Strand of Oaks

Last updated
Strand of Oaks
Strand of Oaks press photo 2014.jpg
Background information
Birth nameTimothy Showalter
Also known asStrand of Oaks
Born (1982-07-20) July 20, 1982 (age 41)
Goshen, Indiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active2003–present
Labels

Strand of Oaks is the rock project by songwriter and producer Timothy Showalter. Originally from Indiana, he currently resides in Austin, Texas. His music has been classified as rock and folk, as well as folk rock. [2]

Contents

Showalter has released eight studio albums—Leave Ruin (2009), Pope Killdragon (2010), Dark Shores (2012), Heal (2014), Hard Love (2017), Eraserland (2019), In Heaven (2021) and Miracle Focus (2024). [3]

Early life

Showalter was born in Goshen, Indiana. In middle school, he took an interest in organized sports and wanted to become a basketball player. Showalter's athletic career ended early because he developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; he took an interest in music and began to pursue a career in teaching instead. [4] After high school, Showalter moved from Indiana to Pennsylvania. [2]

Career

While Showalter was on tour, his wife had an affair. He moved back to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 2003. Months later, he came home to find his house burned down. [2] Showalter spent his nights in hotels and on park benches with a borrowed guitar while working at an orthodox Jewish day school. During this time, he continued writing music that would later be released. [2]

Leave Ruin (2009)

Showalter's first album Leave Ruin was released in 2009 on the Pennsylvania label La Société Expéditionnaire [2] while touring and collaborating with Lou Rogai (Lewis & Clarke). [5]

Pope Killdragon (2010)

Pope Killdragon is a self-released album by Showalter. The album was produced by audio engineer, Ben Vehorn. While holding onto Strand of Oaks' folky sound, Vehorn added in synthesizers and effects pedals to create an album with a sound that was unexplored territory for Showalter. [2] In between tours, Showalter wrote music for what would become Dark Shores. He recorded this album with John Vanderslice who produced the songs.

Pope Killdragon marked a turn in lyrical and musical style for Strand of Oaks. Its music featured strong Synth-pop influences, with Showalter explicitly citing Kate Bush and Tangerine Dream as influences on the sound of the album. [4] Lyrically, the album marked a turn to surrealism and fantasy with fewer autobiographical elements than Leave Ruin. [6] [4]

Despite receiving largely positive reviews, including an 8.1 from Pitchfork , [6] and a B on Consequence of Sound , [7] the album sold poorly and received little attention before the release of Heal.

Dark Shores (2012)

Dark Shores is the second album self-released by Showalter. Stylistically the album represents a turn to a more straightforward rock style; it is the first Strand of Oaks album recorded entirely with a full band. [4] Showalter cited Neil Young as an influence on the style of the album. [4] Lyrically, the album continues themes from Pope Killdragon, with some songs on Dark Shores being direct sequels to songs on Killdragon. [4]

Heal (2014)

Once Showalter returned from tour, he got to work recording about 30 demos in three weeks. He wrote and recorded songs in his home studio which led to the album, Heal. This was the first album Showalter released on Dead Oceans.

On Christmas Day in 2013, Showalter and his wife Sue were driving back to Philadelphia from Indiana when they hit a patch of ice and crashed into two semi-trucks. Showalter suffered a concussion and broke every rib on his right side. The near-death experience gave Showalter a boldness during mixing sessions while creating Heal with John Congleton, just days after the crash.

