Sea of Trees

Old News

2011-08-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is the old news. For the new news...http://www.swordpaw.com/wordpress/news/

Making the EP

2010-07-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Smash Extravaganza.

2010-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our new EP will be released Saturday, July 17. We've had good the fortune of being able to coordinate it with WEXT's 3rd Annual Birthday Bash! The show will be upstairs at Valentine's and includes Sea of Trees (of course), with Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned, The Rain in Spain, and Barons in the Attic. It's $7 at the door and things will kick off promptly at 7:30 to make sure all these great bands have plenty of time to play.

We're really proud of this recording and want it to be heard! We also want to be able to keep in touch with you all and keep you (gently) informed about the exciting happenings planned for the rest of the year. So, we've decided that on the Friday before the show (7/16), we're going to send an e-mail to our mailing list with instructions for a free download of the album. If you're already on the list...Thank You! If not, enter your email in the form below before noon on 7/16 and we'll get you signed up in time for the free download.


E-mail address:

In the meantime, check out this track from the album!

Self-Titled

2010-06-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

What's next?

New music!

lago

helicopters

panama snail

littering by accident

the girl who often caught on fire

nunatak

Recorded over the winter, mastered this spring, our new self-titled EP is currently in production!

We're using painted eco-sleeves with hand-carved rubber stamps of original artwork by Dylan's mom!

The release date is July 17 and there will be a party at Valentine's. Details are coming soon and when we know...you'll know!

In the meantime, check out this live recording of Plans to Steal a Bird from the Ale House. It features Jack on euphonium and hand claps!

Hello, Goodbye.

2010-06-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Jack played euphonium, shaker, and handclaps at three Sea of Trees' shows over the course of two short months. From what I've heard, it really added a lot to our 'sound'. But his talents go far beyond that! As it turns out, Jack (under the name Barrow Burrow) writes one hell of a pop song. I'm hooked. From his Facebook page:

"Barrow Burrow’s name comes from the winter I discovered songwriting in Alaska. Barrow - the northernmost town in the United States - signifies my extreme relocation to the north. Burrow - an underground home a mammal lives in to protect itself from harsh weather - signifies the time I spent recording in my apartment waiting for the winter darkness to subside."

Jack is about to undergo another extreme relocation. He will be sorely missed. But, before he goes, we conned him into letting us learn his songs and be the backing band for a Barrow Burrow farewell show. Jack has never fronted a band before. And sadly, this will only happen once. So, don't miss it! These songs are FUN!

Join us next Tuesday (June 15) at Valentine's!.
AM Ghost and the Hoborchestra open.

We will try to start between 7 and 7:30, since it's a Tuesday.

There's an event on Facebook if you're into that sort of thing...Click Here!

Also, you can follow Jack's adventures...here. You will soon be hooked too.

Meet Jack

2010-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

In the process of completing the RPM Challenge we had the good fortune of meeting one Jack Rosenberger. Jack is Barrow Burrow. Barrow Burrow is Jack.

While we were working on Florence and the Hendersons, Jack was working on an RPM project of his own, This Road is Not a Road. At the end of February there was a small local listening party. CDs were exchanged. A collaboration was proposed. Friends were made. And now, Jack is going be dragging his Euphonium to Sea of Trees shows to help us fill in the gaps left by horn parts that made it to the record that we can't play live.

We're really excited!

Jack's first show with us will be this Friday at Lark Tavern. We'll be playing at least two Florence and the Hendersons songs. Pony in the Pancake will be kicking it off at 9PM.

It's on Facebook if you're looking for more details.
Click Here.

So let me get this straight: this is a concept album about a woman who steals and flies helicopters?

2010-02-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, we're working on a concept album.

This release will follow the early life of Florence, a girl who grows up without her father and is raised by a ghost that lives in her house.

Under the guidance of the ghost, she makes her way through helicopter school and discovers that her father may not actually be dead.

There's a crash and a helicopter robbery that happen as a result.

We're really excited to be working on this type of project. It's been extra fun keeping the overall story in mind as we record- Hope it all makes sense in the end!!!

Visit the RPM Challenge to learn more about Florence and the Hendersons.

Also, we're heading south this weekend to rehearse for a dance show that we're playing on March 6 at:

Triskellion Arts
118 N 11th St, 3rd floor
Bklyn, NY 11211

The details are a little fuzzy, but we'll be playing songs and there will be choreographed dancing. I think it's going to be really cool. Please come check it out, or tell a friend that lives in that neck of the woods!

It might seem like we've lost our minds lately. Hopefully we're not jumping the shark. We're having a great time and hope that you end up liking some of this.

Florence and The Hendersons: an SOT RPM Challenge

2010-02-10T05:27:00.000-08:00

Every year, musician's around the world are challenged to record a whole album, 10 songs or 35 minutes of music, within the span of the calendar's shortest month, February. It's not a contest. It's simply a creative exercise that attempts to give musicians the extra push they need toward the satisfaction of finishing an original work. Participants are encouraged to collaborate during the process and the fruits of their labors are ultimately synthesized here.

We found out about the challenge in 2008 when these two great local records came to our attention. We were inspired and signed up in 2009, along with a bunch of other local artists, to complete our own challenge. Some good material and some fun times came from the work, but ultimately the pressure got to us and we didn't make it to the finish line.

It feels somewhat like a day late and a dollar short, but we're trying again. Enter Florence and The Hendersons. This year we've set some strict guidelines for ourselves in hopes of dodging some of the pitfalls that got us last year.

