This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Tree Climbers Guild
Aug
9
2010
I was reminiscing about my early years in college and thought I would look up what the internet had to say about the band Tree Climbers Guild. Since there was no information out there, I get to write something. Now whatever I write will become the definitive guide to TCG.
Ahem.
Tree Climbers Guild was an award-winning band from Cedarville College in the mid 1990s.
The award was the Alpha Chi talent show, in case you were curious. Might not matter to anyone outside of the Cedarville family, but it was a big deal back then. It propelled TCG to fame and fortune. The fortune was, if I remember correctly, $100 for winning the talent show. TCG then put that $100 into studio time, produced an album, and sold a bunch of cassettes.
It had to be in the dozens, maybe even hundreds.
Here is their debut album: conclusion of the matter
I think that was their only album. The artwork, in case you can’t quite make it out, is a tombstone with a rose lying across the grave bed.
Here is the side of the cassette tape:
And here is the back of the tape:
Here is the outside of the album cover/liner thing:
And here is the inside, the liner notes and all the lyrics:
I am not going to type out the lyrics (go on, click on the picture to enlarge it and read for yourself), but here are all the song titles (aka discography, although it might be more appropriate to call it a cassettography or a tapography):
Side 1
- ghost of the coyote
- flight of the unsure soul
- never ending dream
- you are not
- the hungry sea
- as we stand
Side 2
- maybe tomorrow
- seventeen to my plateau
- silver burning
- foreign ground
- conclusion of the matter
- evening reverie
Bonus feature:
Riding on the coattails of the success of TCG was Somewhere In a Box. Since that tape was next to TCG in my collection, I will post its pictures here for fun.
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 10:39 pm and has been carefully placed in the Life category.
August 10th, 2010 at 8:38 am
What is a cassette?
January 20th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
One of the band members was my camp counselor and I bought the cassette from him. Still have it. Still love it.
January 27th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Burn it to a CD before the tape gives out (or before there are no more cassette players).
March 26th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
I really need a copy of this. please email me at keithmccrary@gmail.com and i will give you whatever you like in return. thank you!
March 29th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
I don’t think I know you, but I do remember Bill. Check your email.
July 6th, 2013 at 10:57 pm
I have both cassette copies and would like to find someone with the DAT (yes, it was DAT tape in 1994 or 1995 or 1996) copies or masters of them. If my memory serves me right after 20 years, Tree Climbers Guild was recorded on 8 track 1/2″ analog Ampex recording tape using a Tascam 38 multitrack recorder by Mike Kompar at the Comm Arts WSRN AM530 studios. I think it was mixed at Cedarville’s chapel sound room on their Tascam 38 1/2″ machine to DAT tape and Todd Gathany is credited with that part. It would have been sometime in early or spring of 1994 or 1995 as that was the last year the 1/2″ analog format was used at the Ville. The Tascam DA-88 format using Hi8 tape replaced the aging Tascam 38 machines for the fall of 1994 or 1995. Anyway – if you know where the DAT tapes are, please let me know. Great recordings. Thank you Mike for capturing the band well. I see Matt Meyer on Facebook, so I can bug him directly for the “Somewhere in a Box” recordings. Those were probably done to Tascam DA-88 and mixed to DAT.
July 7th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Last time I talked to Matt about TCG (over a decade ago), he had the DATs. He’s your best source for finding them.
July 18th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
I LOVED the tree climber’s guild. Just searched them out of curiosity. Any chance their music can be downloaded from something like ITunes?
July 18th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
I don’t know. I somehow doubt it. I still have my TCG cassette (and a tape deck), so that’s how I listen to it. It’s with my Keith Green and my Evie tapes.
July 18th, 2013 at 9:52 pm
Since this is the unofficial yet definitive guide to TCG, it should be known that in May 1999 Bill Haberer, formerly of the TCG, started the band Captain Zig, where he was the lead singer and primary song writer. Discography on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/captain-zig/id351216222
December 30th, 2013 at 1:25 am
well done!…wish I could thank you in person for displaying our album so well! I also happen to be an alum of cedarville college, a teacher, husband, and father…and a founding member of tcg. (I’m the one pictured in the insert with the long hair and over-sized mittens –class was cancelled due to cold and we took advantage–the grave site was the cemetery behind Brock). Countless hours were spent in the dorm room and Brock stairwell with gary, bill, & bob practicing for both the talent show and album. My fingers still ache from typing up the insert.
Kudos to your definitive guide and reminiscing support for our fledgling cause!
December 30th, 2013 at 10:31 am
My eyes still ache from reading the insert, so I suppose we’re even.
In case you’re wondering why I was reminiscing, it was due to part of a guest post I wrote for Jon Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like. Give Having a Life Verse a read if you get a chance.
June 11th, 2014 at 10:06 pm
Hi all,
I am in dialogue with Bob PeArt now encouraging the re-posting of the recording to iTunes for sale/download. It’s been 20 years and time for a re-release of this well loved recording. I’m doing the same with Matt Meyer concerning the posting of Matt’s “Somewhere in a Box” recording. I’d like to see the tape from Through a Glass Darkly also posted. I have all the digital mixdowns for the Common Call “Your Child” album but need enough band support and interest to post it.
December 3rd, 2018 at 8:24 pm
the drummer is now my teacher. he always talks about how cool it is that they still have a huge fan you)!
February 19th, 2019 at 8:55 pm
My dad is the drummer in tree climber guild. I love the songs and we both appreciate your website. We still have the cassette tape!
May 16th, 2019 at 12:32 pm
I was just thinking about the Tree Climbers Guild today. I enjoyed you when i was at Cedarville. Apparently it left a lasting impression. Thank’s for that. :-)
May 3rd, 2020 at 7:00 pm
I didn’t attend Cedarville, and didn’t have the priviledge of getting to know Bill very well, but I have great memories of Chris, Gary, and Bob and listening to TCG. I wore out my cassette and was so happy to find the entire album on Youtube today. The guitar intro to Maybe Tomorrow has always been a favorite of mine. I don’t think there is a track on the entire album that I don’t thoroughly enjoy. I’d love to see the band get together and make another album, but I know they are all pursuing different projects and TCG was just a stepping stone in their lives. It will always remain for me, however, a jewel in my music collection. Thanks Some Guy for putting up this post.
December 12th, 2022 at 2:08 pm
One fond memory that may or may not be legitimate: a random band concert in the park in 1998 (?) where TCG played as did John Grapentine.
There was a medley where you all played, somehow, from Edie Brickells “What I Know” to REMs “It’s the End of the World”.
I don’t know how you found the seam, but you did, and it was one of my favorite concert moments. It was fun, it was clever, and somehow we all sang along (or, more likely, fakedit)
Unless I made it all up in my head… to quote Homer, “It was all so long ago; was it all a dream?”
April 13th, 2024 at 10:41 pm
Found out about thus group from Captain Zig. If any of the members see this consider adding your discography to Rate Your Music. Also, if you ever want your material remastered or remixed would Recommend Jamie King Audio. https://www.jamiekingaudio.com/ Let him know Austin Cupka sent you. :)