Bonus! "Hill Billie Jean" MJ Tribute Video
Great Possessions is the manifestation of a dream. Years back, brothers Eric and Todd Fink of The Giving Tree Band thought of going deep into the woods to write and record music while living harmoniously with nature, and then producing and distributing that music without harming the planet in the process. Because, for the Fink brothers, their artistic approach has always been a reflection of their personal lives, which have long ago been dedicated to health, happiness, and sustainability.
For one month, The Giving Tree Band camped in Wisconsin's Mirror Lake State Park, ate local organic produce, and rode bikes more than 500 miles in total, commuting to and from the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center - the first building to be recognized as carbon neutral by the US Green Building Council. Using only solar energy, they recorded their second album with acoustic instruments built from naturally fallen trees. Since then, CD's have been manufactured with renewable wind energy, packaged with 100% recycled and 100% post-consumer materials, printed on with veggie inks, and "shrink-wrapped" with biodegradable corn cellulose. And they will plant trees to offset pollution created from shipping. Great Possessions will be release August 18, 2009 on Crooked Creek Records through Red Eye Distribution.
The Giving Tree Band members have backgrounds in rock, jazz, country, and classical music. Their diverse influences have helped shape their original sound which has been described as "eco-billy," "left-handed bluegrass," and "progressive old time." In concert, they have supported legends like David Grisman and Del McCoury as well as fast-rising indie folk rockers like The Avett Brothers and Dr. Dog. But the main thing is that the acoustic music of The Giving Tree Band is as warm and generous as their intentions. And that doesn’t mean that the songs have an activist bent, beseeching listeners to reuse and recycle.
The boys don’t shirk away from writing a song of lost love. "That’s The Time" tells the true story of death-by-alcohol via heartbreak, held aloft with rolling banjo and soaring violin. "Pegged" is a surprisingly playful tangent about life in hometown Chicago and features a mariachi-like horn section. The album's first single, "Early To Bed," offers big vocal harmonies, plenty of pop flair, and a catchy chorus without actual words - just "ooh." The album concludes with the climactic "Only Good," an intense and almost symphonic tune with elements of world music and lyrics inspired by ancient mystic poetry.
There is a communal spirit and timeless quality to this album, which resonates as something honest and real, something kind and sincere, and something hopeful and familiar. Great Possessions shares a dream and reminds of a common vision. But the album doesn't preach. It simply inspires.
Learn more about Great Possessions and the band’s sustainable vision at www.thegivingtreeband.com/green
"Giving Tree Band Grows Greenest Of Albums" -Chicago Sun-Times
----------
ORIGINAL RECORDING RELEASE: Great Posessions, the now named album mentioned below, is finished and will be released August '09. With a special set of liner notes from Michael Johnathan of Woodsongs...
Fly on the Wall Media, The Giving Tree Band
and the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
present the
Recording the 'world's greenest album' is taking place at the 'world's greenest building', the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. Carbon Free meaning no pollutants are made during the recording and production, a step farther than offsetting emissions (Carbon Neutral). Recording began June 23 and will continue until August. Media, Eco-groups and Special Guest musicians will all be on hand. Harmony Valley, a local organic farm, has sponsored food for the band and guests for the duration of the recording session. We invite everyone to come see the process and the amazing building; the music will set it off perfectly!
The Giving Tree Band is about to begin producing their second album using only renewable energy and recycled materials. The album will be created in the most environmentally friendly way currently possible and will be 100% carbon neutral. There will be no gain in carbon emissions from the operations involved with this project. No electricity will come from a grid source. All of the power used in the recording, editing, mixing, mastering, post-production, even the manufacturing and CD duplication, will come from renewable wind and solar energy. The CD packaging will also be made from 100% recycled materials of the highest post-consumer content, and after the completion of this project, ten trees will continue to be planted for every thousand CD's produced to offset emissions created in the shipping process. Essentially, this album will be the greenest ever and do no ecological harm to the planet.
The solar-powered recording session has begun at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, WI. This center is the first carbon neutral building certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the US Green Building Council - meaning annual operations account for no net gain in carbon dioxide emissions. This center is considered to be the greenest facility in the world and preserves the legacy of Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), an American eco-philosopher and writer, regarded widely as the most influential conservation thinker of the twentieth century with literary works as valuable as those of John Muir and Henry David Thoreau. The Aldo Leopold Foundation is excited and happy to support this project as are numerous environmental organizations in the Midwest including the Illinois Renewable Energy Association, Illinois Solar Association, Illinois Environmental Council, Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Chicago Public Library, and the Environmental Law and Policy Center of Chicago.
"On behalf of The Giving Tree Band, I would like to invite you to visit the first certified carbon neutral building, the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. Come experience the beauty and magic of this remarkable place during our solar-powered recording session. We are eager to share this positive musical message and welcome your presence as we embark on our greenest adventure."