Heal received much acclaim, being named one of the best albums released in 2014. Showalter has toured extensively in support of the album and opened for Jason Isbell, Iron and Wine, and Ryan Adams. Strand of Oaks made their television debut in 2014 appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers. [8]

Hard Love (2017)

On December 1, 2016, Timothy Showalter announced the fifth album from Strand of Oaks called Hard Love, which was released on February 17, 2017. He also released the first single off the album called "Radio Kids". [9] Strand of Oaks appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly, live at the Troubadour in L.A., first broadcast May 17, 2017. [10]

Hard Love received mixed to positive reviews from critics after its release. Metacritic assigned it a weighted average of 65, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11] In Pitchfork, Stephen M. Deusner wrote that the album "never really adds up to a particularly clear or bold statement," ultimately assigning it a score of 6.5 out of 10. [12] In a more positive review for The Line of Best Fit , Erik Thompson gave Hard Love a 9 out of 10 and praised its optimistic tone. [13]

On January 19, 2018, Showalter released a follow-up to Hard Love, Harder Love, through Dead Oceans. The project was announced in December 2017, and includes demos, B-sides, and alternative renditions of songs from Hard Love. [14]

Eraserland (2019)

On March 22, 2019, Strand of Oaks released their sixth album, Eraserland via Dead Oceans. The lead single off the album, "Weird Ways", was released January 15, 2019. [15]

On February 19, 2019, Strand of Oaks released a second single from the album. Called "Ruby", Showalter called it the "happiest song I've ever written." [16]

To promote the release of Eraserland, Showalter (with Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, My Morning Jacket members Bo Koster and Tom Blankenship, and Will Johnson) appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and performed "Ruby". [17]

In Heaven (2021)

On October 1, 2021, Strand of Oaks released their eighth album In Heaven. [3] It was preceded by the single "Galacticana". The record includes contributions from the Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha on the song "Easter".

Discography

Albums

EPs

Compilations

Singles

TitleYearPeak
chart
positions		Album
US
AAA
[18]
"Maureen's" [19] 2012—Dark Shores
"Spacestations"—
"Shut In"2014—Heal
"Goshen '97"—
"Radio Kids"201728Hard Love
"Weird Ways"2019—Eraserland
"Ruby"36
"Galacticana"202126In Heaven
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron & Wine</span> American musician (born 1974)

Samuel Ervin Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album. He occasionally tours with a full band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Mascis</span> American musician

Joseph Donald Mascis Jr., better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist and played drums and guitar on other projects. He was ranked number 74 in a Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists", and number 5 in a similar list for Spin magazine in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drive-By Truckers</span> American rock band

Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alabama. The group also has roots in Richmond, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M83 (band)</span> French electronic music project

M83 are a French electronic music group formed in Antibes in 1999. Initially the duo of multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Fromageau and Anthony Gonzalez, Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring for their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Gonzalez remains the sole constant member of the project, as the primary songwriter and lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Dear</span> American music producer, DJ and artist

Matthew Dear is an American electronic music producer and DJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hecker</span> Canadian electronic musician, producer, and composer

Tim Hecker is a Canadian electronic musician, producer, composer, and sound artist. His work, spanning albums such as Harmony in Ultraviolet (2006), Ravedeath, 1972 (2011) and Virgins (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed. He has released eleven albums and a number of EPs in addition to a number of film scores and collaborations with artists such as Arca, Ben Frost, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Daniel Lopatin, and Aidan Baker.

<i>The Dirty South</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Drive-By Truckers

The Dirty South is the fifth album by American rock group Drive-By Truckers, released in 2004. The Dirty South is Drive-By Truckers' second concept album. Like its predecessor, Southern Rock Opera, the album examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammock (band)</span> American ambient/post-rock band

Hammock is an American ambient post-rock duo formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005 by Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Lotus</span> American record producer from California (born 1983)

Steven D. Bingley-Ellison, known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label Brainfeeder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Isbell</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1979)

Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Koster</span> American musician

Bo Koster is an American keyboardist and record producer. He is best known for his work as a member of the band My Morning Jacket and as a touring musician with Roger Waters and Ray LaMontagne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blake (musician)</span> British musician (born 1988)

