Witness Tree
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Witness Tree

Omaha, Nebraska, United States | SELF

Omaha, Nebraska, United States | SELF
Band Rock Alternative

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""Make no doubt about it these guys are a rock band.""

(3.6 out of 5 stars)

Witness Tree has been playing music longer than a majority of our readers have been alive. Initially forming in 1992 they started out as an acoustic trio that consisted of Steve Kudlacek (voice, guitar), Alan Mansfield (guitar), and Eric Slater (bass). As time went on they advanced from playing coffee shops to bigger venues, refined their sound and eventually added members. In 2000, they disbanded for a number of reasons but I have to give them credit. They did it for eight years, which in band years is about 25. In 2008 two of the original members and PJ Harding (drums) decided to revive some of the chemistry they had back in the 90’s and see what would happen. Since I have not heard their previous album I cannot compare this to their older material but I don't really think that will be necessary anyway. As I started listening to Breathe In I noticed a fair amount of influence from the late 80’s and early 90’s. Make no doubt about it these guys are a rock band. They like their guitar solos, they like their distortion, and they like a heavy dose of riffs that draw comparisons to some of your favorite hard rock and grunge bands from the 90’s. While the music feels to be more rooted in 90’s hard rock like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Kudlacek’s voice has a very distinct 80’s sludge metal type vibe. It’s cool and he often goes into chameleon mode quite often even during the same song by changing his tone and delivery.

The new album starts off with a rocker “Calling All Cars.” The song is essentially a pop song smothered in real warm sounding distortion (a great guitar tone all around). The drum and bass are steady, creating the backbone of the song. Nothing too fancy here by either players but it does what it needs to. Another solid song is “Ready or Not” which utilizes similar tones as the first song while “Lights Out” waits until about the halfway point to start rocking out. Arguably the best song on the album is “Memory,” which has great vocal harmonies, a really catchy chorus and shows overall good craftsmanship. When I heard the acoustic guitar on “White Ending” I thought they might close the album with a sparse, acoustic ballad but I was wrong. The album ends with a bang rather than a whimper.

What impressed me most about this band was that you can tell by listening to these songs that these guys are still having fun. They seem to be playing what they enjoy and there isn’t anything wrong with that. - Ted Rogen (The Equal Ground)


""Make no doubt about it these guys are a rock band.""

(3.6 out of 5 stars)

Witness Tree has been playing music longer than a majority of our readers have been alive. Initially forming in 1992 they started out as an acoustic trio that consisted of Steve Kudlacek (voice, guitar), Alan Mansfield (guitar), and Eric Slater (bass). As time went on they advanced from playing coffee shops to bigger venues, refined their sound and eventually added members. In 2000, they disbanded for a number of reasons but I have to give them credit. They did it for eight years, which in band years is about 25. In 2008 two of the original members and PJ Harding (drums) decided to revive some of the chemistry they had back in the 90’s and see what would happen. Since I have not heard their previous album I cannot compare this to their older material but I don't really think that will be necessary anyway. As I started listening to Breathe In I noticed a fair amount of influence from the late 80’s and early 90’s. Make no doubt about it these guys are a rock band. They like their guitar solos, they like their distortion, and they like a heavy dose of riffs that draw comparisons to some of your favorite hard rock and grunge bands from the 90’s. While the music feels to be more rooted in 90’s hard rock like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Kudlacek’s voice has a very distinct 80’s sludge metal type vibe. It’s cool and he often goes into chameleon mode quite often even during the same song by changing his tone and delivery.

The new album starts off with a rocker “Calling All Cars.” The song is essentially a pop song smothered in real warm sounding distortion (a great guitar tone all around). The drum and bass are steady, creating the backbone of the song. Nothing too fancy here by either players but it does what it needs to. Another solid song is “Ready or Not” which utilizes similar tones as the first song while “Lights Out” waits until about the halfway point to start rocking out. Arguably the best song on the album is “Memory,” which has great vocal harmonies, a really catchy chorus and shows overall good craftsmanship. When I heard the acoustic guitar on “White Ending” I thought they might close the album with a sparse, acoustic ballad but I was wrong. The album ends with a bang rather than a whimper.

What impressed me most about this band was that you can tell by listening to these songs that these guys are still having fun. They seem to be playing what they enjoy and there isn’t anything wrong with that. - Ted Rogen (The Equal Ground)


"Witness Tree tonight..."

Also tonight (Friday) Omaha rock band Witness Tree celebrates the release of its self-released EP Breathe In at Slowdown Jr. with Bullet Proof Hearts, Two Drag Club and Thunder Power. $7. 9 p.m.