-Todd Fink, The Giving Tree Band
Links to TGTB's debut double CD, Unified Folk Theory, their film appearance with Johnny Depp, Mother Earth News story, NBC airtime, Green Fest review and more follow...
New Review from EcoRazzi.com:
ecorazzi.com live review excerpt... (among Russell Simmons, Madonna, DiCaprio...)
"For those of you who were not one of the 30,000 attendees at the Green Festival that took place at Navy Pier in Chicago last weekend, here’s what you missed...an outstanding performance by Chicago’s very own eco-folk rockers, The Giving Tree Band. The largest audience of the weekend gathered as the band took the stage."
Video/Media links:
WMAQ - NBC Channel 5 - Chicago "Going Green"
WGN TV News At Noon
MOTHER EARTH NEWS First Ever Music Review!
The Giving Tree Band of Chicago is an eco-conscious group of songwriters making music in the most environmentally friendly way currently possible. They perform with instruments made from naturally fallen trees and reclaimed woods. CD's are manufactured with renewable wind energy and 100% recycled materials, and nearly every concert and recording supports a charity or eco-friendly organization. The band is currently producing a 100% carbon neutral album on their own indie, green label Crooked Creek Records.
Recent Event- January 24, 2008 Chicago-
TGTB opens new Uncommon Ground with help from the Zoo, NBC and Bio-Diesel
The Giving Tree Band headlined the first Green Room Session and grand opening celebration at the new Uncommon Ground with two full sets. NBC Channel 5 of Chicago had a film crew on site to shoot the performance and an interview with the band highlighting all their green endeavors...
(NBC5 TV "Going Green") [View this video in a new window.]
Roof-top solar thermal panels heat the water, all the wood in the restaurant (table tops, etc) was harvested from naturally fallen old growth trees from Chicago's Jackson Park. A 2500 sq ft production garden is on the roof as an educational tool for school groups and is maintained by organic gardeners from Lincoln Park Zoo. There was also a featured farmer from the area and a representative from Bio-Diesel at this concert.
ALBUM Release Link... THE GIVING TREE BAND:
Einstein’s Everything, Shel’s Tree, Guthrie’s Wit, Electricity Not Included... Unified Folk Theory
[View this related FlyOnTheWallMedia presskit.]
<- Back to Projects
Great Possessions is the manifestation of a dream. Years back, brothers Eric and Todd Fink of The Giving Tree Band thought of going deep into the woods to write and record music while living harmoniously with nature, and then producing and distributing that music without harming the planet in the process. Because, for the Fink brothers, their artistic approach has always been a reflection of their personal lives, which have long ago been dedicated to health, happiness, and sustainability.
For one month, The Giving Tree Band camped in Wisconsin's Mirror Lake State Park, ate local organic produce, and rode bikes more than 500 miles in total, commuting to and from the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center - the first building to be recognized as carbon neutral by the US Green Building Council. Using only solar energy, they recorded their second album with acoustic instruments built from naturally fallen trees. Since then, CD's have been manufactured with renewable wind energy, packaged with 100% recycled and 100% post-consumer materials, printed on with veggie inks, and "shrink-wrapped" with biodegradable corn cellulose. And they will plant trees to offset pollution created from shipping. Great Possessions will be release August 18, 2009 on Crooked Creek Records through Red Eye Distribution.
The Giving Tree Band members have backgrounds in rock, jazz, country, and classical music. Their diverse influences have helped shape their original sound which has been described as "eco-billy," "left-handed bluegrass," and "progressive old time." In concert, they have supported legends like David Grisman and Del McCoury as well as fast-rising indie folk rockers like The Avett Brothers and Dr. Dog. But the main thing is that the acoustic music of The Giving Tree Band is as warm and generous as their intentions. And that doesn’t mean that the songs have an activist bent, beseeching listeners to reuse and recycle.
The boys don’t shirk away from writing a song of lost love. "That’s The Time" tells the true story of death-by-alcohol via heartbreak, held aloft with rolling banjo and soaring violin. "Pegged" is a surprisingly playful tangent about life in hometown Chicago and features a mariachi-like horn section. The album's first single, "Early To Bed," offers big vocal harmonies, plenty of pop flair, and a catchy chorus without actual words - just "ooh." The album concludes with the climactic "Only Good," an intense and almost symphonic tune with elements of world music and lyrics inspired by ancient mystic poetry.
There is a communal spirit and timeless quality to this album, which resonates as something honest and real, something kind and sincere, and something hopeful and familiar. Great Possessions shares a dream and reminds of a common vision. But the album doesn't preach. It simply inspires.
