Treelines

Artist Information

Biography

If the Weakerthans had a love child with the Gaslight Anthem, and Joel Plaskett raised that child, you would have something close to Treelines. Their music can be described as an unassuming brand of indie rock, often painting a lyrical picture of anything from the old west, to wintry northern landscapes. There’s a quality about this band that can only seem to be described as sounding nostalgic and ‘unintentionally Canadian‘; something you can’t really pinpoint.

The band was birthed in July 2009, when they released their debut album; a self titled full length that showcased the song writing of singer Matt Lockhart. While it was only their first effort, the album prompted Exclaim! Magazine to quip that “[the record] earns Matt Lockhart and friends an invitation to one day joining the good company of Canada’s most outstanding folk rock musicians.” CBC Radio 3 also joined in, asserting that the band’s song ‘Canadian Airlines’ “says more about [Canada] in three mere minutes than a three-hour Throne Speech could.” With rambling guitars, wilderness imagery you can lose yourself in, and hints of harmonica filling in the scenes it’s tough to describe the record as anything but Canadian, and for the band, anything but honest.

July 2010 saw the band release their follow-up effort Young Man, a sharper, livelier effort than the its more laid-back predecessor. Shiny brass, rock organs, cellos and soaring guitars highlight the upbeat release which the band has described as a more “cohesive” effort. NxEW confidently asserted, “The album is summer listening at its finest,” while CHARTattack reflected that the songs “seem more mature and hint at a Weakerthans vibe.” Lyrically the release continues in the vein of the debut CD, and seems to paint the scenes of Young Man in the faded colours of an old photograph: warm, honest, and strangely familiar. The songs seem to possess a nostalgic quality that is so inviting, after a few listens you’ll be singing along and reminiscing like the lyrics were taken from your high school diary.

In the fall of 2010 the band will follow the migratory patterns of so many previous bands from Kelowna and head South to Vancouver. While they will miss the orchards, wineries, and lakes, the move is the perfect step for a band that is just beginning to hit their stride.

Quotes:


“The effort earns Matt Lockhart and friends an invitation to one day joining the good company of Canada’s many outstanding folk rock musicians.”-Exclaim! Magazine

“Treelines have come a long way in a short period of time…seem more mature and hint at a Weakerthans vibe”-CHARTattack

“a little nugget of Kelowna gold”- CBC Radio 3

“Comparisons with the Weakerthans are well-founded, I can’t say enough about how great the lyrics are.”-NxEW

"[Treelines] is all about no-nonsense rock 'n' roll, channeling the heartland spirit of John Cougar with a dose of whiskey-soaked Canadiana."- BeatRoute Magazine

Instrumentation

Matt Lockhart - Vocals, Guitar
Steve Lockhart - Vocals, Bass
Matt Kelly - Vocals, Guitar, Piano

Discography

Treelines - S/T : Full Length released July 2009

Treelines - Young Man : EP released July 2010

Multiple tracks from both albums have been featured in various CBC Radio 3 programs/podcasts and have received radio play on CBC Radio 2, CBC Radio 3, and various Canadian college radio stations.

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• MySpace
• Twitter

Audio

• Ghost towns
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• Summer Song
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• Young Man
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• Canadian Airlines
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• When I Get Grown
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Lyrics

• Ghost Towns
• Summer Song
• Young Man
• Canadian Airlines
• When I Get Grown

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• July 9, 2010 - Spotlight: Treelines - Young Man [+ Show ]
  

  Kelowna has been quite a hotspot of great indie rock lately. Yukon Blonde, Ladyhawk, and We Are the ...Kelowna has been quite a hotspot of great indie rock lately. Yukon Blonde, Ladyhawk, and We Are the City are just a few of the bands that have been rockin it up across the country. Treelines is the latest in that solid line-up of musical acts to make their presence known. After the release of their self-titled debut last year the band got back to work and put together a sophomore effort which was released on July 1st. This effort is a solid 6 song E.P. called Young Man. Their first album was written primarily by lead singer Matt Lockhart during time he spent in Vancouver after graduating from the University of Victoria. This E.P. is the band's first release as a result of a cohesive effort from the entire band, and the sound reflects that. In a fantastic way.
  
