Forming in 2010, American Reggae Jam Rock band TreeHouse! has performed hundreds of shows a year throughout the country, introducing established reggae, rock and jam band scenes to a brand new fusion of sounds. These road warriors have shared the stage with top names and international acts in both genres, including 311, Dirty Heads, Steel Pulse, SOJA, Pepper, Stick Figure, Kung Fu, The Mantras, The Wailers, Tribal Seeds, and more.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with members of TreeHouse! about challenges, motivations, the latest project and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the band and your music. What attracted you to this genre and style?
Music has a sacred power to heal and affect positive change. To me, that reggae feeling seemed to be one of the most clear, honest, and direct approaches to that most righteous purpose of music.
It’s like gospel music with divine potential to be guided by a more universal force. Something about that unique reggae vibe is what has helped its sound resonate throughout different people and cultures across the world. In my opinion, it has transcended Rastafari from a religion to an encompassing spiritual movement, while incorporating Eastern philosophical principles into its ideology, which personally drew me to it more as a platform that could resonate with and amplify what I was already feeling. Reggae is a bridge that can connect the world. It is my healing and therapy.
What led you into this journey with music – How did you get your start as a band? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
My mama alway sang to me as a baby, so I grew up to it, and I was humming along from the beginning. I learned piano when I was eight years old, and I feel like learning music that young developed it more distinctly as a way of thinking and communicating. Music flows through me and makes me feel more alive. I knew it would always be part of my life.
What was the process that went into writing the song “Prayer For The Day” and creating the video?
The melody and hook just came to me like it was channeled. Once it was in my head, it was stuck. I began using it as a personal mantra, and now I sing it to myself and to my loved ones almost every day. I brought it to the band as a simple arrangement and we all enjoyed it so much, we decided to lay down an acoustic version of the song on Sugarshack Sessions YouTube channel, which quickly gained great reception.
Our good friend, Phil, told me he loved the song but felt like it was missing a crucial first verse, so I took his advice and when we finally got into the studio, I had written a new verse that really accentuated the movement of the tune.
Our producer, Toft Willingham (leader of the band, Spiritual Rez), helped us arrange the song with novel styles, tones and elements. He spent early mornings to the latest nights, way beyond “overtime hours,” to perfect each and every detail with us. Trey Moody laid down an undeniably tight drum beat. Matt Link tracked the most moving, iconic bass line. Joe Harley added layers of keys and organ, while I added a melodica solo and trumpet line. Jason Hazinski and Quinn Carson helped thicken the horn lines on saxophone and trombone.
We were also planning to film a music video with Toft Willingham and his wife, Eleni, because I admired their video production with his own band, and he gave me the impression that “Prayer for the Day” was already evoking a vision within him. He was very driven in his concept and enthusiastic toward the project. Toft and Eleni traveled down the coast from Massachusetts, to our home base in Myrtle Beach SC to film the music video on the Carolina coastline.
I introduced them to our good friend, Reuben Long (who actually photographed our first band press pics eight years ago, and is now a professional drone operator and videographer). They all instantly clicked and started going into hyper creation mode. It was amazing to watch them work!
We put out a call for the young surfer lead role and found the perfect kid, Cam Davis, from a family of TreeHouse! fans. They worked with us so well, and Cam had a natural talent, working synergistically with Toft, Eleni, and Reuben’s guidance. Cam is already gaining noteworthy buzz in several surfing competitions, and I’m sure he’ll go far in whatever he pursues.
The video came together so organically and just flowed so smoothly, really reverberating with the vibe of the song.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
We recorded a whole album’s worth of material with Toft Willingham in Massachusetts over the course of two years. We scheduled most of our tours routing around our recording sessions with him. After we met Spiritual Rez about four years ago and I fell in love with their self-produced album Apocalypse Whenever, I knew Toft had the mojo to really bring out the best in our sound and to help guide us in our approach. This project really focused on utilizing the infinite production possibilities in a studio, finally indulging our creative sensibilities with every tone, element, or style we were aspiring toward. We just wanted to create a sensational sonic experience.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
There’s so much music now, I’m overwhelmed in discovery. I still learn and absorb every day, and I aspire to take every element I like about each thing and mash it all together. I also enjoy a lot of music that I honestly would not personally choose to create. I still take notes from it all. My community and my peers influence my thoughts and my approach. I do think about what would resonate most with the people in front of me every night at the shows. I’m so grateful for the music I’ve found over the years that has really helped and healed me. Check out Wookiefoot.
What was the last song you listened to?
Honestly, “Andre the Giant” by Prof. He has entertaining vocal tones and cadences. Also, “Lay my Claim” by Rebelution, smooth!
What’s in the works for TreeHouse! – any new music coming soon? Tour?
Yes! We begin our “Prayer for the Day” Tour this Thursday promoting the new single, and we perform Nashville this Saturday at EXIT/IN. This tour hits GA, TN, IL, IN, OH, MI, PA, NC. We are releasing more singles and music videos throughout the year, as well as an acoustic album, and we will be hitting our first full West coast tour September and October.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Consolidating and consistently maintaining our online presence is challenging. Distinguishing our brand from actual tree houses is also tough! We didn’t start jamming with any blueprint for how all the rest of this is done, so we’ve had to learn along the way through trial and error, what works and what doesn’t. This does eventually become daunting when I just wanna jam! I personally enjoy the opportunity to connect with people and potential fans on a real level with a good conversation or one rowdy festival night.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
You can find our songs, videos, pics, upcoming shows, and general updates on our Facebook and our website. Facebook goes right to our phones, and we all check it regularly. We love when fans reach out to us with fun ideas and intriguing questions. We usually post our updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandsintown, and we also have a fan email list on our website (www.treehousetheband.com). Our ideal situation would be to eat good food across the country with our fans/friends/family. Most of our fans that reach out to us often enough eventually become our family!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Much Love and Appreciation to you all for your Time and Consideration!
