The Giving Tree Band is really more of a family than a band – and they lead this wonderful thing that could be called The Giving Tree Band way of life. They offer not just music on stage, but an overwhelming sense of calm off-stage. They live under one roof together in a large, cozy house in Yorkville; and they define their home by living in a peaceful state of mind that we all likely aspire to achieve.
“A band is closer than a family,” explains founding member Todd Fink, “because a family can still keep a lot of things from each other, and ultimately can be in very different places although under one roof. For us, we live together, we work together, we tour the country together, we write music together – so everything gets exposed and you see every side of a person as you’re going through all those experiences together.” Something that makes this band remarkable is their transparency with one another at all times. They make it a point to ask themselves – and each other, if they are approaching the music with the right mentality each time they play. “We ask each other questions that I think many other artists – and even families – would be terrified to ask each other, ” shared Fink. “We force ourselves to because I think, collectively, we started to realize that these are the barriers to tapping into the deepest levels of the creative spirit. And if you’re an artist that is that passionate, you’ll break down those walls because the motive is there and you want to reach that potential.” He continued, “We’ve broken down walls and we’re still breaking down walls. We’ve seen all sides of each other and we’re still learning about each other – but once all that is out there and you know what someone’s strengths and weaknesses are you can build some tapestry together. All of this translates into not just the musical experience, but also a spiritual experience.”
This band’s approach to life has a direct correlation with their approach to music. They want to play every note with virtue, integrity, humility, simplicity and gratitude. Fink stated, “I always tell the band right before we take the stage, ‘We’ve already practiced. We’ve already rehearsed. The only thing we have left to do is be happy. That is your only job now. If you make a mistake, then you were meant to make a mistake because we did everything we could to be prepared, but the last thing we are responsible for is to be happy.’ So I always tell people ‘Check your mind. See if you’re mindful. See if you’re grateful. And if you find yourself being taken away from that, bring yourself back because that’s all that’s left to do.’ And if you are in that state of mind, there really are no mistakes. Everything becomes beautiful. Even the biggest mistakes become special if you are in the moment and are mindful.”
To return the focus to the musical experience, the band’s most recent album release is The Joke, The Threat and The Obvious. The album title name actually was inspired by one of Todd’s old college papers, and refers to the stages an idea goes through. (At first no one takes a great idea seriously, then it can be threatening to the status quo and then sometimes years later it’s just part of the way things are in an obvious way.) Fink speaks about both this album and the next one coming. “This album is the first one that was reflective of that experience for us as a band and as a family. I think the one after that even more so is going to be more rock and roll than folk or bluegrass. We’re really going to move in that direction. It’s going to be louder, it’s going to be drawing from bands like the Allman brothers. We’re excited because I think we see ourselves more as a rock and roll band that plays acoustic instruments.”
While The Giving Tree Band bears the passion of rock and roll heart and soul, they also have classically trained backgrounds that offer another vocabulary to draw from. Violinist Phil was part of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra; upright bass and mandolin player Patrick studied Jazz in college; guitar and harmonica player Eric studied at Berkley and Todd – who sings and plays banjo – studied music theory at Georgetown.
That said, this band recognizes people are seeking fulfillment from music that falls into a separate category from classical training or bluegrass jam sessions. “I think whether conscious or sub-conscious, people want to feel connected, and what happens at a good concert is people feel like they are in it together with the band. A great artist will really blur the line between his or her band and the audience. If they can create a feeling of oneness, people find much fulfillment in that. I think the concert experience is a metaphor for the underlying reality that we are all connected,” says Fink.
It’s the evident goal for oneness and the commonality of leading a band family that led to a friendship with frontman Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. Ebert and Fink have met a few times, including at December’s Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival. Todd tells us that backstage at CBB, he and Alex engaged on deep and reflective topics such as philosophy and spirituality. “People are also coming to shows to feel like a part of something – and to experience something genuine, I feel. What we’re doing is genuine and I think it really comes from the heart,” says Todd. “Both our band and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are trying to extend this special bond that we’ve been able to culminate. We’re trying to share that with others and we’re trying to make other people feel a part of it because they ARE a part of it.”
It actually sounds kind of daunting if you think about it. As if writing great songs and performing them without error isn’t a large enough task, what can a band do to engender that connection to the audience? Where do you even begin implementing this invisible connection? “I think that trust has a lot to do with making an audience feel connected,” answers Todd. “Our band continues to work on trust and being open and honest with each other. Sometimes I’ll see other bands and they might have been put together and might not know each other as well. I’ll observe them and technically, everything is going great – but when I look deeper, I can see that this guy doesn’t really know what’s going on with that guy on an emotional level. And this guy might not know where that guy is philosophically. And maybe you’re not hearing it, but you feel it. And when the trust is there, you do feel it and it may be subtle, but it’s also undeniable.”
Indeed, “undeniable” may be one of the best words to conjure up that can articulate the intangible charm and genius of The Giving Tree Band. You can gather them all together as a family under one roof and something undeniably glows about them. Give them a stage and put instruments in their hands and and be assured they will downright shine for you with every ounce of gratitude in their soulful bodies.
INTERVIEW DATE: December 9, 2010
WORDS BY: Marisa Ruiz (@MarisaVictoria)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Tracy Graham (@TracyGrahamCrkr)
