Splitting Branches in the Beginning

 

Someone once asked me if I was surprised that Oliver became a famous musician. I told him that I wasn’t surprised that he became a famous comedian. And now that he’s gone, I can say that I am indeed surprised at the level of superstardom he achieved in his short 

career.

 Kirsten and Oliver were both twelve years old when they took a trip to NYC with their B40 Jr. High 8th grade class. I think that’s when their six year saga began. Upon their return from New York, I had the task of picking Kirsten up at the school in the middle of the night. When Kirsten emerged from the bus, she introduced me to a skinny little guy named Oliver. He was shy and the way they glanced back at each other as we departed made it clear to me that “something” was going on. The next morning, Kirsten made her pitch to me and said, “You’re going to love Oliver, he’s exactly like you.” And turns out she was right. I did love Oliver and he was exactly like me. My little protégé lol. 

 For the next few years Oliver was a fixture at our household. The tell tale sign of his skateboard leaned against the house by the front door signaled that he was there. 

 

 

I had a vast collection of music and eclectic videos that Oliver was intrigued by, especially Andy Kaufman. I had about a half dozen Kaufman videos that would periodically disappear and show up later on, as if they had never left the shelf. 

Watching the music develop in real time was so fun to watch. They would rehearse and record at O’s house then bring stuff over for me to listen to. We were only ten doors down so there was lots of transit between the two locations. Some of the material made it onto the final cut of what became the Splitting Branches album. In the beginning, Tree was conceptualized as a trio consisting of Oliver, Kirsten and Christian (Shelf Nunny). They adopted the name “Tree” for their “trio” as a nod to the Simpsons Treehouse of Terror, which is itself a nod to the 70s horror classic, Trilogy of Terror. Plus Tree is Oliver’s middle name. Everything Oliver did seemed to be layered with subtle meaning. Onion onion onion…

When Kirsten and Oliver broke up after a six year on/off relationship, (mostly on/off), Oliver and I continued to keep in touch.

 

 In 2016, Oliver and I were both back in town for the holidays and planned to meet up. He had agreed to help me with a short video project I was working on. I had cast Oliver to play the part of young Randy in my Randy Beware video. I had been working on the project for a few months and racking my brain trying to figure out “who” should play the part of young Randy. While meditating on the issue, I fell asleep and dreamt that young Randy had a bowl cut hairdo. I hadn’t seen a bowl cut for ages. Within a day or few, I saw Oliver’s “Forget It” video for the first time. When I saw Oliver sporting a bowl cut, it seemed obvious. Oliver was the guy for the part… it seemed. I contacted him and he agreed to help. 

When we met up, he informed me that he only had 45 minutes to shoot. His mother had a family holiday dinner planned that he was expected to attend. Since forty five minutes wasn’t near enough time to set up and shoot the multiple scenes I had planned, we decided to just hang out at the Bagelry and catch up since it was the first time we had met up for five years and that was the best use of our time.  

I shelved the project for a couple of years until my friend Bobby Victor (from the Dweezil Zappa band) agreed to compose and record a soundtrack. Fisher Clark ended up playing young Randy and I’m happy with the way it turned out. Unfortunately Oliver didn’t get to participate and I’m not even sure if he saw the semi-final cut. I hope he did. Oliver always put us on the guest list at his shows and took time to meet up with us whenever he was in town. 

Oliver forced us to feel. 

He made us laugh. 

He made us cringe. He made us doubt. And he made us cry.

 Oliver forced us to feel life. He didn’t care if you loved him or hated him. Making us feel was his goal.

His time was cut short far too soon and I know there was much more that he wanted to accomplish in life. But what a life it was. I will miss him.

God speed my little protégé 

1/6 Scale Presidential Meeting - Oval Office Circus

Here’s something fun. A year ago today, I set out on an unusual and completely unforeseen project. I decided to construct a 1/6 scale model of the Oval Office to memorialize the hilarious event that occurred on this day, exactly one year ago. I hadn’t worked with wood since Pinewood Derby days when I was a Boy Scout, (my cars always won). I have a bunch of files, saws and blades, so I started with the main table. That took longer than expected so I got a Dremel work station and lathe to build the fireplace and other furniture pieces. Procuring the 1/6 scale Zelensky head was its own challenge. I had a difficult time finding that evasive little thespian. Trump was easy as pie. Pumpkin pie. So, here it is, the big reveal. 

