San Francisco-based jam band Tea Leaf Green got their start in the relationship between guitarist Josh Clark and drummer Scott Rager, who played in a high-school band together in Arcadia, CA. After graduation, Rager enrolled at San Francisco State College, where he met bassist Ben Chambers. When Clark moved to San Francisco, the three began playing together as a trio. Their first paying gig was attended by Trevor Garrod, a singer/songwriter and keyboard player who had moved to San Francisco looking for other musicians to play with. Garrod met the three others, and soon they were playing together as a quartet. They built a following in Northern California and self-released the albums Tea Leaf Green, Midnight on the Reservoir (2001), Friday June 6, 2003: Live at Slim's, San Francisco CA (September 17, 2003), Living in Between (February 7, 2004), and Live at the Independent (2004). Eventually, they extended their touring nationwide, including a performance at the Bonnaroo Festival in 2005.