Hej Strand Of Oaks!

Strand Of Oaks, eller Timothy Showalter som han egentligen heter, vet hur det känns när livet faller samman och ingenting längre går åt rätt håll. Och han vet dessutom hur man skriver musik om det. Den svenska publiken har kunnat lära känna honom som support till Tallest Man On Earth, men nu har det blivit dags för Strand Of Oaks att stå på egna ben. På onsdag hittar du honom på Pusterviks stora scen, och vi passade på att ställa ett par frågor.

Hi Tim! What are you up to right now?

– I am currently sitting in the back of a van driving to Berlin. I’m at the point of tour where exhaustion is equally mixed with inspiration. Its actually a blissful place to be. Looking out the window becomes hypnotic and there is so much time for introspection. It feels cleansing.

Sounds healthy. Ok, if there’s anyone out there who doesn’t know who you are, how’d you introduce yourself?

– I am a man from Philadelphia, US. I’ve been playing music for most of my life and used to teach eight year olds at a Hebrew Day School. But now Strand of Oaks is my life.

Tell me more, please!

– I tend to talk way too much about synthesizers and am also obsessed with islands for some reason. I also have three cats; Simone, Stanley, and Brutus. I think they are my only friends that don’t get annoyed when I talk for hours about synthesizers.

"I spent an entire year touring with The Tallest Man on Earth"

Haha, my colleagues are also completely obsessed with cats. But ok, tell me what you know about Swedes?

– Some of my deepest and most wonderful friends are Swedes. I spent an entire year touring with The Tallest Man on Earth and was lucky enough to support his Swedish shows this past winter. We became a family over that year. Actually I’ve never met a Swede I didn’t like. Some of the most gracious and kind people out there.

What feeling will you bring with you from Philadelphia, to us here in Gothenburg?

– Philadelphia is a tough town but also very honest. That’s something I love the most about where I live. There is a lack of pretentiousness that is so appealing to Philadelphians. We talk loud, we play loud, and we want to work hard. Music is a job and its also a spiritual journey. I want to bring both those elements to every show I play.

Do you manage to do that?

– It can be hard to balance sometimes, but when it works it can be a beautiful thing.

"Actually I’ve never met a Swede I didn’t like"

What will we miss out on, if we don’t show up at your gig at Pustervik?

– Well my drummer Chris gives some of the best hugs ever. So you’re definitely going to miss out on that if you don’t come.

How do you want your audience to feel right after you’ve finished your show?

– I believe this band’s mission is to dig deeper into life, whether its joy or pain. That’s what I’ve also loved about live music. I want to feel something and share something with everyone at the show. I know I might be singing into a microphone and the audience is listening, but we are a community.

Okay.

– The audience has chosen to come and that is such a great honor to me. Playing music is a very healing experience for me and I am very passionate to share that with people.

Can you discuss the writing and recording process of your first album, Leave Ruin? I read that you wrote it right after a really tough beriod in your life?

– Leave Ruin is based around some really bad times that happened to me about ten years ago. I almost got married and that feel apart, then a few months later my house burnt down. At the time it was horrible but looking back it allowed me to move on and become the person I am today.

"I want to feel something and share something with everyone at the show"

I also read that all your songs are based on true stories. But what would you never write about?

– That’s a difficult question to answer, Anna. In a way I do write about everything sometimes unconsciously. I write songs and it may take me some time to learn what they are actually about. The truth slowly reveals itself. Writing songs is my therapy so if I weren’t completely honest than it wouldn’t be meaningful.

So, what kind of music do you prefer listening to?

– I spent the past few years so focused on making music that I didn’t listen to much music. But recently I’ve begun collecting vinyl again and am really enjoying being a fan again. Right now I only have a few records on my ipod. I’ve spent so much time with The Tallest Man on Earth and Phosphorescent this year that their records are always on. The new National and Kurt Vile records are amazing too.

"Honestly music feels like food to me. I need it for my own survival"

Describe what life would be like without music?

– My whole life has been defined by music. So this is a very scary thought. Honestly music feels like food to me. I need it for my own survival.

Who’d be your absolute dream collaboration? Dead or alive!

– Nick Cave, Dirty Three, Sigur Ros, Tangerine Dream, Tears for Fears. And thousands more…

Thank you Tim, for such great answers. But before we say goodbye, I want to know what's on your agenda for the fall?

– Well I have a few more shows left on this European tour. Then when I get home I’m going to focus on making my next record this fall. I hope to have it completed and released by next spring. I’ve already started recording songs and I’m more excited about these songs than anything I’ve ever done. Its going to be a intense process especially the lyrics. So this tour feels like a great preparation for the work ahead.

Anna Wester