James Blake Litherland is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition following the release of three extended plays—The Bells Sketch, CMYK and Klavierwerke—in 2010. He signed with A&M Records to release his self-titled debut album (2011) the following year, which was met with critical praise and peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. He then departed the label in favour of Republic Records, through which he released his second album, Overgrown (2013) to further critical and commercial success; it likewise peaked within the chart's top ten and moderately entered the US Billboard 200. His third album The Colour in Anything (2016) was followed by his 2018 single "King's Dead", which peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart and marked his first entry–at number 21–on the Billboard Hot 100. Its success foresaw the release of his fourth album, Assume Form (2019), which yielded his highest entry on both the UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200. His fifth and sixth albums, Friends That Break Your Heart (2021) and Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023) followed thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Shadow</span> American musician (born 1983)

George William Lewis Jr., better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor based in Los Angeles. He has released five studio albums to date: Forget (2010), Confess (2012), Eclipse (2015), Caer (2018), and Twin Shadow (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Olsen</span> American musician

Angel Olsen is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturgill Simpson</span> American country music singer-songwriter

John Sturgill Simpson, also known as Johnny Blue Skies, is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. Simpson's style has been met with critical favor and frequent comparisons to outlaw country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shamir (musician)</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1994)

Shamir Bailey is an American singer and songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada. His debut extended play (EP), Northtown, was released in June 2014 to positive reviews. In October 2014, he signed to XL Recordings and released the single "On the Regular". His debut LP Ratchet was released on May 19, 2015 in the United States. Since then he has released seven independent studio albums, Hope (2017), Revelations (2017), Resolution (2018), Be the Yee, Here Comes the Haw (2019), Cataclysm (2019), Shamir (2020), and Heterosexuality (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Jenkins (rapper)</span> American rapper from Illinois

Jayson Mick Jenkins is an American rapper based in Chicago and signed to Cinematic Music Group. His mixtape, The Waters, was released in 2014, followed by the Waves EP in 2015.

Dave Cobb is an American record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, best known for producing the work of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, Take That, Rival Sons, and Zayn Malik, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Breakfast</span> American indie pop band

Japanese Breakfast is an American indie pop band headed by musician Michelle Zauner. Zauner started the band as a side project in 2013, when she was leading the Philadelphia-based emo group Little Big League. She has said that she named the band after seeing a GIF of Japanese breakfast and deciding that the term would be considered "exotic" to Americans; she also thought it would make others wonder what a Japanese breakfast consists of.

DJDS is an American production and DJ duo consisting of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy, based in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ↑ "Strand of Oaks Announces New Album, Shares New Song "Galacticana"". Under the Radar . 8 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oliphint, Joel (23 June 2014). "You Gotta Heal: Strand of Oaks Faces Down His Demons". Spin. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Strand of Oaks Announces New Album in Heaven, Shares New Song". Pitchfork . 9 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Miller, Joshua M. (21 August 2012). "Strand of Oaks: A Tale of Perseverance". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Strand of Oaks bio". JamBase. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Strand of Oaks: Pope Killdragon Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Strand of Oaks - Pope Killdragon". Consequence of Sound. 6 October 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  8. ↑ Kaye, Ben (August 12, 2014). "Watch: St. Vincent and Strand of Oaks perform on Late Night with Seth Meyers". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ Yoo, Noah (1 December 2016). "Strand of Oaks Announces New Album, Shares New Track "Radio Kids": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Rebroadcast 6/27/2017.
  11. ↑ "Hard Love by Strand of Oaks — Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. February 17, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  12. ↑ Deusner, Stephen (February 23, 2017). "Strand of Oaks: Hard Love". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Erik (February 10, 2017). "Strand of Oaks: Hard Love". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  14. ↑ Leas, Ryan (19 January 2018). "Strand Of Oaks' Harder Love Is A Glimpse Of What Hard Love Could Have Been". Stereogum. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ Blais-Billie, Braudie (15 January 2019). "Strand of Oaks Announce New Album Eraserland, Shares New Song "Weird Ways": Listen". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Strand of Oaks Return With "Ruby", From the Forthcoming Eraserland Album". Music News Net. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  17. ↑ "STRAND OF OAKS Perform on Colbert w/ Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires & MMJ Members". Music News Net. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  18. ↑ "Strand of Oaks Chart History - Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Strand Of Oaks - Maureen's". Discogs (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-04-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.