The Trees

The Trees are the band that backs Jebby up for live concerts. The band is usually consists of two guitars, bass, and drums. Over the years, Jebby has been fortunate to have had many talented musicians in The Trees. The following is a list of all of the musicians who have played in the band.

Jebby and Mike were both playing in different bands when they first started working together. Jebby was in I Love Ethyl and Mike was playing in a band called First Strike. They first started working together in a worship band and hit it off immediately. Jebby had written some songs on his on outside of Ethyl and asked Mike to play in the demos. Jabber's new songs were closer to the style of music Mike was into so he was more then happy to help Jebby with his new project. After the demo was finished, Jebby and Mike, along with Jim Heberling on drums formed Jebby and The Trees. After recording the first demos with Jebby, Mike decided that this would be the last band he would ever join. When asked why, Mike has said " I've always loved bands and artists where the song was the focal point, and Jebby is one of my favorite songwriters. I love my role in The Trees and am satisfied as a musician working in this band. I have no reason to leave."

Lance has known Jebby for many years. His credits are numerous. He has recorded and/or performed with artists such as Larry Tagg, Julissa, and Charlie Peacock just to name a few. When Jebby decided to record his first solo project, Jebby and Mike (Harris-Jones) wanted Lance to produce it. Jebby totally trusted Lance with the project because they both have similar musical influences. Working together was, and still is, an easy task for them. Lance has said that when he came in to produce "Paper Boy" the songs were already there. He is being modest. His presence is all over the CD and it wouldn't have been the same with someone else in the producer's chair. Lance is also a talented songwriter. He is currently working on his first CD. (We will keep you posted!)

Bret originally auditioned for I Love Ethyl. He rehearsed several times with "Ethyl" but never played a live show with them. After Jebby, Mike and Jim Heberling recorded the first "Trees" tape, they decided that they needed a second guitar player. Jebby immediately thought of Bret who was more then a guitar player, he was also a great vocalist, keyboard player and songwriter. Bret recorded the bands next project with his home recording studio. The band's second tape, called "Crusade" was recorded better and was much more polished then the previous one. This was in large part due to Bret's contribution. It was at this time that "The Trees" changed their name to "2nd Mile."Bret and Jebby both started writing songs for their first solo albums at about the same time. Bret's CD, "First Impressions" featured members of "The Trees" on many of it's tracks.

Brian played guitar in the bay area band The Plain Janes. The Janes and The Trees played many shows together during the late 1990's. Jebby struck up a friendship with The Janes and asked Brian if he would be into playing some gigs with The Trees. Since then, Brian has played guitar at many Jebby and The Trees gigs. Brian is currently in Star Fish 5 along with Paul Deal.

Doug Bosley was a singer/songwriter and guitar player for the band Elsie's Jewell. Jebby and The Trees and Elsie's Jewell played many shows together during the early 90's. When Bret and Fred left the band, Doug Bosley joined the band. Jebby had just finished "Paper Boy" and was putting a band together to play the stuff live. Doug played in the band for a short time, then quit to attend law school in North Carolina.

Mike Day joined Jebby and the Trees after Fred Nelson left the Band. By the time Mike started playing in the band, most of the basic tracks on "Paper Boy" had been recorded. With the addition of Mike Day and Doug Bosley, Jebby and Mike (Harris-Jones) focused their attention on putting a band together to play the stuff live. Most of the songs the new "Trees" played were off of the CD, but they did work up some songs that were only performed live. One of the most memorable songs was "Sunday Sunshine." Mike Day's drumming on this song was a big part of what made it work so well. As Lance Taber and Jebby were finishing up "Paper Boy", they decided to record one more song for the CD. "Jody and the Bulldog" was the last song recorded on "Paper Boy" with Mike Day on drums. ( Doug Bosley had left the band to attend law school in North Carolina by this time.) Mike was asked to join Everybody Duck a short time later and he took the job. Jebby and Mike (Harris-Jones) hated to lose their drummer, but were happy to see Mike do so well with Everybody Duck. Currently Mike is a Youth Pastor in Southern California.

Jebby and Lynn go way back. Lynn played bass with Jebby in the Straight and Narrow Band. Most incarnations of that band consisted of Jebby's siblings plus Lynn. Occasionally Lance Taber would play guitar with them. Jebby and Lynn have worked together since then in various projects. Currently, Lynn is the bass player in the Shine On Band and has filled in for Mike when he was not able to play a Trees gig.

