By Jake Feala The beauty of South-by-Southwest is that you're equally likely to see music in a dingy bar, a bohemian coffee shop, or a giant outdoor stage. Friday's backyard barbeque, though, would have to be the most unique SXSW venue I've seen yet. Butterflies and charcoal smoke swirled in the air on an incredibly pleasant Austin afternoon. Only a short cab from downtown, the place was quite literally a backyard - two in fact - with an old, short wooden fence separating the hang-out/food yard from the music yard. Right in [...]
If you've been to the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin before you know the drill. Sore feet, bags under the eyes, hearing slightly damaged, voice lacking from talking over loud music constantly, slight hangover, and mandatory delays on your travel home are all some of the guarantees that attendees put themselves through. What could possibly make humans put themselves through such perils? What bands would be willing to endure days worth of driving and unimaginable parking hassles for the chance of playing in front of an unknown audience that chances are doesn't know [...]
Last night Strand of Oaks sat down in front of a fireplace inside a Wauwatosa home. Using a borrowed guitar he kept the attentive crowd of about 30 people in his gentle music grasp. Actually, it was more like a hug. The night was easy-going, filled with laughter, storytelling, and plenty of glasses raised in appreciation. The set included material culled from his 2009 release, Leave Ruin , and the intimate setting provided an opportunity to reveal new material from a forthcoming new release. Over the course of the [...]
SXSW bound Timothy Showalter aka Strand of Oaks will be in Milwaukee next week before heading South to Austin. Never one to miss a beautiful opportunity, we've arranged a very limited, 25 person house show on Monday, March 15th at 8pm. Cost is $10. Drop a comment or send me an e-mail to be put on the list. Download: Strand of Oaks - Daytrotter Session ++ Buy: Strand of Oaks - Leave [...]
Monday's Mail is Wednesday's Show. What is Monday Mail, anyway? It was funny to get this email from Jessi at Goldest Egg: Strand of Oaks is Timothy Showalter, an Indiana Mennonite turned Pennsylvania Hebrew Dayschool teacher who even drives the school bus for extra cash (and has sing-alongs with the pupils as they ease on down the road). While escaping a relationship gone worse, Showalter returned home one day to a house burned down, leaving all of his earthly possessions charred in flames. Spending nights in downtown [...]
It's no secret we love Strand of Oaks . We were lucky enough to have him at both of our 5-year anniversary showcases and are thrilled to have him on board with our SXSW showcase as well. Today, Daytrotter offers up a beautiful session with some of our favorites from the 2009 release, Leave Ruin . Perfect listening for a Sunday morning. Download: Strand of Oaks - Daytrotter Session ++ Buy: [...]
We are thrilled to announce our free SXSW day party going down at Habana Calle 6 in Austin on Thursday, March 18th . Across two stages , from 11am-5pm , we're showcasing Milwaukee's best alongside some of our favorite national acts . Admission is free . More details coming soon ! Until then, RSVP here Flier: Erik
Strand Of Oaks announce the stops of their Midwest-East Coast tour.
Muzzle of Bees crossed the 5-year line last month. What does this mean? Not much, but we figured that we'd use it as an excuse to showcase some of our favorite bands for a couple nights. In advance of our showcase in Milwaukee , we are supremely excited to call the High Noon Saloon in Madison our home for the night of Friday, February 19th . On the menu is the first Madison Juniper Tar performance behind their brilliant new Howl Street EP . In [...]
Time for the weekly mellow Sunday jaaaam. This one's from the inbox: Timothy Showalter (no relation to soup lover Michael Showalter) is a Hoosier now living in Pennsylvania who goes by the name of Strand of Oaks . Come for the echo of diverse musical influences, stay for the goosebumps: Strand of Oaks: End In Flames.mp3
Our friend Alt from Digits just sent us a link to a DJ mix he just posted on his blog . You all know how much we loved his debut album Hold It Close! , so we more than trust his taste in music. The mix features some of our favorite artists from 2009 like Au Revoir Simone, Little Dragon and Florence + The Machine. You can see the tracklist below and download the whole mix here . Enjoy! 1. Simian Mobile Disco – Cream Dream 2. Cloetta Paris – So Serious [...]
