The self-described psychedelic San Francisco rock jam band, Tea Leaf Green, will be performing tonight at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

The band is playing in State College for the first time since 2003.

James Gillespie (junior-urban forestry) said he is a Tea Leaf Green fan, but he cannot attend tonight's performance because he has to work.

"I'm going to miss the band's show at Crowbar, but I wish I could go," Gillespie said. "I saw them in New York over spring break and they were amazing."

Tea Leaf Green combines the current trend of piano-led songs with the typical sound of guitar rock, Trevor Garrod, the keyboardist/vocalist for Tea Leaf Green, said.

"Our roots are in rock history," Garrod said. "Our songs are diverse, but our style is definitely rock."

Josh Clark, the band's guitarist, said all of the band members each add a different style to the band, but they share common stylistic interests that come through in the music.

"Everybody's a little different in their musical tastes, but we all share a common ground in classic rock and old folk music and stuff like that," Clark said.

Garrod said his own foundations lie in the realm of folk rock, and that he picked up a lot of his style when he was younger.

"I grew up pretending I was a Beatle," Garrod said. "I liked Dylan's early stuff, and I listened to whatever records my dad had, you know, all of the '60s psychedelic stuff."

Garrod also began playing at an early age.

"I started playing piano at age 10, which is early for a rocker, but too late for a classical pianist," he said.

Even though Tea Leaf Green hails from California, it has amassed a nationwide audience.

The band has been together for almost nine years now, Garrod said.

Sometimes, he said, it still doesn't seem real. "We started off as a college band. When we first started, we didn't really think it was that serious -- we still don't," he said. "I mean, come on, I'm in a rock and roll band; how serious is that?"

Clark said he credits the band's rise to its fans.

"We wouldn't be anywhere at all if it wasn't for the support of friends and family, because without that, we'd be nothing," he said.

Clark said the band's success has led to a growth in the band. "Originally, the purpose of the band was to go out and play some gigs and have a good time," Clark said. "The difference today is that we're a little more focused on the song-writing aspect and lyrics and stuff like that, whereas when we first started, it was more of a jamming sort of thing."

Clark said that after all the years of struggling to get noticed, he is now just excited to play for his fans.

"At this point, we're just excited to have people that are listening," Clark said. "We've played so many empty bars and weird farm stages in the middle of nowhere that it's nice to perform for human beings."

Although Gillespie will not be able to be one of the people in the audience, he advises his fellow students to see the band.

"If I could recommend one show for the rest of the summer, it would be Tea Leaf Green at Crowbar," Gillespie said.