The band – Ryan Kirkland (lead singer, guitar, keyboards), and brothers Josh Butler (drums) Jeremy Butler (bass) delivers an album of hard-hitting, ambitious songs riddled with unforgettable hooks. “We Can Try,” the first single from Spain has the makings of a can’t-get-it-out –of-your-head summer hit. Says Ryan: “”We Can Try’ is a song that we love collectively as a band…it comes from the perspective that life is obviously in constant change. Everything’s got to change, but you still have to strive…all you can do is try.”
And that band has done just that -- with success right out of the box. None of the witnesses to this band’s rise may have believed at one time, that anyone could climb so far, so quickly; yet knowing BETWEEN THE TREES, not so unexpected. They were the first artist “upstreamed” from a Universal independent to a Universal major, and their first CD debuted on Billboard’s Heatseeker South Atlantic Chart at #3, Heatseeker National chart at #50 and Independent Album chart at #44. Their music has been placed in numerous television licensing opportunities including MTV, Live With Regis & Kelly and The Best Years on The N Network.
When asked what makes SPAIN different from their first CD, Ryan explains “it’s definitely a lot more mature. The music stands on its own. This CD is much more well-rounded in that when we were out on tour with other bands, or listened to other musical styles that blew our minds, it helped to re-shape our new material. When we began writing a couple of songs after the release of the first album, the tunes completely morphed into a different direction based on what we were listening to at the time.”
Ryan, 22, Josh, 24, and Jeremy, 22, trace back to the friendship that grew between Ryan and Josh when they were in their mid-teens. Orlando, Florida natives, Ryan had been playing guitar for about a year; and Josh announced that he was a drummer. “So,” Ryan says, laughing, “someone who was not a great guitarist and someone who lied about playing drums started this band.” He continues, “Playing well wasn’t what drew us to each other. We figured that we would become good in time, and didn’t worry about how long it would take. Most important to us was our personal connections with each other…we knew that we’d be able to do whatever we needed to do with that foundation.” Josh’s brother Jeremy soon wanted to come onboard, and although he had never played bass, Jeremy picked up the basics from Ryan. Thus, the stage was set, and in early 2005 the band began its journey.
The band’s first steps were small, concentrating on local gigs in Orlando -- parties, church events and downtown clubs like The Social. As interest grew, they sharpened their chops, tightened their songs and eventually scheduled studio time with producer Pete Thornton (Shinedown, Paramore, Day of Fire), who worked with them on their first release. With The Story and the Song, the band hit the road with their extensive touring schedule, and started getting buzz from music critics. “Playing on the Warped tour was really cool,” says Ryan. “It’s definitely a paying-your-dues- type of tour, because you have to work really hard to have anyone care. We didn’t realize how significant it was until we went into a city where we’d never played by ourselves, but had on the Warped tour. Fifty people showed up singing our songs and they all had the record and wanted it signed. It was an incredible feeling.”
While on the road, they began writing songs that would be included on SPAIN.
For SPAIN, the band decided to take a leap of faith choosing their producer. Jeff Powell, otherwise known as J.P., was the mixing engineer for O.A.R. “When we opened up for O.A.R., J.P. got really excited about our music and said that he wanted to be a part of what we were doing,” says Ryan. He continues: “He said he had done a few producing and mixing projects but that he really hadn’t worked on anything he could sink his teeth into. He knew his stuff as far as sound, and we loved hanging with him so we just decided to go ahead and cut some tracks. We made a great decision.”
Bonded Records then got involved by putting the guys in contact with Stuart Brawley who has worked with such mega-artists as Michael Jackson, Don Henley and Celine Dion, to put the final touches on the production. Says Ryan, “Stuart took what we had and put a whole new life into it, bringing out the best in everything we recorded. We’re really, really excited about our new record.”
In addition to the single “We Can Try,” some of the band’s favorites include another song “Miss You,” – “a track that fell out of the sky,” says Ryan. “I sent a line to the other guys and they loved it…an hour later, we had the whole song worked out. It’s a simple tune that I wrote about my girlfriend while I was on the road just to say ‘I miss you.’ It’s just a real fun song to play.”
