4 Peaks Music Festival - Tea Leaf Green, Zilla, Hot Buttered Rum

(Bend, OR) Combing through stacks of press clippings for the 4 Peaks Music Festival (Friday and Saturday, July 25-26) and for the bands playing this year, I'm blown away at what an amazing (not so) little fest 4 Peaks has become in its second year.

Check out some of the highlights, from the Los Angeles Times to our hometown papers (and get your tix before the prices go up again ):

The five best local concerts of 2007 - Moon Mountain Ramblers at the 4 Peaks Music Festival, Aug. 4

"The Ramblers played a short-but-sweet set between ALO and New Monsoon that rocked my socks, and I was probably the only person there actually wearing anything on my feet. They started out with covers of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, then positively destroyed 4 Peaks’ second stage with a batch of high-energy originals that had 50, then 100, then 200 people literally kicking up dust."

"Even when the stage’s sound system lost power, the band invited everyone to gather ’round for a completely unplugged performance. It was exactly the kind of down-home feeling that fit in perfectly with the 4 Peaks experience, at least until the sound system came back in with a loud pop, eliciting a loud cheer from the audience and big smiles from the Ramblers."

— By Ben Salmon, The Bulletin, December 28, 2007


"The 4 Peaks Music Festival announced its lineup last week for its July 25-26 event, as well as the fact that their local festival grounds have nearly quadrupled in size with the addition of expanded camping area. The initial lineup, which festival organizers say will likely grow as the date nears, already rivals last year’s roster with emerging Bay-Area soul-jammers Tea Leaf Green, String Cheese Incident descendants Zilla, as well as returning bluegrass stars Hot Buttered Rum, and Seattle’s Flowmotion leading the way. Also on the bill: sudden Bend favorite Poor Man’s Whiskey, Matt Butter & S.E.E., local heroes Moon Mountain Ramblers, State of Jefferson and more."

"With the positive buzz from last year’s event, it’s almost guaranteed that this year’s edition will draw a much larger crowd. Check out 4peaksmusic.com for tickets and details."
— "4 Peaks Gets Bigger, Better," by Mike Bookey, The Source, Wednesday, 09 April 2008

TLG now, more to come:

"It’s hard to quibble with anyone branding Tea Leaf with the jamband label unless you are going to assume that the term includes lengthy noodling. Tea Leaf does not mess around with endless soloing and directionless jamming. A song oriented band, Tea Leaf explores the possibilities of their songs in a live setting." — Earvolution, "Green Day: Tea Leaf Green Get Down To Earth At The HighLine," Tuesday, April 29, 2008

. . . they come to life on stage with totally rockin’ jams . . . Though they definitely have secured a sound and following all their own, Saturday night’s show, with the help of stellar lighting I must add, made me think that TLG might be the younger, more rock n’ roll heavy cousin of Phish.
— Billboard, Mobile Beat, September 13, 2007

. . . People need to start paying attention to San Francisco four-piece Tea Leaf Green. . . . Bands that can deliver improvised searing guitar solos and atmospheric keyboard riffs will always have a place in my heart (and the entire Jam Nation). . . . Their set amply displayed why they’re regarded as one of the top bands on the jam-band circuit. These guys can play as well as anyone . . . if you’re looking for rootsy, soulful music . . .
— Los Angles Times, "Buzz Bands: Dispatch from Bonnaroo: Traffic, tie-dye and Tea Leaf Green" 11:27 AM PT, Jun 15 2007

2008 4 Peaks Music Festival Line-Up:
Tea Leaf Green
Zilla
Hot Buttered Rum
Everyone Orchestra
Blue Turtle Seduction
Poor Man's Whiskey
Flowmotion
Moon Mountain Ramblers
Izabella
Acorn Project
State of Jefferson
Brent Alan and His Funky Friends
The Grain
Swampthang
Masala Mostest
Rising Tide
Black Strap

-hoc