Today marks the one year anniversary of President Zelensky’s hilarious meeting with President Trump, a day that will live in comedic infamy lol. Let’s set the scene back on February 28, 2025. Trump was already annoyed with Zelensky’s flip-flopping on signing a “rare earths” agreement and Zelensky was coming to DC with the promise to sign the deal. 

Before arriving, Zelensky was advised to wear a proper suit if he expected to be taken seriously. But much to Trump’s chagrin, Zelensky showed up wearing his little black jumper. Uh oh! When the time came to sign the rare earths deal in front of media, Zelensky decided to use the occasion to beg for security guarantees. More graveling was the wrong move. This was the moment all hell broke loose. 

“You don’t have any cards Zelensky, you don’t have any cards. Zelensky fired back, I do too have cards, see!!!

Oh boy! What a wonderful world we live in. Looks like Putin has the cards that matter lol laughing not laughing 

Playing With My Dictators #1 - Kim goes to California

Kim has been doing his research and determined that late September is the best time to travel to California. The tourists have gone home, and the kids are beginning their school year. That means fewer people on the roads, restaurants etc. 

To get to America, Kim first made his way to China where he mailed himself to a town in Utah, near the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats; a mysterious place that Kim has always wanted to visit. 

Kim loved the Salt Flats and was impressed by the vastness of the salt desert. He claimed that he could see the curvature of the Earth. Kim’s schedule was tight, so he took one last lick of the salty playa and hit the road. Next stop, Lunar Crater in Nevada. 

Located in the middle of Nevada, this ancient volcano has a diameter of 3,600 feet, 430 feet deep and only part of an enormous volcanic field of craters, cinder cones, basalt flows and ancient lava beds that don't appear to be cozy at all. Kim didn't want to sleep in a lava bed, so was off to nearby Tonapah where he knew he would find a cozy bed at the Clown Motel. 

Twas a lovely morning in Tonopah, and Kim had the opportunity to meet up with his old friend, Ronald McDonald who volunteers as a greeter at the Clown Motel Gift Shop. They exchanged contact information and Ronald promised to visit Kim next time he's in North Korea. Friends forever! Although it was sad to say goodbye to RMcD, California was on Kim's mind, and he was anxious to get on the road again.  

First stop in California was the mysterious Mono Lake, a unique body of water located on the eastern edge of the Sierras. Mono is a terminal lake therefore all local watersheds terminate there, building up high levels of minerals that give rise to amazing Turfa formations, "Wish you were here" Kim laughed, (Kim is a big Pink Floyd fan and the only reason he wanted to see Mono Lake is that is the shooting location for Hypgnosis' famous Wish You Were Here postcard included with the classic Pink Floyd LP of the same name).   

Kim loves to ski and is no doubt the best skier in North Korea, but he arrived at Kirkwood in the off-season and didn't have the opportunity to show America how it's done.  

With the mighty Sierras behind him, Kim found himself in the vast farms and town of California's Central valley where he stopped for a soda at Dean's Shoppe. 

When Kim arrived in the extra-Bay Area, he dropped in on his old eyeball buddies, The Residents. It had been decades, and the boys had lots to talk about, so they headed out to Zeni, Randy's favorite Ethopian Restaurant where they dined on Injera, Miser Wot, Kik Alitcha, Gomet Wot, etc. and chatted into the wee hours.  

Next day, Kim found himself at his intended destination, Santa Cruz, CA. Kim's favorite place in the whole world. 

Kim stayed at a little beach house at Twin Lakes Beach and spent the next few days exploring his favorite beaches and eating at his favorite restaurants. 

Kim strolled out to Santa Cruz' newest lighthouse at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Harbor. Walton Lighthouse was dedicated in 2002 making Santa Cruz the only California city with two lighthouses. 

Kim loves skateboarding and stopped by the Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park, which was designed by world premier skate park designer, Ken Wormhoudt. The skatepark marks a significant place in scooter history. This is where the iconic pop star, and scooter legend, Oliver Tree, became the first person to ride a scooter at a skate park. Everyone laughed. Tree a local Santa Cruzan revolutionized scooter culture and pop fashion, had the last laugh, and as Kim says, "He who laughs last is the last laugher" 

 

Kim loves fresh, California grown, produce and attended two farmers markets while in Santa Cruz. Kim was surprised to discover that a vendor at the farmers market was selling magic mushrooms. Knowing that magic mushrooms are illegal, Kim asked the young man behind the counter how they are able to sell them without fear of arrest. The young man said that Santa Cruz has decriminalized their use and consider mushrooms a low priority for the police. Kim was curious but didn't buy any mushrooms from the friendly and informative vendor. Kim knows an undercover FBI agent when he sees one.