1) The project will be centered around a 1970's Lowery Genie home organ that Dylan recently acquired. It has beats for days that just won't quit. Interesting fact: a Lowrey Organ, on a percussive "marimba repeat" setting - was the synthesizer-like background noise on The Who song "Baba O'Riley".

2) All of the tracking and mixing will be done on a Tascam DP-02 8-track. No computers with their endless supply tracks and effects to bog us down.

3) We'd need a good work space. So, we lugged the thing up three flights of stairs to SOT headquarters at Franklin's Tower where we're already comfortable and have drums, amps, and mics set to go.

4) Mitch will play all of the low notes with his paws on the Lowery's bass pedals. Sorry Mitch.

That just about does it. We're off to a solid start. You can follow along on our blog here.

As a side note...this is completely separate from the new Sea of Trees EP that I wrote about last time.

As a side side note...Sea of Trees will be playing at the Bayou's local original night this Thursday (2/11) at 10:30. Come early though, Hour of Need starts at 8 and the Blisterz go on at 9. It's free.

New Year, New Songs, New Record.

2010-01-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

So, it has been some time since we last spoke.

The holiday season was quiet, but Sea of Trees got started early in 2010 with a full weekend of tracking at Collar City Sound. The band worked around the clock from Friday to Sunday under the firm yet loving guidance of Seamus McNulty. We managed to get six songs fully tracked and the rough mixes are sounding great! The studio has all this wonderful old gear and things are sounding, in a word...WARM.

Justin followed us around all weekend with his video camera, being creepy. Watch for Dylan's big scene at 0:25 and my approving gaze at the end. Wow.

Oh, and by the way. We were honored to be on a couple local 'best of' lists for 2009.

Nippertown gave 'Animal Sounds' an honorable mention for its Top 10 albums of 2009.

And, the awesome local listener-supported radio station WEXT ranked 'Lemonvines' at #12 in its Top 50 Local 518 songs of 2009.

Thanks!

Sea of Trees on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Rejoice!

2009-12-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

This Friday (12/11) we'll be playing our final show for 2009 at Tess' Lark Tavern in Albany. Our good friend, the ever-present, Jared Funari will be joining us. Word is, he's been working on a new project called 'Jezebel's Encore' and plans to unveil some of that material this weekend. The collaboration fuzes the passionate and palpable vocal outpourings of Albany's Jah King with Funari's natural ability to evolve and layer music live through the use of looping.

Sadly, this will probably our last show for a few months. But don't fret! In fact, rejoice! We'll be using that time to get started on recording a new EP. And, we've enlisted the help of some real pros for this one! Our little hearts are fluttering.

Click Here for an interview I did awhile back with the good people at B3nson that spills a few details.

See you soon!

Halloween Freak-Out!, Update

2009-10-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

So, this year, Sea of Trees is on top of their game. It's almost two weeks until Halloween and our costumes are just about complete. We had an epic costume making session yesterday and I realized that, though we're pretty good at music, we're REALLY good at arts and crafts. Get your hopes up, because it's gonna be awesome. And, if you can guess what we're gonna be from this picture, we'll give you anything you want. Anything at all. Hold us to it.

$5, Doors at 730, Costumes, Prizes, and musical performances by Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned, Sea of Trees, and Beware! the Other Head of Science.

RSVP on Facebook if you please.

"There's Foam in Everything"

2009-10-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

According to the sales rep at Albany Foam and Supply, there's foam in EVERYTHING! And, based on the size of this little-known treasure trove of foam right here in our backyards, I believe him.

We just made a pretty sizeable purchase ourselves. Halloween is coming down the pipe, and if it's anything like last year, the second annual Halloween Freak-Out is going to be a real extravaganza. That's all I'm allowed to say at this point. Well, it's on Halloween night at Valentine's with the beloved BEWARE! the Other Head of Science and Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned.

Last year, it looked like this...the audio's a little weird, but you get the point. SPOOOKY!

Franklin's Tower with We Are Jeneric, Matt Durfee

2009-09-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

Consider this the Sea of Trees house warming party. We moved in a long time ago, but we’re just getting around to inviting all of our friends over for a party. Hope to see you there!

Here's some songs to get you in the mood.

Sea of Trees on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Introducing...Alessandro Troiano!

2009-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you were at our cd release party in April you saw Alex with us pounding a floor tom, building ridiculous cymbal swells, and blasting trumpet lines. Or, you might be familiar with Alex as the drummer for El Duke. Or maybe this is all totally new to you. Any which way, the good news is that Alex will be joining us as a bonafide 'sometimes-full-time' member. What will he play? Your guess is as good as mine, but you can be assured that it will be done with an unparalled flare.

We finally have some shows lined up too! There's some variety here so there should be a little something for everyone.

August 15 - Valentine's w/Todd is New Each Moment and Love for the Masses, 9PM

August 22 - Beat Shop. Browse the records while SOT plays every song they know and then some, 2-3 acoustic, 3:15-5 electric

September 12 - Franklin's Tower w/We Are Jeneric. SOT house warming party, 9pm

September 18 - Emack and Bolios (Uptown). Stop by for ice cream while SOT plays totally acoustic (no microphones), 7-10PM

And don't forget about the free live EP.

Congratulations to us...

2009-07-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

and to all of the other great local bands and musicians who Metroland so graciously honored in their 'Best of 2009' issue.

We were named Best New Band and we couldn't be happier about it!

