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| Matthau and Lemmon. Klugman and Randall. Dennie and Rhoads. Wait. Who was that again? Making their introduction to the world with their Fervent Records debut, Invade My Soul, Ft. Worth, TX-based band By The Tree is comprised of its own "Odd Couple." Playwright Neil Simon may have forseen the battles between messy and clean, laid back and buttoned-down-but he's never seen the likes of Chuck Dennie and Kevin Rhoads, founding members of the band. College friends and roommates in their new hometown of Nashville, TN, this duo even looks like complete opposites. Kevin's startling blue eyes, angular features, and yes, shiny bald head, are in complete contrast to the boyish good-looks and rock-star spiked hair of Chuck. And while Chuck could be just as home at the Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch, Kevin is a fashion hound, shopping for unique retro pieces at thrift stores. Having known each other for four years after meeting at a Young Life camp, the two became inseparable following a rocky start. "The first experience I ever had with Kevin is that he was the most egotistical, self-centered jerk I'd ever met," says Chuck with a laugh. "And he thought I was a horrible singer and songwriter." Both are 24-year-old songwriters and musicians who love the Lord. And although their songwriting styles may differ, the two come together with drummer Aaron Blanton to create a new sound for Christian music. Blending modern pop sensibilities and a slight rock edge with their worshipful and vertical lyrics, this odd couple creates By The Tree. As primary songwriters for the group, Chuck and Kevin's influences shine through in the band's debut, Invade My Soul. Both are fans of Christian band Delirious?, but their favorite music ranges from Counting Crows and Radiohead to James Taylor. Throw in a little Lyle Lovett and Bob Marley, and you have a melting pot of 20th century pop culture, shaping the sounds of music that will take us into the 21st. "We both have very different musical influences," says Chuck, who sings most of the lead vocals for the group. " But instead of blending those differences, we allow that friction between them to cause something bigger than itself." Kevin, who drops a list of pop poets including Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan into his favorites, agrees. "We're different. You take Chuck alone and you have a catchy pop/rock song, and you take me and you get an album that sells like 20 copies. That tension creates our sound," notes this multi-talented musician, who plays over 10 instruments and also adds Beethoven and Tchaikovsky into his all-time greats. Songs like the first single, "Reveal," reflect the band's unique talents. As the songwriter, Chuck searched his own heart and discovered a song that not only changed his life musically, but also changed his spiritual walk. His relationship with God had become just music and worship rather than time alone with God in the Word, and writing "Reveal" after a sermon one night at a summer camp in Springfield, MO, helped to deepen his passion for the Lord. "Writing songs comes out of an encounter with God-something that changes me or moves me spiritually," says Chuck, whose poetic lyrics come primarily from personal experience. "I feel a peace about songs that come from time alone with Him. That's when I feel like a song is born, creating songs that speak to me and speak to others, and help them be drawn to God." For Kevin, who joins in the songwriting on Invade My Soul, the writing process is completely different-more musical than lyrical. "It seems like Iris DeMent said this once-that songwriting is what you do between waiting on songs. The hard part is having a story and having a song to express. The music is just waiting there for songs to put into it. One of my biggest problems is that I've had a comfortable life so long that all I can write about is how the gas was turned off and we didn't have hot water one moment." Kevin's influences are heard on the stripped down pop of "Walk," where he arranged and produced all the strings. He put pen to paper on "Wonderful Again," using lyrics and ideas he'd written down in his journal to set to a melody he'd heard in a dream in the middle of the night, and woken up long enough to hum into Chuck's answering machine. Both Kevin and Chuck agree that the studio process was a refining experience, as producers Steve Hindalong (The Choir, City On A Hill) and Bob Wohler (Caedmon's Call, Third Day, City On A Hill) allowed the two artists to be tamed a bit. "We tend to be a little bit out of the box, or maybe not fit into a typical pop format," says Chuck, "but they took our rough edges and made them translate well-a more refined and more matured band." Hindalong and Wohler captured the raw sound they'd heard at By The Tree's concerts in the Midwest, where the band's following has already translated into a huge fan base for the group. Like many musicians, creating an album became a different musical process than the working with the energy that feeds back to the band from a live show. "Inside a By The Tree concert, you're going to hear a passionate rock band, an intimate worship band, a rap artist that can flow and make up lyrics on the spot, catchy acoustic songs, an acoustic set that lets you into our world-and ultimately leave you walking away asking, 'where the heck was I?' Which, I hope, was in the presence of God," says Chuck. The worshipful focus of their lyrics is heard on Invade My Soul in songs like "Open My Eyes," which describes the greatness of God, and His worthiness of our praise. "Wait" is another song that the group hopes will help transport their listeners. "This may not ever be a hit song, or one that people will listen to and remember the hook or a great catchy melody," says Chuck, "but more importantly, it's a song that people will listen to and be projected into worship." As Aaron joins them on the road as drummer and their debut release hitting in July, By The Tree is eager to continue their non-stop touring schedule which takes them to churches, camps, retreats and colleges--including a huge annual event at Texas A&M that draws over 12,000 students. And with the three now living together as roommates in a rental house in Nashville, you can only image how much fun the bus will be as they hit the road again. Will they ever agree? Will Aaron have to be the band's official tie-breaker? "The weird thing is that Kevin is one of those people that people are drawn to because he's so charismatic. Becoming his friend-it's the same way when it's just he and I in the room," says Chuck of Kevin, who left pre-teen rap and beat-boxing for early high school electric guitar. "Kevin strives to make life better for others-he's constantly trying to think of ways to express love in his life. How can he make someone smile, or how can he make someone's life better?" "Chuck is really generous, and he's both a right- and left-brainer, which is really rare. He's an athlete and yet a singer; He's reaching for God but being pulled at the ankles," says Kevin of Chuck, who didn't pick up the guitar til age 19, didn't sing until 20, and yet made the jump to music school. "He's a great friend." "We're both pretty stubborn. We're both leaders," says Chuck, noting their similarities. "But Kevin and I couldn't be farther apart in most every aspect. We're exact opposites. The only things we fall in the same category on are how stubborn we both are-and how we want to know God." |
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