Most musicians would be afraid to roll the dice on playing music without a vocalist, consider If These Trees Could Talk not among them. The Akron quintet’s mind altering sonic wave of sound has left little room for any vocal melody, and to be honest, it would would probably just get in the way. With the band releasing its full length debut, “Above the Earth Below the Sky,” just a few weeks ago, If These Trees Could Talk are poised to incite an instrumental revival. We caught up with the guys to talk about their new album, the sexiest thing on the road and getting a little Playstation love.
S*KM: Your music speaks for itself, but I have to ask why you decided to forgo a vocalist and remain strictly an instrumental band?
ITTCT: Once we initially recorded our first EP, we decided that we didn’t really have a need for a vocalist due to the amount of parts that were already involved. We had thought about it, but it was never something that we actively decided to search out. Without a vocalist, it creates no language barrier, and people from all over the world can understand it.
S*KM: Your album has been done for awhile now and was just released last week. What was holding things up?
ITTCT: When we finished initial tracking we got really excited and wanted people to know. What we didn’t realize was that we needed to hone in on a lot of parts to make sure they were represented correctly. In doing this, we had to go back and forth with Tim (Gerak, the guy who recorded, mixed, and mastered Above the Earth…) before we were all comfortable with our individual parts. So yeah, to answer the question, we just got a little too excited too early, and started making announcements too soon. Also, in releasing the record ourselves, there was a lot of territory to cover prior to the release of the album. We just wanted to make sure everything was right.
S*KM: Without the use of melodies and lyrics the band has neglected 50 percent of what an average listener pays attention to, yet you still manage to capture an overwhelming amount of emotion and feeling in your music, what is your secret?
ITTCT: Lots of delay! Seriously though, we actually refer to the 3rd guitar as the the melody maker. In a lot of songs, we incorporate the use of melody with the 3rd guitar. it almost acts as the singer in a way. In the end, people can interpret the verse/chorus/hook however they would like. We just like to paint the picture first.
S*KM: What were a few bullet points the band identified as goals for writing the new full length?
ITTCT:Our main goal was to make an album that we as a collective are proud of. It took awhile to get there, but in the end, it was definitely worth it. Also, one of our goals was to buy a van. We succeeded.
S*KM: What is above the earth and below the sky?
ITTCT: It refers to the all the failures, fears, and triumphs involved in the human experience; tucked away in their small corner of the universe. It is also where our new van is.
S*KM: You recently had your song “Malabar Front”, off your debut EP, included in the trailer for the Playstation 3 game “InFamous.” How did that deal come about and how does it feel when you watch it knowing the music sounds as sexy as the game looks?
ITTCT: We got an email from our vinyl label, The Mylene Sheath, saying that someone from Playstation had contacted them in regards to licensing our music. The e-mail was forwarded to us, we exchanged a few e-mails with Playstation, and that was that. It really took us by surprise, as that was one of the bigger things we had been asked to be apart of. We took the attitude of, “It’s sweet, but lets not get too excited yet in case it falls through.” But, in the end, it went through, and has done wonders for us in regards to internet traffic to out Myspace. We are please with the results.
S*KM: You have two labels in your corner, Mylene Sheath for vinyl releases, and Linus Records for distribution in Japan. However, I do not see a label to help promote your music in a contemporary format to the people of the states. What is your partnership like with both companies and have you had any interest from labels that could handle everything?
ITTCT: The Mylene Sheath contacted us in the summer of ‘07 in regards to putting out our EP on vinyl. It was to be their first release, and we were flattered when they asked us to be their debut. Since then, they have gone on to release a load of great records on amazing vinyl, and they have always been great to deal with both personally and professionally. The Mylene Sheath will be releasing the new record at some point, but we’re not quite sure when.
Linus Records was essentially put on our space in error as they aren’t really a label that we are attached to. Linus Records, out of Japan, had purchased a sizable chunk of our EP to distribute, but there was never a contract in place. We have had offers from a few different labels, but in the end, we really wanted to keep everything close knit. We like having our hands in the release process. We had favorable results with the last one, so we felt a little more confident going into this one.
S*KM: How do you see the music industry adapting to its faltering business structure? Do you ultimately think labels are necessary for the mass promotion of music?
ITTCT:The internet has really made it easier for independent bands to thrive. It has allowed bands who wouldn’t normally get exposure to build a direct and attentive audience. While this has been great for artists like us, we do realize that you can reach a plateau at a certain point. Bigger labels do help to expose bands on a level that the internet can’t. Certain labels already have a built in fan base, so the exposure is already there. The internet seems to allow people to discover bands by browsing and word of mouth. Bigger labels can spread your music across many different formats, which can lead to exposure in places that were once unturned and over looked. We can see both sides I suppose you could say.
S*KM: If the band had its way, how would you be releasing music five or ten years from now?
ITTCT: We would really just be happy to still be releasing music five to ten years from now. Hopefully, we would be doing it on a much bigger scale.
S*KM: With the new album just weeks old, what do you have lined up in terms of hitting the road to bring the music to the people?
ITTCT: We’re playing in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, PA on the weekend of April 10th and 11th. We’ll be doing the Harrisburgh date with Rosetta. The last weekend of April we’ll be doing a short run with our boys from Virginia, Gifts From Enola. They are on The Mylene Sheath as well, and have a new album coming coming out in June I believe. We are looking to hit both coasts in the near future since we now have a sweet ass van that will make it there. We are also pricing how much it would cost to send us, our van, and our gear to Europe. We really would love to get over there at some point.
S*KM: Can you name a band from the Akron area that you guys really enjoy listening to and feel worthy to share the stage with?
ITTCT: Pretty much any band that is willing to show their shit on stage is worthy of sharing it with. We’re not music elitists, so any form of expression on a stage is cool with us. Just as long as it comes from the heart and isn’t pretentious. But if we had to name a band, we love to play with Mr. Gnome. They aren’t really from Akron, but they might as well be. We’ve been playing with those two for a long time, and we both support the hell out of each other.
S*KM: If you could steal one item from Mogwai in attempts to harness some of its musical power what would it be?
ITTCT: Stealing is wrong. But maybe they could record us. Or have us open for them. Or have us restring their guitars.
S*KM: We would like to thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with us. As a small token of our appreciation we would like to offer you a moment alone with Saw*Kick and the devoted If These Trees Could Talk fan base.
ITTCT: We just want to say thanks to Saw*Kick for being interested enough in us to ask us these questions, our fans around the world who have shown so much support for what we do, and to our new van for being the sexiest fuckin’ thing on the road!
You can listen to If These Trees Could Talk for yourself at www.myspace.com/ifthesetreescouldtalk and catch them live next on Friday, April 10th at Club Cafe in Pittsburgh, Penn.
Fantastic band! Nice to see them getting a little recognition.