London Laurel Canyon acolytes Treetop Flyers sound like they've pitched up on the back of a pickup with Neil Young and a poncho-clad longhair who calls herself Mary Jane.
Their ear candy recalls the soft rock of America and The Eagles, so they've made a savvy move in picking 'Canyon-resident and six-string sage Jonathan Wilson to mix second album, Palomino.
You can hear Jonathan Wilson's touch all over Palomino, complementing the band's organic tone
"He's probably my favourite guitar player at the moment," enthuses guitarist Laurie Sherman. "He has these amazing, unpredictable solos and they just go off. We saw him at SXSW. He was playing this song that Fotheringay did, The Way I Feel. We'd been listening to it in the van and he was doing this amazing version. He was our ideal choice."
Palomino sound
You can hear Wilson's touch all over Palomino, complementing the band's organic tone, vocal harmony and easy sense of melody. The album was mixed under the LA sun and laid down in London's analogue shrine, Soup Studios.
Sadly, the Soup setup is not a portable one, so live Laurie manipulates an extensive range of JAM pedals, a Martin D-21 Special and a Bluesbreaker and a Custom Shop Telecaster. "I've got Flat 50s in that," adds Laurie. "They're so much rounder and they get rid of that ice-pick-y sound you can get from a Tele."
Now, says Laurie, the plan is tour, write and nail down the increasingly-popular Wilson for their third effort. "Next time Jonathan, if you're reading this, we'll be over there!"
- For fans of: America, Fleet Foxes, CSNY
- Hear: Sleepless Nights
