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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
 Posted - 29/04/2016 : 19:09:53
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Strand of Oaks
The project of Goshen, Indiana-based singer/songwriter Tim Showalter, Strand of Oaks specializes in bold and anthemic indie Americana that draws from classic rock and folk, skillfully blending traditional singer/songwriter catharsis with stadium-ready melodies in the vein of artists like War on Drugs and My Morning Jacket. Showalter, who began writing and performing in 2003, issued his first collection of songs under the moniker, Leave Ruin, in 2009 via the Pennsylvania-based indie label La Sociˇtˇ Expˇditionnaire. Strand of Oaks' sophomore outing, the appropriately titled Heal, arrived in 2014 via Dead Oceans Records after a period of turmoil and self-reflection.
Really, really like this guy..enjoy!
Strand Of Oaks "Shut In" / Out Of Town Films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl1Ie6gSGPQ
The Dead Oceans debut from Goshen, Indiana-based songwriter Timothy Showalter, better known by his plant-based alias Strand of Oaks, Heal arrives after a period of personal tumult and self-reflection, and its ten tracks spend a considerable amount of time exploring its author's formative years, referencing everything from plastic Casio keyboards and "Singing Pumpkins in the mirror" to lost loves, skinny dipping, and the enduring works of the late Jason Molina, who is properly eulogized on the epic, Crazy Horse-kissed "JM."
Musically, Showalter draws from the same pool of familiar sounds as fellow neo-classic rock/overshare pop artists like the War on Drugs, Phosphorescent, the Low Anthem, and My Morning Jacket -- J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) sits in on lead guitar on the blistering, appropriately titled opener "Goshen 97" -- but he's got a flair for electro-pop as well, even if songs like "Same Emotions" and the propulsive title cut sound like they should be followed up by a quick Casey Kasem recap.
Okkervil River's Will Sheff mined a similar vein of nostalgia on 2013's The Silver Gymnasium, pairing high school memories with richly detailed retro-pop, but Showalter's take on the past is a bit more raw and unhinged. Songs like "Woke Up to the Light," with its seemingly innocuous Alphaville "Forever Young"-inspired foundation and the churning "Mirage Year," the latter of which explodes into a full-on sonic assault that sounds like it must have taken weeks to clean up after, present themselves as measured and somewhat even-tempered, but like the majority of Heal, they're barely contained time capsules on the verge of catharsis, and whatever beauty they possess will ultimately burn up upon re-entry.
Watch this outstanding performance....
Strand Of Oaks - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) Recorded August 26, 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9VaNamkXw0
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The actual writing of a song usually comes in the form of a realisation.
I can't contrive a song. Š GENE CLARK
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Edited by - lemonade kid on 29/04/2016 19:12:21 |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2016 : 14:49:14
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Interview: Strand of OaksÕ Tim Showalter
Posted on August 1, 2012 by Joel Oliphint / ©done waiting.com
Satellite Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imxhP-_KTT4
Timothy ShowalterÕs Strand of Oaks returns to Columbus on Thursday (8/2), this time opening for The Tallest Man on Earth at the Wexner Center. Showalter is one of my favorite musicians and always a fun interview, so I had to ask him a few questions about the direction of his just-released Dark Shores. Gone are the walls of synth of Pope Killdragon, replaced instead by reverb-less vocals and John Vanderslice-approved acoustic arrangements.
You can find an abbreviated form of this interview in The Other Paper this week, but hereÕs the full email exchange that Tim and I had over the past couple weeks.
Was John Vanderslice someone you had in mind when you were writing these songs, and how much did his aesthetic and input influence the sound of Dark Shores?
Actually the record was started twice. I went back to my friend Ben (Vehorn)Õs studio in Akron last October. I had wanted to do this giant synth follow up to Pope Killdragon, and Ben was the perfect person for that. So we recorded about half the record, and it kept growing more epic. I hadnÕt finalized lyrics yet so they weÕre basically instrumentals. When the lyrics were done I quickly realized that this record was not going to be what I had initially planned. The lyrics became incredibly real to me and the fantasy element didnÕt fit anymore.
Right around that time, I was in San Francisco and visited John (Vanderslice) at Tiny Telephone. We clicked immediately and began planning the record. John was a producer in every sense of the word. I trusted his decisions and what he saw in the songs. Our goal with the record was to finally capture my singing right. ThereÕs always been this disconnect with how I sing live and how itÕs recorded. John wanted the voice to rise above everything else.
One of the main reasons I wanted to work with John was his production on The Mountain GoatsÕ The Sunset Tree. It might be one of the most beautiful sounding records IÕd ever heard. It was quite the nerd-out moment when I was able to reference parts of that album for my own.
The Sunset Tree is one of my favorite albums of all time. I have to say I was really surprised at this direction, though. I was expecting more of the Ņgiant synthÓ follow-up.
Yeah, I first heard Sunset Tree when I was touring with Kimya Dawson in the UK. She put it on and I remember the whole van stopping silent and we listened to the whole thing. A very powerful and moving memory.
Honestly, I was surprised with the direction, too. ThatÕs something that IÕve learned not only with making records, but my life. You canÕt expect ****. Whether good or bad, every time I get comfortable with whatÕs around the corner, IÕm wrong. I still listen to those first synth versions of Dark Shores and love them, but I know theyÕre not right. It probably wouldÕve grabbed a lot of peopleÕs attention faster, but in the long run it really wouldÕve destroyed the purpose of the songs. I think it was important for me to feel naked with the lyrics. When I wrote Killdragon, I wasnÕt ready for that. I needed the characters to be the buffer between my reality and the song.
ŅSpacestationsÓ feels so different than the version you recorded for the Shaking Through project.
When I recorded the first version of ŅSpacestationsÓ I still needed that buffer. That song came out so ****ing good. We created something amazing with that song, but I felt like the lyrics got lost amidst the sonic weight. When we recorded it at Tiny Telephone it was all done in one take with no added effects. ItÕs hard for me to listen to that because itÕs totally exposed.
Do you think a giant synth follow-up will still happen, or do you feel at home with this new sound?
I have no doubt IÕll go back to synthesizers. IÕm already writing the next record, so who knows.
Do you plan to tour on this record with just an acoustic guitar, or are you bringing along your electric and what youÕve referred to as your Ņspaceship of guitar pedalsÓ?
For the tour IÕm on right now with the Tallest Man on Earth it will be me and Chris Ward (Pattern is Movement) on drums. Chris is my favorite drummer on earth and really makes a two-piece feel much more expansive. IÕve actually dismantled my pedalboard in favor of much simpler tones. I got sick of reverb and really into slap-back delay tones. I want my guitar to sound like John LennonÕs voice on Plastic Ono Band.
Can you tell me about releasing this album on your own again? Is it by choice? After the last album, I assume you had some label suitors?
We did have a lot of interest. There are still a few labels that I want to work with in the future, but we decided that self-release was the most ideal for Dark Shores. IÕve learned that the only thing I can expect is what this band can do for itself. When itÕs time to expand the team and include the label, I want it to be the perfect match. As for now, IÕm really impressed with how far a self-release can progress a career.
Dark Shores
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZDNOnXXXqc
Last Grain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ucL57dY_Bc
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The actual writing of a song usually comes in the form of a realisation.
I can't contrive a song. Š GENE CLARK
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STRAND OF OAKS-bold, raw cathartic rock & folk