Learn more about Great Possessions and the band’s sustainable vision at www.thegivingtreeband.com/green
"Giving Tree Band Grows Greenest Of Albums" -Chicago Sun-Times
----------
ORIGINAL RECORDING RELEASE: Great Posessions, the now named album mentioned below, is finished and will be released August '09. With a special set of liner notes from Michael Johnathan of Woodsongs...
and the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center
present the
World's First Carbon Free Album
Recording the 'world's greenest album' is taking place at the 'world's greenest building', the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. Carbon Free meaning no pollutants are made during the recording and production, a step farther than offsetting emissions (Carbon Neutral). Recording began June 23 and will continue until August. Media, Eco-groups and Special Guest musicians will all be on hand. Harmony Valley, a local organic farm, has sponsored food for the band and guests for the duration of the recording session. We invite everyone to come see the process and the amazing building; the music will set it off perfectly!
The Giving Tree Band is about to begin producing their second album using only renewable energy and recycled materials. The album will be created in the most environmentally friendly way currently possible and will be 100% carbon neutral. There will be no gain in carbon emissions from the operations involved with this project. No electricity will come from a grid source. All of the power used in the recording, editing, mixing, mastering, post-production, even the manufacturing and CD duplication, will come from renewable wind and solar energy. The CD packaging will also be made from 100% recycled materials of the highest post-consumer content, and after the completion of this project, ten trees will continue to be planted for every thousand CD's produced to offset emissions created in the shipping process. Essentially, this album will be the greenest ever and do no ecological harm to the planet.
The solar-powered recording session has begun at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, WI. This center is the first carbon neutral building certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the US Green Building Council - meaning annual operations account for no net gain in carbon dioxide emissions. This center is considered to be the greenest facility in the world and preserves the legacy of Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), an American eco-philosopher and writer, regarded widely as the most influential conservation thinker of the twentieth century with literary works as valuable as those of John Muir and Henry David Thoreau. The Aldo Leopold Foundation is excited and happy to support this project as are numerous environmental organizations in the Midwest including the Illinois Renewable Energy Association, Illinois Solar Association, Illinois Environmental Council, Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Chicago Public Library, and the Environmental Law and Policy Center of Chicago.
"On behalf of The Giving Tree Band, I would like to invite you to visit the first certified carbon neutral building, the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. Come experience the beauty and magic of this remarkable place during our solar-powered recording session. We are eager to share this positive musical message and welcome your presence as we embark on our greenest adventure."
-Todd Fink, The Giving Tree Band
Links to TGTB's debut double CD, Unified Folk Theory, their film appearance with Johnny Depp, Mother Earth News story, NBC airtime, Green Fest review and more follow...
New Review from EcoRazzi.com:
The Giving Tree Band Rocks Green Festival 2008
ecorazzi.com live review excerpt... (among Russell Simmons, Madonna, DiCaprio...)
"For those of you who were not one of the 30,000 attendees at the Green Festival that took place at Navy Pier in Chicago last weekend, here’s what you missed...an outstanding performance by Chicago’s very own eco-folk rockers, The Giving Tree Band. The largest audience of the weekend gathered as the band took the stage."
Video/Media links:
WMAQ - NBC Channel 5 - Chicago "Going Green"
WGN TV News At Noon
MOTHER EARTH NEWS First Ever Music Review!
The Giving Tree Band of Chicago is an eco-conscious group of songwriters making music in the most environmentally friendly way currently possible. They perform with instruments made from naturally fallen trees and reclaimed woods. CD's are manufactured with renewable wind energy and 100% recycled materials, and nearly every concert and recording supports a charity or eco-friendly organization. The band is currently producing a 100% carbon neutral album on their own indie, green label Crooked Creek Records.
Recent Event- January 24, 2008 Chicago-
TGTB opens new Uncommon Ground with help from the Zoo, NBC and Bio-Diesel
The Giving Tree Band headlined the first Green Room Session and grand opening celebration at the new Uncommon Ground with two full sets. NBC Channel 5 of Chicago had a film crew on site to shoot the performance and an interview with the band highlighting all their green endeavors...
(NBC5 TV "Going Green") [View this video in a new window.]
Roof-top solar thermal panels heat the water, all the wood in the restaurant (table tops, etc) was harvested from naturally fallen old growth trees from Chicago's Jackson Park. A 2500 sq ft production garden is on the roof as an educational tool for school groups and is maintained by organic gardeners from Lincoln Park Zoo. There was also a featured farmer from the area and a representative from Bio-Diesel at this concert.
ALBUM Release Link... THE GIVING TREE BAND:
Einstein’s Everything, Shel’s Tree, Guthrie’s Wit, Electricity Not Included... Unified Folk Theory
[View this related FlyOnTheWallMedia presskit.]
<- Back to Projects
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