Strand of Oaks

Strand of Oaks

Strand of Oaks is the rock project of American songwriter and producer Timothy Showalter. The act is associated with folk rock, indie folk, indie rock and rock, and also sits within folk and singer-songwriter territory.

Background

Showalter is from Goshen, United States, and was born in 1982. He writes as a solo project under the Strand of Oaks name. His early writing is shaped by a period in 2003 when his house burns down, his fiancée leaves him, and he begins writing songs on an acoustic guitar while living on park benches in suburban Philadelphia.

Recorded work

Those experiences inform his debut album, Leave Ruin, which centres on loss, brokenness and lack of faith. Showalter later moves away from autobiography in Pope Killdragon, a second record that uses more fictional and historical imagery. Its sound includes unusual synthesizer textures and a stoner metal track, and its songs include figures such as John F. Kennedy and Dan Aykroyd in invented narratives.

Style and themes

Strand of Oaks begins with stark, personal material and then expands into more surreal and narrative songwriting. The project combines acoustic-based writing with rock arrangements, while Showalter’s work is described as both intense in subject matter and varied in form.

Personal context

Showalter is now married and lives in Philadelphia.