“There’s a prequel to the story of “Darlin’,” laughs Ryan -- another favorite tune on the album. “I wrote two songs when I was 15 years old about a girl that I liked at the time. She heard the first song, called “One Last Time,” and immediately thought I was head over heels for her. So I wrote the second song to tell her – Darlin’ – listen, I don’t love you…I think you’re cool, but only I like you.” We never released it, so when people hear “Darlin’,” they think, ‘what a nice love song’…but it’s funny when you really know the story behind it.”
“Spain,” the title track was written when the band was on their first Warped Tour. “I was on the phone with my girlfriend and we were arguing about whether or not I cared enough,” says Ryan. “I told her ‘I’ll give you the world,’ and she said ‘I don’t want the world, I just want you.’ I ended up doodling around on the guitar and the inspiration just came – ‘let’s make our getaway me and you babe, the rest of the world can wait.’” We named the song “Spain” because we wanted to title it something romantic and classy, and we thought it was cool for the album as well.
With Ryan as the main songwriter, with contributions by the Butler brothers, one song on the album was written by his brother Justin titled “Changed By You”. “I co-produced it, but my older brother Justin wrote that song to propose to his wife,” says Ryan. “While on her vacation with her family, he went up onstage, got a guitar and played the song for her. We added strings to the track but the words are so strong, that we wanted it to be the backbone of the song.”
With the release of SPAIN, the guys are really looking forward to hitting the road and showcasing their new material. “We love playing live,” says Ryan. “When we get onstage it makes it worth the grueling aspect of road travel. We love getting in front of people to pull them out of a bad day, and to inspire people. We want people to walk away from our shows feeling happy, positive; a retreat away from whatever a normal day would be for them.”
He continues, “There are a lot of bands out there with angst, but we’re all about positivity and inspiration. For me, I guess I think what we bring to the table is real down-to-earth guys just wanting to spread the message of positivity and love. Not in the hippy way, but we definitely are real genuine guys that don’t say things a certain way for p.r. stunts or for the purpose of making people like us. When we come off the stage we’re the same guys as on.”
BETWEEN THE TREES doesn’t just talk about it, they practice what they preach. Passionately involved in a campaign called “To Write Love On Her Arms,” their music has become the soundtrack for the organization’s campaign, which is dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.
Founded by Renee Yohe, a struggling addict who found recovery through Ryan’s introduction to drug/alcohol counselor David McKenna during a seminar that McKenna moderated, mentioned Ryan as an inspiration in her book “Purpose for the Pain,” a journal of her road to recovery. Ryan, who wrote two songs for Rene titled “The Way She Feels” and “A Time For Yohe,” recorded the songs with the band and included them on their first CD. The campaign has since become nationally renowned.
When asked about their most exciting part of the journey Ryan simply states, “I get to have the coolest job in the world. I talk to people and they say all the time ‘oh, I have to work today.’ I don’t have that feeling. The coolest part is when I can sit back and realize all the things that I’ve been able to do with our music. The times I get to reflect on the journey…I’d say that’s the best.
Between the Trees formed in Orland, FL in 2005 and broke up in December of 2010.
Darlin
Between the Trees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A simple hello ending with goodbye
Then you say hello
Now, I am melting
And now my goodbye
Becomes a goodnight
I don't mind if you don't mind
Please say you do not mind if this call
Cause I have more to say
My afternoon was O.K.