The band has asked for a review of the EP, despite the fact that Lazy-i’s focus is indie music and Witness Tree — while without a record label — is anything but an indie band. Their sound borders on last-decade alt-radio rock that leans heavy on the pop side. Lots o’ big riffs, radio-friendly vocals and lyrics like “You could be my miracle tonight” and “You’re a bullet from a gun / You’re the fire from the heat” and “Ready or not, here I come.” You get the picture. Their songs emulate the kind of music I remember from the early ’80s, the kind of fun-time high school rock that Z-92 used to play. They’re not plowing new ground, in fact their soil is a couple generations old, and I can’t imagine they want it any other way. Harmless fun. - Tim McMahan (Lazy-i.com)


"Witness Tree tonight..."

Also tonight (Friday) Omaha rock band Witness Tree celebrates the release of its self-released EP Breathe In at Slowdown Jr. with Bullet Proof Hearts, Two Drag Club and Thunder Power. $7. 9 p.m.

The band has asked for a review of the EP, despite the fact that Lazy-i’s focus is indie music and Witness Tree — while without a record label — is anything but an indie band. Their sound borders on last-decade alt-radio rock that leans heavy on the pop side. Lots o’ big riffs, radio-friendly vocals and lyrics like “You could be my miracle tonight” and “You’re a bullet from a gun / You’re the fire from the heat” and “Ready or not, here I come.” You get the picture. Their songs emulate the kind of music I remember from the early ’80s, the kind of fun-time high school rock that Z-92 used to play. They’re not plowing new ground, in fact their soil is a couple generations old, and I can’t imagine they want it any other way. Harmless fun. - Tim McMahan (Lazy-i.com)


"Witness Tree Grows Back"

It is rare to see a band come back from a break up and not only do so successfully, but also reinvent themselves at the same time. Omaha band Witness Tree has done just that and will be celebrating the long road to the release of their new album Breathe In this FRIDAY at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., with Bullet Proof Hearts, Thunder Power, and Two Drag Club.
Witness Tree first made the rounds starting in 1992. This was during a high time in the Omaha music scene, which saw 311 leave town, Blue Moon Ghetto all over the radio, and packed shows at the Ranch Bowl, the Capitol, the Saddle Creek Bar and Sokol Hall with bands like Five Story Fall, Old Boy Network and Grasshopper Takeover. Witness Tree was very much in this mix and had a solid fan base to draw from. It was surprising, after hanging it up in 2000, when the band reformed eight years later not just for a one-off reunion.

The band has spent the past five years re-inventing themselves and re-introducing themselves to a brand new music scene with a lot of new players. The transformation was successful because of stronger songs, a fresh sound, and exemplary musicianship. Witness Tree is a cross between power-pop and power rock, with some influences coming from the college rock scene of the '80s. The band fits on stage with many of the current bands of today and some of the younger musicians in town, such as All Young Girls Are Machine Guns frontwoman Rebecca Lowry, even perform on Breathe In. The album was recorded with Jeremy Garrett over quite a long period of time. I expected this record a year ago, but the band wanted to make sure they got it right so they could put out the best product possible. The effort put into the album can be heard in its tight songs and production, hook-filled guitar riffs, and driving rhythms.

In a live setting, the band puts on a straightforward, energetic rock show that relies on nothing but their playing and feeding off the audience. Vocalist and guitarist Steve Kudlacek is very serious about his craft and it shows, as he is the quintessential frontman. Alan Mansfield is widely regarded as one of the best guitar players in the area and his excitement playing live onstage is hard to miss. The rhythm section of PJ Harding and Wade Hephner hold it all together when needed, but more often they drive it forward. The bottom line is that these are fun guys and they put on a fun rock show. They are out supporting other local bands all the time and have a genuine love for what they do and for our Omaha music scene. Check out a couple of tracks from Breathe In above and head down to the Slowdown on Friday and see a great local lineup with some special guests rumored to be taking the stage with the band. - Marq Manner (Omaha Dispatch)


"Witness Tree Grows Back"

It is rare to see a band come back from a break up and not only do so successfully, but also reinvent themselves at the same time. Omaha band Witness Tree has done just that and will be celebrating the long road to the release of their new album Breathe In this FRIDAY at The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., with Bullet Proof Hearts, Thunder Power, and Two Drag Club.
Witness Tree first made the rounds starting in 1992. This was during a high time in the Omaha music scene, which saw 311 leave town, Blue Moon Ghetto all over the radio, and packed shows at the Ranch Bowl, the Capitol, the Saddle Creek Bar and Sokol Hall with bands like Five Story Fall, Old Boy Network and Grasshopper Takeover. Witness Tree was very much in this mix and had a solid fan base to draw from. It was surprising, after hanging it up in 2000, when the band reformed eight years later not just for a one-off reunion.