  This album is summer listening at its finest. It opens with a song that just sounds right on Friday afternoons after escaping from work,class, or whatever your business be. Ghost Towns liberates you with lyrics that set you sailing free. Soaring riffs and an awesome drumline make this song an excellent starter for the album. Next to bat is Summer Song. The name is pretty straightforward and it will not be long before this song has crept into every one of your summer playlists. You can practically feel yourself on the beach with lyrics like "the hottest seller is a pile of sand, and layin down is an action plan." Throw in a little brass for the chorus and you can smell the sunscreen streaming out the speakers. Statuette tells the story of love and disappointment in both reality and fiction. Sometimes all you can do is just stand there. The album cools down when you hit Streetlights with lyrics and music so vivid you can practically feel the cold winter street. The two mesh together so well it's very Weakerthans-esque. Young Man keeps the mind's eye moving with more visual lyrics. You can just picture your grandfather's chair that was so sacred you never dared sit in it. This song is an adventure in growing up and leaving behind those things that were so familiar, but still keeping them locked away in your mind for later. The last act of the album is Cowboys, a western rocker worthy of this band's Western Canadian roots, and the sunsets they'll be riding into during their next tour.
  
  
  And that's it. This album is brief but fantastic. Lead singer Matt Lockhart belts out these summer anthems with a passion seldom heard in music today, and he's not afraid to let his voice crack a time or two to get this music heard. Comparisons with the Weakerthans are well earned and well founded, I can't say enough about how great the lyrics are. Just like you could see yourself in that bus in One Great City, you can see yourself in each one of these songs, whether it be on the beach, on the road, or life(yeah I went there). So go out there and grab this E.P. it'll be cheap cuz its short and oh so worth it. Go to http://www.treelinesmusic.com/ where you can download the title track for free and get a taste of what's in store. While you're there check out their making the record documentary.
  
  
  If you were lucky enough you went to the Vancover CD release show on Friday, but if not expect more dates to be announced soon. Go out and check out this band for a great high enegy show, and pick up the E.P. while you're there, you won't regret it. Oh, and maybe an awesome Canucks Flying Skate Treelines t-shirt, those are great too.
  

• July 9, 2010 - LIVE review [+ Show ]
  

  With muggy 27 degree weather outside and a large crowd packed tightly into the cozy Railway Club, th...With muggy 27 degree weather outside and a large crowd packed tightly into the cozy Railway Club, the heat in the room was nothing short of sweltering. Still, that didn't deter the revelers, who had already pushed up to the front of the floor by the time the opening act, City of Glass, took the stage.
  
  The local four-piece got the night off to a high-energy start, delivering a brief set of upbeat post-punk and infectious group singalongs. With spidery, intertwining guitar leads and herky jerky dancebeats, the group's sound was anchored by the rock-solid bass-playing of Georgia Korba. The band wrapped up the set with a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the brisk tempo and hard-hitting arrangement making it almost unrecognizable until the chorus.
  
  Next up, 41st and Home packed six musicians onto the stage, offering lush arrangements that included violin, trumpet and pump organ. The band showed a flair for the dramatic, with slow-burning ballads that built to heart-pulsing cinematic crescendos. With clear stylistic nods to fellow baroque rockers like Broken Social Scene and Sufjan Stevens, don't be surprised if this Vancouver group continues to build momentum in the coming months.
  
  Treelines were the evening's main event, as they were celebrating the release of their new EP, Young Man. The Kelowna outfit is all about no-nonsense rock 'n' roll, channeling the heartland spirit of John Cougar with a dose of whiskey-soaked Canadiana. With chunky grooves and muscular power chord riffage, Treelines and their fans both sweated buckets, causing singer Matt Lockhart to bring out a beach towel to mop it up. (As BeatRoute's photographer said, "The front row is the splash zone.")
  
