Reading The Leaves...It Ain't What You Think

Feb '07 & the coldest winter in christendom brought Tea Leaf back to Colorado, and this time we caught 2 of 4 nights - @ The Fox in Boulder and @ 8150 in Vail.

2nd set (Boulder night) was SunRa outer space cool, a la "Planet of Green Love>Criminal Intent>Seventh Story". Evening finally touching down with the sweet & the outrageous: Taught To Be Proud>Franz Hanzerbeak.

Both shows were jammed with friendly folk, in what was the band's strongest showing to date.

Ladies & gentlemen, this is rock n roll. Forget the sloppy "jam band" moniker. These are intelligently constructed songs with lively negotiated agendas, and they rock in various compelling vernaculars on any given night: melodic Lennon/Beatles cheerful, Doors/Manzarek spooky, and Sun Ra jazzy outer space - to name the conspicuous ones. Part of the artfulness of this band is how they suffuse a given show with mood. Artful, sophisticated and really dang interesting.

Of course, their voice, their sound, their ministry is all their own.

What's more, it really looks like they're just getting started.

The Feb 9 Boulder show actually marked the end of the 8 week Narnian cold snap out here. The show started with Boulder in a fog. Strange weather for these parts. The show ended with Boulder in fog. Somehow, that felt perfect. Cinematic.

Tea Leaf is a second set band. Its fans know this. Other than Mr. & Mrs. Schwindemann, not a soul left the show early. Seemed right around 1AM the band relaxed in some subtle way and suddenly became immortal. And strangely a lot of fans seemed to nod and go, Unh-hunh.

Ditto next night @ 8150, where the floor's a little sticky from spilled beer, but sound is good and setting is intimate. Tea Leaf rocks it hard. Takes 2nd set up several notches. Strong dark Tea Leaf. Devil's Pay, Biscuits, Truck Stop Sally, Have a Drink on Me, Tequila. Standing out is Ben C and his hard-driving, daddy's-home-and-you're-in-big-trouble bass.

Read the Tea Leaves? Good luck. Every show it seems to mean something different. And so it goes.

-- boulder (oolong, s'il te plait) butler

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Check out earlier copy on Tea Leaf from October 2006 Colorado visit:

More Tea Leaf 'Cuz We Need More Tea Leaf: Acoustic Leaf @ Bart's CD Cellar - Photo Prose Piece