TreeHouse! is pushing ‘the envelope of reggae fusion’
Photo courtesy of TreeHouse!
Daily Reggae interviewed TreeHouse! frontman Jeremy Anderson (aka Positive J) to hear about the band’s new singles, collaborations and live shows. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-based band is releasing some amazing reggae rock with new tunes on the way!
Tell us about the new music you're creating! We love TreeHouse!'s sound! What is currently influencing your music?
Thank you so much! The new music is an expression of the expanded range we’re endeavoring to approach in our production. I’ve always wanted to push the envelope of reggae fusion, and the whole next batch of music we’re working on is a great example of this attempt, as the world shall see in the coming months. My ultimate concept, with the blessing of time, is to create 3 distinct products: a modern radio-banger EP; a progressive roots album; and a mixtape of beats, riffs, and lyrical ideas with features and collabs across the board, like a musical collage.
We released our latest album “Full Immersion” in 2020, and I hadn’t seen the inside of a studio in years by then (tracking, mixing, mastering, and marketing from start to finish can be an extended process, especially on an independent DIY kind of budget). In 2021, our new bassist, Shane Violette joined the team as he moved from Boston down to Myrtle Beach and relocated his recording studio, Loud House Audio, down to my neck of the woods. So here I’ve been the past several months back in the studio with hundreds of song ideas from over the years. So I’ve got plenty of inspiration to draw from my own back pocket. Our next single, “Preach” dropped August 28th and it’s leaning much more on the rock side than the reggae side this time around.
The groups that are currently lighting a fire of musical inspiration for me with their own productions are Wookiefoot, Indubious, The Elovaters, and Dirty Heads. Many many more in the scene deserve shout outs, this is a holistic community.
As a band, how do you split up your time playing live shows and creating new music?
TreeHouse! spent the first many years playing shows much more than recording. Starting as a 3-piece from Myrtle Beach, land of the 4 hour cover band gigs. We were playing shows for years before the studio, and many of our original songs were formed organically by jamming them live on stage into a life of their own. Now, I have intentionally endeavored to flip the ratio and focus more on developing a full new catalog of music to tour with. So now, I draw from my own notes and start a scratch track in the studio, then the band touches on it more and more in rehearsals until the next show range, when we slowly trickle in the new song and potentially cut an older song. Remember, the “best” groups don’t arise only from having the best songs, but from being the most prolific, i.e. writing the most songs.
After all this, I would advise any other band to focus on developing and recording new content much more than on live shows, because the whole world is open to your music now, whether you tour there or not, and your song will spread for you, even while you sleep. Create the demand for your music across the country, well before you tour across the country. At a certain point along the way, the less shows you play, the more valuable each show should be.
Is it different writing TreeHouse! solo songs vs. collaborating with another artist?
I’m always on the lookout for quality collaborations, even if the song starts just as a TreeHouse! idea. I ask myself, “is there anyone else’s style or flavor I’m hearing on this one?” I’m slightly guilty of bringing on a specific artist and then subconsciously writing a song in their style. Then, it only makes sense to pitch it to them. In the last few years, I’ve been working with other artists in varying capacities, like having Nick Sefakis produce and feature on the track for “Bring it to the Light” or Mellodose produce the track for “Grave Situation”. I enjoyed traveling to each of their studios and realizing everyone’s creative process is different.
On some upcoming singles, we had a good friend of mine, Brian Daggett, float in his own drum tracks for the tune, and even that co-directed the course of the sound and the whole vibe. The work I did with Sun-Dried Vibes (“Young One”, “Human Condition”, “Look into the Stars”, “Smoke Session”) came most naturally from touring early on, both bright eyed and spirited, jamming together at ungodly hours. Our co-write with Oogee Wawa (“Waiting on the Sunrise”) happened in the same fashion, literally jamming until sunrise. Music is a communal energy, so it always feels better when we do it together!
What was it like working with Mellodose on your single, “Grave Situation”?
Marco (Mellodose) has been a good friend of mine for a long time now, since he was touring with Nashville group, Roots of a Rebellion, on guitar and harmonica. After years of TreeHouse! & Roots of a Rebellion tours, I knew he’s a phenomenal musician and overall quality human being. In the last few years, he has flourished his new project, Mellodose, with high quality production and a pointed accentuation for collaborations. We started working with each other in this new capacity, as I would float over vocal and trumpet features for one of his songs (yet to be released!) as well as Austin Grimm collaborations (“Journey”, “K(no)w God, K(no)w Peace”). Then he invited me to visit his home studio in Tennessee for a weekend, and we jammed ideas for several songs that eventually landed on “Grave Situation”. Marco’s flow state in the studio is remarkable. I sometimes joke (in all seriousness) that I could leave him a voicemail message singing a hook, and I would receive an email an hour later of a fully produced track!
How has the band evolved over time? What are you looking forward to next?
I started TreeHouse! with my two friends, Matt Link and Trey Moody, and we founded our sound on a strong, roots, raw vibe. I would write the basis of the song, and we would virtually telepathize its development through progressively jamming it live. We met Rob Flack who jammed bluesy keys and saxophone with us for a while until he was recruited by the Marine Corps Band. Our friend Joe Keys jumped on the road with us bringing a psychedelic synth/organ Pink Floyd vibe. Jason Hazinski still jumps in periodically over the years on saxophone and dance moves. Our third and latest album Full Immersion brought on producer Toft Willingham (Spiritual Rez) to create a refinement of this Psychedelic Reggae Jam Rock fusion.
As 2020 hit and the great reset unfolded, especially for much of our industry, several of the original members eventually decided to take different life paths. So over the last year, I have curated a new team who holds the vibe and is ready to flow the progression into new audioscapes. Our drummer, Rusty Nygaard, is well-versed in roots and world rhythms on both the drum kit and percussion, with an added flare of his own. Our bassist, Shane Violette, holds down a deep tone on the backbone, and is essentially producing all our newest material I’ve been writing. I’m really excited about this fresh direction we’re collectively taking, while continuing to represent the roots of TreeHouse! I see infinite opportunities ahead...
