Bees Trees create a buzz with new EP

January 28, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

Though he’s just 21 years old, Liam Jones has matured as a songwriter.

For the Valley rocker, that means crafting songs that come from within, and not trying to fit in to any scene.

His approach is evident in the newly released EP from Jones’ band, The Bees Trees.

Titled “Roots,” its five songs are upbeat but relaxed and employ a more traditional song structure.

Gone are the five-minute improvisations typical of the jam-band culture that the band had fallen into by default.

Instead, there are catchy melodies made distinctive by using keyboards and saxophone – deftly handled by band mate Mitchell Lawrence – as the lead instrument.

“It’s what sets us apart,” said Jones.

Rounding out the band is the tight rhythm section of Doug Brandt (bass) and Ryan Jones (drums), with percussionist Dave Humphries sitting in on larger shows.

“A lot has changed from when we first started,” said Jones, who released his first album at age 18. “I used to be geared more toward pleasing the festival crowd, the party crowd. Then I realized I can still do songs that I like. [The new EP] is a good representation of how I write my music. In the past, I had more of an influence from others, but this is part of my maturing.”

The Bees Trees’ new formula already has begun to pay dividends. “Since this EP came out, it has been a lot more fluid getting gigs,” said Jones.

The band already has signed on to play two summer festivals – Alchemy Rising in Pataskala, Ohio, and Early Bird at Nelson Ledges – and that list should grow. Plans also call for hitting the road to revisit places where the band has built a following, such as western New York and southern West Virginia, then heading out West.

But before the weather breaks, The Bees Trees will do a record-release show for “Roots” on March 12 at Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts, downtown.

Coming into your own sound at age 21 means that Jones and The Bees Trees are ahead of the curve.

They’re also positioned to catch the ear of a wider fan base.

“We’re still playing with jam bands, but we are not really a jam band,” said Jones. “We work well with such a wide array of audiences. I don’t want to be pigeonholed. My little cousins and my grandmother like the new album.

“Some people say, ‘You sound like Phish.’ But I think we’re more like Jack Johnson, with the focus more on the song and its content.”