Kim's Central California Coast vacation was over, and it was time to head to a secret rendezvous location somewhere in the Nevada desert. Singing, California Uber Alles, Kim boarded his personal saucer and returned home to North Korea, the happiest dictator on Earth.

NATO’s Project Ukraine - From Fervor to Fever Dream

It’s been two years since Russia announced its special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. Hindsight has revealed that the SMO would have ended in spring of 2022. Negotiations were taking place and  preliminary agreements were reached and initialed. But western puppeteers didn’t want peace and thwarted further discussion with Russia. NATO made a most unfortunate blunder assuming that a proxy-war against Russia would be a slam dunk. Decades of isolating sanctions and maligning propaganda against Russia only served to insulate it and propel its industrial growth and military capabilities. Russia’s economy is better now, even after two years of war, than it was pre-covid 2019. A stark contrast with that of Europe and the US. 

The actions of NATO have backfired in an embarrassing display of perpetual failure. Ukraine is running out of arms and soldiers. NATO’s arms stockpiles have been depleted and have done little more than provide targets on the battlefield, with embarrassing results for the arms manufacturers. It’s difficult to market an inferior product. Western tactics, training and weaponry have proven to be inferior in the current theater of operation. Support for this failed “project” has destroyed an entire nation, about a half million of its troops, crashed Europe’s economy and set America on the slippery slope to recession. The arms dealers are still the only winners, but the US and European manufacturers can never match the industrial output of Russia, or China for that matter. Now, thanks to NATO’s meddling, China and Russia have entered into a new age of economic and military cooperation. The collective west now plays “second fiddle” in the greater global economy.  “The world isn’t going to take our shit anymore and if we continue to meddle in global affairs, then our demise is sure as Ukraine’s”

“What’s Ten-million Dead if It’s Keeping Out The RUSSIANS?” Or But, It’s Worth It… Right?

I’m not obsessed! It’s more like an intrigue or fascination I guess. And I’m surprised how uninformed and uninterested the majority of Americans are concerning the topic that has consumed me for the past couple of years. I’m referring to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Most days I will spend two to four hours pouring over updates on troop movements, casualties, geolocations of drone  & missile strikes etc. The technology and tactics have evolved so much on the battlefield. Both sides have adopted unprecedented means of warfare, but Russia has maintained dominance throughout its campaign of attrition against the Ukraine military, which at this point, has been completely decimated. NATO has underestimated Russia, and has been continuously outsmarted and outmaneuvered by Putin, both on the battlefield and geopolitically. Now the west is admitting Ukraine’s defeat, but in crafty newspeak manner, is redefining Russia’s success by proclaiming that, NATO/Ukraine actually won because Russia only got 20% of the country… which ironically is and always has been Russia’s goal in their special military operation. So, NATO and apologists for war, was it worth killing a half million Ukrainians and laying much of their country to waste? Was it worth destroying Europe’s economy and sending America spiraling into recession? What’s saddest to me is that a peace deal had been negotiated back in April of 2022 but Boris Johnson immediately flew to Kiev, thwarted the signed agreement, and restored military operations. The rest is tragic history. Billions of taxpayer dollars, tens of thousands dead, abandoned on the battlefield by retreating Ukrainian troops. Thanks for voting! 

Principal and Principle

"CALL FROM OLIVER" appeared on the display screen of my then somewhat new Motorola RAZR V3c flip phone. I answered, in my usual manner with an appropriate, "Ahoy, hoy!" 

A melancholy voice responded, "Hey, it's Kirsten. I'm using Oliver's phone." "Hey, what's up? Where's your phone?" I asked. "They took it and won't give it back and Mr. Michelle wants to meet with you to talk about it..." she replied nervously and proceeded to describe to me how she was caught using her phone during class and that the teacher had confiscated it and turned it over to the campus security officer. The security officer and high school principal, Mr. M, then proceeded to go through the texts and images on the phone and determined that there was sufficient concern to involve me. 

"What are you worried about?" I asked. "There's a video of me and Ray smoking in my room." she lamented, knowing I'd be disappointed and potentially angry. 

I was angry. But not with Kirsten, I was angry that the school had performed a massive intrusion of personal privacy. I told her that I'd deal with it and would see her when she got home from school.

