Strand of Oaks.
So I spent the majority of my late afternoon and evening trapped in a wave of embarrassment. I’m prone to confusing myself into such situations, but this one was a real marvel.
Anyway, I went on a bit of a music rampage through the world wide web in hopes to take my mind away from those events, and actually came up with some really remarkable finds.
What is most memorable (and worth sharing) is this live set by an artist who I hold very high up on my list of favorites, Strank of Oaks. The recording is fairly short, and really quite simple. There’s barely any talking or banter at all. However, just to hear Tim Showalter and a guitar is a truly marvelous experience. I highly recommend it in person, but these live recordings give you a bit of the raw aesthetics I’m talking about.
[I’ve put them all as individual tracks]
1 - Leave Ruin
3 - Daniel’s Blues
4 - Sterling
5 - Two Kids
6 - End in Flames
And after some continued browsing, I found an interview that contained this question. It should be noted that Showalter lived in Wilkes-Barre, PA for six years working as a teacher and bus driver. I think this basically kind of sums up the kind of guy he is:
You’re a teacher. Are your students aware of your music or does music play any role in your instruction?
I sing all the time in class. My students are probably sick of it. I also have this ongoing Lord of the Rings type of saga with my bus-riders. We mostly put on Sigur Ros albums and tell stories about powerful wizards and a reluctant king. Last spring, the story and the song were so intense I found myself tearing up. Then I looked over and this too-cool-for-school eighth grader was also teary. The king had just died in battle and was floating over the battle field. I think it happened right around the end of track 7 on the album. It sounds funny, but it really showed me how beautiful kids’ imaginations are. I have always secretly wanted to do stuff like that, but working with kids allows me to. I also organize the music for our annual Thanksgiving Program. This year my second grade wrote and performed “WO WO Thanksgiving.”
As for the students’ knowledge of Strand of Oaks, it’s little to none. Unless they “surf the net,” they just think their teacher is some weird dude with long hair. I like to keep the two lives separated.
