Tea Leaf Green @ The Compound

Life sucks for hippies without The Band and the Grateful Dead. Good thing San Francisco jam band Tea Leaf Green is around to combine the sounds of those two legendary bands. TLG brings spirited keyboard licks, funky guitar riffs, and soft vocals to the table, singing about shit like gardens and being a flower. Weird song topics aside, their talent has earned them a Jammy Award (yes, such an award exists) for Song of the Year in 2006. And in the past few years, they’ve opened for Gov’t Mule and the Dave Matthews Band, which means they really know how to throw down. Their rapidly growing fan base — hippies and schoolteachers who often tape the band’s live performances — has allowed them to progress from playing small gigs to huge festivals. Apparently, TLG has retreated to playing small gigs — at least this time around, anyway. If you couldn’t catch Phish out on tour, then don’t miss TLG. They’re a fairly close second as far as the quality of a solid jam sesh goes.