āHow will the legend of the age of trees
Feel, when the last tree falls in England?
When the concrete spreads and the town conquers
The countryās heart; when contraceptive
Tarmacs laid where farm has fadedā
So begins the C.S. Lewis poem that San Diego quartet Future of Forestry cribbed its name from. In it Lewis describes an England overtaken by industrialization but the band sees it as more than just an environmental warning.
āIt's not about saving trees but about saving our lives from being taken over by technology,ā frontman Eric Owyoung said. āItās about asking if we are still able to see beauty.ā
Anyone who gets their hands on Future of Forestryās debut for Credential Recordings ā āTwilightā āshould be able to find it embedded throughout the album Owyoung, guitarist Nick Maybury, bassist Luke Floeter and drummer Spencer Kim have assembled.
Owyoung and Maybury, both formerly of Something Like Silas, started Future of Forestry in 2005 with Floeter and Kim. Since then, the band has been a constant on the West Coast scene, securing fans from their hometown to Seattle and everywhere in between as they recorded and prepared for the release of their debut LP.
Recorded in 2006 with producer Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn, Failure, Mae), āTwilightā shows a band with great chops pushing the boundaries of pop music; unafraid of ambient, instrumental breaks but always ready with a guitar-laden hook. Owyoungās fine song writing in particular is evident in songs like āIf You Find Her,ā the title track and āOpen Wide,ā the albumās first single, all of which exemplify the creative melding between Andrews and the band.
āI've become a lot more selective about things I choose to produce lately, having focused more on mixing for the last two years,ā Andrews said. āBut when I heard the FOF demos I couldn't resist. The song writing is just beautiful, and quite varied throughout the album with Eric's emotive voice and classic song writing sensibilities pulling it all together.ā
Owyoung studied music conducting, voice leading in particular, at Boston University to which he credits his song writing style to.
āI think a certain way when I'm writing parts,ā Owyoung said. āI want to make sure that everything in the song has a place to go, not just the melody. I think it really shapes our music.ā
With Owyuongās schooling and the experience of the rest of the band, the group pulled off a slight coup with the veteran producer. They convinced Andrews to record the basics at the Steakhouse in L.A. before adding vocals and overdubs at Andrewsās home in Pasadena. From there the band took possession of the tracks for two months where they added all manner of ambient sounds to the songs.
āKen was on our wish list from the beginning,ā Owyoung said. āHis own work with Year of the Rabbit and On inspired us as well as his mixes like Copelandās record. It was dream to work with someone who understood what we wanted and with him weāve made a record we are super proud of.ā
Back home the group added in the more ambient sounds to the record but also scrounged around the house to find music in washing machines, ironing boards and pots and pans, all of which assist in filling out the recordās lush sound.
āKen was working with Beck at the time and needed a break,ā Owyoung said. āSo he gave us the tracks and we did a lot of the more experimental stuff on our own and then we brought them back to him to mix.ā
And with that record now under their arms and set for a Feb. 23 on Credential Recordings, the band is ready to tackle a heavy touring schedule in 2007 to play those songs in front of as many people as possible.
āThis album was written in the context of some very difficult personal experiences. It was a year of a lot of tears and losses, a year of searching, and a lot of finding,ā Owyoung said. āThe record covers so much of that and is very personal. I am looking forward to seeing how those life experiences create connections within peopleās hearts. Music has a strange and beautiful way of facilitating meaningful connections. Thatās what we want to be a part of.ā
Hey there thanks sooo much for the add I hope you have a great weekend!!! We just released out EP on iTunes be sure to go get it!!!! It will put a smile on your ears!!!!
My band is playing an awesome halloween party at the wit's end bar and grill in hillcrest. on halloween night. SAT. Oct. 31st EVERYONE IS INVITED!!! (as long as your 21) :( IT's FREE!!! and there will be candy....yum! and you can order food there too
here is the cool part.