Here's what they had to say:

In Japan, it’s called Aokigahara and is said to be a site of supernatural curiosity, but around here, Sea of Trees are one of the most exciting indie rock bands to come along in some time. Only a couple months after the release of their debut Animal Sounds, the band already have become rather well-acquainted with local clubs and radio. Get used to the name; you’ll be seeing a lot of it.

Free Download!

2009-07-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

On March 26, 2009 we played a live set at the Linda in Albany, NY. The show aired a few days later on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. We were so happy with the recordings (thanks to excellent house engineering by Kristin Gilbert and Ben Morgan and recording/mixing by Adam Clairmont) that we decided to make them available as a free download HERE.

We trimmed it down to what we thought were the best songs, including four from Animal Sounds and three previously unreleased tracks. Please enjoy!

Are you the neighbors?

2009-06-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last week Dylan and I made the surprisingly short trip to The Copperworks in Pittsfield, MA. According to their website, “The Copperworks is the destination for an innovative do-it-yourself community focusing on new media arts, bicycle culture, and green technologies.” Just a little over a year ago, the old brick warehouse that once housed the Pittsfield Cornice Works, was in a state of disrepair. The hard work of a few local artists has transformed the space. In addition to vintage bicycle tinkering, cabaret art classes, and outdoor movie showings, Copperworks hosts some surprisingly big name bands (though really they’re still pretty small names) from the indie-folk to avant garde.

We went to check out the Seattle-based trio, The Dead Science who stopped on their way between New York and Montreal. Early this spring, Vetiver was touring in support of their latest album Tight Knit out on SubPop and made Copperworks their last stop in the US.

Despite the old timey admission ticket and custom drawn stamp that you receive at the door, the overall atmosphere is relaxed and informal. There’s a small stage in the corner. The exposed brick walls are adorned sparsely with found art. And, of course, there are bikes.

On the drive home we decided that there ought to be more places like this. We agreed that, inevitably, there would be, especially as the price of gas rises and people continue to return to the more enriching living arrangements that small walkable cities provide.

Speaking of which, a similar type of venue popped up closer to home in the city of Troy within the last year. Located at 51 3rd Street, and known by the same, this mixed-use art/music/performance space is also home to the Troy Bike Rescue.

This Thursday, Albany’s own The Rain in Spain (if you haven’t checked them out already, what are you waiting for?) will be playing host to two Denver bands on their way through the Area.

51 3rd says:
Denver's The Kissing Party, perhaps the best damn jangle pop outfit west of Chicago, promise to snap, crackle, and pop along with precise songsmithing and bouncy melodies. Combining cleverness with emotion, the Kissing Party make the perfect songs to put on mixtapes to woo that cute boy or girl at school. Back when kids used to do those sorts of things.

Touring with the Kissing Party are Denver's The Jim Jims. Angular guitars, pounding drums, and desperate vocals create a red hot post-punk explosion.

Garage Bands in The Garage

2009-06-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Albany Public Library is hosting some great local music this summer at the Garage Bands in the Garage concert series. The kickoff is this Friday and we're sharing the bill with Ben Karis-Nix, Ashley Pond Band (who just released their first record as a trio), and Mysteios.

The free after-hours, all ages rock shows take place on the third Friday of each month this summer from 6 to 8 p.m. in the garage at the Main Library’s back entrance on Elk Street. You can hear some great local bands, get a library card and check out books from the Bookmobile, and buy used CDs (just $1 each, or $1 for a grab bag of 5 mystery CDs without cases) retired from the library’s collection at the Garage Bands Garage Sale.

Grab a lawn chair, pack a picnic dinner, and enjoy some great music at the Main Library this summer at the Garage Bands in the Garage concerts.

The rest of the summer looks like this:

July 17: We Are Jeneric, Space Lounge

August 21: Tern Rounders, the Black Fuel

September 18: Red Haired Strangers, Rattling Baddlies

Sea of Trees Weekend Retreat

2009-06-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

In pursuit of data, information, and, ultimately, KNOWLEDGE, we'll be retreating to a secret location in the nature for the weekend. Hopefully some fun recordings will result.

Sunday Night, upon our return, we'll be playing a very pleasant evening of music at Red Square with our friends Cats Don't Have Souls and guests Finding Fiction.

If we weren't going to be away, we'd be at Valentine's Saturday night for Ashley Ponds CD Release. SHUCKS!

The guiro is often called "The Fish"

2009-05-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

The güiro is a percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a wooden stick ("pua") along the notches to produce a ratchet-like sound. The güiro is commonly used in Latin-American music, and plays a key role in the typical cumbia rhythm section.

The Sea of Tree's fish will played with some serious flare tomorrow night (May 12) at Savannah's. Starts at 8:30 and it's totally free.

In other news...you can now pick up Animal Sounds at Last Vestige in Albany for 5 bucks!

Spring Happenings

2009-04-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Hello! We have some exiting new things to share!

First, our next Albany show is in two weeks, on May 12, over at Savannah's. It'll be the first since our cd release, which already seems like it was forever ago. Even though it really wasn't. Thanks one more time to everyone who came out, braved the Easter hangover, and made it such a fun show!

After that, in June, we'll be having what will be the first of many Yellow Polka Dot Tours, where we make little three or four night jaunts around the northeast. There's another one in the works for August! Details are over at our myspace page. www.myspace.com/seaoftreesalbany

Later in June, we'll be making our first appearance in the collar city. Love it over there. Nathan Meltz, who provided the artwork for 'Animal Sounds' that we get so many nice comments about, sets up shows in a little space at 51 3rd Street and we're really happy to be participating in one.

