Strand of Oaks- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee 10 Year Anniversary Block Party, 6/24/17

photo by Will Piper

It is hard to find a musical act that loves what they are doing more than Timothy Showalter from Strand of Oaks.  This was Strand of Oaks's second stop in Milwaukee since March and with each performance his crowd continues to grow.

Strand of Oaks has been riding high off of their critically acclaimed record 2017's Hard Love and has been tirelessly touring on the album's behalf.

photo by Stephen Bloch

In an 88.9 Radio Milwaukee studio session with DJ Ken Sumka, Showalter talked about how Milwaukee has almost become like a second home to him, and how Strand of Oaks has frequently played Milwaukee due to the great friends he's made in town and strong support from local fans and radio play. Showalter referenced early tours with Juniper Tar and a friendship formed with Field Report's Chris Porterfield as well.

During the stripped down session, Showalter and his guitarist played toned down renditions of "Radio Kids," (the first single off of Hard Love), as well as "Goshen '97" (off of Strand of Oaks break through release 2015's HEAL), and debuted a reworked version of the rock 'n roll juggernaut "Rest of It," from Hard Love, which translated great live.

For their evening set, Strand of Oaks delivered nearly an hour of high energy rock 'n roll with swagger.  Every Strand of Oaks show is different, as Showalter and his bandmates often provide improvisational jams into their songs to allow band members to stretch themselves and for Showalter to cut loose as a front man.

photo by Will Piper

Strand of Oaks's performance at the 88.9 Radio Milwaukee Block Party was nothing short of a Milwaukee love fest, with Showalter grinning like the Chesire Cat from Alice in Wonderland constantly throughout the set, even amid some minor technical glitches during "Shut In." Highlights of the set included Showalter dedicating the track  "Plymouth" (off of HEAL) to the people of Milwaukee who have supported him from the start, as well as rousing renditions of "JM" (also off of HEAL), and a full-blown rock 'n roll version of "Rest of It" to close the show.  Based on the fantastic reaction from the crowd and Showalter's genuine enthusiasm for performing, expect to see Strand of Oaks back in town before you know it.

photo by Ken Sumka