An Interview With The Trees The Trees
The brand new single dropped from The Trees The Trees is an anthemic folk powerhouse that feels so good to listen to that you want to start it over straight away.
"When It's Over" is packed with a mass array of group vocals, roots instrumentation, an addicting progression, and a ton of heart that spills out with every note.
The song feels like walking through your hometown where you grew up in the middle of the night remembering and reminiscing withyrouself.
It's warm. It's comforting. It's beautiful.
There is an existential undertone to the track that has a deepening undertone and everything grows in intensity as the drums slam and guitars strum.
Theis single has a way of tugging at your heart strings and making you think of your one person that makes you smile.
It's a touching and very fulfilling song that gives off a sort of familiar feeling like being around family for the first time in a while.
When the song ends you smile and just feel like everything will be okay in the end. Which in turn is part of what the song is actually about so that message does come through well on an emotional level especially.
With such a wonderful single, we wanted to have a talk with The Trees The Trees about how this all began for them. Here is what happened.
TSWS: Okay so let's begin with "When It's Over". This track has a rootsy folk feel and is anthemic in a way as well. Where did this song come from?
Cam: The chord structure, beat, and melody lines came very organically during a jam, a number of our songs start this way. The lyrics came from where I was mentally and emotionally during 2020. I was learning that the city I loved and spent my childhood in wasn't the place I thought it was. It gave me a terribly bleak outlook and one of the ways I process those feelings is to put it into words. Along with those anxieties, however, I thought of all the love that is in my life that radiates from my family and friends and I focused that idea down into one line that ended up being the chorus.
Clint: Yeah, it was one of those songs that we were just jamming out and then magically came together. After we played it a few times, we all looked at each other and said, “Yes, that’s it!”
Casey: For real, that’s typically how it goes with us, Clint calls it the butt clench, it’s how you know you have a really good song! For me, really sitting back on the bass line and emphasizing the dynamics of the lyrics was important, this song is really about the words and I tried to make the bass highlight the vocal melody more than the rhythm.
TSWS: I'm hearing all sorts of genres mixed in on this track. Who are your biggest musical influences?
Clint: We really cross so many different genres in what we listen to. It’s funny how none of us in the band listen to the same type of music at all. And somehow when we get together, we definitely have our sound.
Cam: I tend to draw inspiration from artist that, I feel, are different in their genre. Artist that push the envelope. A couple artists that have influenced my music since I have been writing are Shakey Graves and Jack White. Shakey has such an interesting way that he tells stories through his songs. When I first started getting into music that wasn't whatever my dad played on the radio I started listening to the White Stripes. Jack has such a unique way of playing that when you hear a song, even if you have never heard it before, you would be able to tell that he was playing the guitar. The ability to have such a distinct sound is something I covet.
Casey: I’m a 90’s grunge kid at heart and I think that is being reflected more in some of our newer music, so stay tuned! I also love current indie folk like Iron & Wine, I love where Sam Beam has gone with his music and I feel like we’re on a similar journey. For me, this song feels like a lot of what is coming out of Nordic folk too, think Tallest Man on Earth or maybe a little more roots inspired like Gregory Alan Isakov.
TSWS: How did this all start for you guys?
Cam: The Trees The Trees has had a long, rocky road. If you saw one of our first shows the line up is completely different. This seems to be the way it works when you are still building your sound and building presence but it's still hard on you emotionally and mentally. However, the thing that keeps us coming back is the music and how well we play and write together. The group now is absolutely solid though.
Clint: I answered a Craigslist add and played with Cam in a different band in my garage. Then he asked me along to The Trees The Trees. We didn’t have any low end, and I asked Casey, who had been a friend of mine for years, to join, and we’ve been jamming ever since.
Casey: I’m actually not in the band. I told Cam and Clint I would need an official prom-posal before I called it official, it’s been a couple years, and I’m still waiting. But I keep showing up, so I must love it. The band was pretty different when I started and there’s been a few fallen trees along the way. I think the changes have really strengthened us as friends and musicians. And, the sound we’re developing is so good!
