Music
Press
More importantly, this week we bring you a collection of tremendous tracks that have been in ringing in our ears. We introduce you to Aaron Thomas and Brad Treeby - two super talented Australians making their mark in the music industry. Both offer truly infectious and refreshing sounds that are a must for the collection.
How could you not be drawn into this one? I daresay he would be best described as Australia’s own Jason Mraz. Love it for its combination of beat boxing and acoustic guitar. - By Alyssar Helweh, Trespass Magazine
The 4 track EP, Wake Your Soul, provides for the perfect backdrop on a lazy weekend afternoon, whether you’re chilling out after a big night or passing time whilst waiting for your Betty Crocker Triple Choc Chunk Cookies to bake.
The smooth folky jazz influences on which Brad Treeby & the Simplists use are complimented nicely with beatbox, making the opening track “Wake Your Soul” somewhat interesting and intriguing – prompting the listener to question, “is that really someone beat boxing or is it a machine?”
The organic and unique sound that is created gives to recollections of Jack Johnson or The John Butler Trio. Mastered by producer Shaun O’Callaghan (The John Butler Trio/Gyroscope), I recommend this CD to those who wish to be taken back to memories of long summer days or those who want something to eat their Triple Choc Chunk Cookies to. - By Daniella, perthbands.com
Acoustic enviro-folkist Brad Treeby and his beat-boxing comrade Petrie have laid down a bright debut EP of bouncy affirmations.
Titles like Sunday Living and Wake Your Soul are giveaways that confirm the lyrical territory here, as does Treeby’s aptonym.
In a similar vein to Jack Johnson’s surf-folk, Treeby’s four green-themed tracks on Wake Your Soul move along well and have strong choruses; in a nutshell, these tracks make for ideal sundowner music.
The beatboxing that propels these acoustic tunes is the right novelty (some might claim innovation) to separate Treeby from a huge pack of guitar-strumming beach and forest troubadours. It’s a point of difference that the EP might suffer without; the songs are well-written, perhaps a little worn, but the mouth-artistry of Petrie (and the solid work of bassist Rohan Irvin) lets the tunes work to their best advantage.
The EP’s high points are The Palm Of Her Hand (for it’s relaxing melodic highlights), and Wake Your Soul (for its dynamics and guitar solo).
Treeby’s percussive fingerstyle playing is energetic and adept but not over the top; it always serves the song. That’s always a plus, but it would have been good to see him showcase his technique more often.
Treeby and The Simplists have twigged that up-beat tunes are easier to embrace than dour warnings in minor keys (although the verses to Paper Junkie come close to crossing that line).
Hence the messages are easy to swallow here, particularly when Treeby wraps up his stance in narrative and characters (as he does in The Palm Of Her Hand and Sunday Living), sung over perkily-played progressions.
Lyrically, Treeby avoids getting overly preachy or whiny, but there is a lot of self-examination going on. The word ‘soul’ comes up in each of the four tracks.
With Treeby and The Simplists having moved from Perth to London, where this rootsy style might be less prevalent, there’s every chance they’ll go over well and make a lot of very handy connections, which means the next EP should be a cracker.
Wake Your Soul comes across as being natural and wholesome, especially if you overlook the plastic CD, its packaging, and the thick bright white paper that Treeby’s bio is printed on. However they’ve wisely managed to pre-deflect such enviro-cynicism from reviewers and punters by making the whole EP available for free download at http://www.bradtreeby.com/music.php
There’s definitely nothing to lose by checking it out. - By Jeff Walker, Wheatbelt Mercury
Discography
Brad Treeby and the Simplists - Wake Your Soul (CD EP, CAN005, Canopy Records, 6th December 2008).
Dusk - The Fragile Escape / Butterflies EP (CD EP, CAN001, Canopy Records, 14th March 2006).
Singles from both records have received national airplay in Australia on youth broadcaster TripleJ.
Photos
Bio
A sound, a structure, an ideology. An unmistakeable syndicate of beats and melody. Forged from the combination of acoustic guitar, vocals, bass, and human beat-box, the music of Brad Treeby & the Simplists is accessible yet truly unique. Drawing on influences from roots, folk, and jazz, the results are both organic and refreshingly honest. Originally formed in Perth, Australia, Brad Treeby & the Simplists are currently based in London, England.
The debut record for the Simplists, Wake Your Soul, features four of Brad Treeby's vibrant tracks, including Wake Your Soul, a commentary on the inability of policy makers to reconsider or take responsibility for deficient agendas, and Paper Junkie, a censure on the current prodigal use of the world's resources. Similar themes appear recurrently throughout the Simplists music, but the lyrics remain cognisant rather than pretentious, observant rather than prescriptive.
The concept for the arrangements for the project was spawned almost a year before its realisation. "I wanted to create something raw and organic," muses Treeby; a requisite that initiated a search for beat makers ending in Petrie. The connection was immediate; Petrie's unique style and beat boxing ability completing the trio formed with long time collaborator Rohan Irvin on bass guitar.
The EP was recorded during the first half of 2008 in an old house in suburban Perth, with the engineering duties shared between Treeby and Irvin. "It was a journey of discovery, refinement, and construction." Mixing and mastering was left to the capable hands of Shaun O'Callaghan from Studio Couch (John Butler Trio/Gyroscope). The disk is an independent release put out through the small indie label Canopy Records, and distributed in Australia by Green Media Distribution.
Prior to the Simplists, Brad Treeby spent several years as guitarist and front-man for Australian acoustic roots band, Dusk. The band played regularly around Perth and spent much time touring Australia's south west. In 2006 the band released their debut and only release, The Fragile Escape / Butterflies EP. The title track, The Fragile Escape, featured regularly on national youth broadcaster Triple J, primarily on Roots n All, a program on which the band were also a guest during a 2006 tour to Melbourne.
Growing up near the small town of Albany in South Western Australia, Brad Treeby's musical journey began out of a desire to creatively express his perspective and sentiment. Almost ten years later, he has grown to be a gracious songwriter and an adept performer. His latest project consolidates these ideals, revealing a new level of purpose, musicianship, and maturity.
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