Listen! There is a new old song up on our myspace. Raccoon (with a Sword Paw).

Finally, we're in the process of getting the Crumbs Night Out show that we did at the Linda back in March up on our page as a free download. So keep checking back!

Questions? Concerns? Odd Requests?

Just ask!

WRPI, the Linda, and a CD Release Show!

2009-03-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.

We have some really exciting stuff coming up that we want to share with you all:

-Tonight (3/24), at 8PM, we're playing two full sets live on the air over at WPRI in Troy. You came stream in online at http://www.wrpi.org/. It's going to be totally live, with no delay. They even gave us the 7 words you can't say on the radio speech. So who knows WHAT will happen.

-Later this week...Thursday (3/26) - Crumbs Nite Out at the Linda Norris Auditorium in Albany. Doors are at 6PM and we'll start shortly thereafter. We're playing 45 minutes of music and being interviewed by Howard Glassman from Valentines/WAMC between sets. There will be a panel discussion on songwriter royalties after the show. The folks over at Crumbs.net have been hosting these monthly events for a year or so now and they seem to be going over pretty well!

-Finally...and this is the big one...Our CD RELEASE show will be Saturday, April 11 at Valentine's. Doors are at 7:30. There's a $7 cover that includes a free copy of our debut full-length 'Animal Sounds.' Very very special guests Matthew Loiacono, Severe Severe, and The Rain in Spain will rounding out the bill. And, members of some of those bands will be joining us on stage for a few of our songs. So, it's going to be a real hootenanny!

Hope to see you soon!

Camp SOT

Photos, Animal Sounds info, and Sea of Trees news for the New Year

2009-01-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Hope your holidays went well and that you had a good new years eve and a decent morning after. We over at the Sea of Trees camp have been busy the last few weeks.

- We have some new pictures up on the Myspace (and further down in this post) taken during the recent snowstorm. Somewhere out there is a video of Mitch and Ian doing some amazing ice-sliding ninja moves. If I find it I will let everyone know ASAP.

- We are gearing up for the release our first full-length album, Animal Sounds. We spent the majority of 2008 writing, recording, and mixing this album, and it is finally complete. There will be a digital release of the album very soon available at all major online retailers, with a CD release later this year. We are very excited to share this album with you and want you to be able to have it in your ears as soon as possible! We will let you know as soon as the album is available online.

- We will also be updating the songs on our Myspace to coincide with the digital release of the album.

- We are in the process of setting up some shows for early this year, and are working with some awesome Albany bands, so get ready to see Sea of Trees out performing again soon!

- Albany favorite Matthew Loiacono gave Sea of Trees a shout-out in a recent crumbs.net podcast. Matthew Loiacono is not only a great musical presence in the capital region but also a right-on guy. Listen to the podcast here.

- We are also looking for publications, 'zines, music blogs, and other journalistic entities to review Animal Sounds. If you or someone you know is interested, send us a message through myspace or contact us at seaoftrees@live.com

Thanks for reading through this lengthy update. We're really hitting 2009 running, and there will be much more Sea of Trees coming your way.

Pictures:

Recording Pictures: Day 125

2008-11-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true...day 125. Not an update since day one. I'll keep it concise. Music was made and captured, babies were born, deadlines were set and reset, conversations were had, plans made...re-made. It's out of my hands now!!

Today, Wednesday, November Twenty-sixth, Two Thousand Eight, Carl Saff will be mastering our little gem. By little, I mean something like 54 minutes of audio. I'm downright giddy.

After Saff gets everything sounding super creamy, its off to duplication...probably by Disc Makers. The album cover and insert will feature art by Nathan Meltz . Then, promotion, promotion, promotion.

Current plan of action: compile a list of radio stations, blogs, zines, papers, clubs...any entity that would be interested in our music. If one of the six readers of this blog have any ideas, send us a note...the work is far from over.

Recording Pictures: Day 1

2008-07-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

Q&A

2008-07-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Q: How much do I hate Katy Perry?

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A: This much:

Sexism, Color-Coded!

2008-07-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

While the boys have been busy recording drums in the sweltering Tower attic (pictures coming), I've been spending the week visiting my parents in Connecticut - AKA eating too much, reading the new Artemis Fowl book, and hanging out on the beach. In between naps, shopping, and stretches of "me time," I've managed to make progress on a project that has proven to become my life's work. Seriously, I spent the better part of three days thinking about this, guys. So, because I've never been one for delayed gratification, I'll bring this witty introductory paragraph to a close and introduce to you the Definitive Chart Illustrating Desirable Traits in Women (DCIDT, for short).

*I realize that all women are inherently crazy, but for all intents and purposes of this chart the "crazy" refers to any additional craziness that goes beyond basic female insanity.

1) Natalie Portman - it really isn't fair.
2) Jessica Alba - gorgeous, normal, but a terrible actress who doesn't have much to bring to a conversation. Guys don't really seem to mind, though.
3)Rachel Bilson - If I could look like any girl it would be her, hands down.
4) Jenny Lewis - pretty, talented, intelligent, but the fact that she's in a band with her ex boyfriend and was a child actress with a potentially-coke-addicted mom puts her on the crazy spectrum
5) Maggie Gyllenhaal - talented with obvious intelligence and creativity and she seems sane enough, but seriously lacking in the ass/boobs department with a face to match.
6) Naomi Campbell - absolutely stunning, but the only thing interesting about her is the fact that she is batshit crazy
7) Amy Winehouse - talented, definitely, but with a grab-bag of issues ranging from drug addiction to her horrific marriage and well, dear god that face.
8) That Overweight Middle-aged Lady Who Works at Your Uncle's Lumber Store and Goes to Cat Shows on the Weekend - men of America, one at a time, please

As for myself, after much deliberation I've decided that I am a blue, but the second I start getting groupies under the age of 40 I'm upgrading myself to a purple.

