Album Notes

The ego tree is a Tallahassee, Florida-based 4-piece rock band who, like current chart-toppers Coldplay, Keane, Gavin DeGraw, and Maroon 5, realized long ago that the piano is a seminal rock instrument as vital, diverse, and iconic as the electric guitar. The ego tree blends piano, bass, drums, and vocals (no electric guitar!!) into an infectious blend of piano-pop-punk (they call it "pionk" for short!). They also offer up a slew of pretty ballads, with lyrics as insightful and revealing as any emo band's.

The ego tree has played live on the three major rock stations in Tallahassee (X101.5, Gulf 104, and V89), and was recognized as one of the top three regional bands during the Tallahassee's Most Wanted contest in late 2004, sponsored by Clear Channel. The band draws on influences like Ben Folds Five, early Elton John, 1970s Elvis Costello, Sting, and the Black Crowes for some of its inspiration, but a true list of influences for the band would take all day. It's safe to say that no band--local or national--sounds quite like ego tree, and yet their songs take us somewhere comfortable and familiar because they are instantly classic and essential. Listening to a new ego tree song is like meeting someone whom you know will be your best friend. The band members have honed their live show and their performance skills over the last 5 to 10 years, playing in various bands. The songs are radio-friendly, but without any sense of artistic compromise. The ego tree is in bloom.