No clever caption needed here. Philly folk-rock singer/songwriter Timothy Showalter, better known as Strand of Oaks, dropped a gorgeous, haunting rendition of a Ryan Adams’ track "My Wrecking Ball" on his SoundCloud account this week – and the song speaks for itself.
Adams’ original version (also released this year) has piano chords and a melancholy feel, and while Showalter's is similar, his delivery feels a bit softer. Or maybe I just associate Ryan Adams with all my angsty years of yore, and the black and white video and his unkempt locks do nothing to dismiss this affiliation.
They're both indie-rockers, but Strand of Oaks has that rock-infused, folk-ferocity akin to the The Avett Brothers – compressed power and emotion, and a laser-focused energy that feels bigger than its acoustic sound. He released his fourth album HEAL earlier this year, a raw memorial to music of his youth, and a road-map of his trying past that's riddled with an affair, house fire and near-death car accident. So if you want to wax nostalgic after streaming the cover below, scoop up his album here.
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