Scattered Trees want to remain true to themselves. Not wanting to commit to one particular genre, they are a band walking the line of rock and folk. Their music is well-crafted, proving they are some seriously meticulous artists. Singer Nate Eiesland's voice is vulnerable and melancholic, drawing parallels to Duncan Sheik, Elliot Smith and even shades of Radiohead.
Sadness and melancholy aside, Scattered Trees are also gifted multitaskers. Not only are these Chicago-based indie rockers five talented musicians, they are also an eclectic brood of artists, business types, siblings and spouses. Well, almost all of them.
"Ryne's the odd man out," lead singer Nate Eiesland said of bassist Ryne Estwing. He is the only band member who doesn't share a last name with anyone in the band: drummer Baron Harper and guitarist Jason are brothers while keyboardist Alissa Eiesland and Nate are husband and wife. "It makes for a colorful road trip." Eisland joked.
And a road trip is on the horizon for Scattered Trees. They embarked on a 27-show tour over 30 days. "We love being out on the road," Eiesland said, "but we're living the dream so we don't get worn out.
The Eieslands, along with any sibling squabbles that may occur between the Harper brothers, have learned not to bring it into the band circle. "Everyone understands and gives the necessary allowances if need be," he said, "We trust each other as artists inside the band, as well as outside the band."
Outside the band, nearly every member pursued other interests before making Scattered Trees a full-time project. The result is a melting pot of talent outside their musical abilities, allowing Scattered Trees to keep a lot of things in-house and economize at the same time.
Guitarist Jason Harper went to Princeton, where he studied film and directs the band's music videos. Estwing is a web and graphic designer and handles the website and T-shirt design for the band. Alissa Eiesland is also a graphic designer, which has helped pay the bills until the band could make enough money to play music full time, which is where Baron Harper's business degree comes in. "Baron has been paramount in the past year." Eislen said.
According to Eiesland, he's helped the band streamline the business aspect of being in a band. In the past, Scattered Trees has done what he calls "spot tours" where they'd go out on the road for short stints over a few weeks. This time around, Scattered Trees is doing things with a bit more efficiency.
Eiesland is the only member of the group who functions solely as a musician. "I write music." he said, "I threw all my eggs in that basket when I was 13." At a young age, Eiesland chose songwriting, and only songwriting, not leaving room for failure. "And much to the torment of my parents." he said.
Eiesland says the band realizes they have to pay their dues, but they feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do what they love, which is playing music together, "We're in it for the long haul." So far, Scattered Trees seems to be headed down the right path.
