Hello Reader,
I’ve been a Strand of Oaks fan for over a decade now. Maybe I’m a bit biased as I am definitely a loyal fan. I remember Tim Showalter playing acoustic sets in front of small crowds often. He was one of the early artists Josh and I bonded over, we went to see Strand of Oaks often when he was in town. At times, others would join Josh and I to see him, often becoming bigger fans during the show. Tim has never been short at putting his entire heart into a performance, captivating a crowd with his songwriting and voice and storytelling. Tim was gracious and inviting, joining the crowd on the floor as we sung the lyrics together. He created lasting memories for many. Tim was in our town often as he formed close relationships with that music community, and they helped launch his musical career. A few years later, Tim reimagined the music he was putting out. He went from the beautiful, haunting loner folk featured on Leave Ruin (2009) and Pope Killdragon (2010), to forming a band and “went electric,” performing for larger and larger audiences. They put out some rockers, some contemplative ballads, some tasty jams, some great singles and great studio EPs, and albums: Dark Shores (2012), Darker Shores EP (2013), Heal (2014), Hard Love (2017), the compilation Harder Love (2018), Eraserland (2019), and In Heaven (2021). I loved hearing “Goshen ’97” on the radio, the first Strand of Oaks song that got airplay! I can’t say I’ve heard a bad Strand of Oaks record or been to an average show. If you haven’t heard any Strand of Oaks records before, you’re in a for a treat. Check them out!
That being said, I’ll be as objective as possible while sharing my thoughts about the latest music released and their first live album release by Strand of Oaks entitled Live in Pustervik.
Full disclosure: We were not compensated for our thoughts; all thoughts are entirely my own. I am not a trained reviewer, just a music fan with a decent writing voice.
This 12-song release does not offer a complete retrospective but that’s not its intent. Songs performed were taken from three Strand of Oaks albums. To me, it’s awesome to hear a live recording. The fact that this content now exists brings a smile to my face. Sonically, Live in Pustervik, is of great quality. There are stellar performances from Tim and his band and there was some lovely crowd interaction. I’d recommend listening to the album as the artist intended in track order, but if you’ve never heard Strand of Oaks before, I would start with by first listening to “Ruby,” off this album, as the song has a little bit of everything in it.
While listening to Live in Pustervik you can hear Tim’s smile that is common to see in his live performances. There was great energy throughout. Listening and getting lost in the sauce, I’m transported back to several of the Strand of Oaks performances I’ve been to. I’m happy this album was made available to the public. I can’t recommend listening to Live in Pustervik enough and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 5/5 Scum Drops. Scum Drops? Yes, that’s our unique branded rating system here.
My only follow up, is that I hope Strand of Oaks release more professionally recorded live content. The selfish, longtime fan in me would love a different setlist to get even more songs out to our ears on a live album format.
Live in Pustervik Tracklist (song time) [original album the song was released on, in brackets]:
- Keys (7:36) [Eraserland]
- Easter (4:01) [In Heaven]
- Ruby (6:06) [Eraserland]
- Galacticana (6:20) [In Heaven]
- Hurry (9:24) [In Heaven]
- Hyperspace Blues (3:17) [Eraserland]
- Same Emotions (6:19) [Heal]
- Shut in (solo) (4:22) [Heal]
- Forever Chords (10:37) [Eraserland]
- Weird Ways (7:38) [Eraserland]
- Goshen ’97 (3:24) [Heal]
- JM (12:17) [Heal]
In addition to their bandcamp page, Strand of Oaks website is a great place to get solid merch and all of the wonderful music. https://www.strandofoaks.net/
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
