Local Teen Band Making it Big at Summerfest....Our second live radio interview on Newsradio 620 WTMJ with Gene Mueller

The hard working group of Grafton and Mequon teens that make up Life In A Tree are just days away from a Summerfest performance.  While big, outdoor shows aren't a new thing for these kids, the hype and love of the Big Gig still makes this show a special one.  The gang joined Gene Mueller on Wisconsin's Morning News before their performance.

Life in a Tree will perform at the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard at 2:30 pm, on Thursday June 26.

Thank you Gene, Jodi, Greg & Erin!!

 

Show Announcement: LIAT will be playing at The River Club of Mequon 7/11

Life In A Tree will be playing a two hour acoustic set at the River Club of Mequon's new public restaurant the Nines.

Nines the most inclusive private club on the north shore. The restaurant’s ninesLIVE series offers free live music, after which the club presents additional free concerts outside on their Sunset Deck every Wednesday for their Nights on the Nines series. Both programs are open to the public. More information can be found here http://www.ninesatthereiverclub.com/events. nines is located at 12400 North Ville du Parc Drive in Mequon.

Thank you Kathy!

Director of Entertainment

The Grafton teen band Life In A Tree, with two albums and a Summerfest gig under its belt, may be on the cusp of fame

written by: CAROL POMEDAY

It’s not unusual for talented teenagers to form bands and play for their peers, but Life In A Tree, an alternative rock band featuring four Grafton High School sophomores and a Homestead High School student, is being noticed by people in the music industry who recognize emerging talent.

The band — vocalist and bass player Molly Lutz, percussionist Jimmy Cooper, vocalists and guitarists Tyler Miller and D.J. Underwood and the newest member, keyboard player Andrew Conley of Homestead — recently recorded their second album, “For All You Listeners Out There".

Paul Kneevers, owner of Kneeverland Production Studios in Milwaukee, is doing the mixing and mastering of the album, which is expected to be released in June.

“He really brought the best of our music out,” Molly said. “We learned so much from Paul. I love all the songs on the album.”

“They are a super talented group who have a powerful, versatile alternative rock sound,” Kneevers said. “With several talented singer/songwriters in the band, they are interesting to listen to and watch. I’m working with them on strengthening their hooks and arrangements".

 

The band’s first album, “Trapped in my Tree House,” was recorded in 2012, shortly after the group formed to play for their eighth-grade graduation dance.

Last year, the band won the BMO Harris Battle of the Bands in Sheboygan Falls/Kohler.

The group will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at the Cedarburg Cultural Center, opening for Blessed Feather, a duo from West Bend that won the 2014 Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) Folk/Celtic Singer of the YearAward.

Life in a Tree will also play in Madison on Saturday, May 17.

“I can’t wait to play for an audience again,” said Jimmy, the spokesman for the group. “It’s been a long winter.”

Tyler added, “A big audience makes you want to play harder and almost forces you to not mess up. If you do mess up, then you pick it up a little better. I absolutely love big crowds, and I am just dying for the day I get to play a concert for 10,000 enthusiastic people with crowd surfing and the whole package.”

Last summer, the group played every weekend, including two Summerfest appearances, the WAMI showcase and the K-Nation Entertainment stage. This year, they’re scheduled for K-Nation again and the Briggs & Stratton stage.

“We really like the band and look forward to having them back this year,” said Jason Klagstad, vice president of K-Nation Entertainment in Grafton. “I would love to mentor the band. That is our mission.”

Since Molly joined the band, the group has practiced in the basement of her Town of Grafton home.

Her father Terry built a soundproof enclosure for the drums so the sound doesn’t reverberate through the whole house.

Lutz also designed the band’s website and serves as manager and publicist.

The band’s roots can be traced to the boys’ seventh-grade American history teacher, Mike Pfeiffer of John Long Middle School, who formed a band, Three Gems and a Fossil, with Jimmy, Tyler and Brendan Fugate for the school’s annual variety show.

“Playing in the band with them was a blast. They’re great kids and I’m glad that they are continuing on with the success they’ve had,” Pfeiffer said.

“I think the current line-up of the band is sounding real good.  I look forward to seeing them again in several shows this summer.  They know I will always be their biggest fan. I’m still hoping for a reunion tour.”

