Treepeople - Just Kidding

Name: Treepeople
Album: Just Kidding
Year: 1993
Style: Alternative, Grunge, Punk
Similar Bands: Fretblanket, Superchunk, Built to Spill, Poster Children, Archers of Loaf
"One-Word" Review: vague-fuzz-covered-speedy-melodies
Based Out Of: Boise, Idaho / Seattle, WA
Label: C/Z Records

Cover, Record

Back, Record

Just Kidding (1993)

1. Today 4:33
2. In C 3:13
3. Cartoon Brew 1:40
4. Ballard Bitter 3:07
5. Clouds and Faces 3:19
6. House of Pain 3:42/
7. Fishblanket 2:25
8. Nod & Blink 4:06
9. Anything's Impossible 2:09
10. Neil's Down 3:29
11. Outside In 6:42

Album Rating (1-10): 7.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Scott Schmaljohn - Guitar, Vox (State of Confusion, Stuntman, The Hand, The Treatment, Built to Spill, Kill Sybil)
• Dug Martsch - Guitar, Vox (Farm Days, Built to Spill, Halo Benders, The Hand, All Smiles, Boise Cover Band, Caustic Resin, Butterfly Train, The Prids, Electronic Anthology Project, Clarke and the Himselfs)
• Tony Dallas Reed - Bass, Guitar (Constance Tomb, Goodbye Harry, Green13, Heavypink, Hot Spring Water, Mos Generatory, Stone Axe, Twelve Thirty Dreamtime, Woodrot, Seedy Jeezus, Big Scenic Nowhere, Kane Hodder, Rotten Apples, Doublestone, Witch Charmer, Black Road, 
• Eric Akre - Drums, Vox (Christ on a Crutch, Citizens' Utilities, Diddly Squat, Galleons Lap, Juno, Kill Sybil, Built to Spill, Goodness, Stuntmen, Heather Duby, Minus the Bear, Old Friendly, Carrie Akre)
• John Goodmanson - Producer
• Todd Dunnigan - Engineer
• Stuart Hallerman - Engineer
• Michael Scheer - Artwork
• Lisa Johnson - Band Photo

Unknown-ness: Never heard of them, and honestly don't know how i came across this in my collection...perhaps gifted to me when a friend moved away, and it sat on my shelf until i started this project. The plastic intact on the cover says pre- Built to Spill, so i imagine that, combined with the artwork and year, and Seattle base for the record label, this will be some alt-grunge

Album Review: The album straddles that jangly-grunge boarder, where the guitars ring out, but there are driving beats and lots of feedback fuzz layered on top. The vocals are often harmonized but layered down behind the sound, occasionally surfacing when becoming shouty. I like the Martsch's whiny vocals on "Neil's Down" & "Clouds & Faces" as they remind me of Kyle Gilbride's voice from Swearin' (so maybe i should listen to more Built to Spill).

The band started in Boise, ID as State of Confusion, and moved to Seattle to join the underground scene there. Martsch was a fan of the band, and ended up joining them en route, so they became Treepeople. The band lasted 2 eps and 4 albums, this being the third, and final one with Martsch, who left to return to Boise due to a number of reasons: touring burn out, a girl, wanting to leave the Seattle scene, where he started Built to Spill. After playing some Treepeople songs with Schmaljohn's band The Hand as an opener for Built to Spill, they decided to reunite the old lineup and did a set of reunion shows in 2018 out west. Tony Reed Founded Music Abuse Records and run Temple & Heavy Head Sound.

Stand Out Track: Neil's Down, Clouds and Faces

Links:
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic
Facebook
K Recs
Trouser Press
Bandcamp
Seattle Times 2018 Reunion
Phoenix Times 2018 reunion
Westword 2018 Reunion