A Chat with Youngtree & The Blooms (18.10.22)
With a reputation for blending multiple genres and producing enticing melodies, Canadian group Youngtree & The Blooms are not to be pigeon-holed. We speak with frontman Peter Youngtree about their new self-titled album, what music means to him, good advice and future plans.
OSR: What brought the band together and why did you choose to make music?
Youngtree: Everyone who plays with Youngtree & The Blooms is here because they never saw another alternative in life than making music. I started releasing songs about 7 years ago, and the band grew around those initial songs. Some of the lineup has changed since then, but it’s always been about writing good tunes, entertaining crowds, and having a great time!
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Youngtree: Oh, not much. *laughs*
Music is as much part of our nature as anything else. It means as much to me as walking and eating and sleeping.
OSR: What or who inspires you to create music?
Youngtree: I just kind of do it. I try not to think too much about it. Thinking about things makes them tangly. Sometimes it’s best to just do the things that come naturally and not get too analytical about the “why” of them.
OSR: What can you tell us about your self-titled album? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
Youngtree: I definitely had the urge to write more uplifting, hopeful, forward-looking songs on this album. I don’t know why, exactly. The main lyrical ideas are love, self-reliance, and change. I think there’s a theme running through it that you might call “moving forward with strength and trust.” I didn’t really intend it, but that’s how it goes, isn’t it? My last album was all about mortality, which I find to be a rather relaxing topic, but I think most people get a little spooked by it, so maybe it’s good that there’s some more positivity and joy on this one!
OSR: What do you believe makes Youngtree & The Blooms unique?
Youngtree: Oh, this is another one of those things I try not to think about. If something makes us unique, I’ll let it be what it is and won’t ruin it by trying to name it! I know we all really enjoy playing together and being together, and that’s special for us.
OSR: What was the most exciting and most difficult aspect of making your album?
Youngtree: Oh, Jesus. We recorded the whole damn thing twice! I set out to make a live-off-the-floor recording because I believed our live show to be our strong suit. We spent 12 days in the studio and it just didn’t work. I listened back to the recordings and may have shed some tears about it. It wasn’t a good record. I had basically spent the entire album budget already and had nothing to show for it. I felt pretty low but what was I to do? I wasn’t going to put crap out into the world. My co-producer Mark Feener, thankfully, believed in the songs enough to keep going. I think we were both in a bit of a rut about it, but we ended up helping each other through it.
We started from scratch again, and he really got me leaning into the studio process more and more, finding new tones, new sounds, new instruments. I started to enjoy taking risks, even experimenting with my vocal style and delivery of songs I’d been singing for years. I began to see myself as a recording artist – not just a musician and songwriter who went into the studio sometimes. It was a bit of a transformation for me. What did I say earlier: “Moving forward with strength and trust?” – yeah, that’s the theme. Maybe we had to live it out for it to really work and I think it does work. It’s the best album we’ve done.
OSR: If you could change anything about the album, what would it be and why?
Youngtree: Oh, not a thing…except all my vocals. Especially on the first track. *laughs*
OSR: A little morbid but if you found out tomorrow you were going to die, what would you do today?
Youngtree: Not morbid at all! I think about this most days! I know I’m going to die at some unknown point in the future and, the way I see it, there’s not a huge difference between 40 days and 40 years if I don’t put focus and intention into living well. Anyone can live to 120 and have perfectly wasted their time as a human being.
I once had this dream where I had to spin this dial – like in the Game of Life – with only the numbers 1, 2, and 3 on it. If it landed on 3 I was going to ascend into the next realm. I spun it and realised this could be my last act on earth. I try to remember that dream because if you take an action as though it’s the last thing you’ll ever do as a human, it doesn’t matter what the action is, it will be pure and beautiful and all your whole being will be in it. It’s good to live that way as much as possible.
OSR: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Youngtree: When I was younger, my father often said, “Find something you love to do and find a way to make money doing it.” It’s good advice. He also said, “Enough is plenty”, which is a good reminder when I get caught up chasing after this and that.
OSR: If you could change one thing about Youngtree & The Blooms, what would it be and why?
Youngtree: Absolutely nothing. I love this band. There are only three of us as core members right now. We all treat each other so well and love each other so much.
OSR: Are there future plans for Youngtree & The Blooms?
Youngtree: Plans? Hmm. Hopes and dreams, perhaps. I am working hard to get us on the road more and more. I have ambitions to spend more time in the U.S. performing. Really, in this business, you just keep putting things out there and see who finds you. What does Treebeard say? “Well, well, things will go as they will, and there is no need to hurry to meet them.” Something like that (I’m an unabashed lover of Tolkien, by the way). I love that. That’s another great piece of advice I try to keep nearby.
Thanks for chatting with me!
Many thanks to Peter Youngtree for speaking with us! For more from Youngtree & The Blooms check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
