Treis & Friends is a three-piece alternative band based out of central Florida. The band consists of singer/songwriter Treis Alexander, bassist/creative Alex Canon, and drummer Michael Stickler. The first album “Houses.” was released back in 2016 and their sophomore album “Homesick” was released this past August. Michelle got the chance to speak with Treis and Alex before their hometown show in the interview below.
How would you describe your sound?
A: We have been terming it “suburban funk.” It’s really just a blend of the different sounds and genres that we have enjoyed listening to growing up. It’s Treis writing about his experiences while paying homage to funk, r&b, and jazz artists.
T: A little bit of electronic music too and definitely some dance.
From who or from what genres do you get your musical influences?
T: Definitely used a lot of ‘80s and ‘90s r&b and jazz. Some of the lyrical and songwriting aspects comes a bit more from folk music. The structure is obviously very pop, it’s very approachable. One of the things that we tried to do was really think of certain artists as we were writing the music. Obviously, the king, Michael Jackson, for pop music is a good one. George Benson is another good one who was a little more jazz-oriented. Tuxedo was a really big one as well which is a contemporary funk band that looks back to the ‘80s for inspiration.
What does your creative process look like?
T: It’s kind of a mess. It’s never the same thing twice and I would kind of hope and anticipate that that shows. Sometimes I’ll sit there and I’ll write the music and the lyrics together, but a majority of the time I’ll write the instrumentation first and then put lyrics on top of it.
This year you released your sophomore album titled “Homesick.” What was your favorite thing about creating this album?
T: Definitely my favorite thing I think was just getting it done and over with. The album for me was a lot of time spent pulling out my hair, really being anxious about how it was perceived, really being anxious about having it as a secret for so long. It was really great to have the ability to put it out there and have people be able to enjoy it and finally understand and appreciate why this took a long time because I really wanted to work hard on this. The release of that tension was just really good for me.
“Treis” was known a solo project up until this past September when it became a band called “Treis & Friends.” What prompted this rebranding?
T: A lot of it had to do with the fact that in the last eight months of writing the album, I didn’t write it by myself. Maybe this was a better answer for what my favorite part of writing the album was, but a lot of what I did when I was writing this album was sending it out to people whose opinions in music I respected. Before Alex was playing for me, he was getting these tracks, he heard these things for the first time, and he would say, “Okay, let me put bass on it, let me put this on it, let me put that on it.” Then I would send it out to other artists and they would add pieces here and there. However, the main reason why we did the rebranding was because eventually it wasn’t just me up on the stage. I don’t want to take credit away from somebody else who’s really been actively helping me get this project done. I don’t want to take that from someone who has an actual part to play on the recorded version of the album. I want them to be able to look back and say, “I did that. I did that bass line, I did that guitar line, I did this, I did that.”
I know you and Alex have been friends for years, but how did your newest member Michael get involved? How did you guys meet him?
T: He actually applied to be in another band, but when that other band didn’t need him, we got forwarded his contact information which was fantastic because Michael works with us very well. We get along with him great, he’s obviously very talented, and he’s very willing to be a participant in this band moving forward. Loyalty is really key for a small act. Having a constantly changing lineup of people gets stressful. It’s hard to know somebody then have to let go and get a new person.
What are you guys’ favorite song to play live and why?
T: My favorite song to play live has slowly become Pleasure for the whole band. It’s definitely the one where I feel the most energy from the other two bandmates.
A: Totally Pleasure. I get chills during certain moments of that song because it’s just so much fun play.
You write songs about very personal experiences. How does it feel to sing such personal songs in front of crowds that relate to the lyrics in their own way?
T: There are not good enough words to describe how moved I’ve been hearing people sing lyrics back to me. One of the things that I have really taken as like a personal victory was that we played a show in Jacksonville a little while ago, a city that I’ve really never been to professionally or anything like that. There were people in the crowd who I didn’t recognize who knew every single line and every single word to songs that I wrote about really hard times in my life. To say it is moving is an understatement of massive proportions.
What have been your favorite venues and/or cities to play in and why?
