Strand Of Oaks

[jttouch2]

Man those fills on the end cadence are CLASSIC Patrick. Cannot wait to hear this full album. Also, a couple statements from Tim on the album:


This record wasn't supposed to be here.

I had thought for a moment Strand of Oaks might be over until a text from my friend, Carl Broemel, changed all that. Unbeknownst to me, four members of My Morning Jacket and Kevin Ratterman booked studio time to record songs I didn't think I'd ever write. But they believed I could and pulled me back from the brink. At last, the songs came–and quickly morphed into everything I've ever worked toward as this band.

These ten songs are about existing and continuing on, a testament to the hope that even if we feel like we are disappearing, there is that glimmer of light. You may not come out the same person you started as, but that's okay. I'm glad this record is here now for whoever chooses to find it.

Welcome to Eraserland, where we all can start again. ~tim

Pre-order Eraserland here: bit.ly/ERASERLAND

"When I was writing these songs, every day I would walk on the beach and I was completely alone and overwhelmed by fear...but then I realized how there really aren't any rules for who you are, who you'll become, or who you think you need to be. Eraserland is just that. It's death to ego, and rebirth to anything or anyone you want to be."
In December 2017, Tim Showalter was uncertain about his next record and the shape it would eventually take. With no new songs written and lacking any clear vision, he was unprepared for the message he would receive from his friend Carl Broemel, the conversation that would follow, and the album that would become Eraserland. Leading off with standout track "Weird Ways" and his powerful declaration of "I don't feel it anymore," Eraserland traces Showalter's evolution from apprehension to creative awakening, carving out a new and compelling future for Strand of Oaks.
"This project seemed to just fall together naturally," said Broemel, guitarist for My Morning Jacket. "I felt drawn to Tim's positive energy and his albums...I threw it out there that I'd be happy to help in any way I could with the record." Broemel quickly reignited Showalter's interest in what would become Strand of Oaks' sixth full-length studio release, and within 24 hours, My Morning Jacket members Patrick Hallahan (drums), Bo Koster (keys), and Tom Blankenship (bass) were also on board.
Revived by the support of Broemel and his bandmates, Showalter felt the pressure to deliver songs worthy of musicians he had admired long before and after a 2015 Oaks/MMJ tour. So in February 2018, he spent two weeks alone in Wildwood, New Jersey writing and demoing all of the songs that would eventually comprise Eraserland. And in April, he went into the studio to record with Kevin Ratterman at La La Land Studios in Louisville, Kentucky, and with Broemel, Hallahan, Koster, and Blankenship as his band. Jason Isbell also contributed his Hendrix-esque guitar work to Eraserland, while singer/songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle provided gorgeous vocals. Every song was recorded live, with all musicians playing together in one room and working to bring Showalter's ideas to fruition. "I remember sitting next to Tim and Kevin listening to the final mixes with tears rolling down my cheeks," said Hallahan. "From start to finish, this one came from the heart."
Each song on Eraserland sustains an openness and sensitivity that is enthralling, bolstered by the exceptional musicians there to realize it and rekindle Showalter's passion for music-making. The album finds Showalter successfully channeling the full spectrum of sounds within the Strand of Oaks discography, from fast, synthy tracks like "Hyperspace Blues" to epic burner "Visions, the gorgeous ballad "Keys," and his devastating acoustic performance on "Wild and Willing." But Eraserland also has moments of pure, upbeat exuberance, most notably on "Ruby," a rollicking, understated anthem driven by buoyant piano and one of Showalter's most infectious melodies to date. Isbell's magnificent shredding is showcased on "Moon Landing," Eraserland's preeminent off-the-wall groove, while the album's title track finds Showalter resurrecting his long-dormant alter ego Pope Killdragon for a striking, synth-laden duet with Rundle.
But in many ways, "Forever Chords" is the definitive track on Showalter's magnum opus, and the manifestation of everything he hoped to achieve on this record and for Strand of Oaks as a whole. "When I finished writing 'Forever Chords,' I felt like this is either the last song I ever need to write, or the rebirth of Strand of Oaks." Poignant and heart-rending, "Forever Chords" gradually builds toward an emotional release rooted in our own universal fears about mortality, personal legacy, and music as a saving force.
But it's that first Eraserland line, "I don't feel it anymore," that sets a stunning precedent for the most affecting and fully-formed album Strand of Oaks has ever released. Because despite whatever doubts or reservations Showalter had going into the process, he crafted a series of songs so perfectly matched to the musicians supporting it, and so emboldened by his own doubts and insecurities, that the result is glittering, powerful, and impassioned, a moving rock and roll saga that feels substantial and deeply satisfying, vulnerable and self-assured.