It was still early in the day, and I was amidst an until then, unmemorable round of disc golf at nearby De Laveaga Disc Golf Course, so there was time to make a plan B4 meeting with Mr. M.

Approaching tee 8A on the course, I put down my disc golf bag and placed a call to the high school. Receptionist K answered and happily made arrangements for me to meet with Mr. M at 4:00. I had known K for years. Both K and her husband had attended some of my lectures and their children attended some of the same extracurricular activities, clubs and general school functions as my kids. K knew me well enough to know that I was no dummy, and it must have been a thrill for her to know what was in store for me at the meeting. We cut our round of disc golf short, and I headed home to think about the situation. 

I didn't know what was going on. Why did they need to see me? Is Kirsten in trouble? Am I in trouble? What do they want from me? I played multiple scenarios over in my mind. I finally concluded that they wanted to leverage me and or Kirsten somehow and that I was walking into an ambush. I needed to be rational not paranoid. Was I paranoid? I would be on Mr. M's turf, and he would have his own agenda and idea how the meeting would go down. I had to come up with a tactic to gain the advantage. An unanticipated distraction from the onset would lay a trap that he would hopefully stumble into, I surmised.

While showering, I considered what to wear to the meeting and decided that psychologically, a red shirt would be best, and I had one. A video camera would also be a powerful intimidation factor, I mused. It didn't take long to get dressed. I grabbed my Canon PowerShot A710, checked the battery level, and headed out the door. 

The school was only a five-minute drive, so I didn't have a lot of time to stress over the situation. I pretty much had my plan in mind and was ready for the show. K's show. 

Mind gaming and un-practical jokery was something I did for fun until I was convinced that it isn't nice to play with people's minds, and now I want to play nice. I only do it on rare occasions now, like when Jehovah's Witnesses are at the door, or annoying solicitors who call on the phone. I was definitely a bit rusty, but reluctantly, I jumped back in for this cause... whatever it was to be, I was still unsure.  

 There was a convenient parking spot at the entrance to the ramp that descended toward the principal's office. I grabbed the camera, locked the door of my 85 Mazda RX7 and began walking down the ramp, mentally rehearsing my opening line as I neared the entrance. Turning the camera on and making sure that video mode had been selected, I pressed RECORD, opened the double set of large glass doors, and walked into the office, holding the camera in an obvious filming position.

Lights, action, camera... K's show had begun. K was sitting at one of the desks as I entered and said, "Hi K. I have an appointment with Mr. M, would you please let him know that I'm here..."

"He's expecting you," she replied as Mr. M entered the room to greet me. We walked towards one another and extended our hands to shake. With unbroken eye contact, I embraced his hand firmly, delivering the line that I had rehearsed a dozen times; "I spoke with the ACLU and they recommended that I record this meeting, but I don't have a recorder, so I brought a video camera, I hope that's all right." Obviously, I hadn't really spoken to the ACLU. I did consider calling a good attorney friend but determined that I could defuse the situation on my own, even though I was unsure exactly what that was. Mr. M agreed to my conditions without hesitation and escorted me to his private office, which fortunately for K, was within earshot of where she was sitting. 

With a wave of his hand, I was directed to sit in one of the chairs positioned across from his desk. I sat down, placing the camera on the seat to the left of me. The slope of the seat allowed the camera to point directly at Mr. Michelle, who, upon taking his seat, positioned himself strategically behind a family photo on his desk, avoiding the camera's intimidating gaze. 

After briefly exchanging niceties, Mr. Michelle got down to business. He spoke about rules, and that the use of cellular phones is strictly forbidden during class and that offenders' phones are systematically confiscated and turned over to security. He said, "Normally, a student can retrieve his/her phone after school, but we found some video of Kirsten smoking with another student who we think is a major drug dealer in the school. We're concerned about the safety of our students, and want to know what you know, and what you can tell us about Raymond..." 

And with that, and without realizing it, by invoking the word, safety, Mr. M had stepped into my trap. At that same moment, I had an epiphany, and it was clear to me what this was all about. They were going after Ray, one of the only black kids on campus. A family friend, I had known Ray for years. He was an honorable and trustworthy kid. Ray was no drug dealer. Every kid in Santa Cruz smoked weed and it seemed to me that Ray was being racially targeted. I was disgusted and gleefully moved my metaphorical queen into checkmate position.

