In a world where the formula for songwriting often feels like a straight road with few twists, Good Trees River Band prefers to take the scenic route. Their songwriting doesn’t fit neatly into the predictable verse-chorus structure that dominates mainstream music. Instead, it’s a fluid, ever-evolving journey that feels like an adventure, where no two songs—or even performances—are ever exactly the same.
Songwriting, for Good Trees River Band, is a playground of possibility. Whether in the studio or live on stage, the band constantly pushes the boundaries, embracing a process that allows their music to flow freely, untethered by rigid structure. This blend of improvisation, progressive influences, and genre-defying creativity is what sets them apart and makes each song an exploration into the unknown.
Songwriting as a Living, Breathing Process
For Good Trees River Band, songwriting is less about hitting certain markers and more about creating something that feels alive. Every song starts with an idea—sometimes a melody, a riff, or even just a rhythmic groove—but from there, it’s allowed to grow organically. Rather than forcing a song into a traditional format, the band lets the music lead the way.
“We never set out to write a ‘hit’ or follow the typical verse-chorus-verse formula,” explains guitarist Danny Circharo. “It’s always been about where the music takes us. Sometimes we have a structure in mind, but most of the time, we leave room for the song to evolve in unexpected ways.”
The result? Songs that feel expansive and open-ended, with plenty of room for improvisation. Take the track “Sunset Reverie,” for example. What starts as a simple, atmospheric intro with a rolling bassline from Ned Brady slowly blossoms into a sprawling, 10-minute journey. By the end of the song, you’ve traveled through different sonic landscapes, from ambient guitar textures to driving percussion, and you realize that the song is not just a static piece—it’s an experience.
The Role of Improvisation in Crafting Songs
Improvisation is at the heart of Good Trees River Band’s creative process. While they certainly have composed elements in their music, there’s always room for the unexpected, and that’s where the magic happens. Their songs often start as jam sessions, where each member plays off the other, exploring ideas without the pressure of locking down a final version right away.
Drummer Evan Valentine describes it best: “We’ll get into a groove during rehearsal, and sometimes that turns into the backbone of a song. But the best parts come when we throw in something spontaneous, like a new rhythm or a guitar melody that we hadn’t planned. That’s when the song starts to take shape.”
Their track “The Deep Unknown” is a perfect example of how improvisation informs their songwriting. The song starts with a tightly composed section, but as it progresses, the band allows the structure to unravel, leading into an extended jam where anything can happen. Guitarist Danny Circharo might decide to take a solo in a new direction, or Evan and Ned might shift the rhythm to create a new dynamic pulse. By the time the band circles back to the main theme, the journey has taken the listener to a completely different place.
It’s this approach—writing songs that leave space for improvisation—that keeps Good Trees unpredictable and exciting. You never know what twist or turn they’ll take, and that’s the whole point.
Progressive Rock Influences in Their Songwriting
While improvisation plays a key role in Good Trees River Band’s music, their songwriting is also deeply rooted in the complexities of progressive rock. The band is no stranger to odd time signatures, intricate song structures, and layered compositions that draw from the prog-rock playbook.
Bassist Ned Brady describes their songwriting as “a balance between freedom and precision.” Some songs start as loosely structured jams, while others are meticulously crafted with specific sections and movements, almost like mini-symphonies. The result is a unique fusion of both spontaneity and careful construction.
Take the track “Time Stretch,” for example. What begins as a straightforward, catchy riff soon morphs into a labyrinth of shifting time signatures and cascading melodies. The band isn’t afraid to throw in a sudden tempo change or a complex instrumental passage that feels almost mathematical in its execution. But despite these complexities, the song never loses its psychedelic feel—it still has that dreamy, immersive quality that invites listeners to get lost in the music.
Blending Structure with Freedom
One of the most impressive aspects of Good Trees River Band’s songwriting is their ability to blend structure with freedom. Some parts of their songs are tightly composed, with specific sections that are meant to hit certain emotional beats. But within those sections, the band leaves room for spontaneity, allowing their music to breathe and evolve with each performance.
This is especially true in their live shows, where no two performances are ever the same. A song that runs seven minutes on an album might stretch out to fifteen or twenty minutes in concert, with extended jams and improvisational detours. This flexibility is what keeps the band’s music so fresh—both for themselves and their fans.
In “Through the Pines,” a fan favorite, the band starts with a structured composition that features intricate instrumental interplay and a rhythmic pulse that locks the listener in. But halfway through the song, they throw open the doors to improvisation. The guitars start to meander, the bass takes on a more exploratory role, and the drums shift into unexpected patterns. By the time the band returns to the original theme, the song has taken on a life of its own, feeling both familiar and completely new.
Crafting Immersive Musical Journeys
What Good Trees River Band excels at is creating songs that feel like journeys rather than just a collection of parts. Their music pulls you in with its evolving structures and unpredictable turns, making each listen feel like an adventure. You’re never just passively consuming their music—you’re an active participant, riding along as the band navigates through different moods and textures.
Songs like “Midnight Shaman” demonstrate this perfectly. The track starts with an eerie, atmospheric intro that slowly builds tension. As it progresses, the band weaves together different themes, from swirling guitar solos to heavy, driving rhythms, all while keeping the listener engaged in the journey. By the end of the track, you feel like you’ve traveled through a musical landscape that’s both expansive and intimate.
Songwriting Without Boundaries
Good Trees River Band doesn’t believe in writing songs that fit into neat, pre-packaged formats. For them, songwriting is about pushing the boundaries, blending improvisation with progressive rock’s structural complexity, and crafting music that feels alive. Their songs are journeys—dynamic, unpredictable, and constantly evolving.
In the next part of this series, we’ll dive into how the band experiments with rhythm and time signatures, creating the intricate, shifting grooves that define their unique sound. Whether you’re a prog fan or a psych-rock lover, you won’t want to miss it.