My evening was fine but this night
I want it to be the best night
Of our lives
Sweet Darling
This is my confession to
The crimes of wanting you badly
And Darlin' if you're wondering
Here's your answer
Yes I like you
I don't love you
I can't love you
Yet
These calls are getting longer
And these nights go on
And on and on forever
I do believe I'm getting better
Knowing you
Hopefully all of you
Sitting watching movies
We both know I do not watch a bit of it
Cause I am much too busy
Leaving my hand close enough
So you'll hold it
Sweet Darling
This is my confession to
The crimes of wanting you badly
And Darlin' if you're wondering
Here's your answer
Yes I like you
I don't love you
I can't love you
And I can not stop thinking about you
I can not stop wondering
If you're constantly
Thinking about me
Don't close your eyes dear I'm still staring
I won't lie dear I'm still breathing
Even though your beauty is breath taking
Sweet Darling
This is my confession to
The crimes of wanting you badly
And Darlin' if you're wondering
Here's your answer
Yes I like you
I can't love you
I can't love you
Oh at least I don't think I do
Yet
The song "Darlin'" by Between the Trees is a confession of one's feelings toward someone else. The opening lyrics about a simple phone call ending with goodbye show the singer's reluctance to hang up because they are melting as a result of talking to the person on the other end of the line. They want to extend the conversation and make it the best night of their lives. The repeated phrase "I don't mind if you don't mind" highlights the singer's desire to please the person they are talking to and communicate their feelings honestly.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer has strong feelings for the person they are talking to but cannot confess their love. They admit to wanting the other person badly and liking them, but they cannot cross the boundary into love. The line "I can't love you yet" emphasizes that there is potential for the relationship to grow and deepen, but for now, the singer is content with the connection they have.
The final verse expresses the singer's constant thoughts of the other person and their wonder if the other person is thinking about them as well. The description of the other person's beauty as "breath-taking" showcases the singer's admiration and deep fondness for them. Despite this, they still cannot bring themselves to say "I love you," but instead continue to express their feelings with the repeated phrase "Sweet Darling."
Line by Line Meaning
This call is meant to be brief
I intended to make this call short
A simple hello ending with goodbye
I planned to say hello and quickly end the call
Then you say hello
But when you answered the phone, everything changed
Now, I am melting
You have such an effect on me that I feel like I'm melting
And now my goodbye
The goodbye I planned to say earlier
Becomes a goodnight
Turns into a longer conversation that lasts until night time
I don't mind if you don't mind
I'm okay with talking all night if you are too
Please say you do not mind if this call
Can we keep talking without feeling like we're disturbing each other?
Goes on all night
I want to talk to you as much as possible
Cause I have more to say
I feel like there's still so much I want to tell you
My afternoon was O.K.
My day was unremarkable
My evening was fine but this night
The rest of my day was nothing special, but tonight is different
I want it to be the best night
Tonight is special and I want it to be the best it can be
Of our lives
Our lives could be better because of this special night
Sweet Darling
An endearing nickname for you
This is my confession to
Now I need to tell you something important
The crimes of wanting you badly
I can't help but feel overwhelmingly drawn to you
And Darlin' if you're wondering
In case you were wondering
Here's your answer
The answer to what you might be wondering about
Yes I like you
I have feelings for you
I don't love you
But I'm not sure if it's love
I can't love you
I'm not quite ready to love you yet
Yet
But maybe I will someday
These calls are getting longer
Our conversations keep getting longer and longer
And these nights go on
Our conversations continue deep into the night
And on and on forever
Our conversations seem to never end
I do believe I'm getting better
Getting to know you is helping me become a better person
Knowing you
Because I know and talk to you
Hopefully all of you
I hope to know every aspect of you
Sitting watching movies
Watching movies together
We both know I do not watch a bit of it
But we both know that I can't concentrate on the movie
Cause I am much too busy
I'm too busy thinking about you
Leaving my hand close enough
I want to be close to you
So you'll hold it
So that maybe you'll hold my hand
And I can not stop thinking about you
You're always on my mind
I can not stop wondering
I can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be with you
If you're constantly
Are you also
Thinking about me
Thinking about me like I think about you?
Don't close your eyes dear I'm still staring
Please don't stop being around
I won't lie dear I'm still breathing
I'm still here, and I'm still breathing heavily for you
Even though your beauty is breath taking
You take my breath away with your beauty
Oh at least I don't think I do
At least not yet, but maybe someday
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: BRADLEY KRIEBEL, JEREMY BUTLER, JOSHUA BUTLER, RYAN KIRKLAND, WESLEY ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind