Hey, you — guy pouting during the show with a diet beer! Did you bring your problems in here? Is your storm cloud overwhelming your interest in boogie-woogie transcendence? Well, Theodore Treehouse is here for you.

Talking to GO, drummer Dylan Verner spells out how the rising foursome takes the holistic approach to reaching each fan directly, and how the process takes hard work and precision. So pit your inner Eeyore up against these dynamic rockers at Empire Dine & Dance on Saturday night, and see if your outlook doesn’t turn sunnier after absorbing their healing properties.

Additional Photos

Theodore Treehouse sees a good live performance as a two-way street, leading to something hot, sweaty and meaningful for the crowd. Photo by Dena Giroux

How did Theodore Treehouse go from an idea to a living, performing thing?

Theodore Treehouse was originally called the Dialtones. Under this identity, Ian (Ferrel) had originally banded together with Sam (Chandler), Asher (Platts) and the first drummer, Josh Francis (dreamosaic). Under common interest and a yearning to make good-feeling music, the band was born. However, Josh was busy and I was standing in on drums after being introduced via Scott Mohler. This soon became a permanent seat, and we changed the band name to Theodore Treehouse, unified and set on bringing something new and energetic to the scene.

What was the last great show that you saw? Why was it special?

Dead Man’s Clothes, Grand Hotel and Sunset Hearts at the Empire. We were supposed to play that show (and) unfortunately couldn’t. Instead, I went and rocked out to some of the finest bands in town. Plus, it was great to see Kyle Gervais without his glasses on!

I am ever impressed with the fact our local bands are stronger musically, compositionally and artistically than most national acts.

 Why is the collective energy of the Portland music scene important to an individual band?

We have more venues than most cities — good venues. When you have that kinda space to fill, the bands need to step it up or quickly be swallowed into the depths from whence they came. For us, the energy and vibes are a two-way street at our shows. Our passion, charisma and driving energy meet the crowd; they chew it up and spit it right back. It’s hot, sweaty and meaningful.

 Is it more important to write songs that resonate deeply or to pack the dance floor?

We write music to take people to a higher place, a place where our spirit is free to move and groove as it must. Music is listened to in many ways but if it doesn’t have content, it will soon be forgotten. We strive to be timeless.

Where is there most room for improvement in Theodore Treehouse?

We, as a group, have been working on maintaining our focus, which sometimes can be hard for being a little out there ourselves. In this next year, we want to become more business savvy while still maintaining our focus on sincere, fun-loving music.

It seems like every band member wears a lot of hats. How do you decide who plays what part?

Though we are all multi-faceted musicians, we need to maintain a direction that has a cohesive edge. We all write in different styles and may bring tunes to the table on a multitude of instruments, but in the end, we’re all on our native gear. This keeps the driving energy at an 11. (When I play drums, I wear the red drum hat; when I play bass, I wear the blue one with the bass on it — collect them all! )

 Mike Olcott is a freelance writer who lives in Portland and Boston.

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