I took a deep breath and delivered my second rehearsed line, "I'm concerned about the safety of the students too, and I think that the biggest safety concern here is the fact that your security officer has been accessing images and videos of young girls on their private phones. This seems dangerous to me. Maybe we should have a look on his hard drive to see what kind of collection of young girls he may have amassed."

"OH SHIT" was the look on Mr. M's face as he tried to save face by assuring me that his security officer is on the up and up and there is no need for concern. Now, overly friendly, Mr. Michelle handed over Kirsten's flip-phone, (the battery was dead) and with uncomfortable friendly discourse, escorted me out. "Bye K, nice to see you" I said as I departed through the glass doors. Mission accomplished. 

I returned home, downloaded the video I had shot at the principal's office to my computer and reviewed the footage. No one else was home at the time, but after a few minutes, Kirsten and Oliver walked through the door. I was still sitting at the computer. "Here's your phone" I said, handing it over to Kirsten. "You Got it? How did that go?" she asked nervously. I summoned them both to the computer and played the video of the meeting. Watching with dropped jaws, they were both thrilled. I had never seen a bigger smile on Oliver's face. Kirsten thanked me and I warned her that I would not be doing anything like this again.

Kirsten, Oliver and Ray graduated together, and it was reported to me that Mr. M and his henchman never messed with them again. 

True Story. Some names have been abbreviated because I wanted to do it that way.

.       

Iconic Ritz in Tooele Dies

So sad to learn that the old iconic Ritz Theater is closing its doors for good this Friday. The amazing space-theme retro-future murals on the walls have inspired me and been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I witnessed my very first big screen movie there as a baby. Apparently, I didn’t enjoy the experience and spent most of the time in the cry room. Wah! I’m remembering some of the many movies that I watched at the Ritz: Soylent Green, Omega Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Tommy, and of course, Whiffs, which was filmed in Tooele. When my own kids were small and we were in town visiting grandma and grandpa, I made sure that my little ones got to experience the Ritz. I took Mason to Muppets in Space, and Kirsten and I saw Cowboys and Aliens, (keeping with the space theme). I’d love to go one more time, but the “theatrical attraction” is less than attractive to me and I’d prefer to say goodbye to the Ritz with fond memories intact. I do wish the Ritz would say goodbye with a feature that had actually been filmed in Tooele. That would have been appropriate. Whiffs and/or Gentlemen Broncos would be my choices. Whiffs would be fun because it was filmed almost entirely in Tooele and depicts the town as it was in the mid 70s. Gentleman Broncos is perfect because some of it was filmed in the lobby of the Ritz and the dome home in the movie  is the actual home of the Ritz owner. Goodbye Ritz. Thank You!!! 😢

BLOGDAY 15

 

Me Myself & Al

Once upon a time, in the arid deserts of the old southwest, there lived a clever and elusive creature known as the jackalope. With the body of a bunny and the antlers like a deer, the jackalope was a master of camouflage and stealth, able to blend seamlessly into its surroundings and avoid detection from predators.

One day, the jackalope found itself in a particularly dangerous situation. A group of coyotes had been stalking it for hours, and the jackalope knew that it was only a matter of time before they caught up to it. But the jackalope was not one to give up without a fight, and so it began to search for a way to outsmart its attackers.

That's when it saw it: a piece of desert camo uniform from a nearby dead soldier. Without a second thought, the jackalope snatched up the fabric with its funny front teeth and began to wrap it around its body, using the patterns and colors of the fabric to blend in with the surrounding terrain.

As the coyotes approached, the jackalope held its breath, waiting for them to make their move. But to its surprise, the coyotes walked right past, completely oblivious to its presence. For the rest of the day, the jackalope moved through the desert, perfectly hidden from all who sought to harm it.

From that day forward, the jackalope continued to exploit the power of desert camo, and began to seek out more scraps of fabric to add to its collection. With each new address, the jackalope became more and more adept at blending in with its surroundings, and has became one of the most elusive creatures in the Americas. 

And so the legend of the jackalope and its mastery of stealth has perpetuated, passed down from generation to generation as a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of this cunning and unique creature. For as long as there were deserts to roam and predators to evade, the jackalope would always be ready to don its camo and disappear into the desert.

Happy Blogday 14

 

Another Blogday, and after two years of two weeks to soften the curve, we're risking an all-out war with the Ruskies. I know, I know... the state department has worked hard for this for a long, long time, and now it's their big moment to go down in history as the people who thought it'd be fun... and worth the risk. Meantime, everything that you see is controlled because the first casualty in WAR is always the TRUTH.  

