After a tumultuous year and half of touring the country in support of his heavily lauded LP Heal, Strand of Oaks returned to Philly last December for an intimate Winter Classic series at Boot & Saddle. The event was two nights of anything goes, which allowed Timothy Showalter the chance to unwind among friends and perform extended cuts of songs, do an assortment of covers, and even try his hand at some comedy. The end result was so successful that the local area singer-songwriter will be coming back to the South Philly venue for the Winter Classic 2016, and it will now feature three nights of shows under the same format. Showalter also just announced that he will be releasing a new album, Hard Love, on February 17 via Dead Oceans, and shared its lead single, “Radio Kids,” so expect him to be heavily armed with new tunes. Strand of Oaks will be supported each night by the rock ‘n’ roll show review stylings of Jason Anderson. Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8:30pm, $15, 21+ (Photo by Alex Crick) – Bill McThrill
