Strand of Oaks captivates Turf Club with new songs from Eraserland

Strand of Oaks is the rock-n-roll project by songwriter Timothy Showalter who is from Philadelphia, PA. On his sixth album, Eraserland that was just released in March, Showalter recruited My Morning Jacket band members Tom Blankenship, Patrick Hallahan, Bo Koster, and Carl Broemel to back him in the studio. The result is a lush record, highlighting Showalter’s wonderful songwriting, and the subtle nuances of the very talented musicians backing him.

On tour to support Eraserland, Timothy Showalter and his band graced the Turf Club in St. Paul on a cool and rainy spring evening. The club was just over half-full, but those in attendance were graced with a beautiful performance. Staring off with the dynamic-building “Weird Ways” from Eraserland, Strand of Oaks were dialed in and sounded amazing. “JM” from his 2014 album HEAL had a grungier guitar sound and “Shut In” from the same album was goosebump-inducing and evoked a sound similar to that of fellow Philadelphians, The War on Drugs.

Showalter asked the crowd to send some love to his wife back home, before stepping into his ode to her, “Keys” from Eraserland. Standing directly in front of Showalter, I could see his eyes wet with emotion and the song pulled hard at the heart strings. Besides this moment, Showalter was all smiles and so grateful for his fans in the crowd.

The night ended with “Forever Chords” from Eraserland. While the album version is stunning, hearing Showalter and his band play it live took it to another level. Extending out past ten minutes, everyone in the crowd rocked along and it felt like it ended far too soon. On a cool and rainy night in St. Paul, “Forever Chords” spilled out into the streets after the show and followed me all the way home. Timothy Showalter is an amazing songwriter and well worth seeing live. Don’t miss Strand of Oaks if you get the chance.