  Singer-songwriter Jordan Klassen wrapped up the show with a set of chilled-out folk rock, evoking Simon and Garfunkel with his haunting balladry. He ended the night with a bang, with him and his three bandmates setting aside their instruments for a tribal drum circle and hollered, microphone-less harmonies.
  

• June 30, 2010 - Young Man [+ Show ]
  

  This Kelowna, B.C. quartet have come a long way in a short period of time. Their 2009 self-titled de...This Kelowna, B.C. quartet have come a long way in a short period of time. Their 2009 self-titled debut was decent pop effort — along the lines of Andrew Watt And The Glory Glory or Throw Me The Statue — but about half of its songs carried too high a schmaltz factor.
  
  Treelines have solidified their lineup and are writing collaboratively (the debut was mainly penned by band founder Matt Lockhart) for this follow-up EP. The resulting six songs have a noticeably sharper edge. Even the one exception to their new harder-rock formula — the piano-led "Streetlights" — seems more mature and hints at a Weakerthans vibe.
  
  In their band bio, Treelines say they can't shake comparisons to Death Cab For Cutie. Such similarities aren't really evident here. Young Man is much closer to the work of The Mohawk Lodge and Two Hours Traffic.

• Jan 12, 2010 - Song Of The Day [+ Show ]
  

  On January 12, 2010, our song 'Canadian Airlines' was chosen as song of the day nationwide on CBC Ra...On January 12, 2010, our song 'Canadian Airlines' was chosen as song of the day nationwide on CBC Radio 3. Here's what Amanda Putz had to say about it.
  
  "This song is a little nugget of Kelowna gold. Treelines is a perfect name for a Canadian band, since treelines delineate the mostly-habitable spaces of the country from the less-habitable ones. The song itself, well, it says more about the country in three mere minutes than a three-hour Throne Speech could. I love its rambling, countryesque electric guitar line. I love its lyrics that pull up blinds revealing Canadian winter scenes beyond the melody. And I love its sentiment: Grab my coat, put on my toque...brush the snow off of my car, scrape off all the frost with a credit card...if the engine fails to spark to life I wonder what the jumper cords look like...on those Canadian Airlines. So, it's not so much about flying, as not flying. It's about the way we do things here, and the way we live. Listen, and I think you'll hear yourself in this song. You live here, don't you?"
  
  -Amanda Putz
  CBC Radio 3
  

• Dec 4, 2009 - Vancouver Concert Review [+ Show ]
  

  "Treelines is an earnest band from Kelowna, boasting a realism that is truly endearing. They play a ..."Treelines is an earnest band from Kelowna, boasting a realism that is truly endearing. They play a mixture of songs, some from their self-titled album and some new songs that will be recorded in January. One song is so new that it doesn’t even have a name. There’s something exciting about a band like this, one on the cusp of discovery (provided they keep coming to Vancouver for shows). Lead singer Matt Lockhart has a voice he seems almost unsure of, but Treelines have their guitars, keys and harmonies in place. The drummer has excellent posture and quite a head of hair, and altogether they’re easy on the eyes and ears. The song “Calendar,” one that’s on their record but they don’t normally play live, contains the lyrics, You are someone’s bird, and someone is your tree. “Lions” is another track that most people can and will sing along to, and I’m intrigued by the snippets of lyrics I was able to hear. Their signature track is “Canadian Airlines,” which they describe as a song “about being cold and miserable in November.” They’re on the precipice of nailing a signature sound, one that I would equate to an interior version of The Stills. As they record their album, they’ll be sending out updates through their mailing list. Sign up for it now so you can brag that you became a fan before they became famous, and stay tuned for their updates as I post them on Backstage Vancouver."
  
  -Lauren Eldridge
  Backstage Vancouver
  

Setlist

Typical sets range between 9-15 songs (40-60 mins). All original material.

Basic Requirements

Calendar