house with the white tree (2023) & twilight / glide (2021)
HOUSE WITH THE WHITE TREE (2023)
This crisp, dark set of new songs has the feel of touchstone, deep-passion ‘70s albums from Elton John, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac, the Grateful Dead, and the Eagles. Blending AOR singalong tunes with country-rock acoustic melancholy, Joe Eglash’s penchant for writing tunes and arrangements that stay with you forever is more in effect than ever. If you seek real, human-made music in an era of zeroes and ones, look no further than House with the White Tree.
ten songs
For Eglash, following what he considered to be his best work in any genre, 2021’s Twilight / Glide, was a difficult concept.
“Writing and recording Twilight / Glide was a cathartic and often tough experience—like exposing a cut to the air. In the end, I was more proud of it than anything I’d ever done in my creative life. After its release, it took me a long time to come around to the idea of what a follow-up could be. Ultimately, I just moved forward telling myself that I should just write and record what comes naturally. I sat down and wrote simple songs, ones that I felt folks could relate to at first listen, then find deeper layers upon further examination.
“That ended up being Eagles-y pop tunes with an alt-country feel… part of it was outfitting my lap steel with pedal steel benders. I wanted to take that thing for a ride and it affected my writing. It affected the sound of the album in a way I’ve always, always wanted. Some of my favorite, most serene moments in music feature pedal steel and prominent acoustic guitar from bands like Phish, Steve Miller, Black Crowes, the Dead, CSN, Neil Young, and Dylan.”
After some time trying to find a musical direction for the album, he wrote “Troubadour.”
“‘Troubadour’ was a breakthrough moment because it essentially gave me permission just to write songs, and not necessarily from my own point of view. Many of the songs were products of empathy, dreams, or observations, and much of it—musically and lyrically—is the product of maturation. I was able to sit back and hold back, to restrain myself. It paid off in songs like ‘Stand Me Up’ and ‘Five Starry Nights.’
“‘Not Dead Yet’ and ‘Whatever Resistance You May Feel’ were also key for me. They are huge productions with some outside players on strings and piano. Throughout, I aggressively went for very high production value and analog thickness.”
Of all the songs on the album, the title track is his favorite: “If I die tomorrow, I know I’ve left behind a mark with that song. All of my passion and emotion lives in it.” Lee Zodrow guested on piano on this track including the gorgeous Elton John-meets-Jayhawks coda, and Gary Mackender played Zydeco accordion on “Stand Me Up.” Roni Seiler played Joe’s written-out string arrangements, Kirby Hammell played piano on “Not Dead Yet,” and MusicDecco played Wurlitzer on “Right on Time.”