The band almost broke up when Pfeiffer became too busy to play with them.

“We decided to keep it together, but we needed another vocalist,” Jimmy said.

In the meantime, Molly, who started singing in her church choir when she was 4, was busy singing and acting in musicals and plays at John Long and previously at Grafton Elementary.

Music is in her genes. Molly’s great-grandmother and her two sisters formed the Three Queens trio, who sang in Chicago in the 1930s. Two great-aunts are professional singers in New York, one in opera and the other with rock bands, and two uncles are singers. One is a jazz singer in Chicago and the other one is an actor.

When Molly had the lead role in their eighth-grade musical “Bye, Bye Birdie,” Jimmy heard her sing and asked her to join the band.

“The experience of being the lead role in a musical and the adrenaline of performing in front of the crowd made me want to act and sing more than anything else,” Molly said.

“When Jimmy asked if I would be interested in being the lead singer in a band he was trying to form, I was a little hesitant because I had always seen myself as an actor. I decided to give it a try and after a few practices, I knew this was something I wanted to do forever.”

The group played for their eighth-gradedance, then performed at the North Branch Music Festival and several other events that first summer.

“We got a really good response there (Wabena),” Jimmy said. “We kept playing and trying to get better.”

DJ, who is the engineer of the group and previously played with other bands, was asked to join the group when it was preparing for its first album and wanted more voices. Brendan played keyboard until last fall, when he quit to concentrate on track and field events.

When Andrew heard the group was looking for a new keyboardist, he asked to audition.

Andrew, whose father Bill plays keyboard with the rock band Our House, had followed the young group on YouTube.

“I saw what they were doing. Everything they play is what I like to play,” he said. “They even listen to the same bands I do.”

Tyler and Molly write most of the band’s songs, but everyone has input.

Perhaps, the most emotional song the two wrote was “Josh’s Song,” a tribute to Josh Davis-Joiner, a classmate and star basketball player who collapsed and died Jan. 16, 2012, during a practice at Grafton High School.

The group’s most unusual praise came from the French music site “Rockameta.” The author was impressed by the band’s videos on YouTube and wrote a favorable review of its first album. The review is translated into English on the band’s website www.lifeinatreeband.com.

Image information: Life in a Tree band members (from left) Jimmy Cooper, Tyler Miller, Molly Lutz, D.J. Underwood and Andrew Conley.         Photo by Sam Arendt

http://www.ozaukeepress.com/good-living/5333-this-tree-rocks

 

 

French music site "RockaMeta" review of Life In A Tree

Life In A Tree : un nouveau single disponible.

http://www.rockameta.fr/webzine/actualites/rock/life-in-a-tree-un-nouveau-single-disponible-131

Attention, talents détectés ! Life In A Tree est un très jeune groupe de Rock américain dont l'âge des cinq membres est compris entre 15 et 16 ans. Il se compose de Molly qui chante et qui joue de la basse, de Tyler et DJ qui sont au chant et à la guitare, de Jimmy à la batterie et de Nathalie au synthé, au violon et à la trompette (bien que ce dernier n'ait encore jamais été entendu dans un morceau). Chacun d'entre eux est fan de Rock et le fait ressentir dans l'influence musicale de Life In A Tree : Blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Aerosmith, Imagine Dragons ou encore tout ce qui touche à l'Alternatif ou à la Pop Punk.

 

 

Life In A Tree a sorti un premier EP plutôt réussi intitulé "Trapped In My Treehouse" en mars 2013 et composé de six titres. Nous l'avions alors immédiatement repéré sans même connaître l'âge des cinq jeunes musiciens (ce qui fut une véritable surprise, on les aurait plutôt vu dans les 18-20 ans), certains titres étant d'une qualité et d'une inspiration difficilement ignorables. Nous avions adoré "Josh Song" ou encore "Free", que vous pouvez écouter ci-dessous.

 

Le jeune groupe américain est actuellement en train de travailler sur son deuxième EP dont peu de détails ont encore été dévoilés. Cependant, un premier single vient de sortir : il s'agit de "Last Apology" disponible à l'écoute sous l'article. Une fois de plus, la surprise est au rendez-vous car on constate que Life In A Tree a encore pris un niveau supérieur techniquement, et n'est certainement pas en manque d'inspiration ! Longue vie à eux.