The band has spent the past five years re-inventing themselves and re-introducing themselves to a brand new music scene with a lot of new players. The transformation was successful because of stronger songs, a fresh sound, and exemplary musicianship. Witness Tree is a cross between power-pop and power rock, with some influences coming from the college rock scene of the '80s. The band fits on stage with many of the current bands of today and some of the younger musicians in town, such as All Young Girls Are Machine Guns frontwoman Rebecca Lowry, even perform on Breathe In. The album was recorded with Jeremy Garrett over quite a long period of time. I expected this record a year ago, but the band wanted to make sure they got it right so they could put out the best product possible. The effort put into the album can be heard in its tight songs and production, hook-filled guitar riffs, and driving rhythms.

In a live setting, the band puts on a straightforward, energetic rock show that relies on nothing but their playing and feeding off the audience. Vocalist and guitarist Steve Kudlacek is very serious about his craft and it shows, as he is the quintessential frontman. Alan Mansfield is widely regarded as one of the best guitar players in the area and his excitement playing live onstage is hard to miss. The rhythm section of PJ Harding and Wade Hephner hold it all together when needed, but more often they drive it forward. The bottom line is that these are fun guys and they put on a fun rock show. They are out supporting other local bands all the time and have a genuine love for what they do and for our Omaha music scene. Check out a couple of tracks from Breathe In above and head down to the Slowdown on Friday and see a great local lineup with some special guests rumored to be taking the stage with the band. - Marq Manner (Omaha Dispatch)


"New Witness Tree album features grunged-up guitar"

My first big taste of Witness Tree was at a Replacements show awhile back that was part documentary screening and part tribute show.

Witness Tree played “Valentine,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Merry Go Round” at the show, and the group’s renditions were great. I promised myself I’d go check them out again. (The rock band has been around for a couple decades, and yet I never got the opportunity to see much of them.)

Now, the band is set to release a new album, “Breathe In,” Friday at Slowdown.

Grunged-up guitar songs will greet your ears through the whole album, which is a departure from their more acoustic-based early work. If you, like me, enjoy cranking Replacements, Pixies or Hold Steady, you’ll dig this record. And keep playing it over and over (again, like me).

Lead-off track “Calling All Cars” pulls you in with a chugging guitar riff and lines such as “it’s never enough that I couldn’t please you.”

Track three, “Lights Out,” starts with a lighter melody (some picked-out guitar notes) but moves on to a crunchy refrain and some Thin Lizzy-style guitar solos.

“Memory” is a duet with All Young Girls Are Machine Guns’ Rebecca Lowry, and the fast-moving ballad adds a soulful flavor to the album with the refrain “I don’t want to be just a memory.”

I want six more songs like it.

If you feel like rocking out, Witness Tree’s album release show will be a fun one. Bullet Proof Hearts, Two Drag Club (whose Bob Boyce guests on two tracks) and Thunder Power will open the show. Lowry, Matt Whipkey and Jessica Errett will all appear with Witness Tree as well.
- Kevin Coffey (Omaha World Herald)


"New Witness Tree album features grunged-up guitar"

My first big taste of Witness Tree was at a Replacements show awhile back that was part documentary screening and part tribute show.

Witness Tree played “Valentine,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Merry Go Round” at the show, and the group’s renditions were great. I promised myself I’d go check them out again. (The rock band has been around for a couple decades, and yet I never got the opportunity to see much of them.)

Now, the band is set to release a new album, “Breathe In,” Friday at Slowdown.

Grunged-up guitar songs will greet your ears through the whole album, which is a departure from their more acoustic-based early work. If you, like me, enjoy cranking Replacements, Pixies or Hold Steady, you’ll dig this record. And keep playing it over and over (again, like me).

Lead-off track “Calling All Cars” pulls you in with a chugging guitar riff and lines such as “it’s never enough that I couldn’t please you.”

Track three, “Lights Out,” starts with a lighter melody (some picked-out guitar notes) but moves on to a crunchy refrain and some Thin Lizzy-style guitar solos.

“Memory” is a duet with All Young Girls Are Machine Guns’ Rebecca Lowry, and the fast-moving ballad adds a soulful flavor to the album with the refrain “I don’t want to be just a memory.”

I want six more songs like it.

If you feel like rocking out, Witness Tree’s album release show will be a fun one. Bullet Proof Hearts, Two Drag Club (whose Bob Boyce guests on two tracks) and Thunder Power will open the show. Lowry, Matt Whipkey and Jessica Errett will all appear with Witness Tree as well.
- Kevin Coffey (Omaha World Herald)


"Alan Mansfield and Steve Kudlacek are natural storytellers."