It is also important to note that it may be impossible to create the male version of this chart, simply because after 21 years of research and observation I have yet to figure out what the fuck it is that women actually want in a guy.

Anybody who wants to hang out can come to the Vetiver show at Valentine's Saturday night. If you have more ideas for the DCIDT, send an email or leave it in the comments. Posters, t-shirts, and pillowcases coming soon.

Music doesn't just happen...Gmail makes it happen

2008-07-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

What better way to ruin the rebellious, anti-establishment, free spirit persona of a band than to inject it with all the stuffy, corporate, clock-punching hoopla of a legit business. No, I'm not going to complain about record companies or cutting deals with labels. Who cares, the music industry is dead anyway, right? Pretty sure NoFX called that before you had the internet.

Complain, No! Rejoice...in the glory of Gmail!

We here at Sea of Trees in Albany, New York come from all walks of life. From After-Hours Call Girls to Zebra-Handling Zoo Hands, you can bet we all run on fairly different schedules. How in the world do five people manage to get together one maybe two times a week and produce beautiful music? And play shows?! All praise Gmail!

I feel that Gmail has allowed us all more clarity and understanding in our day to day lives. I'll tell you what, Sea of Trees is not the only entity benefiting from Gmail. It goes deeper; every member of Sea of Trees is touched and I think that really benefits the fans in the end.

Gmail has allowed us to forgo the old ways of mass texting, poorly timed phone calls and flooded in-boxes. Those were dark times. A great light has been shone upon us in the form of Gmail Calendar. Calendar brings a deep understanding to everything that was once shrouded in mystery. Calendar answers questions everyone has had from time to time like "When is Dylan going to be out of town?" "Is everyone's Friday three weeks from now open for a show?" "Can we practice on Wednesday next week?" I project that show cancellations will decline by...at least.....some huge percentage given this new take on scheduling that Calendar has provided us.

I'm always trying to spread the word of...er...about Gmail. What better way than Gmail Chat! Here are some examples of the good times to be had in the House of Gmail.

10:24 AM me: yo yo yooooo

10:25 AM gmale chat like what

10:35 AM dylan: hey buddy

me: hell ya

10:36 AM gmail is everything

dont forget it

dylan: this is pretty sweet. now i'll never have to work at work again!

10:37 AM me: exactly

10:38 AM dylan: can you chat to multiple people at the same time?

me: oh ya

you can have a party

its wild

dylan: it's just like real life, except more parties?

10:39 AM me: i think thats the gmale way

You have invited Ian to this chat.

This is now a group chat. Add another person.

Ian White has joined.

You have invited dylan to this chat.

dylan palazzo has joined.

me: YEESS!!

dylan: are we group chatting?

me: apparently

Ian: f yes

now what do we do?

dylan: f'n a!

Ian: woo hoo

this is AMAZING

dylan: someone call cecelia and get her in here

Ian: seriously

can we have a gchat jam session?

1-2-3-4

dylan: Nice!

gmail's pretty sweet

Ian: glad you switched, aren't cha

me: its life changing really

dylan: yeah- it's going to be even better when we all lose our jobs

me: more time to play music!!

it only gets better with gmail!!1 im telling you

That's just a very small sample of the times we've had with Chat and Gmail. I understand there are some people who will denounce Gmail. That's ok, not everyone can be saved. You can be saved.

Things I Have Made With Food Found In My Kitchen at 3 A.M.: A Cookbook

2008-06-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

I realize that Justin is the chef in the band, but that doesn't mean that I don't have some culinary skills of my own. Mine are just of a different variety. While Justin might know how to brulee something, or how an oven works, I am particularly talented at taking the meager, grab-bag assortment of food in my cupboards and creating somewhat edible concoctions. I decided that it is selfish of me to continue to keep these talents to myself, and have assembled a short - but growing! - recipe list for you equally meager and grab-bag blog readers to enjoy.

lemon-lime onion and chickpea salad

You Will Need:

-Onions
-One Can of Chickpeas
-One Lime
-Lemon Juice

1) Cut onion into big pieces and grill in saucepan. Cut lime into slices and squeeze juice into pan. Add water, cover, and steam onions until they are soft and clear (I think experts may call this caramelizing, but I'm not certain).

2) Use can opener to open chickpeas, drain. Put some of the chickpeas in a bowl. Leave the rest in the can on the counter all night so that they will be wasted by morning.

3) Add onions. Stir.

4) Add lemon juice to taste. Stir.

5) Enjoy. Leave dishes for another day.

Nutritional Value: Not bad

creamy mushroom-rice casserole

You Will Need:

-One Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
-Some milk, preferably skim, or water if the milk is no longer consumable
-White rice, instant

1) Boil the rice

2) At the same time, (this can get tricky), heat up milk and soup in a saucepan

3) When rice is ready, stir into soup

4) (Try to) Enjoy

Nutritional Value: Practically none

Guest Recipe: corn and white rice (courtesy of Joe Martinez)

You Will Need:

-One can of corn
-White Rice

1) Boil rice.

2) Stir in corn.

3) Repeat every night until payday.

