The Tree Blog

Song of the Day: Massive Attack - “Five Man...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:53:17 -0400

Song of the Day: Massive Attack - “Five Man Army”

This one’s for Pete…

Song of the Day : Chapterhouse - “Pearl” So...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:32:35 -0400

Song of the Day : Chapterhouse - “Pearl”

So today I stopped by a new spot in the Hburg mall called 2nd and Charles that is basically a media buy-back franchise. New and used CD, vinyl, dvds video games, and books. I wish they’d expand to vhs but that’s beside the point. Anyway, I think I looked rifled through about 85% of the hundreds of used cds they had in stock. Just when I thought I wasn’t going to come upon a single find I ran into Chapterhouse’s debut album Whirlpool. They were a group that I’d always been aware of as a peer to many of my UK shoegazing favorites but, for whatever reason, had overlooked. Let’s just say it was one of the best $5 purchases I’ve made in quite awhile. Part Stone Roses, part MBV this track was outstanding from the first listen.

Hey der boyls and goyls, I just finished a collection of short stories that a friend lent me, and I...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:35:00 -0400

Hey der boyls and goyls,

I just finished a collection of short stories that a friend lent me, and I also just achieved an overwhelming sense of grounding peace. These two things are inextricably connected! Demons in the Spring jostled some pretty heavy emotion out of me, sometimes because said emotions were reflected in the characters on the page, other times because Meno gracefully allows you to believe again in the absurd as a harbinger of change in your life. He writes everything from a beautiful mock-up of the history of Iceland and its culture to shades of British humor to John Green-ish-but-vastly-better-executed young adult angst power. Mostly very accessibly, some very gritty, all brilliant. What’s even cooler is that each story is illustrated by a different artist. My personal favorite was Souther Salazar (http://southersalazar.com/), as he struck me in the fantastical, totally in-awe mood that I maintained throughout this read. His shit also sort of reminds me Adventure Time. Whaddup.

Colin

The Birds word on Art wadap dudes, just got off work and I...

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:19:11 -0400

The Birds word on Art

wadap dudes, just got off work and I figured I would do one of these thangs to cheel down before I start some of my own work.

So today the painting is Duchamp’s famous painting Nude Descending Staircase.

I will start off by saying that I love this painting, but as far as paintings go it doesnt register as a painting to me, interms of it purpose and the application of the medium. I guess when I see a painting I would typically assume the artist would be making the viewer overly aware that they are looking at a painting, weather it be an emphasis on brush strokes and other painterly implements, instead I see Duchamp painting with lines as aposed to shapes and color. SO this painting seems to be more of a drawing to me.. I view this piece more conceptually in a photographic way, because its capturing a brief panorama of time. The whole foundation of the piece is based on instilling that moment in the viewers head and I love that. There is So much movement to this Nude Descending a Stair Case.

This Saturday! Come out to the Sycamore House on Front and Pine...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:01:00 -0400

This Saturday! Come out to the Sycamore House on Front and Pine for a night of sick tunes from Harrisburg’s Shine Delphi and Timurid and Baltimore’s Murderboats and Fell Band. If you’ve ever been to the Syc House you’ll know that it’s going to be a hot time (in more ways than one). Come sweat it out with us!

Song of the Day: The Replacements - “Kiss Me On the...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:31:00 -0400

Song of the Day: The Replacements - “Kiss Me On the Bus”

This is a band that, to me, epitomizes almost everything that is good about rock n’ roll, a brash exterior thinly masking the insecurities and fears of youth. Found this demo version of one of my favorites by them. While lacking the wistful 50’s rock throwback sound of the studio production [see below], it has raw emotion going for it that more than makes up for the sloppiness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDH6W-bU8wo

DA BIRDS WORD ON ART CRAIG THOMPSON: BLANKETS page 571 To...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:42:27 -0400

