Concert Preview: Strand of Oaks in Arden, Delaware

Boundless indie rock excitement is coming to Arden, Delaware. Philadelphia’s own, Strand of Oaks, a special welcoming by WXPN will take over The Arden Gild Hall in Arden, Delaware this...

Boundless indie rock excitement is coming to Arden, Delaware. Philadelphia’s own, Strand of Oaks, a special welcoming by WXPN will take over The Arden Gild Hall in Arden, Delaware this Thursday evening, September 18 at 8:30 pm with opener Christopher Denny.

The indie folk rock local mastermind,Timothy Showalter (a.k.a. Strand of Oaks), is amassing an incredible national following in a short period of time. Showalter is not new to the music scene as he has been creating folk rock for a long time and has a 4 album discography. It has been just now that many of us are seeing what the buzz is all about. Strand of Oaks has released its breakthrough album HEAL. They are now in the midst of a huge US and subsequent European tour spanning the country to packed venues much to the delight of enthusiastic fans and critics alike.

Additionally, in the Spring, they played NonCOMM. This summer, they played WXPN’s  XPoNential Music Festival and received accolades helping to catapult Strand of Oaks to the world. Plus, they have most recently sold out very quickly two shows back-to-back this week at The Boot & Saddle in Philly and played live on national TV on the Seth Meyers show. Plus, he has visited countless radio stations for in-studio performances across the country. Many, including myself, are touting this album highly, and HEAL is destined to be on “Best of” lists at the end of the year. A visit from Strand of Oaks to the Arden Gild Concert Hall is a unique chance to see and hear why this band has been taking the local scene and the nation by storm.

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Plain and simple: the new LP HEAL is a powerful record on so many levels. SPIN magazine talks about Tim’s tumultuous personal experiences, a tragic past relationship experiences, addiction and near death car accident. As a result, Timothy Showalter has embraced the muse and created an incredible emotionally packed and cathartic introspective album, full of powerful lyrical imagery and explosive hook-filled choruses loaded with energy ranging from soaring and fuzzy guitar licks to layers of synthesizers, sparkling/ dreamy keyboards and pounding drums with lots of electronics. Some of those textures are electronic and groove oriented (on the track “Same Emotions”), making this such a dynamic and creative album. Each song supports Timothy Showalter’s raw and intense lyrics, fine song structure and at times just a huge epic wall of sound with waves of emotion and power.

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As the story is told by Timothy Showalter on his twitter site, Strand of Oaks likes to perform live, and we like to hear them perform. Catch them live at The Arden Gild Hall 2126 The Highway, Arden, Wilmington, DE 19810 this Thursday, September 18th at 8:30 pm with Christopher Denny.

Heal is out now on Dead Oceans Records.

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Written by Jon Crary & All photos by Joe del Tufo

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Live EventsMusic

Jon Crary is an avid music fan. Jon's roots are the late 70’s punk and the new wave scene, but his influences are early 70’s glam- Roxy Music and David Bowie. His tastes evolved in the 80’s to include his influences’ copiers – Japan, Duran Duran and New Order. He hosted a radio program where Echo and the Bunnymen and the Smiths were staples. Now, their legacy is well documented. Many people think he has great taste in music, and he actually has a good record collection. He is also a semi-musician having played the bass guitar in a French garage rock band. Now, you will see him enjoying the new music of this and the last decade…thanks to Interpol “Turn on the Bright Lights” album for which he will forever be grateful for revitalizing music for the new generation and old.

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