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Night one of Strand Of Oaks’ fifth-annual Winter Classic at Philly’s Boot & Saddle was something of a homecoming for Tim Showalter, who recently moved to Texas—and it was a most welcome one. If there was a single sentiment that prevailed, it was this: He may be an Indiana native and a Texas resident—and he may have even spent significant time in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.—but Philly is where Showalter is from as an artist, and this is his family forever.
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Strand Of Oaks has always been whoever Showalter says it is—especially at the Winter Classic shows, which have been everything from solo auteur to quasi-full band to special collaborations. On this night, lap-steel journeyman Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner proved to be one of the best guests of the series, first with a solo instrumental workout that peaked with “Hava Negila,” then by adding a melancholy edge to Showalter’s bruised and brooding songs.
Highlights: “Visions,” “Forever Chords,” a cover of Songs: Ohia’s “Whip-Poor-Will” and a new song about cosmic dust and aliens listening to Jimi Hendrix 50 years after he died.
—M.J. Fine; photos by Chris Sikich
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