Todd Fink of The Giving Tree Band
Based in Yorkville, IL, the Giving Tree Band busted out what some call a modern take on The Band interspersed with some folk and roots as they twanged their acoustic instruments around the Kum & Go Stage at Des Moines’ 80/35 Fest. It was a high-energy show to kick off a high-energy, but pleasantly cloudy day. After the set, cofounder of the group Todd Fink was able to devote some of his schedule to chat about food, Shel Silverstein, new material and trees.
Bear Girls: How did you enjoy the set?
Todd Fink: We were kind of flying by the seat of our pants, because there’s not that much time to set up. I don’t think any of us felt set up when we had to start, so we were just doing it on the fly. It’s challenging, but at the same time, it can be really fun too because you just have to… rock and have fun. But we had a great experience. I’m glad the weather held up for us, and the audience just seemed so enthusiastic, and that was just really nice for us.
Bear Girls: Everyone did seem really into it. I was definitely dancing a lot. And your sound – how has living around Yorkville and around Chicago affected your sound, because there don’t seem to be a ton of bands like you around that area?
TF: No, and you know, I think our sound is largely independent of where we live. It’s just, you know, everybody was really influenced by classic rock and roll growing up. Our parents were all playing the Beatles, and the Stones, and the Kinks, and then Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and the Band, especially. And I think those kind of influences have really kind-of driven the sound of the band. And then we all studied music, so it kind-of just opened up more possibilities for us in terms of musical arrangement. We just needed a place that was kind-of secluded and just outside of the city so we could just sort of focus on making music, to be out in the country and have some space, and all that.
Bear Girls: So you all live together?
TF: Yeah. It’s been great. It’s challenging sometimes, but it’s really helpful to stay focused and to know that we’re there for a reason. We have a common goal, and when you’re living with all the people who share that common goal, it’s just a constant reminder about what you’re doing, and it keeps you focused. So it’s really, really helpful.
The Giving Tree Band @ 80/35 Fest
Bear Girls: I know you guys played the Taste of Chicago. How was that?
TF: That was really a pleasant surprise. It was just so much fun. Great, great audience. And what we really appreciated about it was that the audience was diverse. There were people from all different backgrounds; there were people from all different parts of Chicago, from all different neighborhoods, and there were people from all over the world ‘cause there were a lot of tourists that came in, too. And I just think it’s nice to see so many different types of people enjoying our music together in the same place. That really makes us happy. It’s also encouraging for us because the music that we make, we don’t have any particular demographic in mind. We’re just thinking that hopefully as many people as possible will enjoy. So, that was a really cool experience at the Taste.
Bear Girls: Did you get any good food?
TF: You know, we did. We didn’t expect to because we were kind of pressed for time, both coming in and then heading out. By the time our set was finished, it was after 8 o’clock, so it was pretty much shutting down. But there was a Pan Asian restaurant called Loving Hut and they brought over a bunch of food for us. So did this other restaurant from the South Side called Soul Vegetarian; it’s all vegetarian food made soul-food style. So we had tons of food. It was great.
Bear Girls: And I know you guys are doing Rib Fest in Naperville tomorrow, so was the whole food fest thing a coincidence?
TF: Yeah, total coincidence. And the funny thing is that everyone’s a vegetarian. So tomorrow at Rib Fest, I don’t know if there’ll be anything to eat for us. Maybe we can get some French fries. But, we played it last year. It’s actually a great fest. And, just huge crowds that are really into checking out the music. We’ve got such a great time slot. We’re going on right after Bruce Hornsby, and after we finish they’re having the fireworks, so we expect it to be a really good time, and a great conclusion to our Fourth of July weekend, for sure.
Bear Girls: Going away from food for a second, you guys are called the Giving Tree Band, so what are your thoughts on Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree?
TF: Well, the name of the band is inspired by the book. I think everyone enjoyed that book growing up, and still gets a lot out of it from time-to-time. It seems like the name works because the book is kind of about helping others and not expecting too much in return, and the tree is a good analogy for our acoustic music. And then Shel Silverstein himself was a Chicagoan, not just a poet, but also a songwriter, and very much into the folk music scene at the time. And he wrote for a lot of great artists that we are inspired by and influenced by, like Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. He wrote “A Boy Named Sue” which is maybe Johnny Cash’s most popular tune. So, he’s very much connected to the scene that we feel like our music is a part of, that folk rock, that outlaw country sound… Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, he wrote nearly all the music for that band. So, he’s just a very eclectic artist that we really dig, and the book seemed like a fitting title for us.
