One of my favorite new discoveries in some time has been Strand of Oaks Leave Ruin. It’s a record that warrants multiple spins and deserves to reach a wider audience. Today, I offer you an interview I did with the man behind the music, Timothy Showalter.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of Leave Ruin? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

I think the songs actually began on old my dictation tape recorder. I would play one part, then put the tape in the stereo and play along to that. That was how I tried to layer the songs but that quickly lead to pretty terrible sounding stuff.

These songs have existed for a pretty long time, so they have seen a lot of growth through the years. A few of the songs were made into a demo for some tours. The album really started with my collaboration with my friend Lou. I was a fan of his first record Bare Bones and Branches and I especially liked how that sounded. So as Lou and I started playing music more, he suggested we work at the studio that recorded Bare Bones. We went to Dan’s House Studio which is run by our friend Dan Mckinney. The basic tracks were recorded with Dan and then we finished the rest of the album with Tom Asselin. Tom and Lou put in A LOT of hours (probably more than I know) into completing the record. It is very humbling to know that they would spend so much time on my songs. I really think that is why the record became a fully realized piece.

As for the future, I finally bought some home recording gear. So far I’ve only recorded weird New Order type songs but I’m feeling much more confident. I’m anxious to start working on my next batch of songs and this is a great way to sketch them out. I think the greatest lesson I learned is that I can’t do this alone. I’ve learned to really appreciate and rely on others input.

Your press page describes a devastating fire that cost you your personal belongings and led to some rather unsavory sleeping conditions. What was that experience like and how does an experience like that come through in your music?

There was about a six month period in my life where a lot of stuff went wrong. The fire was kind of the finale of all those events. In hindsight, I’m pretty sure I lost my head for a good month or two. The craziest thing I did was take a nap in, what was, my room the day after the fire. I woke up wet and really dirty. My school got me a hotel room and after that was over, I just stayed were I could. I didn’t have a phone so I became really isolated. I eventually got a tiny apartment and things naturally started rebuilding. I think the fire simplified everything so much that besides finishing college, writing songs was all I really did. Back then, I would’ve liked anything to distract me, but I’m glad I had that time.

When did you start playing music? When did you decide you’d like to be a musician?

I think my entire musical experience started with my love of the synthesizer. I met my friend Dustin in seventh grade and he introduced to electronic music. I started obsessing with owning and playing synth. We saved for a long time and both finally bought our own keyboards. We would go to his mom’s house and plug our synths into the stereo. I didn’t know how to play the piano, so I just made weird noises, but Dustin was really good at making melodies. My teenage years were pretty much a disaster, and the times Dustin and I played were some of my happiest. It’s funny because I just bought a synth this week and I’m planning on going back to my old ways. Actually, I’m not sure why I ever started playing the music I do now. Weird.

The internet has dramatically altered the way artists can reach an audience. With things like blogs/myspace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

I definitely still have my internet training wheels. I’ve made a very small trail in the woods but I’m absolutely clueless when I stray off path. Most of my opinions with the internet are conflicted. On one hand I love the access to all the music that once lay in some record store far away from where I grew up. But this access does take away from the act of discovery. I still listen to the same tapes I made when I was middle school. I have a lot of great memories from friends and older kids showing me something for the first time. It felt special. Its hard for me to get that same feeling when everything is available so quickly.

I would also be lying if I said I didn’t frequent the internet often. I’m probably a lonely guy deep down and connecting with anybody feels really nice. This definitely correlates with my music. Most of my friends are involved with music and this provides a nice way to keep in touch. My day always perks up when I get some nice feedback or when a friend sends me new music their working on.

For the time being I’m still relatively innocent to how the internet could hurt my music. I can’t wait for people to hear the record. I can imagine I might think differently in a year, but hopefully not.

You’re calling Pennsylvania home. Tell me about where you live and why you’re there.

