Acclaimed for their high-energy, acoustic Americana music played with passion, skill, and humor, the Los Angeles-based band The Hollow Trees is set to launch their fourth album of upbeat, top-tapping folk music for families, Hello Friend, on July 1.
Blending an Americana cornucopia of musical styles that includes folk, bluegrass, jug band, Western swing, country, blues, and jazz, The Hollow Trees offer a great mix of old-time chestnuts, obscure gems, and fun, new original songs. The band, noted for tossing off clever wordplay combined with excellent musicianship, has been compared to Asleep at the Wheel, the
Jim Kweskin jug band, and even The Hoosier Hotshots.
Says Hollow Trees founding member Gregory Hollow Tree (a.k.a. Greg McIlvaine), "We've been playing most of the material that's included on Hello Friend live, and we wanted to make this record sound like our live shows by using the same musicians and generally keeping it simple. We also wanted to focus a little more on original songs than we've done in the past, and I think we came up with a great batch of them, augmented by some fun covers."
"What Do You Want on Your Taco?" is not only a spirited opening number with clever rhyming lyrics and a delightful sing-along chorus, but Gregory Hollow Tree also manages to imbue a list of taco ingredients with the empowering idea that in creating a life for oneself, "the choice is up to you."
Other high spots include the jazz novelty song "I Can't Dance (I've Got Ants in My Pants)," with a repeat-after-me, sing-along style kids will adore, and "My Dog Has Fleas," whose lyrics and music fit The Hollow Trees like a glove and will bring a smile to those caught up in the current ukulele craze.
Also noteworthy is the jug band world's answer to rap: "Backward Bill," based on a poem by Shel Silverstein. "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain," an American classic and perennial kids' favorite, is heard here in an arrangement featuring Matt Witler tossing off some blistering mandolin and guitar solos.
From his college years onward, Greg McIlvaine played folk and country music, and there was even a period of time when he produced weekly Sunday hootenannies. When he became a dad, however, these congenial diversions took a back seat to parental responsibilities until a confluence of events in 2004 led to the creation of The Hollow Trees. When his first son was eighteen months old, Greg chanced upon a used Burl Ives CD for children and fell under its spell. Around this same time, Greg heard a Dan Zanes record at a children's play date and was surprised to learn it was catalogued as a kids' music album. Finally, and most importantly, Greg was asked by a friend to perform at his twins' first birthday party. A good time was had by all, the children responded enthusiastically, and Greg had an epiphany! He was born to perform for kids and families.
Previous albums by The Hollow Trees include Wacky's Tackle (2010), Welcome to Nelsonville (2008), and the Hollow Trees (2005).
Hello Friend will be available at iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, The Green Bean in L.A.'s Eagle Rock neighborhood, Grow Kid Grow in L.A.'s Silver Lake neighborhood, and at all Hollow Trees shows.
The Hollow Trees
Performance Highlights - May - August 2016
May 15 -
Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest, Agoura Hills, CA
May 22 - The Great Big Family play Date, Los Angeles, CA
June 21 - The Americana at Brand, Glendale, CA
June 26 - McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA
August 7 - Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga, CA
Visit the The Hollow Trees' website HERE.
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