DA BIRDS WORD ON ART

CRAIG THOMPSON: BLANKETS page 571

To start this off I am going to say that this illustration is from a book, I am not going to try to review the beautiful illustrations of that whole thing, Instead I will focus on one particular page. Blankets is a big thing, alot of people love it. I am one of those people. For me the book happened to pop up at a very keen time, It was toward the end of winter and I was going through a depression; So this artist, who seemingly had an incredibly relatable life pops up. I read his book in a day and am completely floored. So much so that I write Craig (the author) a letter. I was in aw by his brilliance in a way I hadn’t been in so long

Craig is a great illustrator, and the thing I love about him the most is how he translates his expressive line work into emotion. He tends to do incredibly intricate illustration that breath when you look at them. When you put them in context of the stories they blow your mind. I had been reading the book, and it’s a love story. This page is the moment when craig finally kisses the girl, and you can see it, and feel it. For me this was the first time I had ever seen those feelings successfully captured. I am sure it has been done many times before but I have never had an artist effect me so much. I could literally feel the love exuding from the paper, horns, paisley and the visualization of breath are intricately “blanket”ing them.

if you havent heard of Blankets read it and check out more of Craig Thompsons work while your at it.

Da Birds Wurds on Art Alex Gibbs: Asleep in a warm room Hey...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 17:09:00 -0400

Da Birds Wurds on Art

Alex Gibbs: Asleep in a warm room

Hey guy’s stephen here, I going to start writing some by-daily art reviews on this here blog. Maybe turn you guys onto some new stuff and also to force myself to see and critique new art.

So I found this guy Alex Gibbs just a few days ago, He has a pretty interesting style.I am immediately drawn his childlike use of color.he uses straight Crayola colors. The longer you will look at it the more it becomes apparent how pattern driven this piece is. He uses the darkest colors closest to the floor. the arrangment is set up in away so that all of the stronger colors are used to highlight key areas. Another thing you will notice about the composition is the way the people are layed out. He lay’s 4 intricately patterned people resting there heads in the shape of a square, and I am thinking this was done inorder to draw the eye in a circle, said circle alway comes back to the figure nearest to the viewer. The last thing I will note is that he has used no black to outline this, which is something your dont see much, it takes the emphasis off of detail and more to theover all composition and color arrangement.

The take away is a primary colored, pattern driven piece used as an exercise in controlling the eye;

Thanks guys for reading, I know it was a bit scatter brained but bare with me.

If you are interested in seeing any more of this guys are here is the link

http://www.alex-gibbs.com/nine.html

-Steve

Song of the Day: Underground Resistance - “Hi Tech...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:10:00 -0400

Song of the Day: Underground Resistance - “Hi Tech Jazz”

I asked a friend to turn me onto some of the choice offerings from the Detroit Techno scene. Underground Resistance was the first suggestion and this was one of the first tracks I came upon. That being said, he wasn’t kidding. This track sums up just about everything awesome about early 90’s dance music while simultaneously stretching way beyond the generic harmonic progressions that most of the era’s radio hits fall into. Props to James for the suggestion. Looking forward to digging further into this and other Detroit sounds.

For a rawer jam check out below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imKh_TKqHt4

New Business ModelsWe at Tree Cover are beginning to realize...

Fri, 31 May 2013 02:10:43 -0400

New Business Models

We at Tree Cover are beginning to realize that we can’t spend the rest of our lives doing free house shows that piss off neighbors and hoarding copies of our own records. Therefore, we’re beginning to throw around some potential new business models, ideas that can catapult us to new economic heights: ones of success and widespread notoriety.

As the first in our crop of fresh new ideas we present, the YOLOmobile (by TreeCover). Basically this will be a private taxi service to take clubgoers from one destination to another throughout Harrisburg’s Second street entertainment laser ultraplex. Inside the yolomobile there will be a constant stream of today’s top hits as only a 7.1 surround system with sub bass can offer. We plan to partner with the local bars to offer discount coupons for the evening to passengers. After 2 o-clock we will switch to a cab service / mobile blue room service to bring revelers safely back to their homes.