9pm- the canton mudders
10pm- diana's death
11pm- my band the touchies....ya!!!!!
some of us are wearing costumes...some not i will be there super early...around 830ish and i promise not to be too drunk by time we play!
the wit's end is in that little mini strip mall in hillcrest-420 robinson between 4th and 5th cheers! mishey the touchies
oyeah and if your still a part of the living the next night or you are under 21 : 11/1/2009 6:00 PM at M.T.M.G. ART GALLERY at the QUEEN BEE in north park/ ALL AGES! 3925 Ohio St (and university near 30th), San Diego for artist: http://www.myspace.com/zantscarecrowz [The Touchies one year anniversary Halloween 2009 Show with Diana Death & The Canton Mudders!]
There is currently a search for two types of bands for record label consideration.
*** Note: PLEASE IDENTIFY IF YOU ARE IN GROUP 1 OR 2 IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR RESPONSE. Emails are being reviewed by different representatives.
1. A Pop/Rock/Commercial band with female lead. Band must consist of 2 guitars (Prefer both guitar players to be of lead caliber. However, one lead and one rhythm is acceptable), keyboard/piano, bass, and drums. Lead vocal, followed by backing vocals, in that order, is a plus as it relates to other members of the group. Average age of the band cannot exceed 28 years of age.
* Group must have an outstanding lead vocalist. ** Musicianship throughout the entire band must be very strong. *** Group cannot currently be under any contract of any type that is related to the music industry.
2. A Modern Rock band with male lead. Must be a complete band but there are no prerequisites as it relates to the make up of the band. Average age of the band cannot exceed 23 years of age.
* Group must have an outstanding lead vocalist. ** Musicianship throughout the entire band must be very strong. *** Group cannot currently be under any contract of any type that is related to the music industry.
XXX - If you meet the minimum qualifications as described above. Email a link for your MySpace Page and if applicable, a link for your website to: recordingartistsearch@gmail.com
Only send one email with your links. Due to the volume of responses normally received for these types of opportunities. After review of your material, you will only be contacted if there is an interest in attending one of your shows by a label representative. As such please to not send any follow up emails regarding selections. If you were not contacted back, there was not an interest.
Thank You.
PS: Before You Enter Any MySpace Contests You Might Want To Also Review The Website At: www.st
the touchies live in san diego! at the ken club sat. oct. 17th w/ modern rifles, marsol, the tall ships the touchies are first at 10pm free show! repost
Hey Eric and band mates, just downloaded Travel II and went on a run and listened to the whole thing...wow! I am not sure if it is the stage of life I am at or what but I think this is your best work yet! The words just spoke right to me and the music is arranged so beautifully. I absolutely love it. So thank you for your gifts and talents, you guys are awesome!
come check out my music and leave some feedback,plus if you like any of the songs you can purchase them from itunes and amazon.com but PLEASE give it a chance.YAGURLFURIOUS
Love Travel II, Eric! Masterful in songwriting and mixing. Endless thanks for working on our project. It'll be a nice little catchy love album for my beautiful bride.
PASSING BY YOUR PAGE TO SHOW SUM LUV!!! AND ALSO TO LET YOU KNOW MY NEW ALBUM IS ON SALE NOW!!! NUEVO CD PBC EL ATREVIDO - LA RECETA YA A LA VENTA PRODUCED BY: NAN2 EL MAESTRO DE LAS MELODIAS
k guys i just have to let you know that travel pt. 2 is definitely your guys' best effort to date and i would say is the best music buy i've had this year... you guys are a breath of fresh air in a world clouded with musical cliche and mediocracy. God bless you guys and your ministry.
Ok, I just wanted to let you guys the new material is spectacular. I am going to start making my orders from your website so I can directly support the band. And yeah it's truly refreshing to hear creative music and all the percussion and beats on the album are absolutely amazing lol. So you guys keep up the good work and it honestly won't hurt our feelings if you guys just kept releasing two eps every year XD
friday night september 11th at the ken club: the touchies/ KABBs/ The Stalins of Sound 10pm free touchies cds and ear plugs kenclub- 4079 adams ave sandiego 21+