After a hiatus with band members traveling to California and dealing with family loss, Chicago-based rock band Scattered Trees reunited to put out its first album in five years. Its newest tracks with multi-layered instrumentals and soothing vocals have already leaked, but other artistic projects are on the horizon to garner a larger audience.

The Chronicle caught up with lead singer Nate Eiesland to chat about the five-day music festival in New York sponsored by College Music Journal—a music events and publishing company—the prospects of a new documentary and coming home to Chicago.

The Chronicle: How did the band start?

Nate Eiesland: I had moved to Illinois outside of Chicago, and it was the hometown of four of the six members. Through playing music and being serious musicians, we connected and ended up playing a lot together. [We] forged some really tight friendships and eventually formed this band around the songs I was writing.

The Chronicle: I noticed similar last names between band members. What’s

the relation?

NE: My wife Alissa [Eiesland on keyboard] and I have the same last name, and two of the members, Jason [Harper on guitar and keyboard] and Baron [Harper on drums] are brothers. And then the other guys [Justin Eisenbraun on guitar and Ryne Estwing on bass], we’re all just friends. Maybe there will be more last names to join the band, who knows how many members we’ll be?

The Chronicle: What was creating your latest album like?

NE: This album was really unique. My father actually passed away a year ago, and I ended up writing all these songs because song writing is just cheap therapy. All these songs [were] written, and I shared them with all the members. It lit a fire under us to get the songs recorded. So we cranked an album out in about four weeks. That record will officially be released in January 2011.

The Chronicle: How is the sound and feel different on this album compared to the album you did five years ago?

NE: It’s totally different. Albums, for me, are a snapshot of where you are in life. The first record was a season of falling in love, and it was great. Everything was rosy. This record is quite different because it’s a concept record about loss and death. [It’s about] changing your perspective on things you thought your whole life and how unsettling that can be.

The Chronicle: What was the experience at College Music Journal for you?

NE: It was a whirlwind, a great whirlwind. Everything happens like electricity. You play a show, then find out you have a surprise photo shoot the next morning and it’s great because it’s this photographer who is amazing [and] you never thought you would get the chance to work with. You say “yes” to every opportunity that comes along.

The Chronicle: Is your documentary in the works?

NE: Yes, that’s a very interesting part of what we do. Within the band, we’re all artists [as well as] apart from the band, so this documentary is about us and the band. It introduces all of us and everything but there’s this overarching theme of how these six people came together. These connections that happened outside of our relationships are beyond serendipitous. Part of it is about the record, and part of it is about the individuals. I think we’re going to release that over a period of six weeks leading up to the release of the record.

The Chronicle: What’s next for you guys?

NE: The biggest thing on our horizon is trying to make our homecoming show [in] Chicago the best it can be. We haven’t played in Chicago in more than a year. Because of everything that’s happened we’ve spent some time off, but we’re all really excited about this show and hoping to make a big splash coming back to the city.

Scattered Trees will be performing at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., on Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $8 and the show is 21+.