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Some kind words about Tree Thump and the Tree Thump Didjeridu Company from Liz Clancy Lerner of University of Illinois 7 News, featuring one of our new tunes "Mr. Huckleberry's Metatarsal Jubilations":
Now Available: Tree Thump's self-titled debut CD! Get it here -
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Didjeridu driven music with a penetrating, psychedelic vibe and funky drum and bass grooves, topped off with sweet and fiery explorations on the electric violin. Newly improved with the percussive talents of Jason Finkelman.
Phil Clark is from sunny Albuquerque, NM. As a grad student in musicology at the U of I, he currently spends entirely too much time in the dimly lit, windowless university music building, escaping whenever possible to go make noise on a loud stick all around the greater Champaign area.
JB Faires is a native Illinoisian who has been making noise with his bass all over the Midwest for years. Currently finishing a doctorate in music at the University of Illinois, he enjoys mixing it up with regular performances in a wide range of styles, as well as star gazing, cloud bursting, camp fire songs and daydreaming. . .
Ben Hay is originally from Sandwich, IL. He graduated from the University of Illinois, and is now playing in Tree Thump, as well as three other bands: Big Grove - a cajun/zydeco band, Mhondoro - a Zimbabawe pop band, and Fotamana - a pajammie, nasty band. He enjoys long walks on the beach, snuggling with feather pillows, and loves a nice comfortable pair of slippers on his feet. He also once ate a full grown donkey in one sitting, got sick...and then ate it again.
Violinist Ben Smith has a strong background in traditional fiddling styles including Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Celtic music. A highly regarded composer of electronic music by day, Ben began getting out at night with a Zydeco band that included his future Tree Thump band mates. The creative juices Ben set into motion with the addition of his thoughtful, well-developed improvisations and ethereal sound effects were just what the didjeridu-centered group needed.
Philadelphia born percussionist Jason Finkelman specializes in the Afro-Brazilian bow instrument berimbau and in Tree Thump performs primarily on congas, caxixi, and assorted bells, whistles & ticky-tacks. His interest in combining unusual instrumentation in the art of improvised music led to the Urbana Champaign based projects Ferrocene3 and Nu Orbit Ensemble, as well as the NYC based ambient, avant world trio Straylight.
