The promise of Tacoma's Trees and Timber was evident on last year's debut EP, “Electric Gypsy Lovechild,” a brassy collection power-pop jams with just a hint of Bavarian influence, toward the end on the oom-pah powered “Hello, My Name Is Love.”
That's also the title of the band's new, full-length album for Swoon Records; and the trio – singer-guitarist Joe Baker, bassist Gwen Lewandoski and drummer Paul Rybicki – will celebrate with a dual release party with Seattle's the Jilly Rizzo on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Valley, among Tacoma's newest rock spots, located at 1206 Puyallup Ave. We caught up with the band's founding couple to get the skinny.
Tacoma Weekly: Congrats on the new album. When and where did you make it?
Joe: We started recording at Earwig (a popular studio in Seattle) around October of 2013 with Don Farwell and came in about four more weekends, through May. It was vastly different from the EP, which was all done over the course of a single weekend. This time, we got to play around a lot more, messing with arrangements and bringing people in to overdub whatever we could think of to add.
TW: How would you compare and contrast the new songs with your previous EP?
Joe: Almost everything on the LP was written since Paul joined. We've probably started leaning a little more "power" on the power-pop scale compared to the EP; and I think we write a little better now.
Gwen: We also have a much, much better drummer. In every way.
TW: What can you say about the forces that shaped the new CD and the direction you went in?
Joe: It was really collaborative. Don Farwell has gotten to know us a lot better and knows what we want, sometimes before we do. Anyone that came in to add something had pretty much free-reign to be imaginative. Ian Price (of Naturebot fame) really rose to the occasion and came up with one amazing idea after another. Kelly Erb and Jonathan Deschamps, too. (They played violin and trumpet, respectively.) Of course, Dick Rossetti (of the Jilly Rizzo) spent some time in there and helped us flesh out a lot of songs. We could tell him what we were going for, and he would immediately know how to get there. We barely finished saying "Phil Spector" before he had a second drum kit set up to add to “Future History.”
Afterward, knowing it would be released through Swoon, on vinyl, affected the mastering process and how we sequenced the tracks. You have to think more about time constraints per side – blah blah blah.
TW: I’m pretty sure I’ve heard you guys play a few of these cuts, though I didn’t know the song titles at the time. Which ones are you having the most fun playing?
Gwen: We play about four songs as a medley during our live set and don't really breathe in between 'em. We power through them and build 'em up and end it all very abruptly with the last beat of “Believe in Soon.” By that point, I feel like we've got our point across.
TW: One of my favorite new songs is “Stop F-ing it Up.” I could definitely see a call and response thing developing with that one. What inspired that track?
Gwen: Oh, you know, that song is just sort of an ode to the terrible people that wreak havoc in our lives. We all have at least one! Maybe they're a s----- old friend. Maybe you're related to 'em. Hell, maybe the awful person is yourself and you've got nobody else to blame. It's written for the miserable folks that can't help but to crush happiness and bring you down.
TW: What’s your process like in general? How do songs typically take shape?
Joe: It's hard to say. There are so many different ways to write a song, and we try them all. Sometimes it starts with a bass melody, sometimes a riff, sometimes it's a song we decide is (terrible) but has one part we want to keep, so that turns into a whole new song. Really the only typical thing is to keep it short and sweet and melodic. It has to be catchy. Plus, you have to know when its not working so you can just move on. Sometimes it makes it all the way to rehearsal before we find out from Paul that we've written some garbage. Which is great, actually. We all trust each other’s opinions, and it keeps our standards high.
TW: Is there an up side and down side to collaborating with your spouse?
Joe: Well, I don't really have a spouse, but I suppose you're talking about Gwen, who I have not yet made an "honest woman" of.
TW: Oops, I thought you were married. No pressure.
Joe: The upside is we can do it any time we please and anywhere we want. The downside is if you come up with something that really sucks, you'll be told in no uncertain terms. You get pissed, you have a fight then you wonder why you were trying to defend something that was not worth defending. I guess that's an upside in a way.
Gwen: We've got in bad fights over songs and I've ended up sleeping on the couch or locking Joe out of the house for a couple hours. It hasn't happened many times, but it has happened a few.
TW: Your release show is close to Christmas. You throwing any holiday songs in the mix? A little “Father Christmas,” maybe?
Gwen: We ain't giving away any secrets! Come down to the Valley and find out first hand.
TW: Do you have any special holiday traditions in the Lewandoski-Baker household?
Gwen: Both our parents are split up and some are remarried, so we end up driving all over and seeing everyone. It really does make it four times as fun; and they're all getting signed records for Christmas, whether they like our particular brand of rock n roll music or not.
TW: Where can people find the new album, in case people want to give the gift of local music this holiday season?
Joe: They can order the vinyl, which comes with a digital download, at http://www.store.swoonrecords.com; and we'll have them at our shows, of course.
Trees and Timber and the Jilly Rizzo LP release party
9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20
The Valley, 1206 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma
No cover
(253) 248-426