Interview: Ben Montero of Treetops

Ben Montero of Treetops.  

With a new year on the near horizon Ben Montero of Treetops infamy has been well and truly planning his new year. With three bands on the go, having been busy in the studio recording with producer Jonathan Burnside, working on art and planning a tour of Europe I found Montero reflective of the past and humble beginnings of the trio of bands.

Treetops began in 2001 with a high turnover of members, the marriages, divorces and re-marriages between bands would require a family tree to understand. Montero’s introduction to music is just as convoluted, passing through the obligatory childhood piano lessons to an amusing variety of genres before settling into the comfort of seventies inspired jangly pop tunes.

"Like most kids I had piano and flute lessons and hated them. The only way mum could keep me at the lesson was to promise to come back with a pie and a big M when it was over. My first personal musical love was for the hip hop of the late eighties-early nineties. B.D.P, N.W.A, Ice T, Run DMC, De La Soul and Eric B and Rakim.

I had soaked up my parents record collection throughout my childhood sub-consciously absorbing everything from Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Phoebe Snow, Blossom Dearie, Cold Chisel and Credence to the blues greats: Howlin Wolf, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson - courtesy of dad, to jazz legends: Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Yusef Lateef, Miles Davis, Coltrane - from mum.

In high school I discovered soul/funk music and practiced my funky chops on the organ which I had a desire to master. I played in a reggae band in a shed out in the 'burbs for a few rehearsals with some real heavy Jamaican rastas. I tried my hand at a hip hop group polishing my M.C style with the moniker B.M.X. I played punk, blues, experimental, country and was even in a high school band called Oasis.

On my 16th Birthday I received The Beat Generation C.D box set which probably influenced my life more than anything else. At that moment I decided to leave "straight" society with style and flair and never return."

And thus far he has never returned occupying his time with Treetops, TM band and The Brutals and artistic projects, the most recent being his contribution to ‘The Missing Chord exhibition’ at St James Gallery. But the beginnings to all this were humble indeed.

"I was working at a Club X with the distinguished title of Salesman Of The Month for July that year and I was recording on a Tascam four track - any and every idea I had. At the time I was working on a one man recording project called Family Friends with the help of a Roland 202 drum machine, a couple of cheap keyboards and my acoustic guitar.

It was fun to experiment and keep the whole writing/recording process immediate and to myself. I drew up covers and printed up C.D's purely just for my friends as I had no idea about playing live and who to ask and where one would do it and how.

Previously I had played bass in my first band Holidaymaker with future Treetopper’s member Jordan who played drums at the time and Gerald on guitar, just out of necessity for a school performance. We played The Punters Club, Central Club, The Greyhound and even the old Continental in Prahran.

I broke up the band because the others were heavily into the drum and bass scene and weren’t listening to what I thought they should be listening to being in a band of our persuasion. My plan was to form another band without them and keep our manager at the time. I bought the four-track off Jordan and stayed in my bedroom learning to write songs in various styles.

Treetops actually started when I was living with Emmett Smith from The Brutals also an ex Treetops member. I was recording in the lounge room and he would hang around so I would teach him guitar.

The first thing I would teach him is that you have to write songs seeing as though he wasn’t going to be Eric Clapton anytime soon - and thank god for that! We would take mountains of MDMA and record things to bliss out to. We went through lists of names until Treetops become the one. We then dragged in Jordan and came across a kid at a show from W.A called Leif who claimed he could play the drums and that we wouldn’t have to use the drum machine live anymore. I was chief instigator and sometimes I wish I had of done it differently and taken more control."

With so many members being shared between the trio of bands most being fired and re-hired at some point, Montero reflects on how he copes with keeping it all together and creating a steady flow of tunes among the chaos.

"Sometimes things need to be in a state of anarchy to keep your frame of mind in the right stratosphere. We're all old school friends. We're all lived together at various points in our lives.

The first original incarnation exploded due to frustration and a host of human sins. We love each other but find it hard to be in a same room together. Gerald plays in every band I'm in because musically he is my right hand man and just amazingly talented at any instrument he plays. So it's only really me and him in all projects. Our personalities seem to be able to cope better together with the least struggle and clash.

I'm a messy creator. I can’t have a neat desk and clean up as I go. The mess is part of the process of liberation through which mistakes are allowed to interact with planned thought. Mistakes are everything! Does an artist have to suffer to create? Not really but I think it helps me from time to time. The bottom line is it works but it's always hanging by a thread. We fire. We emotionally destroy. We don't speak to each other for long, long stretches. Every band should have an anchor. We've been unfortunate to never really have one."

Yet somehow it works and has done with ups and downs since 2001. The Band has been fortunate to have constant support from radio to boot. "We are lucky that we are still kept alive by the high rotation play of triple J, as we don't play very often and seem to be in a constant state of upheaval."

Despite the upheaval and spats, Treetops were signed in 2003 by a Mushroom records offshoot label but the band soon realised representation was not all it was cracked up to be.

"We were courted by a couple of big labels and it doest matter how much anyone tells a young band to be careful with that situation a young band is going to go ahead and bask in the glory and attention. So if anyone tells you that you shouldn’t be signing with a major is going to seem like a jaded has-been. We signed to a label called Slanted.. Budgets were blown on stupid shit. We were buried from the start. A learning experience."

But the lead up to all this was a high point for the band who had barely just begun playing together let alone discussing the future or representation.

"Not long after forming Treetops we were picked up by a great manager who led us into some kind of short lived dreamy local success. We supported all our favorite bands: Mercury Rev, The Vines, The Breeders, Nada Surf, You Am I, Evan Dando amongst many others. We were the back up band for the guy from Teenage Fanclub one time, were label chased all over town, wined and dined by big wigs and invited to play Big Day Out and a great afternoon spot at Meredith. We then chose to sign signed to Slanted and that's where the downfall began. We also signed away our publishing to Ivy League.

There have been many exciting moments. Having the record company spend thousands of dollars of shit film clips was not one of them. Having said that I feel more excited right now."

Working with acclaimed producer Jonathan Burnside on their album The Gospel was part of the said down times for the band. This collaboration proved to be the start of the end of Treetops' original line up. Recording with Burnside was tense resulting in Montero walking out during the recording of Wisdom Beads, a song he penned himself.

"It was a difficult time for everyone; we went in confident and walked out half way through a bit shaken up."

Criticism of both the Treetops drummer and guitarist during the recording finalised a split in the band and gave birth to TM band and The Brutals with Montero joining ex-members while still maintaining his presence in Treetops.

Treetops eventually managed to shake off the record deal and free themselves to function and record independently again, applying for their own funding, planning their own releases and touring. Despite the lack of free flowing funds Montero recognises the need to get by financially in the industry and to expect this from working creatively. "I’ve barely survived at times. Crap jobs from time to time get you by, the dole, djing, gig money. I’m just starting to work out how to actually make money with this thing. Artists should want money."

As for the future plans, settling down and kids, the 30 year old says, "I think I wouldn’t be doing as much music or art if I was 'settled down' with partner, clean house and full time job. Actually I'd probably be doing it. It just wouldn’t have that urgency and thirst. Yes, there will be babies if the right gal plays her cards right" but then changes his mind, "no, f**k that, I don't want to settle down."