And we thought last week's was good ! Once again, we've pieced together a mix of the week's best new singles, remixes, and covers, along with mp3s from some up-and-comers you just might want to check out. Once again, the end result proved pretty epic! What are you waiting for? Scroll! Scroll! Scroll! NEW Singles: "LuvInIdleness" by Ben + Vesper "Symphonies" by Dan Black "On Time" by Disco Biscuits [...]
Last fall Pennsylvania band Strand of Oaks released their latest album Leave Ruin. They've been touring hard and finding unique ways to get their music out there ever since. One of those methods was to do a live appearance on HearYa.com. Now I ask you what is a live session without a Bruce Springsteen cover? Exactly. That's why Strand of Oaks obliged with a rendition of The Boss'
Phantogram by Doron Gild *Phantogram-When I'm Small ( mp3 ) ( web ) *Owen Pallet-Keep The Dog Quiet (Simon Bookish Remix) ( mp3 ) ( web ) *O'Spada-Ten Strikes (Daze Remix) ( mp3 ) ( web ) *The Soft Province-One Was A Lie ( mp3 ) ( web ) *Acrylics- All Of The Fire ( mp3 ) ( web ) *Seabear-Lion Face ( mp3 ) ( web ) *Strand Of Oaks-Two Kids ( mp3 ) ( web ) *Little Girls-10 Mile Stereo (Beach House Cover) ( mp3 ) ( web )
![[mp3] Strand of Oaks - "Two Kids"](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2309433_lg.jpg)
It was about a year ago that I first shared Strand of Oaks ' "End In Flames" on one of my monthly mixes. Well, songwriter Timothy Showalter is hitting the road to continue support of last year's Leave Ruin , and has released a second free download from the album - "Two Kids" - which is another dose of gorgeous, hushed indie-folk. MP3 :: Two Kids MP3 :: End In Flames (from Leave Ruin . [...]
Originally I had planned to put together a well thought-out mixtape every Friday. I thought it would be fun to cap off every week with a nice little collection of songs for your listening enjoyment over the weekend. Instead I've been putting together mixes at completely random times with weeks or months in between. I may want to be organized, but I'm never going to get there. Besides it's more fun to put together a good mix when the mood is right. I'm not sure exactly what that mood is, but I suppose I'm experiencing it right now. Here's the 5 Score [...]
Yesterday we got an e-mail from our friend Jessi at Goldest Egg telling us about the new US tour dates for Strand Of Oaks. Now, being on this side of the pond, we're not going to publish those as many other US based blogs surely will, and anyway we can't go to any of them.However, it does give us an opportunity to offer you a track from their outstanding album Leave Ruin, and to repost their
Strand of Oaks har en rätt gripande historia. Timothy Showalter, som mannen bakom egentligen heter, var en småskolelärare som älskade musik. Han körde till och med skolbussen för extra pengar och sjöng med barnen under färden mot skolan. Men på det privata planet var allt inte idylliskt, och medan han flyende försökte komma undan en relation som inte längre fungerade kom han hem en dag och såg sitt hem brinna ner (därav låten End in flames ). Allt förstördes och Timothy sov på skabbiga hotell och parkbänkar om vartannat, men gitarren fanns alltid med. Och sorgen gav inspiration [...]
Strand Of Oaks (Tim Showalter) put out Leave Ruin in 2009 and it has become a favorite album of mine. We're pleased to share the news that he's about to hit the road and has offered a second track for free to the fans. "Two Kids" is my favorite song from the album and it's now available to download. Support this fine musician if he passes through your town. Strand Of Oaks - Two Kids Other tracks: Strand Of Oaks - End [...]
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