TSWS: What sort of things inspire you to write?
Cam: I have a hard time talking about my insecurities, anxieties, and emotions but I still need to process it somehow so I write it down as lyrics. This make it easier for me to talk about my feelings because it feels like the issue is once removed.
Casey: I take a lot of inspiration from Cam’s lyrics, I think he’s an amazing wordsmith and I try to get the feeling of the words first. Then I try to find my home in between the guitar and the drums. It is also a place to process my own emotion so I’m looking for a feel more than something that is technical, or maybe even musically correct.
Clint: Chicks, fame and depression.
TSWS: Do you guys get together to rehearse?
Cam: All the time. We have taken over an entire floor of my house. I should charge them rent.
Clint: For real! We practice all the time. We at the very minimum play twice per week. I really have to, it’s my time to release and just have my mind on the music and what we are creating.
Casey: Yes, they’re right, we do practice a lot and that’s been tough through the last year because it is something we look forward to and there’s been periods we’ve had to step back because of pandemic concerns. We’ve also been very cautious and taken every precaution to keep each other and our families safe.
TSWS: Will you be putting any focus on live shows when the time comes?
Clint: Absolutely! There is nothing like the energy in the band between us when we play live. We feed off the crowd so much. It’s fantastic.
Cam: That is the thing we have missed most about 2020 is not being able to go out and have that experience on stage and giving and receiving energy from the crowd. I am excited for that.
Casey: It is high on our agenda and I’m excited to get back to it, my first summer with the band we played 2-3 shows a week and it was awesome. We are also wanting to promote safety in our community and don’t want to encourage folks to gather indoors until it safe to do so, so we’re focusing that energy into outdoor shows and festivals.
TSWS: What's next for you as a band?
Casey: Fame and fortune if we have anything to say about it! We are really working on finding our audience and connecting more with people. We rebuilt our website and have been upping our game on social media, Cam and I think we’re both pretty hilarious on TikTok lately! At our stage as a band, it’s really up to fans to take us to the next level. We’ll be making music in Cam’s basement no matter what, if folks connect with our sound and want to support us putting more energy into it, then the sky is the limit.
Cam: Ditto that! We’ll definitely be releasing new singles and we are working on an album at the moment too. We’re also setting up a tour around the Pacific Northwest.
Clint: One thing about CoVid is that it has given us a lot more time, with not playing live, to focus on new material. We are really excited about our new material!
TSWS: Who are you all listening to right now?
Cam: The new King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard album L.W has been on repeat since it came out.
Clint: I have been on a Low-Fi kick. And listening to a lot of Mother Mother and Local Natives.
Casey: I can’t get enough of East Forest lately, I love his album with Ram Dass. I have a thing for Nordic music, it started with Sigur Ròs years ago and I find myself in that genre a lot. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Beirut, they just fit my whimsy.
TSWS: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
Cam: Dungeons and Dragons... And tons of other, more interesting, stuff too.
Clint: The great part of living in Idaho is there is so much to do! Love to hit the slopes and get out camping as much as we can.
Casey: This year has been pretty quiet for me, we did bring a new puppy into our family and he’s gone from 10 pounds to 80 pounds and is a total attention hog.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Cam: We just really appreciate the support of our fans, especially at shows, there is nothing quite like a really engaged audience who is having a lot of fun, and we take it to a new level when that happens!
Clint: Exactly! We play our music to move people. There is nothing better than when someone comes up and tells us how much a song means to them.
Casey: The way we see it, the fans are the ones who will take us to bigger and bigger stages as they connect with us. Our job is to hussle everyday to make and promote our music. And to stay true to ourselves, hopefully that will resonate with people in a way that they want to listen to our tracks and put us on their playlists, maybe share us with their friends or follow our socials, and especially to come out and see us live and support our dreams!