Personal Life Media

What comes in 11 parts and features a dog, cat, lion, apple tree, frogs and a cake? Give up?
The answer is "Hug Trees," the new album from critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Tom Freund.

On “Hug Trees” Tom brings his organic jazz and rootsy vibe to the kids for the first time.  The theme of “Hug Trees” is getting children involved with their environment and to enjoy nature, with a nod to Freund's new home Venice Beach, CA. Whether gathering seashells, walking the dog or hugging a tree, Freund urges kids to get outside and keep it moving. The album delivers an eco-friendly message that we will all want our kids to hear and share for future generations to come. The beauty of the music is that it provides a means to connect “kid energy” with nature’s energy in a fun and meaningful way. To help spread the word, the NY-raised singer rounded together a bevy of great musicians: The album features a playful range of instrumentation ranging from ukulele and mandolin, to stand up bass and slide guitar. Michael Jerome (Richard Thompson) and Richie Hayward (Little Feet) share drum duties, Eric Heywood (Ray Lamontagne) plays pedal steel and Stanley "the Baron" Behrens from Canned Heat, is featured on saxophone. Guest artists on “Hug Trees” include the ever-amazing Victoria Williams who adds her beautiful voice and childlike playfulness to "Seashells." Rising star Brett Dennen pulls double duty by penning and singing on the rowdy "Party in the Yard" and the lovely and talented Abra Moore brightens up "Apple From The Tree." "I hope people enjoy the album as much as we en-joyed making it," says Freund. "Who knows, I might have found a day job I love after all these years."
"I've been writing and making music for a long time. Becoming a father just added a beautiful new layer to the whole experience for me," says Freund. On “Hug Trees” my daughter Delilah is my co-producer, my audience, my muse. We created these songs together over the last couple of years. It was very natural to just go ahead and make a record." The music bar was kept high on the new set as the younger generation was only part of the focus. "I've come to know full well that whatever my daughter is listening to or watching, my wife Francie and I are going to get a steady diet of. I tried to keep that in mind when making Hug Trees, to live up to both standards. I wanted it to be fun for kids and yet remain sonically pleasing to parents on the 40th listen in the car."

Over the years Freund's "adult" albums have received such accolades as:

"Every year the mounting landfill of new releases that threatens to bury the working music journalists yields a few unexpected gems, and Tom Freund is one of them." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Freund clearly delights in enigma. His vocals could go from laconic to impassioned without such obvious trickery as cranking up the volume. His lyrics are full of curveballs." - WASHINGTON POST

"Journeyman Freund is soundtrack ready. He made an album that is all at once addictive, stylistically diverse and honest to the core." -MSNBC

"If Tom Petty and Nick Drake had a love child." - BLOGCRITICS.COM

A portion of the proceeds from each album sold will benefit the environment. Hug Trees CDs are manufactured in an earth friendly manner.
www.hugtrees.org www.myspace.com/hugtreesmusic www.tomfreund.com to contact Hug Trees: info@hugtrees.org