http://www.thegivingtreeband.com
“A traveling band must be able to channel their hometown and aura into a space. It’s sometimes difficult to conjure the backroads and nature so often sung about in Americana music. The Giving Tree Band has mastered this quintessential aspect of performing live. They are able to accomplish what great writers have long proven; it is possible, with the right story, to transport whole audiences to new worlds.” Appoet.org
It is said that in any endeavor, the journey is the true reward. For this band, the outlook matters more than the outcome. Yet, even with this policy, The Giving Tree Band has been steadily making their way towards the head of a classy class of young American songwriters and performers and consistently winning over each scene in the school. People everywhere are discovering The Giving Tree Band and when they do, a bond is established.
While the GTB was on tour last summer with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and again at ESMZ’s first Big Top Festival in Los Angeles, alternative and indie rock audiences were raptured into what has been described by Relix Magazine as the “folksy bliss of a group playing as one.” They enchanted crowds with their ability to reference classic Rock ‘N Roll themes and drive them to a moxie that’s “new and refreshing” (Paste Magazine).
Deadheads and jam fans, young and old, were introduced to The Giving Tree Band thanks to their rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Brown-Eyed Women.” It was praised by the Dead organization as “beautifully executed on all counts” and featured on the Grateful Dead official sites and social media networks. The GTB’s video for the song was viewed nationwide during the Dead’s annual “Meetup At The Movies,” and the song itself was featured on the GTB’s recent critically-acclaimed studio release, Vacilador, and ranked #1 on The Austin Chronicle’s “Best Songs Of 2012″ list. Anyone familiar with the Dead community knows that this bond will last many more moons….
Country folks (especially those who appreciate the crossover stylings of The Byrds, Grams Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers, The Eagles, or Neil Young) caught the Illinois prairie wind when the band’s third studio album The Joke, The Threat And The Obvious climbed into the Top 40 of the Americana Airplay Chart (alongside releases from Willie Nelson andTom Petty) and other notable roots radio reports in 2010.
In addition to appearances at major music festivals like SXSW and Wakarusa, the GTB’s high-energy standout performances received raving ovation at folk and roots fests such as Philly Folk Fest, and ROMP in Kentucky where the band performed through the night and into the dawn. At Four Corners Folk Fest in Colorado, newspapers accurately predicted attendees would come to see John Hiatt and leave talking about The Giving Tree Band. In their home stomping grounds of Illinois, the GTB perform annually at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Fest and Summer Camp Music Festival supporting living legends like Bela Fleck, David Grisman, and Del McCoury, as well as Billboard 200 recording artists, The Avett Brothers.
But there’s a modern pop element too. Metromix called The Giving Tree Band “the American answer to Mumford And Sons” and Relix Magazine featured the band as one of their monthly artists “On The Verge” while multiple nods have come from Paste Magazine, including a #9 rank on their list of “13 Emerging Bands For 2013.”
Yet the Illinois group isn’t new, and they’re definitely not a Dead cover band nor a bluegrass band. Formed in 2004 by brothers E and Todd Fink, The Austin Chronicle explains the band’s sound as bringing to mind “Seventies American music with The Band and the Dead as obvious touchstones, plus the kind of country/almost-bluegrass of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.” When off the road, the members of GTB all reside at Crooked Creek – their home and studio near Chicago named after the street where it sits. There, they have meticulously honed their craft, devoting thousands of hours to practice, experimentation, and the development of a sound greater than the sum of its parts.
The Brothers Fink (E – guitar and lead vocals and Todd – banjo and vocals) are joined by longtime friend Norm Norman, on mandolin, piano, and high harmonies, whose playing is best described as “alternating between smooth piano lines and incomprehensibly prairie fire-fast mandolin solos” (Pop’stache); and the long-haired rhythm section of college roommates, Z and Charlie Karls, on drums and bass, respectively.
“The Giving Tree Band is a rare grouping of individuals who refuse to be kept from their goals. Every aspect of their lives is innately tuned, like the tip of a spear, carving a clear path and meeting little resistance on the air. All the effort, the life force of the band, comes to fruition on the stage. When they’re diving around like ninjas in a kung fu film while playing delicately crafted musical treasures, there is a lifetime of work that is condensed into those fleeting moments. The professional integrity that The Giving Tree Band practices is unequaled, and it is firmly rooted in a house at the end of Crooked Creek Drive.” -Jambase
Daytrotter describes the intensity of the GTB lifestyle as “doing everything one can not to lose sight of the bigger picture of development, of becoming or staying the gold hearted man.” Illinois Times adds, “To keep the kindred spirit of the universal music spinning, they live, travel, work and play together creating a tight knit, family-like, tribal unit both on and off stage.” For the band, nothing’s too much and everything’s not enough. At the same time, it’s just their life, and it’s all in a day’s work.
“These rockers cultivate a sound that mirrors their namesake, with soulful vocals and heartfelt musicianship that hearkens back to classic American Folk. In a genre where honesty is key, The Giving Tree Band gives their audiences their all,” writes CityBeat Cincinnati. The Giving Tree Band is not reinventing but simply reuniting rock and roll. With their down-home style, they emphasize the virtue in virtuosity – playing each note with integrity, each part with humility, each song with honesty, and each show with gratitude. The most common word among all who share the experience is “undeniable” in regards to the chemistry on stage, the energy in the room, and the feeling that something special is happening. With a rare combination of stirring musicianship and exemplary songwriting, the GTB wheel is in full spin, and like their heroes before them, it’s also on fire.
