News: Tree Sound Studios hosts Georgia’s largest green music event

Paul and Sunshine Diaz, owners of Tree Sound Studios in front of the artists' ensemble.

On Nov. 21, the legendary Tree Sound Studios hosted more than 300 guests and musicians as various artists recorded a “Mother Earth” anthem as the theme for the 2010 Pack the Park movement. The goal of Pack the Park is to provide, refurbish or build green-wise parks in various communities.

A proclamation was read from Gov. Sunny Perdue to kickoff the festivities to officially mark the event as a historic and authentic moment in GA music history. The Pack the Park organization gathered the who’s who of the GA music industry for the event. Members and representatives of the Grammys, Art Institute of Atlanta, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and Georgia Music Hall of Fame all attended this momentous event.

Award winning musicians, producers and composers including Chuck Leavell from the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers, Ed Roland of Collective Soul, Drivin N Cryin, Caroline Aiken, Tina and Toya from BBT and Lil Mama all participated in some facet of the experience.

Additionally, the extravaganza was catered by more than 20 local and regionally based organic farms, and the song and studio was powered for the night by solar, wind and biodiesel-based energy systems.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this historic moment,” said Paul Diaz, owner of Tree Sound Studios, “I have been dedicated to bringing the message of unity and preservation to the world, through music, for over 20 years. It’s an amazing thing to see it all come together here at Tree Sound.”

Tree Sound Studios already has a reputation of being the country’s largest green recording and production facility. Policies include rainwater systems, organic gardens, onsite waste composting and recycling, solar hot water, solar power, carbon offsets and biodiesel. In conjunction with Pack the Park, the event didn’t even leave a carbon footprint.

-Albert Opraseuth; photo by Nick Leng

Live Review: Stokeswood // Jungol

Christmas Extravaganza at the Drunken Unicorn // Atlanta, GA // Dec. 19, 2009



You would’ve had a hard time on this night, if being stuffed into a room like a sardine in a can disturbs you. But, such is the atmosphere when Stokeswood and Jungol co-headline a stage in Atlanta.



Christmas-themed décor abound, both bands electrified the night through sight and sound, illuminated by a well-orchestrated light show. The bands each bestowed their holiday gift to the massive crowd in the form of several new songs along with familiar favorites.




Stokeswood started off with a maddening, magical array of voices speaking upon voices, almost like a subliminal rush of frenzied thoughts that found their way through the speakers. The introduction was menacing and suspenseful, a gorgeous build up into their first song, “The Extraordinary Mrs. Crickett,” with its soulful melody that gives way to carnival-type sounds, only to accentuate the chorus as it returns.





Stokeswood is a marvel to watch, as they switch between instruments, giving up their spot on keys, synths and guitar like a game of musical chairs, all the while keeping up an irresistible, danceable backbone to the imaginative melodies and powerhouse, gut-wrenching vocals of Adam Patterson. The band undeniably owns the room with their unique unpredictable sound, expressive beats and high-energy presence. The new songs were infused with confidence in a sound that can only really be called Stokeswood’s, with subtle influences of MGMT, observed during the band’s cover of “Kids.”

The musicality of Jungol is hyper-impressive, as the band turns out rhythms that are sustained beyond imagination. Songs like “The Hound” are delivered with explosions of tense, complicated rhythms intermingled with soaring, melodic harmonies alongside an ambient-infused soundscape. The three-piece create enormous sound and intensity, driven by killer drumbeats and flawless interchange of engaging highs and entrancing lows, reminiscent of early Radiohead or even Bjork. A highlight of the set occurred when the band invited hip-hop crew, Paperwork, on stage, and they transformed seamlessly before our eyes for this awesome genre-bending moment lead by funky rhymes and beats to make you shake what your mama gave you. This excitement was wisely followed by one of Jungol’s most seductive and alluring tracks, “Places.”

-Nadia Lelutia; photos by Natalie Ray

New records in the office today

Seth Gallant- Nothing, This Makes Sense
Pawz: The Verbal Virus Mixtape Volume One (Compilation)
Hanoman- Hanoman
Michael Sechrist- Still I Believe
K. C. Clifford- Orchid
Characteristic Pitches ft. Robin Eubanks- Multitude
Fear Report- Theory of Threes
Next Stop Soweto: Township Sounds from the Golden Age of Mbaqangwa (Compilation)
Fisheye- A Totally Different Disaster
Yakuza Heart Attack- Yakuza Heart Attack II
Madeline Puckette- Tsar Bomba
Thousands- The Sound of Everything
Chantilly- Caught Light
Bigbang- Edendale
The Packway Handle Band- What Are We Gonna Do Now?