Wilkes-Barre basically exists in another dimension. That’s why I love it so much. National opinion of my area is almost comically low but I couldn’t think of a better place to have spent the last six years. I also wouldn’t dare any outsider to make those remarks to those that live here. People protect this place because they know how deep the community runs. I’m proud to be from Indiana, but I do feel like I should’ve been born here. Besides my family, everyone important in my current life is somehow connected to this place. When I first moved here, I was given a lot of reason to leave but I just didn’t. Because of that, I was able to meet my soon to be wife, and have a crazy but fulfilling job. Another huge bonus is that Wilkes-Barre is probably one of the cheapest places to live in the country. This is the why I’m able to make records and afford to live without to many financial consequences. I actually have to move to Philadelphia for two years in order for my fiancé to get her Masters but it’s not going to take much persuading to get me back here.

Most people have certain artists that made a big impression on them. That could either influence their music or just make music an important part in one’s life. Do you have any artists that fit that description?

I love listening to music but I’m not sure if any particular artist has gone that deep for me. I thought a lot about this question and I think the main influence would probably be my Grandpa H. Dale. I think the closest thing he ever got to real art was hosting a radio show called “Melody Farms.” His art, I believe, was creating an awesome life purely off of his own work (with massive help from my Grandma, of course). He took a ton of risks but he had this incredible foresight to know that he was making the right decisions. He passed away two years ago, and I feel like I inherited his sense of urgency. I am by no means taking advantage of this feeling yet, but it’s there. I want to make the most of opportunities when it comes to music. I think his inspiration is much more powerful than the records I love. He taught me how to take life seriously and to have a fear of laziness.

Wow! Maybe I went a bit heavy there, I also REALLY love Billy Corgan’s guitar solos on Siamese Dream.

What was the last show you went to see as a fan?

That’s hard…aside from playing shows, I don’t get out much. Lou and I went to see this group called Miracle Condition at the Glasslands Gallery last winter. They used to be in U.S. Maple, but now they just really love reverb and finger tapping. They were unbelievable. They were so good, I’m not sure if they even exist. Do you know? God they were HEAVY! I love that band.

What is on your bookshelf at the moment?

AHHHH, don’t bring up bookshelves. I was on crutches for a week out of pure hatred of IKEA crap. I demolished a bookshelf with the bottom of my bare foot this fall. My foot looked like a grapefruit. I told everyone at school that I fell in the bathtub.

Right now, I’m juggling a few great books. I just read The Survival of Scotland by Eric Linklater. It covers the whole Scottish history up until England took over. I’m also finishing To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck. I think I’ve read it every winter for the past six or seven years. But my main reading has been One River by Wade Davis. The book follows the histories of Davis and his teacher Richard Evans Schultes. Schultes was one of the first botanists to explore the Amazon in the forties. He was the world’s leading scholar on plant hallucinogens. Then Davis goes back to the same places thirty years later. It’s kind of like a tangible scientific version of Castneda’s Don Juan. I strongly recommend it.

My fiancé also has a ton of books that make me feel stupid.

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.

What was it like touring with Jason Anderson?

Jason is one my closest friends, but I can’t begin to describe how much I look up to him. We’ve been playing shows on and off for the past four, and each time I see him live, I’m awestruck. He puts so much of himself into his work and it would be really hard to find anyone else out there that could match him. I like to consider him the musical equivalent of Larry Bird.

My favorite show memory happened this summer when we played Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. We were staying on the island for about two days and had one concert scheduled. We played the show, and then the next night played a community concert. After the concert, Jason led a hike to the cliffs on the other side of the island. About ten of us sat on these really high, sharp cliffs and just played songs late into the night. It’s going to be very hard to top that night.

Now that Leave Ruin has been released and your recording/working on new material do you have any intentions of touring? If so, where?

Yes! Just the idea of shows gets me excited. I’m always pretty limited with school, but I’m gathering some shows for the winter. I get a two-weekend vacation for the holiday Pesach, so I’m already planning shows for this time. Since I spend a lot of time playing in New England, I want to head out as far west as I can get. I played an amazing show in my hometown of Goshen last spring and I’m going back there, so the Midwest will definitely happen in April. I’m getting married this summer and also moving, but I’m still planning to be out playing as much as my schedule allows. I’m also dead set on getting back to England and catching up with the amazing people I met a few years back. I’m basically excited to play anywhere I can in the upcoming future.

Buy: Amazon Digital ($7.99)
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Myspace: Strand of Oaks
MP3: Strand Of Oaks – “End In Flames”