I finally Listened to the Beatles Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Edition

I finally got to listen to the 2019 reissue of the Beatles Abbey Road and I am thoroughly, and happily surprised. 

It was almost like hearing it for the first time. I was surprised because I didn’t expect there’d be much of a discernable difference.  I’ve heard Abbey Road SO many times and I know it SO well that I thought it couldn’t be “improved.” Surprise! It sounds fresh and new. Almost like a perfectly executed cover version, sort of like Billy Sherwood’s Back Against the Wall* project. There’s a definitive Wings vibe too, as if Linda is there backing her man, (she actually is). 

The new version touched me in an emotional way that I wasn’t expecting. Of course, I laughed at times, I mean, these guys are hilarious, but I didn’t expect "Something" to bring me to tears. WTF? 

The track that most impressed me is Octopus’s Garden. Maybe the best track on the album? I know, “best” is unquantifiable, but it stands out as exceptional, in true Beatles form. As Her Majesty played, a melancholy sense of “wow, this is where the Beatles ends” swept over me, and as the track abruptly terminated, I literally broke into laughter and proclaimed, “it’s all a big effing joke”

NOTES: 

*Released in 2005, Billy Sherwood's Back Against the Wall is a tribute to Pink Floyd's The Wall, and features notable contributors as, but not limited to: Adrian Belew,  Tony Levin, Keith Emerson, Ian Anderson...

2:22 AM on 2/22/22

 My cat, (Mister X), woke me up at 2:22 am, and I was like, "it's 2:22 on 2/22/22." Thanks for the magical moment kitty

The Tell-Tale Tunes of Two Townies - Oliver Tree's UIB and Denney Joints' the Beast - a JOINT Review

Flashback to April 21, 2011

Another chilly evening in Santa Cruz, CA. The gentle 68 degree breeze sweeps misty fog through the streets of town. Denney Joints' band, Midnite Snack, is having a CD joint release party* with Ship of the Sierras and Rachel Fannan at the Crepe` Place, a local Santa Cruz music epicenter. Inside the venue, the show goers are taking their respective positions either at the bar, or standing on the hardwood floor in front of the stage. Among the attendees, but oddly nestled away, sitting on the floor, tucked beneath the counter where the soundboard operator reigns, is Tree in its infancy - Kirsten Artemecia and Oliver Tree, the familiar and seemingly inseparable duo for half a decade. Having recently established Tree as the name** for their new trio. Their first recordings are available to a few lucky people in town. To Tree, this show featuring family and friends is of special interest. Not only to socialize, but a good opportunity for recon too boot. 

Soup is good food, (crepes are good too)

Santa Cruz is a primordial stew for artists. A small town where everyone knows everyone, and supports each other's artistic endeavors. Conditions are perfect for the culmination of new ideas that merge progressive art with new technology. There's no shortage of talent in Santa Cruz either. It's been said that "you can't swing an Omnichord without hitting an artist or two." Actually, no one ever said that, but I just did, so there.

By 2011, Denney Joints had established himself as a favorite local performer with amazing, and well attended live shows plus a few CDs and shirts. Oliver was just beginning to record his unique style of dub-glitch electronica that culminated in Splitting Branches, his first full-length album. It was a time of great expectation and optimism for the future, (those were the days). 

It may seem odd to flashback an entire decade to begin a joint review of two 2020 releases, but roots are important. A return to those earliest recordings help me to better understand the foundations and origins of Oliver and Denney. Drawing parallels (if they exist) to showcase their evolution as artists is not necessarily my goal here, but will be entertained nevertheless. It's difficult for me to remain objective since I have known both Denney and Oliver for many years. I can't entirely detach and review them objectively, therefore, I'm approaching it from my own personal perspective as a close, long-time friend, fan and observer. This requires a sensitive balance of disclosure while maintaining responsibility and respect for their privacy, therefore any personal information not previously established in other media is intentionally excluded. No spoilers here... unless you can read betwixt the lines.