Bear Girls: And I read on your website that you guys are working on a new album. How’s that coming along?
TF: Well, it’s been a lengthy process, but I think that’s because we’re so driven to make it as good as possible. And when you’ve got unlimited time, because we have our own studio, it’s very difficult to be able to say, “Okay, we’re done.” When you have unlimited time, you want to keep making small improvements on it. But we’re really close to being finished, and I think everybody feels very strongly about it. And we’ve done some new things we’ve never done before, and took some new approaches to the production, and we brought in a lot of other great players to make it a little bit more orchestral at times, too. We have horn sections and string sections, but we arranged all the music ourselves, and we scored it all out on paper, too. And that’s something that we’ve never really done. From beginning to end, every single note is written out. And we’ve got all of the charts and scores. So we really took a classical approach to this album. So, I think people will find it to be a little bit different. But I think it’s a natural progression for us, and it’ll sound like it’s part of the evolution of the band and the band’s sound.
Bear Girls: In addition to scoring it all out on paper, what are the other things that you’re doing differently with this album?
TF: Well, our last album, we all played together live. It’s almost a live album. We would all get into the same room in the studio, and we’d lay it down, and then we’d overdub vocals. And that was the approach. This time, we’re taking more of a pop approach in the production. We’re going piece-by-piece. Drums, then layering bass, then layering other instruments and then layering vocals, and it’s giving a little bit more of a modern sound. So hopefully people like it. It was necessary for what we’re doing with this album, bringing more instrumentation into it. So, it’s very different production, but it’s really exciting at the same time. I think people will enjoy the sound of it.
Bear Girls: Back to your live sets. You’re on kind of a small, Midwest tour. What are your expectations for the rest of it?
TF: Well, just like here, we’re just hoping to get the opportunity to play for a lot of new music fans. I think that’s what festival season is all about, it’s lots of people coming together, music fans going to check out new artists for the first time because you have that opportunity at a festival whereas you might not go out to see that band otherwise. So I think it’s a great opportunity both for the fans and artists trying to get their sound to reach more people, and for the music fans to check out new sounds. So we’re just hoping to make new connections, meet more people and make some lasting friendships so that we can keep coming back to places like Des Moines regularly, and just help the thing to grow. That’s what we’re hoping to get out of this summer.
Bear Girls: I read that you’re doing a few shows with Carbon Leaf. Do you already have a relationship with them?
TF: Yeah, we do. It’s a very short relationship, but both our bands are tight with an organization called Reverb. They “green” tours of artists and they are greening a tour for Carbon Leaf, and so we’re connected through Reverb. And that’s kind of how we came together, and we’ll do a string of shows together later this month. So, we’re looking forward to that. We’ve never played with them before; we’ve never met them; we just sort-of know them through our mutual relationship with Reverb.
Bear Girls: What do you tend to listen to while you’re on the road?
TF: It seems like we keep coming back to classic stuff like Bob Dylan and the Band. Sometimes the Beatles, but then the rest of the time I think everyone just listens to his own Ipod, ‘cause it’s very difficult for everybody, one, to agree on something to listen to collectively, and two, for everybody to even be in the mood to listen to music at that time. Once in a while, we all agree on listening to something, and it’s usually one of those bands or sometimes the Grateful Dead, and something that’s just fun and something that everybody can just enjoy.
Bear Girls: Just one last thing: I was wondering what your favorite type of tree is.
TF: You know, that’s a very good question because I just started feeling kind of ashamed of myself for not knowing more about trees, having this name “The Giving Tree Band,” and not knowing enough about trees. So I’ve actually just had a renewed interest in trees and being able to identify them. But, I love Redwood trees because my brother and I were born in California, our parents live in California still, in Northern California. So, when we go visit them, it’s always nice to go to the Redwood Forest and see those magnificent trees. But every tree is awesome to me. I think that trees are just incredible plants, you know? But Redwoods would probably be my favorite.
*Originally published to the217.com*
Bear Girls 