Tea Leaf Green, the San Francisco-based rock group scheduled to headline the Jagermeister Stage at this year’s second annual Norman Music Festival, knows music festivals.

Extensive touring and a strong, consistent following established Tea Leaf Green as the go-to band on the festival circuit, having performed at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa and other independent music festivals across the country in recent years.

They even sound like they would do well at a music festival. With slow-paced tempos and laid back vocals, Tea Leaf Green sounds like classic southern rock meets modern jam band. It’s the soundtrack to people walking around outside, socializing, drinking beer and slowly bobbing their heads to good-natured solos.

Lead singer Trevor Garrod’s innocuous voice complements the music nicely. That is, there’s nothing really in your face about this group. It’s all very chill, eclectic modern rock. The music never takes any crazy risks, but overall Tea Leaf Green remains relatively solid: the solos are pretty straight forward, the piano and guitar mixture sounds like Tom Petty, the Grateful Dead and the Black Crows, with periodic instrumentation reminiscent of Dave Mathews.

But on their newest album, 2008’s “Raise Up the Tent,” what really stands out is the production. A lot of people take good production for granted. A band can go from mediocre to great with a finely produced album, and that’s what I think happened to Tea Leaf Green on “Raise Up the Tent.” The vocals are crisp, and the mixing of Tea Leaf Green’s various instruments is impeccable. Also the production of the drums really anchors this album, taking it from an otherwise mild release to a standout rock record.

The occasional twang of Tea Leaf Green, which pops up in a few places on “Raise Up the Tent,” also makes them a more notable act. It’s very easy to take the country-rock sound and turn it in to something dreadful (see most modern country radio stations), but with Tea Leaf Green, it seems genuine at least. They’re obviously very good musicians, making use of the banjo, slide-guitar and blues riffs to exhibit their occasional country or “Red Dirt” tendencies. It can be a bit cheesy, and if you aren’t anywhere close to a fan of country or Red Dirt music, Tea Leaf Green probably won’t be your favorite group at the Norman Music Festival – but some songs are worth a listen.

My favorite track on the album is called “I’ve Got a Truck,” which successfully demonstrates the combination of the classic southern rock sound, crisp production and alt-country twang. The lyrics also tell a unique story idealizing life on the road, a testament to their deep commitment to touring.

Garrod writes “So come away with me / I got all that we need / If the road is my kingdom you can be my queen,” ending the romanticized quote with some humor to offset it: “but we really got to hurry / I owe that rich girl money / And I hear her daddy’s lookin’ for me.”

I really like “Raise Up the Tent” when it sounds like southern rock or alt-country—that’s when I think they sound most original. Standout tracks include “I’ve got a truck” and “Let us Go.” They sound safer, more bland, however, when they do rock or jam-oriented songs, which comprise most of the album. It’s forgivable, however, because Tea Leaf Green doesn’t ever sound like they don’t know what they’re doing.

They sound pretty solid, even if it is spacey, safe background music for an outdoor festival. It is, after all, what they’re good at.

-Tyler Branson is an English senior.