 

English Translation:
Life In A Tree: a new single available.
Attention detected talents! Life In A Tree is a very young American rock band whose five members age is between 15 and 16 years. It consists of Molly who sings and plays bass , Tyler and DJ are on vocals and guitar, Jimmy on drums and Nathalie synth , violin ( although the latter n ' has never been heard in a song) . Each of them is a fan of Rock and felt in the musical influence of Life In A Tree: Blink- 182, Green Day , Fall Out Boy , Aerosmith , Imagine Dragons , or anything related to Alternative or the Pop Punk.

Life In A Tree released a rather successful first EP entitled "Trapped In My Treehouse " in March 2013 and consists of six titles . We then had immediately spotted without knowing the age of five young musicians (which was a real surprise , they would have rather seen in the 18-20 years), certain securities being of quality and inspiration, difficult to ignore their talent. We loved "Josh Song" or "Free" , you can listen below.

The young American group is currently working on his second EP which few details have yet been released . However, a first single comes out : it is "Last Apology " available for listening in the article. Once again , the surprise is waiting for you because we see that Life In A Tree still took a higher level technically , and is certainly not lacking inspiration ! Long life to them.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel write-up of our Upcoming Show

MKE-Journal-300x164.jpg

Things to do this weekend around Milwaukee

The LIAN Riot Music Series gets started at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cream City Skatepark, 5560 N. Park Drive, Butler, with music from Nashville rockers The Nearly Deads, plus local bands Life in a Tree and Lost in a Name (the aforementioned LIAN). It's $8 at the door, with $1 off with a canned good to go to Hunger Task Force; there's complimentary pizza, giveaways and a raffle of a custom desk autographed by all three bands.

Info: Life in a Tree  https://www.facebook.com/lifein.atree

Info: Lost in a Name's Facebook page

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/things-to-do-this-weekend-around-milwaukee-b99215718z1-248869521.html#ixzz2vfV98y4x

Follow us: @JournalSentinel on Twitter

Music blogger Kate Schwid discusses our upcoming show on Saturday, March 8th at 7pm

Cream City Skate Park - Rock and Roll

Exciting event in Bulter, WI - Music, Pizza and a Skaters - Come out show your support.  I was lucky enough to hear about a really cool music and skate event coming up, on March 8th in Butler, WI at the Cream City Skate Park. The event will hopefully bring back a time when under-agers can see live music in a safe and friendly environment. Partnering up with Hunger Task Force, providing free pizza, and Phase 2, showcasing the latest skating gear, as well as sponsorship from Elatia Construction and 1888 Media this event is sure to be a hit. There will also be giveaways and raffles including a custom deck signed by all three bands.

The music line up sounds like it’s going to be fantastic! With Grafton’s own Life in a Tree, an extremely talented group of teens from Grafton High School, starting the show and then moving into The Nearly Deads, from Nashville with an awesome female lead vocalist, Lost in a Name, a rocking duo from Milwaukee will be headlining the show, when you listen to them it’s hard to believe there are only two of them.

I was already familiar with Life in a Tree, catching them this past summer but I have been newly introduced to The Nearly Deads and Lost in a Name; I have been dipping into their music for the past week or so and I haven’t been this excited for a local show in a long time. I have no doubt this will be a show you don’t want to miss.

Bands will take the stage from 7p-10p at the same time Hunger Task Force will have free pizza available for all. Advance tickets are available for $6 and tickets will also be available at the door for $8, with one dollar discount offered to patrons bringing a canned food item to donate to Hunger Task Force.
You can purchase your tickets ahead of time at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R6AMCXQHZZ7X6.

Cream City Skate Park: http://www.creamcityskatepark.com/
Lian Riot Event:http://www.facebook.com/events/1456852681200512
Phase 2: http://www.phasetwoskateboarding.com
Hunger Task Force: http://www.hungertaskforce.org
Lost in a Name: http://www.facebook.com/Lostinaname
The Nearly Deads: http://www.facebook.com/thenearlydeads
Life in a Tree: http://www.facebook.com/lifein.atree

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