New Strand Of Oaks- "End In Flames" mp3

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Strand Of Oaks: "End In Flames"

We've got a MUST LISTEN this morning courtesy of Strand Of Oaks, the nom de guerre of Pennsylvania Hebrew Dayschool teacher Timothy Showalter. "End In Flames" is a pensive, sometimes heartbreaking lament on years lost to love, to age and to tragedy, with an enchanting mandolin line meant to tug whatever innocence is left back into Showalter's life. It's the incredible lead track to the forthcoming Leave Ruin, which hits stores on Tuesday via La Societe Expeditionnaire.

In recent years, Showalter's been through a trying break-up, a fire that saw his house burn down and destroy all his possessions, and a subsequent bout with homelessness. Like all great art, though, that difficult stretch led to an intensely therapeutic, ultimately triumphant album in Leave Ruin. Showalter's wavering voice recalls Neil Young and Ryan Adams, themselves no strangers to a heart-on-sleeve mentality and a willingness to let vulnerability crack through their music. 

Download "End In Flames" above, repeat it incessantly like we have this morning, and order Leave Ruin at La Soc's online store. 

Hearty Welcome To LV Readers

We'd like to welcome a whole new audience of readers from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, after being linked on The LV Blogosphere via The Morning Call. It's an exciting opportunity to reach out to the area, and expand the musical palettes of its noble citizens. LV Represent! Stark was conceived one magical night on the footseps of Lehigh University, and the rest is history. (And if you'd like to know more about that history, we direct virgin readers to our About section.) Simply put, we can't forget our roots, which is why we're beginning to work diligently to better represent a pretty great place in our daily coverage. There's a lot of supercool things going on every night if you look hard enough; places like The Funhouse, The Wildflower, Crocodile Rock, Jan's Room, Godfrey Daniels, and Zoellner Arts Center (housing David Byrne a month ago) are among the many venues around the streets of Bethlehem, Allentown and Easton that are home to great independent music. And who can forget the 10-day oddyssey that is Musikfest? So check it, homeskillets: starting now, we'll bring you the best of your backyard. I love this place. Of course, we're including a performance for the most famous song ever written about the Valley after the jump.

VOTE: Pennsylvania Primary Tomorrow (April 22)

To Whom It May Concern,

Exercise your right as an American citizen and vote in the Pennsylvania primary tomorrow, if of course you are registered within the state. Duck of out work early, take a personal day, do whatever necessary, but don't be lazy. Honestly, how many times a day do you click the left mouse button? Just think of voting as one large mouse button — just click it. That is all.