Nutritional Value: Below average

three bean stew

You Will Need:

-One can green beans
-One can chickpeas
-One can red beans in sauce
-Onion

1) Slice onion and steam covered in pan until soft. Grill a bit with cooking spray first if needed. Set aside.

2) Heat up red beans in sauce in a saucepan.

3) Drain green beans and add to red beans. Stir while heating.

4) Add chickpeas and onions. Continue to heat and stir. Add some water if needed to keep thick consistency without burning.

Nutritional Value: Probably the best you'll get at 3 am when you haven't gone grocery shopping in 3 months

Keeping it Real: Brooklyn Edition

2008-06-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have had the pleasure of coming into contact with either of the Martinez children, you will know that we keep it really, really, real. My brother brought this revolutionary idea into the family when he decided to stop showering daily in the 10th grade. Since then it has evolved into a mantra and occasional excuse. Trust me, this is going somewhere.

Last week we played our first outside-Albany show at Trash Bar in Brooklyn - particularly Williamsburg which, according to Wikipedia is a hub for indie music and a hipster haven. Who knew.

You can hear the tight-jean chafing all the way up here.

In the interest of keeping it real and full blog disclosure, let me say that I'm not a very hip person. In my hometown Michigan suburb, we didn't really use the term "hipster," we used the term "scene-kid." And I was neither. I had a livejournal (and now I have this blog. It seems things never really change). I listened to east-coast emo-rock and unashamedly loved The O.C. So, needless to say that even though I was wearing flats, I was not prepared for the 6-block radius around bedford and metropolitan.

I think Mitch put it best when he told Ian, "just remember, every person here is better than you." And I think I put it second best when I said "I've never seen so many walking, breathing stereotypes in my life." I think I also put it third best when I said "I'm having a hard time not laughing in people's faces." We took the scenic route while getting some pre-show pizza (which was much better than the post-show Thruway Roy Rogers) and I do mean scenic route in every punny connotation.

That's not to say that people weren't cool. The show went really well, and everyone who came out was awesome. We have another show in that area July 17 at Zebulon that I'm really looking forward to.

I promised that this was leading somewhere, and it is. So far I've been talking about Brooklyn and keeping it real. Well, to combine those two topics, I would like to say that at our show we met The Realest People in Brooklyn, aka, The Nuck Fuggets. They're an electro-comedy-esque duo that put on a show with so much energy even though everyone was sitting down (but laughing, to be fair.) Mitch and I decided to tell them that we had designated them with this title, and I hope that they received it sincerely.

so I realize that this is the first post back in a while, and while it was a little lackluster and didn't have all the biting wit that my posts usually have, I hope it was at least partially satisfactory.

p.s. Keeping it real only works if your reality doesn't completely suck.

2008-05-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

you are reading the first ever mobile update from the sea of trees blog. i got a new phone and am geeking out about it, which is why i am making this - not going to lie - probably pointless blog post.

there are two topics of interest for today, though. the first is that ian hosted a bad ass barbecue, and i have decided that i am going to start a punk band with dylan's son luca.

ian also made some awesome turkey burgers and some sausages that mitch claims were amazing. if you ever manage to finagle an invite to one of these soirees i highly reccommend it.

the second point of interest is that we have acquired a new pa. our old pa required a generous dose of tough love via drop kicking repeatedly during our practices. dylan was also coerced/bullied/manipulated into buying something that is apparently a monitor, but looks more like something that someone once used to listen to scott joplin. (king of ragtime, look it up.)

the good news is that we now have a (hopefully) reliable pa for the june 13th Muddy Cup show with Saint Ukraine and Greg Pier.

the even better news is that i won't accidentally hurt myself anymore while taking out my anger on a crappy pa head.

New Practice Space Pictures

2008-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lag between updates, I'm in the process of moving and have been too busy procrastinating and didn't want any explicit evidence of my lack of progress in packing.

I did, however, upload some pictures to my computer today and found some I took of our practice space, and thought I'd share. It's a relatively new space, so we're in the process of decorating it with things we find around the attic. It's also usually not as bright - we like to practice by lamplight (we're more attractive that way). The practice space may or may not also be haunted. FYI.

That doorway behind Justin leads to our old practice space.

We write our setlist on a beloved whiteboard, which Dylan is copying in this picture. The whiteboard also features some exclusive Cecelia Martinez artwork, particularly some of my early, revolutionary work with stars, flowers, and hearts.

Ignore Just in this picture. This picture is really all about Manny, our luminescent, sexually-ambiguous mascot. He literally brightens up my day. (Sorry).

Behind Mitch is the door to this cool little room that was a bathroom at one point. It also has a hatch window leading into this random opening on the north wall of the building, which you can kind of see in the left of the picture.

A better view of the "window" as well as our sadly empty bulletin board, and a mess of storage.

Speaking of pictures, area photographer Brandon Segal took some photographs at our last show at Savannah's. They are up on our myspace.

Into the Airwaves

2008-05-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Friday night was a night of many firsts. The first time I paid $5 for a drink the size of those cups you use to give children cough medicine. The first time I participated in (and lost) a 40 oz Colt 45 chugging contest with a grown man. And (for something non-alcohol related) The first time I heard myself on the radio.

Remember that scene in the awesome movie That Thing You Do where they run around the appliance store turning on every radio, dancing with cardboard cutouts, and jumping up and down ecstatic? Well, this wasn't quite like that, but it was still, to put it in the classiest of terms, pretty fucking sweet.