They know the story of Nebraska music in the 1990s. As part of Witness Tree's first iteration, starting in 1992, the two know the story firsthand. Back then, with bassist Eric Slater rounding out the band, they played acoustic coffee-shop songs, and continued through the decade before breaking up in 2000. Since they got back together in 2008, the band has changed directions, now a bit louder with more bite.

“We were acoustic-based rock with some loud guitar and drums: That was us in 1995,” says vocalist/guitarist Kudlacek, during Witness Tree's interview on our radio show on KZUM, Hear Nebraska FM. “Now we look at music, and we really want to be a rock band and have an edgier sound.”

Their new EP, Breathe In, showcases this change, and will be released on May 31. Witness Tree will celebrate the CD release at Slowdown this Friday with Thunder Power, Two Drag Club and Bulletproof Hearts.

“It was like being in a new band,” guitarist Mansfield says. “We had a new energy, new vibe, and a new relationship with each other.”

Listen to one of the transitional songs, "Memory," which draws on Witness Tree's past but shares some sonic similarities with their "edgier" material. - Cam Penner (Hear Nebraska)


"Alan Mansfield and Steve Kudlacek are natural storytellers."

They know the story of Nebraska music in the 1990s. As part of Witness Tree's first iteration, starting in 1992, the two know the story firsthand. Back then, with bassist Eric Slater rounding out the band, they played acoustic coffee-shop songs, and continued through the decade before breaking up in 2000. Since they got back together in 2008, the band has changed directions, now a bit louder with more bite.

“We were acoustic-based rock with some loud guitar and drums: That was us in 1995,” says vocalist/guitarist Kudlacek, during Witness Tree's interview on our radio show on KZUM, Hear Nebraska FM. “Now we look at music, and we really want to be a rock band and have an edgier sound.”

Their new EP, Breathe In, showcases this change, and will be released on May 31. Witness Tree will celebrate the CD release at Slowdown this Friday with Thunder Power, Two Drag Club and Bulletproof Hearts.

“It was like being in a new band,” guitarist Mansfield says. “We had a new energy, new vibe, and a new relationship with each other.”

Listen to one of the transitional songs, "Memory," which draws on Witness Tree's past but shares some sonic similarities with their "edgier" material. - Cam Penner (Hear Nebraska)


Discography

"Baby Sub Rosa" - released 1996

"Fools Seldom Differ / LIVE+5IVE" - released 2000

"Breathe In" - released 2013

Photos

Bio

Since 1992, Witness Tree has seen changes. Personally and musically. Early on, Witness Tree was an acoustic trio with founding members Steve Kudlacek (voice, guitar), Alan Mansfield (guitar), and Eric Slater (bass). Through its stint playing coffee shops and small venues, Witness Tree grew. The music grew. Their first release "Baby Sub Rosa" was the culmination and result. The line up was rounded out with Joe Rhodes (guitar), and PJ Harding (drums). During the mid-to-late 90's, Witness Tree played in support of this release. Met a lot of new friends and solidified their new sound and direction. The late 90's saw the departure of Joe Rhodes. This took Witness Tree into a new direction with the result being their second release "Fools Seldom Differ", a mix of studio songs and a live recording. Witness Tree's new sound reflected their determination. It was raw and exciting.

However, like so many things... it was temporary. Before Witness Tree could fully realize its new self, they split in 2000 for myriad reasons. But as it turned out... temporary doesn't mean forever.

Fast forward to 2008. Steve, Alan, and PJ decided to brush the dust off and rediscover what it was that they loved so much. Playing music. Most of 2008 saw these 3 taking Witness Tree in yet another direction. Giving the music a new focus while discovering more about themselves as people and musicians. To add to this reformation and growth, bassist Wade Hephner joined the family. With him, he brought experience, creativity, and an energy that was has launched Witness Tree into yet another direction.

Since reforming, Witness Tree has taken its new sound and haven’t looked back. Gaining new fans and friends, while keeping close to them those that grew with the band. The past several years has seen Witness Tree play many shows, showcases, and festivals. They garnered a “Top Rock Act” award nomination from the esteemed Omaha Entertainment & Arts committee.

Witness Tree has matured its new sound and direction. They have stayed close to the Omaha, NE original music and arts scene; recognizing the importance of giving back to the community that has rewarded it with so much.

In May 2013, Witness Tree will be celebrating the release of their new album, “Breathe In”. This new album not only thoroughly reflects the new direction, but is a gift to those that have grown with the band and to those who have just jumped on for the ride.

Witness Tree are looking forward. The goal isn't to play into the past. The goal is change.