Gig / CD Review
Tree by Leaf
Saturday night, January 6th, 2007
The Dogfish Bar and Grille, 128 Free Street, Portland, ME

CDs by Tree by Leaf are available on their website, at CDBaby, iTunes, Rapsody, and at most digital distributors.

Tree by Leaf, on stage at the Dogfish Bar and Grille last Saturday night, looked appealingly like three computer geeks and their cool sister… but this band is definitely all about great music.

I wanted badly to catch this band in a live performance, and when I heard that they were playing at the Dogfish, it was the perfect opportunity. The Dogfish Bar and Grille is a great place to hear music; small, intimate, and when the crowd is engaged, this bar can turn into a real listening room.

The crowd was definitely engaged when we walked in. Siiri Soucy was singeing the wooden beams on the ceiling with her powerful, siren-like vocals; waves of acoustic power poured off Garrett Soucy’s guitar, and his lead and harmony vocals gave Siiri a foundation on which to work. Cliff Young’s keyboard parts took a back seat where appropriate, and provided emotional and spiritual embellishment during the spaces left by the two Soucys. Finally, the enigmatic Eric Sanders laid down a percussion line that drove each song forward, kept everyone in line, and tied it all together very nicely indeed, thank you.

Folk / Pop / Rock / Gospel – this is a very versatile band. The music all has a distinctive style driven by passionate vocals, frantic yet perfectly rhythmic guitar strumming, and songs born of a questioning, but rock-solid faith in the greater good that surrounds us.

“Over and Under”, the first cut from their new CD “There Is a Vine”, gives us rollicking piano and percussion ala Springsteen or Seeger, with the bonus of Garrett’s uniquely vibrant, sort-of-quivering vocal style. Siiris backing vocals soar over and under the melody. The lyric is a stream of consciousness that suggest soul-searching, anguish, confusion, and finally, redemption through the fire of this struggle “Over and Under, in the wake of an hour / I lost my shadow of doubt in the fire”.

I bought the new CD, and as a novice songwriter, found it fascinating. All of these songs except one were written by Garrett. At the gig, I had a chance to ask him what he brought to this disc that was new. “I finally feel that I’m bringing something of myself to the lyrics” he said, “instead of being just a conduit for them. I’m crafting the songs more than I have in the past. I feel as though, with this disc, both the band and I are coming to the place where we really need to be, and where we belong”.

I recommend the CD – it’s great – but to really experience Tree By Leaf, you need to see them live. The incredible vocal harmony, the interaction among the members of the band, the energy and synergy they produce, and the sheer joy that they exude while performing is contagious. You will come away exuberant, refreshed, and exhausted, all at the same time.

They are at Bates College on Friday January 11, and back in Portland at The Goats Head Soup Lounge (the venue formerly known as Acoustic Coffee – no new website yet!) on January 12. They return to the Dogfish Bar and Grille on February 17 with Rural Electric. More details on the Tree by Leaf website.

All the best to you!
Bob McKillop

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