Voices in the Trees

Voices in the Trees began as the mellow songwriter project of singer/guitarist Seth Richardson and bassist Gary Brown, but from the beginning the group was destined for something even more awesome. Gary recruited the buy-one-get-one-free pair of Mollie Harrison on the viola and drummer Patrick Harrison to fill out the line-up, and later Bradford Sims was recruited on the guitar to allow Seth more vocal freedom. Such a collection of strongly opinionated, creative minds from such varied musical backgrounds forged a multifaceted, dynamic blend of raw alternative rock and folksy, world-music influences that cannot be duplicated.

After several months of serious gigging, tireless rehearsals, and a rough demo to refine their sound, Voices in the Trees entered the studio to record their first album: The Death of Viola, a long running project and an important learning experience for everyone involved that the band is pleased to finally release to their hungry fan base.

But just hearing the album is not truly experiencing Voices in the Trees, as the recordings pale in comparison to the live show.

Seth is almost a one-man show on his own, moving wherever the music takes him whenever he’s not busy belting powerful and poetic vocals. Any stage he stands on belongs to him.

Mollie’s viola spirals between infectious melodic hooks and haunting ambiance as the band’s lead, and pity the hairs of her bow as she abuses the strings in her hold-nothing-back live performance.

Gary’s bass lines are surprisingly melodic while still maintaining a new wave groove that’s just as interesting to listen to as any of the lead instruments. These are not your typical root note bass lines.

Bradford on the guitar adds the alternative dirt that gives the band an edge and sets them apart from the laid-back roots they emerged from. His guitar sound fills out the body of the Voices sound while still contributing to the memorable riffs.

Having Patrick on the drums is like having a muppet black out on your back line while flailing on an expanded kit. He plays the drums entirely wrong just to keep things interesting. That’s what happens when you recruit a guitarist to play the drums.

With the band firmly established for over a year now, Voices in the Trees has begun branching out to play shows outside of the Birmingham area and create converts as far as their sound will reach.