We knew that we had been on some (meaning two) radio stations in the Albany area. We premiered on the EQX-Posure show on WEQX 102.7 two weeks ago, but nobody in the band had the chance to actually hear it. They played the song Raccoon (With a Sword-Paw) and will play it for two more weeks (including this one) before moving it into regular EQX-Posure rotation.

The other radio station we have been played on is a new public radio station, owned by the WMHT television station. 97.7 WEXT is a listener-supported station, and after a friend of Justin's heard us on May 12th, Dylan started banging on the window of Mitch's car as we were pulling away from Franklin's Tower to head to Savannah's Friday night. Mitch put his index finger to the test hitting that little radio button to get us to 97.7, and we were on the radio (static and pop-station interference and all).

While WEQX opted for Raccoon, WEXT have been playing Nunatek. Our total number of plays is only 2 (4 overall if you include WEQX), but it's still a unique experience to hear us coming through the speakers of Mitch's awesome car stereo system. I realize I'm probably supposed to play it cool, acting like it was no big deal, but my skills in 'playing-it-cool' never developed while i was in the womb, so I can't help but dork out over everything (I also saved the issue of Metroland that had our first show listed under the Valentine's ad).

And anyway, local public radio is the shit. I stopped listening to the radio almost entirely about 4 years ago, because in my hometown of Saginaw, Michigan there were no college stations and the public stations were all talk radio. Seeing as how I would rather punch myself in the face than listen to commercial radio, the second I got an iPod for my 17th birthday (and a car tape deck adapter) I left radio behind.

WEQX was the first interaction I had with independent radio that didn't use the phrases "lords work" or "liberal conspiracy". I had started to tire of the music I had been listening to on repeat for two years and wanted to find more than just what my friends were sending me and what I found by accident on the internet. Summer after my freshman year (back when I still had a car) I would listen to WEQX all the time (I even won a CD once).

WEXT looks like a really promising station. I'm listening to the mp3 stream right now, and have looked up the playlists (while searching for Sea of Trees, of course). Death Cab for Cutie, MGMT, Cake, Rilo Kiley, Cat Power, Otis Redding, Wilco, Rufus Wainwright, Jackson Browne (!), Ryan Adams, Josh Ritter (!!), Dashboard Confessional (lolz), Augustana, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Shins, Rogue Wave, and Jason Mraz were all played on the same day we were. They also play a lot of local music (they pledge to play at least one local musician every hour every day) and older, classic songs as well (like Ray Charles - You Don't Know Me). Some good (and hilarious) company.

EQX-Posure
Sunday nights, 7 - 8 PM
102.7 FM

EXIT 97.7 (WEXT)
Request songs, listen online, support the station, etc.

Part II of 5 Local Bands I am Super Pscyhed/Would Love to Share a Bill With is coming soon

5 Local Bands I am super psyched/would love to share a bill with (Part 1)

2008-05-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Two Local Bands I Am Super Psyched to Share a Bill With

Ashley Pond

www.myspace.com/ashleypond

Ashley Pond is one of the immediately-intimidating Saint Rose music industry-bred musicians I came into contact with my freshman year of college. I first saw Ashley perform in a pre-Starbucks Commuter Lounge on the Saint Rose campus. The female songwriter population in my hometown was severely limited, with most of them just awkwardly strumming G,C, and A minor chords coupled with rhyming lyrics. (Myself included. There are some pretty embarrassing recordings tucked away in a folder on my computer.). I don't know if it just never occurred to me, but for the first time there was a ridiculously talented musician just hanging out, like any other college student. I battled between jealousy and admiration, but quickly settled on the latter.

Almost 3 years later, she's still as impressive as ever. Her first full-length album, the ten-track Dala, was released in September of 2007. I got my copy earlier this year at a show at Valentine's - the first time I had seen Ashley perform live in well over a year. A tiny person with a big guitar and an even bigger voice, I was more impressed than ever (and maybe still a little jealous).

Catch her and us:
May 31st, 2008
Valentines (downstairs) in Albany, NY
8:30 PM, $5
along with Elias Orling

Saint Ukraine

www.myspace.com/saintukraine

As a band, we must have some pretty boring day jobs, because the members of Sea of Trees spend a lot of time e-mailing. It started out with booking info or recording ideas, and has gradually progressed to inside jokes (justin spice), shit-talking, and general useless conversation. There was a short time period where Dylan kept e-mail fowarding us various YouTube videos, but luckily he grew out of that phase. One time Mitch and I even talked on Gmail messenger, and much hilarity (and OMG LOL-ing) ensued.

I found out about Saint Ukraine from one of these e-mails. Ian introduced us to the band, suggesting we check them out to see if we wanted to book them for the Muddy Cup show. I did just that. Sirens and Packages was the first song I heard and I was instantly hooked. Great melodies, achingly subtle lyrics, simple structure with some cool instrumentation to keep it interesting.

I've always been a sucker for music you can listen to by lamplight, smoking a cigarette and just absorbing the songs. For me, along with acts like Sparklehorse, Elliot Smith, and Josh Ritter, Saint Ukraine is a band like that. They're #2 on my Last.fm Top Artists this week, right behind Death Cab for Cutie (who had a new album come out recently, mind you.) The best part is, all their songs are downloadable from their myspace.

P.S. I got to meet Matt and Joe last night at our Savannah's show, and I totally fangirled to Matt. Hopefully he isn't creeped out to play with us in June.

Catch them and us:
June 13th, 2008
The Muddy Cup in Albany, NY
8:00 PM, Free
along with Greg Pier

Listen:

Saint Ukraine - Sirens and Packages

and of course get the rest at the myspace.

