Splittree

Local Cranford band Splittree, made up of three Cranford High Seniors, released their debut album, "Mind Tricks" on March 3. The trio, comprised of Tom Stoke (17), John Anclien (18) and Kean MacLelland (18), released the album via iTunes, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, physical copies, as well as other music streaming services, to the acclaim of their fan base and high school classmates.

"It's great to see such positive feedback from people who doubted us, or never heard our music before," said bassist Tom Stoke. "We finally got to show people the level of professionalism we put forth."

The band, who write original, alternative sounding tunes wrapped up recording on their debut, 13-song album, "Mind Tricks" in early January and worked with industry professionals for the mastering, production and distribution.

"Never Look Back," an upbeat song with punchy drums and the signature alternative sounding guitars, talks about embracing the future, and was the first single from the new record, which the band released on Dec. 12, of 2014. In one night the song received more than 200 listens alone on Soundcloud, and has since surpassed 1000 listens and downloads total.

"I think the smartest thing we did with the single last month was to offer it as a free download. This really provided an incentive for people to download the song and rock out in prep for the album release," drummer John Anclien adds. "We hope the same happens with the album and builds our following."

"Over the past few years of playing together, we have really developed our sound, and improved our songwriting. That's what's so special about this new album, you get to hear our wide range of songwriting abilities," said singer and guitarist Kean MacLelland. "Our next step is to support this album by touring, radio interviews, and any sort of promotion possible, and we are coordinating all this on our own because we don't have record label backing yet."

The band had been working "Mind Tricks," since late March 2014 and features guitarist Alex Codella. More than 200 hours had been put into recording, mixing, and mastering. Recording took place at Studio 108 in Cranford.

For a free download of the album, or to listen, visit the band at:
https://splittree.bandcamp.com/album/mind-tricks

Facebook: facebook.com/SplittreeBand Twitter: @SplittreeBand - NJ.com

By Lilian Rebelo

Alternative rock band Splittree released its first album “Mind Tricks” on March 3, and has been distributing free copies to students and faculty in the school for publicity.

The album is available to purchase or download, but the majority of the copies were distributed complimentary, explained guitarist and vocalist Kean MacLelland, “It gives an incentive for people who didn’t get a chance to listen to our music before… we are pioneering our own method.”

The band’s members and supporters invested $2,000 for the album’s production. Over 350 copies were distributed.

The band includes seniors John Anclien, Kean MacLelland, and Tom Stoke and was founded on November 20 2009. The musicians currently manage themselves, and record at Kean’s recording studio, Studio 108, he opened with the support of his family.

“People have been overall very positive about our new music,” reported bassist Tom Stoke, “We’ve given our music to most of the senior class and everyone really seems to like it.”

Splittree will be performing at the upcoming CHS Fashion Show on April 17 and at their album release at Crossroads in Garwood on April 18. Future dates have not been scheduled but Kean updated, “I just see us making music and keeping our bond.” The band plans to stay together after high school. - Spotlight News

By KYLE BENOR TAPINTO CRANFORD STAFF
April 18, 2015 at 11:59 AM

CRANFORD, NJ - As far as local bands go, Splittree, with their familiar and nostalgically infectious garage-punk sound, aren't known for getting too far, as much as they are for creating records filled with the sounds of adolescence. Splittree is Cranford's own small-town band, but with a unique twist. It is comprised of Cranford High School seniors Kean Maclelland, Tom Stoke, and John Anclien, and has discerned itself from the rest of the pool of local teenage acts with their debut record "Mind Tricks”.


The formal convening of the band, as their Facebook page states, occurred in 2009. Splittree released one demo in 2011, the band returns to the Cranford music scene on their own terms. Lead vocalist and guitarist Kean Maclelland fronts the band, usually booking Splittree at events such as festivals.

“Mind Tricks”, their debut full-length LP of 13 tracks, has been available for over a month on multiple media outlets to a favorable reception. Maclelland said. "The response has been great." citing distribution of around 500 copies. Tom Stoke, bassist and vocalist, said, “Not many people realize what [we] were bringing to the table with the album’s release.” referring to it as an eye-opener for the band itself as much as it was to others.

When inquiring about time management, Splittree had a well-planned strategy. “We are grateful for the opportunities that allowed us to take out time and create an album we could be proud of.” Maclelland states. Recording of the album’s vocals and instruments took place over a year, which they assert is due to the fortune of having generous patrons. The production time was very spread out, alleviating the stress of deadlines. They were able to work at their own pace and without a planned release date, giving them the freedom to perfect and improve in areas that they revisited over the year span of the album’s conception.



Splittree would like to thank Alex Codella specifically for his contribution to the album. In creating a professional sound, Alex was able to take tracks they had previously performed and brought something new to them. Spending multiple hours in the studio to perfect his portion of the song, bringing his best to the album. Tracks on which he is featured are “Seven”, “That One”, “Here We Go”, “I Walk Alone”, “Bombs Away!”, and “Mind Tricks”. Others featured on the album, all of which close friends to the band, are TJ Colter, Owen Scott, Will Acton, and Wes Whitelock.



On their single “Never Look Back”, the three expressed adoration for its identifiable nature and as a reflection of their most current sound. The album itself is a compilation rather than a composition of studio tracks written in a specific period, consisting of songs ranging from when they had begun writing in the eighth grade to the present. The single, John Anclien admits, was written in a short period before being recorded. The album itself has a wide range of songs, from those reminiscent of the beach, to slower songs, and emotional power hits. Each member expressed a different relation to the album’s audible documentation of their artistic growth, and their identification with their individual mark on the album (such as “Stoke’s Interlude” crafted as a pace-mover from song to song). All of them, however, express content with their work on the album as a whole, and feel their band has benefited from it. The three all look to continue pursuing musical interests into college, whether with Splittree or not.



At the mention of their EP “The Next Four years”, Splittree collectively laughed. “It was our first try”, Stoke said, “It let us know what we needed to do. We were able to hone in on those weak parts … and I feel where we were weak on the EP we were able to improve on this record.”



Splittree performs tonight, April 18, at The Crossroads as their album release show. “Even though the album’s out, this is the release show” Maclelland explains the reason for the late date as “people have heard it, and so this is the big party where we bring everything that we’ve worked on for the record together and celebrate with some of our closest friends and fans.” On their opening act, Somer Leigh, John said, “She is a phenomenal singer-songwriter. The two acts can really blend together and put on a great show.” Somer Leigh is currently in the eighth grade in the Cranford Public School District.

Looking towards the future, Splittree is releasing a music video (however for which song, they will not disclose), produced by Tom Stoke. More music is expected to come in time, now that, as Maclelland puts it, “We have a band that makes music that we could enjoy.”

Kyle Benor is currently a student at Cranford High-School and a member of the Tapinto Cranford staff. - TAPIntoCranford

CRANFORD, NJ - Local Cranford band Splittree, made up of Cranford High graduates, released their sophomore album, Asleep Behind the Wheel on November 17th. The group, comprised of Tom Stoke (18), John Anclien (19), Kean MacLelland (19), and Alex Codella (19) released the album through Mozu Records, an independent label based in New Haven, CT. The new album marks the second full-length release from the band in 2015, and is the follow up to their debut album Mind Tricks, which was released March 3rd of this year.

“The response to Mind Tricks was overwhelming,” says guitarist Alex Codella. “Once we saw the growth from the first album, we wanted to get back into the studio. Two albums in one year may seem like a lot, but the songs on Mind Tricks weren’t brand new material if fans had followed us for a while. Every song on Asleep Behind the Wheel is brand new just for this album.”

The band, who write original, alternative and rock music spent June through August recording the new, 12-song album, Asleep Behind the Wheel, and worked with industry professionals for the mastering, production and distribution. “For example, we had the opportunity to have a great producer and friend, Stefano Bonzi, from LA based BonziRecording, work on vocals for this record,” says Tom Stoke.

This is the band’s first album to be released through the Mozu Records, whom the band signed with on October 16. Mozu Records will also re-release the band’s debut album.

“Chelsea (Stay Tuned),” an upbeat song with a mix of clean and overdriven guitars, but a softer sound for the group, was the first single from the new record, which the band released on November 3rd.

“This record is interesting because it shows the progression of our sound which has developed even over a few months,” drummer John Anclien adds. “We have some hard rock songs, which are newer to our style, but still keep the Mind Tricks flair in a lot of the other tunes.”

“We now have two albums and numerous other songs that we haven’t recorded under our belt,” says singer and guitarist Kean MacLelland. “Our next step is to support this album and our debut by touring, just playing as many shows as possible, radio spins, and any means of promotion. We are fortunate now because we have a distribution deal and management backing. We have come along way in just a few months.”

The new album once again features guitarist Alex Codella, this time as a full-time member, and also appearances by Luke Langone of Nothing Personal. This will also be the last album to include Tom Stoke as a member, as he announced his departure in late September. Over 300 hours had been put into recording, mixing, and mastering. Recording took place at Studio 108 in Cranford, NJ. - TAPIntoCranford

See link above - The Keystone News