Barons in Trees

Barons in Trees is an experimental indie-folk group of leading Portland musicians led by songwriter Kyle Lange. Lange, whose music is akin to the songwriting and compositional styles of Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley, recently moved from New York City drawn in part by the pulse of the Portland music scene. Barons in Trees creates a nostalgic blend of indie, folk, and classical music. With influences that conjure Paul Simon, a hint of Sufjan Stevens and a dash of DeVotchKa Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

Barons in Trees is an experimental indie-folk group of leading Portland musicians led by songwriter Kyle Lange. Lange, whose music is akin to the songwriting and compositional styles of Joni Mitchell and Jeff Buckley, recently moved from New York City drawn in part by the pulse of the Portland music scene. Barons in Trees creates a nostalgic blend of indie, folk, and classical music. With influences that conjure Paul Simon, a hint of Sufjan Stevens and a dash of DeVotchKa, their unique polyphonic sound is just the kind of performance for which Portland’s musical palette yearns. Barons in Trees’ music and live shows are proficient and performative, with no small amount of whimsy. This capable group comes together with extensive and varied stylistic experience from other groups with roots in Portland and throughout the country. The Barons draw from west coast jazz, modern classical, beatboxing, folk, and Americana. Because these styles have different means of collaboration, each member brings a unique voice to the conversation of music. The name of the band takes inspiration from the novel by magical realist Italo Calvino entitled The Baron in the Trees. In the story, a young boy, Cosimo, altogether decides that he has had enough: of family, of his proper role in society, of decorum, and literally, the ground. He escapes to the trees. An eventually self-sufficient Cosimo finds that the more he tries to remove himself, the more he affects those below - thus drawing people closer to him. His idealized lifestyle and philosophy leads others to aspire to a life they had not thought possible for themselves. Barons in Trees fell in love with Cosimo’s sentiment and strive to create the musical equivalent of an artistic life in the trees. Barons in Trees is: Kevin Jackson (cello) Karen Lange (keyboards, clarinet) Kyle Lange (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, beatboxing) Tim Renner (bass, vocals) Michael Swanson (electric guitar) Robin Way (percussion) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

…shrink me down again