Live Video: Strand of Oaks

For creators and fans alike, music has always provided catharsis, relief and healing. But Few artists tap so directly into that power as Tim Showalter, whose project Strand of Oaks goes so far as to name its most recent album Heal. Like pages from a diary, the Philly-based songwriter's lyrics delve into moments of crisis, frustration and, ultimately, inspiration that couldn't be more true to life, since they are his own – basically "comic book origin stories", as Showalter says in his insightful interview with the Morning Show's John Richards. But most importantly, his pull-no-punches approach on the more muscular and anthemic songs on Heal, which themselves pay tribute to their own inspirations, turn his moments into ours, making it impossible not to relate. So, take a script from KEXP and watch this entire performance and interview now. You'll be mainlining the healing power of Strand of Oaks before you know it.