamband without belaboring a single musical passage beyond the point of interest and into an experimental abyss. Tea Leaf's nicely timed instrumental breaks leave much room for improvisation, rarely running astray. That ability was very much on display this past Saturday night as was their versatility: their set list contained nearly three hours of their greatest hits while still providing a couple surprises.



With green lights twinkling amidst the crowd, Garrod, who would occasionally slip into a dreamy trance, led Tea Leaf through a powerful reading of "Taught To Be Proud," their Jammy winning Song of the Year, keyboard fueled rockers like "These Two Chairs" and "Morning Sun," the country-tinged "Faced With Love" and "It Wasn't For The Money" and an ardent, steamy run through "The Devil's Pay." Tea Leaf's heavy side comes through when guitarist Josh Clark steps forward on vocals. During the second set, Clark laid his measured, impassioned rasp over the bluesy stomp of "Dragonfly," let loose on the rowdy "Criminal Intent" and perfectly gave the right feel to AC/DC's "Have A Drink On Me," the night's one cover.

Not only is Tea Leaf's fan base growing, they are becoming much more attuned to the band's musical cues and segues. Once Scott Rager began the drum kick that leads into "Franz Hanzerbeak," the crowd burst into cheers well before Ben Chambers walked in the song's ridiculously funky bass line. Given the familiarity, Tea Leaf's inversion of the "The Garden, Part III" and "The Garden, Part II" brought loud applause. Even those introducing themselves to the band this night needed no back story to find the band's segue from Garrod's leisurely "Trouble" into a reprise of "Criminal Intent" intriguing. Making the transition between the songs with the same precision as an Indy race car driver speeding quickly into a toughly banked turn, Tea Leaf showed an impressive dexterous tightness that needs to be heard to be appreciated.

Making their first of what will likely be many appearances on Irving Plaza's stage, U-Melt triumphantly debuted before a great deal of fans who arrived early to catch the much-buzzed about band. With their fast-paced, high-octane fusion of electronica, rock, funk and jazzy intrigue, U-Melt gave notice that their sound is ready for bigger and larger arenas.



Guitar heroes always attract attention and Rob Salzer is no exception as his stunning solos continue to dazzle without shattering the framework of any song. The balance isn't solely a factor of Salzer's impressive skills, Zac Lasher on keys, George Miller on drums and Adam Bendy, who dropped a magnificently funky bass solo into "Air," thrive on pushing each other to loftier heights, nicely showcasing their singular skills without ever disrupting the groove. Their hour-long set included Salzer's "Different Things" and Miller's "Air" from The I's Mind, recently written tunes like "A Robbin's Tale Part I (Marx Marvelous Moans)" and "Clear Light" and splendid cover of "Once In A Lifetime." The brevity of the opening set only served to whet the appetite for what U-Melt has to serve.



U-Melt's next New York City gig will be on May 12th, when they return to the main stage at the Knitting Factory, a venue that seems that much smaller every time U-Melt revisits. The same hype currently swirling around U-Melt feels oddly reminiscent to the buzz that surrounded Tea Leaf Green at this time last year. Unsurprising, as both bands follow the credo of broadening their fan base with constant touring, winning hearts with their amazing live performances. The only thing keeping U-Melt from catching Tea Leaf Green seems to be the relentless pace the San Francisco rockers are setting. However, as David Letterman has always been fond of saying, "it's an exhibition not a competition, please no wagering." But, if you must gamble on being blown away by a band, laying down money to see either Tea Leaf Green or U-Melt may be the surest bet of all.

Labels: Tea Leaf Green, U-Melt