Please The Trees is psychedelic rock band from the Czech republic. They have been following intuitively the trail of inspiration for ten years now. Their live reputation precedes them, and what a reputation it is: an all enveloping, intense and soulful sound that puts pretenders in their place. Past tours of hundreds of shows included Europe, UK, USA and Israel. The band received Czech Grammy award for the best alternative record of 2012 with their third album A Forest Affair (Starcastic Records) recorded in California, produced by Jonathan Burnside. Fourth studio record called Carp came out at Starcastic Records in September 2015. The album was recorded with Chris Koltay at High Bias Recordings, Detroit during the band’s fourth self organized US tour. After the release the album gets ravishing reviews and receives APOLLO - Czech Critics Choice Music Awards for best record of 2015. In the Summer of 2015 PTT open for Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters and tour Europe as opening act with Two Gallants. In September 2016 the band returns to tour US and Canada for another month long tour.
Please The Trees have never been formulaic or repetitive, but the Czech guitar-led group have been consistently kinetic, always in forward motion. A decade after their debut, they return with the new LP ‘Infinite Dance’, a compelling, driving record that instantly establishes itself as their best to date, without question. Previous Please The Trees albums have reflected the current vibe within the constantly gigging band, whose front man Vac Havelka has been a prime mover on the Prague alternative scene for years, as band leader, solo performer, active collaborator, gig promoter, road manager and radio and live DJ. Their second album ‘Inlakesh’ (2009) and subsequent European and North American tours helped introduce the band to international audiences. A Forest Affair (2012), recorded in California and produced by Jonathan Burnside (Melvins, Gary Floyd, etc.), was awarded the prestigious Angel Prize (the Czech equivalent of a Grammy Award for the Best Alternative Music Album). ‘Infinite Dance’ is a bold step forward for the band and something else entirely. Freewheeling and brash on the outside, it is nonetheless subtle and intimate under the surface. The album has clear parallels with the Trees’ last release, ‘Carp’ (2015), on which the band’s line-up settled into a “basic” rock trio (featuring Jan Svacina on drums and Miroslav Syrny on bass), paving the way for deeper exploration. The indie stylings of the past gave way to psychedelic riffs and motorik krautrock. At the same time, the energy and presentation intensified, further reinforced by a robust mix by Christopher Koltay, at whose High Bias studio in Detroit the album ‘Carp’ was recorded, and winning the Czech Critics’ Award as an album of the year.
As a follow up, ‘Infinite Dance’ is another move in that direction. It draws further on the unique power of the trio format, although in a surer and cannier manner. After mastering sheets of noise, Please The Trees have now learned to work with silence, channelling its energy in unexpected ways. The expansive vocal arrangements add a further element. The first-rate production and rich arrangements have maintained the group’s dense dance groove, which reaches a new peak in the cosmic synth lines of Martin Tvrdy. ‘Infinite Dance’ was recorded in October 2016 at San Francisco’s Tiny Telephone studio with producer Brandon Eggleston (The Mountain Goats, Modest Mouse, Scout Niblett), while over several subsequent months the group worked on the vocal and keyboard arrangements at Golden Hive studio in Prague.
Showcase festivals:
c/o pop 2018
Reeperbahn festival 2018
Le Guess Who 2018