Trees on Fire has been scorching the local music scene for the past five years, so it’s hard to believe the group just got around to releasing a full-length album this past spring. The band’s debut, “Organica,” was worth the wait.
It’s full of the eclectic sounds - roots rock, reggae, electronica and funk -and high energy that make the five-piece outfit such a fun live act.
“We haven’t put much music out there since we started playing live, so were ready to get more people acquainted with our sound,” said guitar, keyboard and sax player Rob Mezzanotte.
The band - which also features Brian Wahl on bass, Paul Rosner on drums, Blake Hunter on guitar and Justin Esposito on a handful of different instruments - made part of the album at home in Charlottesville with producer Rob Evans at Dave Matthews’ Haunted Hollow Studios. They also fused some swampy air into the mix by traveling down to Lafayette, La., and cutting tracks at the famous Dockside Studios, which has hosted the likes of B.B. King, Taj Mahal and Dr. John.
According to Mezzanotte, the band was influenced by Dockside’s mellow vibe, with a back porch right on the bayou, to give “Organica” even more cultural variety than the group usually incorporates. The musicians even recorded a klezmer track that didnt ultimately make the cut.
“The album is a blend of all of our different ideas,” he said. “It’s eclectic, but it ties together in a way that makes it work. We’re testing a lot of grounds. We have so many different influences and interests that we find it hard to stick with one thing.”
Something that has held firm since the band started gigging around town back in 2005 is its steadfast positive message. When members harmonize on the breezy chorus of the optimistic pop-friendly foot-stomper “Live Life,” you can tell it’s coming from a genuine place.
More proof comes from the group’s ongoing environmental conservation efforts. The band is donating 5 percent of “Organica” sales to nonprofit organizations working to end mountaintop removal mining in the Appalachian Mountains and preserve Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin -an ecologically diverse swamp the band enjoyed during recent studio sessions.
This fall, Trees on Fire plans to tour heavily behind the new album, but not before a headlining slot at tonight’s Fridays After Five at the Charlottesville Pavilion.
“It’s taken us a little while to gain some identity, but now we’re ready to push forward,” Mezzanotte said.
Trees on Fire
Charlottesville Pavilion
Fridays After Five
5:30 this afternoon
Free
www.charlottesvillepavilion.com
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