Strand of Oaks is not a band per se, but the solo project of Philadelphia-based musican and producer Tim Showalter; his 2014, HEAL, was called one of the best new releases last year. Prior to this release, he was known as much for his emotive folk/Americana as his tumultuous personal history; lately, thankfully, it's the music that's taken center stage. As Diffuser noted in its review: "Aside from its lyrical content, HEAL captures Showalter’s move from spare, folk-Americana to a big-muscled sound influenced by 1970s classic rock. Showalter embraced big-scale production from the ’80s as well, with songs like the synth-driven 'Same Emotions; 'that essentially re-create the production template of the era. In other cases, such as on downtempo number 'JM,' Showalter cleverly blends introspective Americana, piano pop, brooding arena rock, and huge swells of guitar into a seamless new whole that’s both familiar and fresh."
Strand of Oaks performs Sunday, September 13 at 5:30 p.m. For more information go to loufest.com.