Above we’ve included an early prototype of the proposed vehicle. If we decide to go ahead with this plan we will be running a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money for the stretch Lamborghini Aventador as well as car stereo and led starburst antennae (a grand total of $750,000) and ask that you please consider helping our cause with a small donation.

CS6 Illustration Xander Moppin 5-20-13 Hey guy’s, stephen...

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:59:33 -0400

CS6 Illustration Xander Moppin 5-20-13

Hey guy’s, stephen here. I figured I would let all of you know (out of the five of you who look at this blog) that I will start posting various art finds on this here blog and review just as Jake does his rates and baby Cale puts of his songs. So Stay tunes. Im kicking the whole thing off with an artist near and dear to our very hearts. MY Little cousin Xander Moppin.

Only a year out of high school, this budding little “Art Boy” Is still searching to find his creative soft spot. having observed him stumbling over all sorts of mediums whether it be sculpture, painting, drawing or most recently the creative suite. He has been messing around with it for a while and I think this geometric, abstract piece is a pretty good realization of ones digital potential. The thing I like about this the most is that he is doing something with this program that most wouldn’t, he is using the CS in a way he knows which is from the perspective of a painter. He is creating things from scratch as a painter would as apposed to manipulating already existing content. I know this is not unheard of by any means, I just think the final result is a pretty original one.

Song of the Day: Husker Du - “Newest Industry”For a...

Thu, 30 May 2013 14:36:50 -0400

Song of the Day: Husker Du - “Newest Industry”

For a rawer side of the 80’s we turn to proto-Alt legends Husker Du. Bubbling up from the Minneapolis hardcore world, these dudes clearly were aiming for more than “hard and fast” in their writing from the very start. Kind of funny considering that they still played harder and faster than just about anyone else at the time. This song in particular from their iconic Zen Arcade has a very forward looking vibe from the chorus-ey intro textures to the unlikely but spot-on use of piano in a punk rock song. Retaining its roots and pushing the envelope, this is one to be down with.

Song of the Day: Change - “You Are My Melody”A...

Wed, 29 May 2013 01:46:00 -0400

Song of the Day: Change - “You Are My Melody”

A choice cut from a post-disco group that seems doomed to oft-sampled but rarely recognized status. Music like this was churned out factory-style in the early 80’s and much of it seems to have been completely forgotten. I had to order one of those “2 LP on one CD” deals just to get a digital copy of this record. Let it be known that the esteemed Luther Vandross got his start in this act and that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (the Minneapolis paisley parksters turned high flying production duo for The Human League, Janet Jackson and others) produced this track early in their career. As vapid and wonderful as candy this is pop at one of its greatest moments.

Song of the Day: Kate Bush - “Cloudbusting” A minute...

Tue, 28 May 2013 00:08:39 -0400

Song of the Day: Kate Bush - “Cloudbusting”

A minute too late to count for yesterday…but who’s keeping track. This is a odd version of the song with an extended mid-section…I guess to accommodate that above-average level of narrative in the video. Not sure what I think about the video (like a lot of hers) but you have to hand it to her, there’s definitely a “thing” going on that carries some emotional weight.

Song of the Day: Air Miami - “Seabird”Massive thanks...

Sun, 26 May 2013 14:45:22 -0400

Song of the Day: Air Miami - “Seabird”

Massive thanks to Caleb Smith and Aaron from little amps for turning me onto this record. This song in particular really got to me. Beautifully nuanced jazz harmonies in the chord progression add to the already lovely girl-pop vibes. I find it odd that it seems to be such an underground group but it isn’t the first time I’ve been introduced to an absolute gem from the bowels of early 90’s indie rock.

-Cale

Song of the Day: Miguel’s “The Thrill” What...