Jim was the first drummer in The Trees. Jebby and Jim had played together in The Straight and Narrow band before Jebby was in I Love Ethyl. Jim played on the first three Jebby and The Trees/2nd Mile projects. He left the band and moved to Washington. He has since moved back and is playing in various Praise and Worship bands.

Jim was born and raised in Capital Park. While he was young, Jim would go over to the Capital Garage and listen to local songwriters perform their songs. Jim knew that he didn't have a future as a songwriter because he couldn't speak English or any other language for that matter. Jim knew he had a future in music, but his dreams weren't fully realized until he met Jebby. Jebby and Jim clicked from the first moment they met. Jim was a history buff and as a result he found Jebby's knowledge of the Civil War interesting. Jim first joined The Trees on stage at the now closed Pilgrim Cafe. When Jebby introduced the band toward the end of their set, it was Jim that received the most applause. Jim hasn't appeared with The Trees recently due to a freak accident that occurred while on stage with the band in Placerville, CA. Jim was too close to a stage light and was burned. Although he rarely is seen with the band live, he continues to be with the band in spirit.

Kim has been playing with the Trees since 1998. She made her debut with the band at the Capital Garage in Sacramento when Jebby called her up to sing back up vocals and play some percussion on "Happy Birthday to Me" and "I Let Go." By the next gig, she had learned all of the backing vocals and played some percussion and keyboards. Since then, she has been appearing with the Trees quite often. Kim started out as a piano player, but switched to singing while in high school. She has sung in many gospel groups in the past and is currently in "The Shine On Band" where she sings lead and backing vocals. When Jebby's CD "Paper Boy was recorded, Lance Taber added a lot of percussion and some backing vocals to the songs. When Kim plays with the band, the songs sound more like the way they were intended to sound.

Al has known Jebby longer then anyone. They're brothers. Al and Jebby were in various bands during their younger days. Al was in the Straight and Narrow Band for a time. While Jebby was the Director of Arts and Worship at Horizon Baptist Church in Galt, he tried to get Al to play drums for the new worship band at the church plant. At first Al refused, but then agreed to play when he saw Michael Harris-Jones off the bass and trying his best on the drum kit. Jebby and Mike were thrilled to have real drummer in the worship band. Eventhough that band is no longer together, Al, Jebby and Mike play at various churches around Sacramento. Recently Al has also played the drums for many Trees gigs .

Fred Nelson replaced Jim Heberling and was the drummer for the Trees up until Jebby recorded his solo CD. Fred appears on Jebby's CD as well as Bret Bingham's first solo CD. While Fred was in the band, he was also in a band called Jack which later became Oleander. Oleander signed a deal with Republic Records. Fred is currently on tour with Oleander and doing quite well.

Mark played with Jebby and the Trees in 1998, providing drums and backing vocals. Mark has been playing in bands since he graduated High School. Early on Mark played in a band called Whitefire which toured heavily and opened shows for Tower of Power and Lynyrd Skynyrd. After Whitefire, Mark joined The Scratch Band, which became the 77's. They released their first album, Ping Pong Over The Abyss in 1980 with Mark playing drums, lead and backing vocals. He wrote, "It's so sad" and collaborated with Mike Roe on "How Can You Love" and the title track "Ping Pong Over the Abyss". Next, Mark formed the Blitz Band with guitarist Jeff "Led" Smith. With Tom Johnston on bass, they recorded Armageddon. When Tom quit the band Mark learned about bass guitarist Mike Fulp (Harris-Jones) through Pat Boylan of First Strike. Next, they recorded "In Your Face." After Mike quit the band, Bob McCord took over on bass and the Blitz Band played many live shows throughout Northern California. After the Blitz Band disbanded, Mark continued to work on various projects. He co-wrote a children's musical called "A Sling and a Prayer," and is in The Shine On Band.

Only the Devil wouldn't love Dave Swearingen. He is a talented musician with experience in almost every aspect of popular music. He started out playing guitar in funk bands in his early years. Later he joined Rhema as the bass guitarist. Dave is also a talented sound engineer and is the owner of Clarity Sound. When you usually see Dave at a Jebby and The Trees concert he is behind the mixing board. He has been known to grab a guitar and set in with the band on occasion.