“A traveling band must be able to channel their hometown and aura into a space. It’s sometimes difficult to conjure the backroads and nature so often sung about in Americana music. The Giving Tree Band has mastered this quintessential aspect of performing live. They are able to accomplish what great writers have long proven; it is possible, with the right story, to transport whole audiences to new worlds.” Appoet.org
It is said that in any endeavor, the journey is the true reward. For this band, the outlook matters more than the outcome. Yet, even with this policy, The Giving Tree Band has been steadily making their way towards the head of a classy class of young American songwriters and performers and consistently winning over each scene in the school. People everywhere are discovering The Giving Tree Band and when they do, a bond is established.
While the GTB was on tour last summer with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and again at ESMZ’s first Big Top Festival in Los Angeles, alternative and indie rock audiences were raptured into what has been described by Relix Magazine as the “folksy bliss of a group playing as one.” They enchanted crowds with their ability to reference classic Rock ‘N Roll themes and drive them to a moxie that’s “new and refreshing” (Paste Magazine).
Deadheads and jam fans, young and old, were introduced to The Giving Tree Band thanks to their rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Brown-Eyed Women.” It was praised by the Dead organization as “beautifully executed on all counts” and featured on the Grateful Dead official sites and social media networks. The GTB’s video for the song was viewed nationwide during the Dead’s annual “Meetup At The Movies,” and the song itself was featured on the GTB’s recent critically-acclaimed studio release, Vacilador, and ranked #1 on The Austin Chronicle’s “Best Songs Of 2012″ list. Anyone familiar with the Dead community knows that this bond will last many more moons….
Country folks (especially those who appreciate the crossover stylings of The Byrds, Grams Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers, The Eagles, or Neil Young) caught the Illinois prairie wind when the band’s third studio album The Joke, The Threat And The Obvious climbed into the Top 40 of the Americana Airplay Chart (alongside releases from Willie Nelson andTom Petty) and other notable roots radio reports in 2010.
In addition to appearances at major music festivals like SXSW and Wakarusa, the GTB’s high-energy standout performances received raving ovation at folk and roots fests such as Philly Folk Fest, and ROMP in Kentucky where the band performed through the night and into the dawn. At Four Corners Folk Fest in Colorado, newspapers accurately predicted attendees would come to see John Hiatt and leave talking about The Giving Tree Band. In their home stomping grounds of Illinois, the GTB perform annually at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Fest and Summer Camp Music Festival supporting living legends like Bela Fleck, David Grisman, and Del McCoury, as well as Billboard 200 recording artists, The Avett Brothers.
But there’s a modern pop element too. Metromix called The Giving Tree Band “the American answer to Mumford And Sons” and Relix Magazine featured the band as one of their monthly artists “On The Verge” while multiple nods have come from Paste Magazine, including a #9 rank on their list of “13 Emerging Bands For 2013.”
Yet the Illinois group isn’t new, and they’re definitely not a Dead cover band nor a bluegrass band. Formed in 2004 by brothers E and Todd Fink, The Austin Chronicle explains the band’s sound as bringing to mind “Seventies American music with The Band and the Dead as obvious touchstones, plus the kind of country/almost-bluegrass of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.” When off the road, the members of GTB all reside at Crooked Creek – their home and studio near Chicago named after the street where it sits. There, they have meticulously honed their craft, devoting thousands of hours to practice, experimentation, and the development of a sound greater than the sum of its parts.
The Brothers Fink (E – guitar and lead vocals and Todd – banjo and vocals) are joined by longtime friend Norm Norman, on mandolin, piano, and high harmonies, whose playing is best described as “alternating between smooth piano lines and incomprehensibly prairie fire-fast mandolin solos” (Pop’stache); and the long-haired rhythm section of college roommates, Z and Charlie Karls, on drums and bass, respectively.
“The Giving Tree Band is a rare grouping of individuals who refuse to be kept from their goals. Every aspect of their lives is innately tuned, like the tip of a spear, carving a clear path and meeting little resistance on the air. All the effort, the life force of the band, comes to fruition on the stage. When they’re diving around like ninjas in a kung fu film while playing delicately crafted musical treasures, there is a lifetime of work that is condensed into those fleeting moments. The professional integrity that The Giving Tree Band practices is unequaled, and it is firmly rooted in a house at the end of Crooked Creek Drive.” -Jambase
Daytrotter describes the intensity of the GTB lifestyle as “doing everything one can not to lose sight of the bigger picture of development, of becoming or staying the gold hearted man.” Illinois Times adds, “To keep the kindred spirit of the universal music spinning, they live, travel, work and play together creating a tight knit, family-like, tribal unit both on and off stage.” For the band, nothing’s too much and everything’s not enough. At the same time, it’s just their life, and it’s all in a day’s work.
“These rockers cultivate a sound that mirrors their namesake, with soulful vocals and heartfelt musicianship that hearkens back to classic American Folk. In a genre where honesty is key, The Giving Tree Band gives their audiences their all,” writes CityBeat Cincinnati. The Giving Tree Band is not reinventing but simply reuniting rock and roll. With their down-home style, they emphasize the virtue in virtuosity – playing each note with integrity, each part with humility, each song with honesty, and each show with gratitude. The most common word among all who share the experience is “undeniable” in regards to the chemistry on stage, the energy in the room, and the feeling that something special is happening. With a rare combination of stirring musicianship and exemplary songwriting, the GTB wheel is in full spin, and like their heroes before them, it’s also on fire.
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