Trees Speak
Trees Speak art by @sk8foxhijinx
And The Trees Finally Spoke...
Hailing from Tucson Arizona, Trees Speak blew our minds and souls in 2020 with two great albums within 7 months. First, it was “Ohms” (March) and then “Shadow Forms” (October). Of course, it had all started with their s/t debut of 2017.
Trees Speak's unique and absolutely thrilling sound captures the listener and makes him/her an integral part of the sonic adventure. Psych rock and kraut, elements of punk and jazz, electronica and synths, along with the priceless legacy of Ennio Morricone and Goblin, all of them are magically combined, giving us an one of a kind and extra rewarding mixture.
The duet, consisting of artist Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz, spoke to the Basement in a very rare interview. We are deeply honoured and thankful...
Ohms (out 6/3 via Soul Jazz Records)
Shadow Forms (out 30/10 via Soul Jazz Records)
The Basement: Hi Trees Speak and welcome to The Basement! At first, we would like to know your story – how did the band form in the first place?
We had no idea we were creating a band or record when we began. It was purely a philosophical concept Damian and I had been discussing for a while. It was the idea of merging early experimental music such as Schoenberg, Cage, Performance art, and early electronic experimental music. Always with the roots of 1960s-70s rock and roll at the base level. Then we began to experiment with live sound performances and performance art. The direction kept us interested and we let it lead us to where we are now.
The Basement: Focusing on nowadays and 2020, you released two albums within 7 months - not very usual for a band, indeed… Over-inspired?
It was never our intention to release two records in a year.
Our focus with Soul Jazz Records was to release OHMS. Unexpectedly it sold out quickly and received considerable press. We had no idea it was going to resonate that well with the public. We thought it was going to be an obscure record that faded away into obscurity. After the record sold out Stuart Baker at Soul Jazz suggested we release another record since a lot of interest had been created by OHMS. It was a brilliant idea now in hindsight. Because decisions had to be made quickly. We would have never released a record in the realm of Shadow Forms. We went into the studio free of limitations and focused on creating a record filled with vast swaths of space and tone. We were able to free ourselves of social norms and the traps of genres in music. We focused on sonic and dynamic elements and freed ourselves of the cliques of structure. The final touch that defined Shadow Forms was having Baker curate the album track order and song selection. We sent him the tracks and he designed the tracking order in such a way where the context of a story unfolds. Something we couldn’t have done because we were to close to the songs. Lastly, since Alex Kuno created the artwork for OHMS, Baker suggested we hire him to create artwork for Shadow Forms to keep the thread connected between both records. Which we all agreed on. His work captures the surreal and metaphysics of what we are trying to convey through sound structure. His work is beautiful and haunting. It's different than your typical album cover. But, yet still familiar.
The Basement: Trees Speak create a unique sonic environment combining various music genres and styles. How did your sound form and develop? What are your musical influences and what is your vision regarding your music?
Our intention is to create music with an unrehearsed minimalist approach performing simple beats, riffs, and sequences that take one inward. We attempt to create a sonic environment to set one's mind free and to become aware of the nuances of tone, melody, and structure. We organize our recording equipment with the same approach, in a transparent manner. Our recorded performances are never rehearsed. Our belief is that a brilliant rehearsal is a lost opportunity to capture a magical moment. We are chasing the mystery of harmonics and tones. We let the musical performance sculpt its own destiny and create imperfect perfection. Our tool of creation is the anxiety one feels when they are unrehearsed or underprepared for a performance. We believe this approach brings us closer to the authentic self. The result is genuine music without an agenda that captures the unfiltered spirit.
The Basement: Have you ever thought of using lyrics in your music?
Yes! This coming April we will be releasing a full LP titled PostHuman with Soul Jazz Records. The record has a vocal track using a 1970’s Vocoder.
The Basement: Tell me about your future plans and how they are influenced by the pandemic.
If all goes well and the venues open up fall 2021, we will began to tour.
The Basement: Generally, what are your views about the whole pandemic thing and how do you believe it impacts the work of musicians and artists in general?
The sadness and grief of so many deaths because of a virus is overwhelming. It’s up and down and aday by day process of living through this difficult time for all of us.
The Basement: Thank you so much, wish you the best.
