ARTIST: The Dead Trees
TITLE: Fort Music
LABEL: My My Hay Hay
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 182kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 19m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-00-00
RIP DATE: 2008-06-16
Track List
----------
1. Television 2:51
2. Shelter 3:13
3. Me Too 3:23
4. Second Hand Drugs 4:13
5. Head Trauma 2:30
6. My Funny Footnote 3:40
Release Notes:
Matthew Borg - guitar
Noah Rubin - drums/vocals
Tad Dahlhoff - bass/vocals
Michael Ian Cummings - vocals/guitar
Matthew, Noah, Tad and Michael werenÆt really a æbandÆ, exactly, when they began
work on what would become the Fort Music EP. They were longtime friends and had
played around Boston in various configurations for years, but when they gathered
in Dec Æ06 to record some new songs of MichaelÆs there were no grand plans to
see through or deadlines to meet. They had an engineer friend and a couple
hundred bucks and some notions about maybe making some back to basics rock and
roll. As Michael puts it, "these days, the only way forward is backward."
Luckily for everyone, that approach seemed to work just fine, and after two
weeks in an Allston, MA basement they had Fort Music all wrapped up and, more
importantly, were most definitely a band.
These modest beginnings play out in the The Dead TreesÆ music in the best way û
thereÆs no artifice here, not much ôproductionö to speak of, just a bunch of
good musicians doing what comes naturally on a batch of deceptively elegant
songs. Two guitars, background vocals here and there, a manic drum fill when
necessary. It all feels easy and right. Says Michael: ôWe donÆt deprive any of
our songs. TheyÆre like our children, all different and each as important as the
next. We're just borrowing from our heroes and trying to raise a family.ö
Since those basement sessions things have happened pretty fast û the band sent
some CDs around, and next thing you know The Dead Trees were supporting Albert
Hammond, Jr. on a national tour. They did The House Of Blues in LA, Webster Hall
in NYC, just about burned down the Metro in Chicago, and abandoned a broken down
van somewhere in Iowa. There were showcases at Spaceland and Mercury Lounge with
lots of label execs in attendance. Rough Trade has signed on to release Fort
Music in Japan, and the band is already thinking about a full- length album. But
for right now theyÆre going to keep things simple and stay out on the road for
as long as the current van will hold up.
As for the EP youÆre now holding, the best thing to do is to approach it like
the band did û no expectations, no preconceptions. YouÆll undoubtedly be
charmed, and itÆll take way less than two weeks.