Just when you think you’ve nailed down the trajectory of Tea Leaf Green, they change it up again. Not only has the four-piece become a five-piece — adding a second drummer — but the famous road warriors are now planning to put out a new album this year. As fans know, the band released its album “Looking West” just last summer.
| If you go Tea Leaf Green |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, Washington |
| Details: $17; 9:30.com; 800-955-5566 |
“It’s a mix,” said guitarist Josh Clark of the band’s new album, which combines songs the band has played on the road yet never recorded plus brand-new tunes. “We recorded a ton of stuff for what we are going to be putting out and we are really excited about it. This material is all fresh for us and it’s really representative of where we are now.”
Although the San Franciso-based band is frequently hailed by some fans as the second coming of Grateful Dead, they’ve never seen themselves that way. When you consider all of the side projects and solo work by the various band members, it’s understandable that the music they create together is their own very specific sound.
That sound has continually expanded since last April when the second drummer — Cochrane McMillan — was added to fill in some blanks created when Scott Rager had an ankle injury and couldn’t use his kick drum.
“It seems counterintuitive, but it really has opened up a lot of space for us,” said Clark. “It’s created more of a dynamic and definitely changes things for the better. It shakes up our sound.”
Now that the band is recording its new album, they’re finding more ways to use the extra percussion in songs Clark and keyboardist Trevor Garrod have brought to the band. Aiding the band in the album is Jeremy Black, the drummer for Apollo Sunshine, who is serving as an outside producer for the album.
“Everybody in this band is really good at listening to each other and are open to suggestions,” said Clark. “We are all sort of producers but it’s a good idea to have that outside perspective.”
Yet the songs, said Clark, are more autobiographical than the band has recorded in the past.
“It will all sort of reveal itself on the album,” he said. “The [recording studio] is a breeding ground and the songs just grow.”
