About
Michelle Pietrafitta: Drums & Vocals Thom LaFond: Vocals, Guitars, Piano, Synth Jason Bertone: Upright Bass Jesse Shantor: Saxophone, Synth, & Vocals Banshee Tree’s roots run deep. An indie psychedelic pop/rock band with sharply-written songs, jazz-inspired guitar solos, saxophone textures, and grooves that nod to the dance floor, they’ve spent nearly a decade evolving their sound. That fusion reaches a new peak with Bad Luck, a restless and unapologetically diverse album that captures a celebrated band chasing down new horizons. For years, Banshee Tree’s evolution took place not in the recording studio, but onstage. A weekly residency at a speakeasy in Boulder, Colorado, gave the musicians an opportunity to reach beyond their origins as a swing band, while the addition of new members — including veterans of Denver’s funk and punk-rock scenes — helped broaden the group’s influences. Banshee Tree began gigging in other cities, too, busking with street performers in New Orleans and sharing late-night jam sessions with bands in the Pacific Northwest. Before long, their fusion of acoustic and electric styles had grown so wide that Banshee Tree could play virtually anywhere: dubstep festivals in California, EDM bills in Colorado, and bluegrass shows with genre-benders like Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters.
Genres