I've always felt that our song lyrics leaned pretty heavily into visual imagery, and they are certainly rooted in storytelling. Even our band name was inspired by a lyric from our first album about a character named Sneezer. He's a fella who "shakes the trunk of the trees, and creatures all gather to see what they see." He's sort of like your friendly postal carrier delivering the mail, except his messages are love letters, or dreams from the forest. The Dreamtree Shakers was born out of that spirit of delivering love, and our story, up to this point, has relied primarily on words and music to invite the audience into seeing the world we are trying to create. That's what makes this new book of "songs you can see" so exciting to me. It allows the listener to have a tangible guide full of vivid illustrations to serve as a companion piece to our lyrics. It is our hope that this will enrich the experience, piquing the curiosity and imagination of children of all ages. Our message continues to echo the sentiment, "everything is possible, all the dreams in your mind..." and, now, we can see these dreams in full color. Overall, I think this new collection of songs is about the excitement, and bit of fear, that comes from being thrust into a change, or a new way of being which deviates from an established pattern of how it always has been. Our protagonist is "tucked in tight," sleeping on the beach, only to wake up in the middle of the sea, in new surroundings that are completely foreign to what he has known to be true. Perhaps it's a statement about how the pandemic has impacted us all, but I don't know if that was intentional. I don't think it was, but it has certainly seeped into my own way of thinking, interacting, and my perceptions of myself and others.
I've always found comfort in writing about exploration, meeting new friends, and maintaining this feeling of hope---knowing that everything is changing all the time, and perhaps thinking about how we respond to the surprises down around the bend. I also tend to devote a good amount of time to thinking about home. This story is about leaving and coming back home, but, really, what is home? How do we define it? "Home will help you when you know, home is everywhere you go." I have been sad about some really good friends moving away during the creation of this new material. But I know that it is important to think about home as love, and love is not confined by the boundary of physical distance.
Baby Bear is the focal point of this set of songs, and he is on a journey. He is our protagonist, thrust into the middle of the ocean. He wakes up a bit afraid, but also excited at the notion of seeing new things, meeting new creatures, making new friends. Wide-eyed, bright, "always be beginning" springs to my mind when I think about the song that sets off the story. The moment where everything is brand new. Vivid colors. Playful creatures. There is also that melancholy feeling that exists as Baby Bear has left home and has longing in his heart. Luckily, he happens upon a whale with the reminder to "slow it down some, take your time." Overall, the idea of stepping out of the comfort of what is known into trying something new, "now you're swimming and your eyes are open wide..." is what it's all about.
