Strand of Oaks: “Last To Swim”
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Strand of Oaks is made up of one man: Timothy Showalter of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. With his beard and acoustic guitar, the term “folk troubadour” might come to mind. But Showalter’s music is bigger than that. As Strand of Oaks, he constantly toys with the conventions of folk music. His second album, Pope Killdragon, came out last year, and it’s been hailed for its imagery and broad range of emotion.
Musically, Strand of Oaks is only confined by Showalter’s imagination. He can go big, like on the climax to album highlight “Last To Swim” or the gloomy instrumental “Giant’s Despair.” Alternately, Showalter shows a knack for capturing small, almost-absurd moments, like Dan Aykroyd’s thoughts on the death of John Belushi on “Daniel’s Blues.” With either way, it all adds up to a pretty compelling listen.
It’s enough to get former Archers of Loaf singer Eric Bachmann to take notice. Strand of Oaks is the opening act for Bachmann’s new band, Crooked Fingers, on a national tour that makes a stop tonight at the Mohawk (show starts at 9 pm). In the meantime, take a listen to our song of the day: “Last To Swim,” by Strand of Oaks.
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