 |
| Tree and hype man Chris Crack at Pitchfork Music Festival Photo courtesy of Pitchfork.com |
This guest is Chicago's very own emcee Tree, who was only the second local artist selected to perform at the festival. The other happened to be some guy by the name of R. Kelly. I suppose my sarcasm doesn't translate very well without the sound of my voice being present. At any rate, the day was a success.
I approached the festival grounds around 11am with a videographer friend of mine named Tony. It had nearly been a year and a half since I first introduced Tony to Tree at SXSW in Austin, TX. Together, they've been able to film a handful of music videos since, and Tree had recently asked Tony if he'd be available to film his Pitchfork performance onstage with him. Tony agreed and there we were; picking up our VIP badges to the event.
We entered and greeted many friendly faces as we congregated on the ramp to the stage. Last minute consults were exchanged between Tree and his performers as everyone prepared to show the crowd exactly how they had practiced over the last few weeks. Tree was determined to give his all for the people in attendance that day, and he did just that. With a live drummer, a hype man, and three background singers, Tree's performance started the final day of the festival off on the right foot.
Even Eric Sundermann, a writer for the website Noisey.Vice.com, thought highly of the performance during his writeup for the website, available here.
Background:
I've personally known Tree since 2007, which is when we were both invited to Miami to collaborate on a mixtape compilation for a mutual friend of ours. We've been in contact ever since and have been available to lend a hand when necessary. I am proud of his accomplishments and find his journey extremely inspiring. He reminds me that it is possible.
-QW