Sometime in 2010, I stumbled across Denney's CD, Soup Samwich. I was astounded by the sophistication and musical expertise of his band, Midnite Snack. The songs are honest, powerful, fun and somewhat profound. And the band is tight, like a well tuned and maintained German dynamo. I met Denney for the first time soon afterward. Denney had recruited local legend, Mason, (a member of our household), to play bass in a new incarnation of Midnite Snack. I remember hearing the raw demos of the songs that morphed and came to fruition in BEDTIME, the celebrated inductee into Zenberg Blogue's Best Album of 2011. THIS "Joint Review" however does NOT receive the BEST OF 2020 designation because the entirety of 2020 was outstanding in and of itself; the BEST of everything. Picking a BEST in 2020 is impossible. It was all good.***

LISTENING: Comedy is Not Pretty

To prepare for this review, I put off playing the 2020 releases and instead, played the first tracks**** I had heard from both Joints and Tree a decade earlier. I found myself playing these songs repeatedly over the course of a few days. I listened a lot more than I thought I would and came away impressed, having a sense that I'm privy to some special music that most of the world will never hear.  

Eventually, I got around to listening to The Beast and Ugly Is Beautiful (UIB) and immediately discovered subtle overtones and themes echoing back to to the early material. I was already familiar with most of the music on both UIB and the Beast, (much of it having been released previously), therefore it was refreshing to hear material that was new to me. 

Both albums are well thought out with design in mind. The Beast has a raw, anti-commercial and serious punk attitude, while UIB is edgy commercial rock/hop. Both are anti-pop in scope. 

Oliver Tree is a true Alien Boy in the world of commercial pop icons who overplay the tough sexy motifs we've come accustomed to seeing. In juxtaposition, Oliver arrives on stage riding a Razor Scooter, wearing an old nineties ski coat, exaggerated bell-bottom JNCO Jeans and sporting a bowl cut hairdo that sometimes falls off, (intentionally). To me, this persona is a kind of "in your face" to the music biz' pretty boys and tough guys, none of whom know any sweet scooter tricks. Oliver plays the fool, but he's no fool. He pretends to not take himself seriously, but Oliver is an artist who insists on perfection; be assured that his videos and songs are precisely how he envisions them. And he's influential too. Oliver has become a pop icon responsible for a new generation of fashion and scooter sport. It's become common to see folks of all ages on Razor Scooters and random people sporting bowl cuts and JNCO Jeans. There's even an Oliver Tree Scooter Army group on Facebook where fans can share thoughts, art and photos of their own personal emulations of Oliver. Razor Scooters are back too, in a big way, and by making it cool to scoot again, Oliver is partly responsible***** for that. The scooter plays an integral role in the Oliver Tree mythos and is a common theme on stage, in videos, memes and narrative from the many interviews he's given. A story he never fails to share is his explanation of the lyrics in his hit song Hurt. According to Oliver, while competing in a scooter competition, his long awaited ride was thwarted when his front wheel hit a tiny pebble at the base of the ramp, sending him crashing and breaking his hand in the fall. Obviously, (if you know Oliver), any real meaning of Hurt is intentionally obfuscated by this story, but personally, I prefer to think of it metaphorically and view Oliver as the pebble who temporarily derails commercial music industrialization. He's the surprise that no one saw coming. He mocks the machine while profiting from it. 

Something that has always impressed me about both Oliver and Denney, is their keen sense of humour. In Denney's case, the comedy was more prevalent in his earlier works and reflects a certain amount of optimism for the future, whereas, (now that we live in the future), Denney's positivity has waned. The Beast is much more mordant than any of his previous releases, but can still make me chuckle. It's clear that Denney is pissed off, (and if you're not pissed off, then you're not paying attention). Denney is great at pointing out the obvious in an oblivious world, but unfortunately, there's "no one listening." The Beast does have some really personal moments that tug at the heart and Denney really knows how to write a great song. This album really rocks and makes you feel alive. One song that I want to highlight on The Beast, is the track, Walking With the Beast, a Gun Club cover that Denney handles marvelously. His treatment of the track is complementary to the original and I may love it more than the Gun Club version. The YouTube video of Walking With the Beast features Denney and friends jamming and hanging out in Santa Cruz. At one point in the video, Denney pulls out his cellphone and lets his fingers do the walking with the beast. Noice "touch" Denney. 

Oliver is hailed for his comedic****** persona. His popular memes and videos are obviously humourous, but Tree's early releases are blatantly introspective, thoughtful and seemingly personal. UIB has its introspective elements too though. Bury Me Alive is one song from UIB that has a serious Tree flashback vibe with resurrected lyrics from the song, Rising Phoenix.******* For the most part, the songs on UIB are mostly inner-directed themes, shielded behind juxtaposed befuddling comedic videos. UIB seems like all fun and games, but BEWARE! These songs are addictive, and once you're hooked, there's no return. I got sucked in and find myself singing these songs regularly, (I like to make up my own lyrics). No wonder UIB made it to #1 on Billboard's Rock Chart and #1 on Billboard's Alternative Chart. Damn! That's impressive!!! It really is a great record, and I dig spinning my three different coloured versions of red, yellow, and orange.

Apocalypse Now? Why Wait?

The music of Denney and Oliver were a fitting soundtrack to remember 2020, the year that kept on giving. It seemed there was a new and frightening development every day, from Murder Hornets to mysterious monoliths. Late in the year, as UIB and The Beast were finally available in their completeness, the Bay Area beaches began to experience some beautiful bioluminescence dancing and sparkling in the dark waves along the coast at night. Unfortunately, the phenomenon was soon eclipsed by a ferocious and spectacular lightning storm, the likes of which has never been witnessed in the area. The lightning ignited numerous fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond, while thousands of people evacuated their homes and entire communities. I couldn't help but consider the irony of the UIB album cover that features Oliver in a playground that's being consumed by fire. The I'm Gone video depicts Oliver surrounded by fire too. And then there's Denney's 2018 album, City on Fire, who's cover depicts a large, all-consuming warehouse fire. I've always associated this image with the fatal Ghost Ship fire in Oakland that killed many of Denney's friends in 2016. 36 people died in that fire. The 2020 fires******** and associated evacuations and ominous red skies were unprecedented. That no doubt weighed heavily on both Denney and Oliver as their communities, friends and families were being impacted by a strange mix of lockdown, evacuation and uncertainty. At least there was some great music to listen to, unless PG&E's roaming blackout program shut your electricity off. That was fun. 

Who Are These People?

Denney and Oliver share many friends and experiences in Santa Cruz, they however express their vision very differently. With Denney, what you see is what you get. He lives in his car and views the decline of western civilization from under the overpasses and streets of Oakland. Denney's many projects have been mostly funded by himself and a handful of friends who contribute, either financially or by helping with performance, recording, production, and merch etc. This new release is minimalistic and anti-capitalist in essence and intent. There are no available CDs, tapes or any merchandise associated with The Beast which is exclusively available at Bandcamp.  

Unlike Denney, Oliver maintains a guarded personal identity apart from his manufactured and carefully crafted public persona. The Oliver Tree mythos is layered in deception. Nothing is true and everything is true at the same time. Like Denney, Oliver's first album, Splitting Branches, was self recorded and realized by the helpful assistance of friends that he roped into the project. Things are obviously different now that he's well funded and enabled by the industry. Records and all manner of merchandise********* are available for purchase at the official Oliver Tree Store.  

I've played both of these albums a brazillian times, and enjoy them more every time. I'm happy that I know about these recordings and can share them with you, the reader/listener. They're pretty amazing. 

Buy The Beast Here 

Buy UIB Here

NOTES

*Rachel, Ship and Snack are Santa Cruz supergroups that boast personnel from local favorites Birds Fled From Me, Mountain Animal Hospital, Sheena, Sleepy Sun, and the Vox Jaguars. 

**Tree is the name adopted for the projects that became Splitting Branches (2012) and Demons (2013). Conceptually, Tree is a play on Trio and the triangle/delta symbol was adopted as the official Tree logo to represent the trio. It also resembles a tree and since Tree is Oliver's middle name, it's the obvious choice, and a good one imho. The original Tree/Trio is comprised of Oliver Tree, Kirsten Artemecia Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny who together recorded the first few songs before the project was expanded to include other contributors under the Tree Collaborations umbrella. 

 

*** Santa Cruz lingo

**** Soup Samwich by Midnite Snack and Splitting Branches by Tree including Rising Phoenix, an early song that predates much of the Splitting Branches material but not included on the album 

***** Oliver really does deserve credit for this. He was taking his Razor Scooter to the Santa Cruz Skate Park B4 anyone else ever had and pretty much initiated Scooter Sport. People thought it was weird, and it was... it was Oliver being Oliver. 

****** Someone once asked me if I was surprised that Oliver became a famous musician. I said I'm not surprised that he became a famous comedian. Oliver is among the most witty people I've known and is genuinely fun to be around.

******* Rising Phoenix by Tree was recorded spring 2011 and features Kirsten Rosenberg and Shelf Nunny - the track is not included on the Splitting Branches album

******** The 2020 fires in Santa Cruz County destroyed more structures than the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake did. 

********* Whether he knows it or not, Oliver has embraced the Rozz-Tox Theory of Obscurity. 

Art By Artemecia