Strand of Oaks
Hello! Tim here. My band is called Strand of Oaks. This is my eighth record and it’s called Miracle Focus.
I spent over three years building Miracle Focus. In the midst of writing, I became a painter and spent two seasons acting on a television show (Mayans MC). The dichotomy of painting for days in my garage and then flying out to LA to play a villainous biker on TV was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.
Adding new elements to my creative life began a journey of liberation and provided me a window into a whole new approach to songwriting. For most of my past records, I tried to come to terms with trauma, the ups and downs of life, and transfer those experiences into songs. I’m very proud of all the work that I did, but frankly, I was just exhausted being “me.” I needed to fully dismantle the person I’d become in my 40 odd years on this planet.
The idea of Miracle Focus was born out of one simple concept: to make people feel good. Throw in a healthy mix of Ram Dass, yoga, Freddie Mercury, Alice Coltrane, and Beastie Boys plus over a year of writing and building the extremely dense architecture of the songs, and Miracle Focus was born. The result is FUN, wild, rhythmic music filled with synth layering and mantra-like lyrics intended to uplift and hopefully bring some light to whoever listens.
One of my greatest blessings has been my ongoing collaboration with my best friend, Kevin Ratterman (Invisible Island), who entered my life at a time when I needed a positive force. After two records together (Eraserland, In Heaven), I felt like it was time to create music with the sole purpose of joyful expression. I went into the studio in Spring of 2023 and Kevin and I immediately had a creative synchronicity unlike anything I’ve experienced. I was going back and forth between the studio and acting on Mayans and felt completely alive. I was also thrilled to be able to sing again with my dear friend Lacey Guthrie, whose voice perfectly matches mine. The only rule we had in the studio was to keep the channel open in communication with the universe!
In many ways, this record is a love letter to bliss. Through meditation, I found a way to connect with something greater, a positive force that allowed me to write music as a manual towards a more love-focused life. And the miracles I refer to aren’t asking the universe for anything, it’s just acknowledging and celebrating this complex beautiful moment that we all get to share. It will be gone, it will reemerge as something new, that will be gone, repeat….repeat…repeat…this eternal cycle. My most sincere hope is that whoever listens might through sonic osmosis experience a similar joy.
Sending peace and love. Thank you for your time. -Tim