Sat, 25 May 2013 02:27:19 -0400

Song of the Day: Miguel’s “The Thrill”

What was at first an underperformer on this young man’s album packed an emotional punch for me with its key melody repeated just once - the “We can be Orion in the air tonight,” I think is the correct lyric? At first the song was too slow, too guitar-heavy in this annoying new-school style of playing. But then, starting with that aforementioned melody (that I dare say borrows from Book of Beach Boys Harmony), “The Thrill” started to unfold itself to me, actually becoming thrilling in its own prodding way. Its starry-eyed energy contrasting an impending-doom feel somehow captures something key about our time…or at the very least, my own life!

Jake

Jake Rates Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories I was...

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:35 -0400

Jake Rates Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories

I was feeling frail and sick and I had little to sustain me physiologically, but I was so pumped to hear a new work from my favorite artist of this current age. It was quite the test; I was essentially asking these two Frenchmen to alleviate me of my physical ailments.

What? No samples?? Well, okay then…but these live musicians had better play well, and the darned songs had better be darned good.

It all comes together pretty damn well. Unlike the retro futurism of Discovery, this work seems more futuristically retro, at times seemingly too self-consciously indebted to its influences (come on: “Giorgio by Moroder”?). But then again, these are “memories.”

And besides all that, the songwriting is sharp and well-done. I look forward to these songs’ sort of joyful melancholy - or is it melancholy joy? - impacting me in big ways down the line. As it stands now, one track truly blew me away: “Touch” and its middle-to-end passages: there I found an extremely moving melody building into something so appropriately epic, never crossing the line into the over-the-top.

I must say there’s something this album has that previous Daft Punk albums didn’t: a maturity cultivated through many years of life lived, and the reverent looking-back upon them.

8.5/10

Song of the Day: Cocteau Twins - FotzepoliticThere is probably...

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:44:00 -0400

Song of the Day: Cocteau Twins - Fotzepolitic

There is probably no other sonic ethos that I see more reflections of myself within than that of the Cocteau Twins. Now more than ever I find myself running to this and other music that simply feels as though it defines those parts of myself that I hold most dear.

This now defunct group in particular holds an even greater place in my heart because I’ve been fortunate enough to work with one of the minds behind it. Robin Guthrie, who was the band’s guitarist / co-songwriter and has continued his career as an amazing solo artist / producer mastered the digital tracks from my band, Uwue’s first record. Among all the other wonderful and exciting relationships my work has brought about, working with Robin has definitely the most exciting and personally affirming so far. I mean who doesn’t want to collaborate with an idol. My gratefulness to that dude knows no bounds.

So here’s a track from his former band’s ‘91 album Heaven or Las Vegas.

If you’re into that stuff you should also check out his more recent work, both solo and in collaboration with ambient music legend Herold Budd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndlC2vKvblY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0tqivtafvc

-Caleb

Song of the Day: Paperhaus - “Helicopters” A mix of...

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:22:00 -0400

Song of the Day: Paperhaus - “Helicopters”

A mix of SOTDage and blatant self promotion…this band will be playing at the Tree House on THURSDAY! We’re pretty excited to be hosting these guys. Check out the track and you’ll see why, they’ve got their sound on point. A great mix of airy melodicism and in-pocket rhythm topped off with killer production from Inner Ear in D.C. Definitely not a band to be missed this time around as they may be playing fewer and fewer $5 donation shows in the future.

Here’s a fbook event link for the show. Invite your friends and hope to see you there..

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/events/594509273892932/

Jake Rates Talib Kweli’s “Prisoner of...

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:45:14 -0400

Jake Rates Talib Kweli’s “Prisoner of Conscious”

There’s something quite mesmorizing about Mr. Kweli when all of the elements work together: his higher-range voice meshing with epic kind of production, creating a unique sense of urgency. He raps as though more is at stake than what I might typically want to believe. Maybe he believes in more than I do? Unfortunately, on this album this sweet spot of transcendence isn’t nearly a constant (it’d be no easy feat, but I believe it is achievable). Sometimes that production is overwrought and sometimes it’s underwrought, not letting his rapping really bloom and flow as fully as they could. But when he is on, check it out:

7.2/10