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Feb 19, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Strand of Oaks

Strand of Oaks (the project of Timothy Showalter) is releasing a new album, Eraserland, on March 22 via Dead Oceans. Previously he shared its first single, and opening track, “Weird Ways” (which was our #1 Song of the Week). Now he has shared another song from it, “Ruby,” via a video that is made up of home movie footage captured by his father (Jeff Showalter) on a video camera when he was a child. Nathan David Smith directed the video. Watch it below, followed by Strand of Oaks’ upcoming tour dates.

Showalter had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘Ruby’ is the happiest song I’ve ever written. Ruby isn’t a person, rather the concept of time and memory and how with every passing year it becomes non linear. In the past I would’ve dismissed such unabashedly pure optimism, but I’ve been through a lot and I’ve learned to appreciate those rare moments of light.”

Showalter had this to say about the video: “This past year my little brother Jon spent countless hours trying to convert my family’s collection of home movies. Somehow my dad in 1988 got a camera with ‘Buick Points’ and then proceeded to have a side career as world-class cinematographer.”

The majority of My Morning Jacket (Carl Broemel, Bo Koster, Patrick Hallahan, and Tom Blankenship) back-up Showalter on Eraserland, which also features Jason Isbell and Emma Ruth Rundle.

The album is the follow-up to 2017’s Hard Love. Kevin Ratterman produced the album, which was recorded at La La Land Studios in Louisville, KY. A previous press release set the stage for the album: “Empty and determined that he would never write songs again, dark thoughts crept in and Showalter, concerned for his own well-being decided to go on a spiritual pilgrimage - to the Jersey Shore.” His friends in My Morning Jacket, especially Carl Broemel, heard Showalter was in a bad way and offered their assistance in recording the next Strand of Oaks album, that they could be his backing band. So Showalter got to writing and demoing the new album in February 2017, alone in Wildwood, NJ. Then the album was recorded in Louisville in April 2017.

“This project seemed to just fall together naturally,” said Broemel in the press release. “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.”

My Morning Jacket’s Patrick Hallahan added: “I remember sitting next to Tim and Kevin listening to the final mixes with tears rolling down my cheeks. From start to finish, this one came from the heart.”

The press release called “Forever Chords” the definitive track on Eraserland, saying the song is “the manifestation of everything he hoped to achieve on this record and for Strand of Oaks as a whole.”

Showalter added: “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.”

Read our review of Hard Love.

Strand of Oaks Tour Dates:

4/10 - FM Kirby Center - Wilkes-Barre, PA
4/11 - U Street Music Hall - Washington, D.C.
4/12 - Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC
4/13 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
4/14 - Saturn - Birmingham, AL
4/16 - Antone’s - Austin, TX
4/17 - Three Links - Dallas, TX
4/19 - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, NM
4/20 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ
4/22 - Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA
4/23 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
4/25 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR
4/26 - Neumos - Seattle, WA
4/27 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
4/28 - The Bartlett - Spokane, WA
5/1 - Turf Club - Minneapolis, MN
5/2 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
5/3 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
5/4 - The Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
5/6 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
5/7 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
5/8 - Sinclair - Boston, MA
5/9 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
5/10 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA
5/20 - Metropool - Hengelo, THE NETHERLANDS
5/21 - Blue Shell - Cologne, GERMANY
5/23 - Loppen - Copenhagen, DENMARK
5/24 - Privatclub - Berlin, GERMANY
5/25 - TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht, THE NETHERLANDS
5/26 - TRIX - Antwerp, BELGIUM
5/27 - Omeara - London, UK
5/29 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
5/31 - Whelan’s - Dublin, IRELAND

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