T: That’s a tough one. I would say favorite venue sound-wise was definitely Jack Rabbits. I think the way that the sound was mixed there that night was just incredible. I think the best reliable place to play is probably The Blue Note just because I know what it feels like to be there, I know what the sound is, I know the owner, and I’m very familiar with that area.
A: I agree with Jack Rabbits on the technical aspect. I think the St. Petersburg Music Factory has been really fun. The crowd was also really good the last time we played here in Orlando.
What are some venues and/or cities that you would like to play in?
T: There are so many places that we want to play. We want to go farther south to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. We want to go farther north to cities like Atlanta and Savannah. We’ve even had people as high as Toronto say that they would like to see us live which gives me the desire to want to go there.
What can people expect from a Treis & Friends show?
T: Lots of screaming.
A: Lots of screaming. Some sass.
T: Definitely some sass. Little bit of daytime television.
A: Here and there. The Seinfeld theme.
T: Definitely the Seinfeld theme. Some bad dancing.
A: An apology somewhere.
T: An apology definitely somewhere and lots of people overdressed for how hot a venue is.
A: Yes.
Who are some bands or artists that you would want to play shows with in the future?
T: I’d love to reasonably play with people like Jet Black Alley Cat, DBMK, and Hate Drugs. Any dream artists you would want to play with, Alex?
A: Does Soulja Boy still do shows? That would be a great opportunity.
How would you say you’ve grown this past year?
T: Exponentially because, from a statistical standpoint, I see that growth. I see listeners on Spotify, I see people following us on social media, I see streams on Spotify and Apple Music. I’ve seen that growth in people who are regularly listening to us. Really where I love to see it the most is at shows. Not necessarily that there are people just barreling to get in or anything like that, but the more and more people who are out in the crowd, who know the words, who know the dynamics, who are there because of us or were sold on a show because of us, that number has grown and that is insane. No cap.
A: No cap whatsoever.
What is your favorite memory from this year?
T: I think it was probably the night that we played the album all the way through for the first time. I had never played it straight through to a crowd. Before that point, any time that it had been listened to all the way through was in the studio and it was constantly getting edited. When we performed it at the Music Factory, we played the whole album straight through, people heard it, people were moved by it, and that was definitely my favorite memory among other things that occurred that night. That was also the first show we played with Michael, so it was the first time we really played as a full band. I love the way we sounded and it was just a great night. You have a favorite?
A: Definitely that one. I think that’s a moment that’s going to stay with me for the rest of my life.
T: I would agree with that.
What is in the near future for Treis & Friends that you would like to disclose?
A: More information about our upcoming project #PL will be revealed super-duper soon. Probably at the show that will take place after this interview comes out. We also hope to visit other cities in Florida that we haven’t been to yet. We want to do that hopefully in the first part of next year. We’re just staying busy. We’re working on many other things that will come along in time.
Do you have any goals set for 2019?
T: Yes. I would love to play at Bullstock which is my college’s music festival. There was another festival in the north side of Florida that I got linked to that I am trying to apply to right now. We would like to leave the state at least once. I think to hit two thousand monthly listeners is a feasible thing to do by the end of this year, but if I set it as my goal next year, I can’t be disappointed.
Do you have any advice for bands and artists smaller than you that are trying to build a community like yours?
T: This is going to be the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said, but here it is…
A: Provolone.
T: Provolone. When you start performing, you can do that whole “you are a character up on stage and then you are a totally different person offstage” kind of thing, but something that I’ve really noticed is that people have responded really well to us just being real with them. It’s important having a good dynamic with fans, having a good dynamic with people who like your music, being appreciative of people that like your music, making sure that people feel just as appreciated that they are participating in this thing with you, that you feel appreciated by them supporting you, and making sure that that’s a two-way street because the fans are really what make it. The people who support you really make the music something beyond just the ramblings of some person over a beat. That would be my big advice. Definitely make sure to be yourself and make sure that your fans feel like they are part of this thing you’re doing.
A: Just be genuine. That’s really it.
You can find them on Twitter and Instagram @treisandfriends. You can also stream their music on Spotify by searching “Treis.”
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