[Murph]

https://pitchfork.com/news/strand-of-oaks-announce-new-album-eraserland-shares-new-song-weird-ways-listen/

New album features Carl, Bo, Tom, and Patrick.... and Jason Isbell.  Where's Jim??

[gardenparty]

Jim is clearly enjoying being off doing his own thing

Excited to hear the rest of this album.  First single is very nice!

[parkervb]

love this track and I am going to try to catch this tour in Raleigh I think.

[Crispy]

FUCK YES

[sillyboob]

This is so good!!! Jason Isbell is part of the party too! Wow. I could see a great chunk of the next OBH standing in that room maybe.

[parkervb]

This is so good!!! Jason Isbell is part of the party too! Wow. I could see a great chunk of the next OBH standing in that room maybe.

your keyboard to God's ears.

[CountSA]

I wonder if the boys will be backing him on tour?

[sillyboob]

I wonder if the boys will be backing him on tour?

Very curious about that as well. I just checked Roger Waters' webpage and it says his tour is over (156 shows in 35 countries!), so Bo should be free.  I'm liking how this is looking.  Although I'm not stoked about a Monday night show in downtown LA, it's gonna make that a looonnnnggg week.

[gardenparty]

I wonder if the boys will be backing him on tour?

Very curious about that as well. I just checked Roger Waters' webpage and it says his tour is over (156 shows in 35 countries!), so Bo should be free.  I'm liking how this is looking.  Although I'm not stoked about a Monday night show in downtown LA, it's gonna make that a looonnnnggg week.

same thoughts on the Monday show.  Will be there though. 
I want to see a full band version of Sterling with MMJ backing.  That would be insane

[parkervb]

I wonder if the boys will be backing him on tour?

Very curious about that as well. I just checked Roger Waters' webpage and it says his tour is over (156 shows in 35 countries!), so Bo should be free.  I'm liking how this is looking.  Although I'm not stoked about a Monday night show in downtown LA, it's gonna make that a looonnnnggg week.

Carl's tour with Tyler Ramsey ends by March and gives them plenty of rehearsal time before the April tour kickoff. The way he describes how the band helped him with this album it would seem odd that they not back him. As far as any potential Jacket stuff, Jim has shows booked through first week of July and then they have the August shows. So it all seems to fit.

[Murph]

Tim is the new Ray

Guessing they are going to be touring as his band.. 

[Jbpats]

I'm wondering if they're going to be his backing band as well.
Carls' pedal steel in Weird Ways definitely made me miss MMJ

[rkwedge]

Great news, the boys always helping their friends 

[Clarkwork]

Tim replied to someone asking on social media saying the band is not backing him

[parkervb]

Tim replied to someone asking on social media saying the band is not backing him

that's a bummer. Thinking about it with this new information, I guess they would have announced them as backing on this tour when they released the dates. Regardless, I love the track and hope the rest is as good.

[sillyboob]

Tim replied to someone asking on social media saying the band is not backing him

that's a bummer. Thinking about it with this new information, I guess they would have announced them as backing on this tour when they released the dates. Regardless, I love the track and hope the rest is as good.

Agree it's definitely a bummer.  But I'm still getting tickets to the Los Angeles show today.

And I still think Strand Of Oaks would be perfect for the next One Big Holiday.

[tdb810]

Got my tickets for MHOW!

[APR]

Tim replied to someone asking on social media saying the band is not backing him

that's a bummer. Thinking about it with this new information, I guess they would have announced them as backing on this tour when they released the dates. Regardless, I love the track and hope the rest is as good.

That is a bummer, but thanks for the news.  I am digging the new song.

[parkervb]

Tim has some great things to say about working with Tom. Neat to hear other artists talk about working with the guys and how talented they are

https://twitter.com/Strandofoaks/status/1090288112033501190