The Giving Tree Band is an acoustic band I recently fell in love with. Their album Unified Folk Theory was produced in 2007. After I found their album, I decided to email the band and got an interview with Todd Fink. Pushy, yeah? But why not?

The band consists of Bob Salihar, Pat Burke, and brothers Todd and Eric Fink. The guys all sing on the album and the instruments used in this album include acoustic guitar, harmonica, mandolin, slide dobro, cello, banjo, steel-string guitar, nylon-string guitar, upright bass, vocals, dulcimer, and ukulele.

I wish them luck and blessings. Here is the interview. Hope you like them as much as I do.

I had never heard of your guys before I got ahold of your double CD set, Unified Folk Theory. Now I’m a real fan. You guys are great musicians. And I’ve got to tell you the resonator guitar (Dobro) is one tough instrument to master. Your bandmates, Patrick Burke and Bob Salihar are absolutely fantastic on it. And Todd, your banjo playing, wow! Loved it. I see that you guys all studied music in college but did you ever think that it would lead to the career that you have had?

I’m glad you are enjoying the CDs. In college, I was just happy to be exploring music and my own creative potential. I entered Georgetown’s school of business and was quite relieved when I transferred to the college of arts and science in my second year. Today, I don’t regret the business study and find that education to be a tremendous asset in the development of my current musical career. In school, I was listening to many different kinds of music and a lot of avant-garde jazz. It would be several years before honing in on my current acoustic approach.

I see that you’ve toured Europe and even played at the House of Blues and The Hard Rock Café.

Yes, but prior to The Giving Tree Band. In 2000, I was living in Dublin, Ireland and so took the opportunity to play a lot there and around Europe - mostly solo, sometimes duo. I also played on the street (busking) as much as I could which helped me become comfortable performing, especially in unconventional settings. In 2001, my brother and I formed an electric jazz/rock band called Stone Samadhi. We put out one CD, played the House of Blues, the Hard Rock Café, and toured the East Coast before disbanding in late 2003. Being a little tired of playing electric music and lugging around heavy amps and speakers, going acoustic was refreshing and more practical.

Was there some event in your life that triggered your interest in music?

Not really. I’ve been around music and instruments my whole life. My parents love music and even named me after one of their favorite musical artists, Todd Rundgren. My dad played multiple instruments and taught me a lot on guitar in childhood. I gravitated to the guitar right away.

In your musical tours, you must have met some of the greats. And you guys were just at the Chicago Green Festival. What was that like? Who would you say you were the most excited to be playing with?

I wasn’t familiar with the other artists at the Green Fest because we all played very different styles of music and had not crossed paths. I thought that all were very good and the diversity was nice. The fest itself was quite amazing. Seeing thousands of people coming together to share ideas and learn more about environmental and social responsibility was inspiring. It was funny because after performing we had our own information booth just like the other green businesses and organizations. It just seemed so outside-the-box for musicians but many people came to learn about the eco-friendly side of our band. Most musicians try to network with media and industry folk but we do more connecting with small green businesses, non-profit organizations, college environmental groups, and local organic farmers.