Check back for Part II of this series: Three Local Bands I Would Love to Share a Bill With

In Defense of a Bicycle

2008-05-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

This will be tough because I could never possibly string together as many coherent statements as Cecelia. So I'm just gonna lay it out there. My bike is awesome. Plain and simple. It's just science, really. If you're in the know, you know that bike is badass in its most pure and unadulterated form. It is not a mere "child's bike," no! A young one could be seriously injured on this high performance machine.

A "trick bike," sure. My sect would refer to it as a "street" bike, yes. And as far as street bikes go, this beast is creme of the crop...you just can't beat Standard, and I built it myself from a hand picked selection of the finest quality components...so step off, and respect! (It was creme of the crop five years ago anyway...I guess it's more of a legacy machine now...but it's still dope as hell!)

I didn't do anything impressive? I also haven't swung a foot over the saddle of a self propelled machine in about five years. Riding up Madison from Broadway on a single speed was trick enough. Not to mention, I did do the riding on the handlebars thing, which Ian could not do, once again affirming my position as the more manly part of the rhythm section.

Anyway, I do plan on getting a proper road bike. And I'll ride on the handlebars of that one too!

Next Step: Spandex

2008-05-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

Seemingly unrelated anecdote #1: This past weekend was band hangout weekend, and the venue was Tulip Fest at Washington Park. Friday night, when the city of Albany decided to say 'fuck you' to Dutch people everywhere by burning down a giant windmill in the middle of the lake, we decided that we had to be there, if even just for the lolz. It was cool, I got to meet Dylan's son, and the weather was good. I also got to see Mitch ride a tiny bicycle. Clearly, this was the highlight of the night. He kept mumbling something about it being a trick bike, but the only trick I saw was him riding while on handlebars, and that was only after the 25th person asked him why he was riding a bike obviously made for children. Ian, who showed up too late to see The Burning of the Windmill, heard that Mitch was clown-biking it up, and decided to bring his own posse of guys-on-bikes (full-size bikes, though). Dylan and the fam left, leaving me bike-less with a group of biked individuals. Woe. My shins were not happy with me the next day for trying to keep up with 4 bikers while on a castle-quest wearing flip-flops (an entirely different story, one that will mostly likely - hopefully - never be told).

Seemingly unrelated anecdote #2: Craigslist, the same slightly-creepy marvel that brought together your third-favorite indie-folk-rock band, also has section where people sell bikes.

Okay, so the second one wasn't really an anecdote, and the two are obviously related, seeing as they both clearly discuss creepy things (Mitch on a tiny bike, craigslist). But, they are also related in that I am most likely getting a used bike today via Some Chick Off Craigslist. My old bike was stolen last year from behind my apartment, and I'm looking forward to having one again, especially after my lack of bike was made so glaringly obvious this past weekend.

Seemingly unrelated Google image search picture:

Seemingly unrelated anecdote #3: Ian likes to go on bicycle pub crawls with his friends.

Actually unrelated picture #1:

Website

2008-05-14T04:53:00.001-07:00

Mitch, our bassist, best known as the more macho member of our rhythm section, also knows his way around the old computer. He has been diligently wasting time at work making our new band website: www.seaoftrees.com. I'm still trying to pay off my $0.12 a week share of the cost of the website domain, but after all, I am just a lowly college student/amateur indie-folk star.

Anyway, the website, (which, if you're reading this, you probably already know about. Also, who is actually reading this?) is semi-live, with music, lyrics, and a sweet slidey-picture-thing that is only going to get more kick-ass because Mitch has a polaroid camera and I fully intend to use it at our next practice.

My favorite part, though, is the plethora of inside jokes. All the quotes that show up above the menu on the right side of the page have indeed been said at one point. You totally got the scoop here. So now you can impress your friends with your insider Sea of Trees knowledge. Here's some more for bonus points: Ian loves rocks. Like, has a deep, passionate, love for rocks. So I think people should start bringing him rocks. Seriously. It'll be the new thing. Just try not to throw them on stage because, well, that may cause some damage and Dylan hates getting his hair messed up by flying limestone.

So, SeaofTrees.com. Live it, love it. or something.

Show

2008-05-14T04:44:00.000-07:00

The second show of Sea of Trees is now upon us, this Friday, at Savannah's on Pearl Street in Albany. We're playing with two very awesome acts: Palatypus, who have had some serious rotation in my iTunes playlist recently (seriously, just check my last.fm) and Jared Funari who I've heard does some sweet things with a loop.

I'm personally excited because May 16th is also the birthday of not one, not two, but THREE of my good friends. Justin, our guitarist, will be celebrating his Friday night, as well as Lacy (our official first fan) and my friend Chrissy, who was my very first roommate when I moved to Albany and is still managing to put up with me 3 years later. So, long story short, I will be buying lots of shots this weekend, so if you come out, chances are I'll buy you one by accident. Sounds like a good deal to me.

For those of you who went to our first show at Valentine's, we'll be mixing it up this show with a new set list that includes our newest and recently-named song, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I'm really excited for this song, I think it's one of our best yet, and Ian is doing some sweet drum stuff that I wouldn't really even begin to know how to explain.

We'll be playing last, but make sure you get there early (is 9 PM considered early? am I just getting old?) to check out Palatypus and Jared Funari, and of course, to have a few birthday shots.

p.s. yes, I did make the name Palatypus into tiger stripes. you're welcome.