video blog

Tim describes what happened at the Trombone Shorty show at South By South West 2008 when he was surrounded by older drunk women and one particularly frightening plastered woman (who really should have known better!). This is the following morning at the hotel with the rest of The Oaks


SXSW 2008 - A strange night

Order "Songs For Waiting"

Order the Brand New Album SONGS FOR WAITING (Release Date: March 4, 2008) -- CLICK THE ALBUM COVER BELOW

Making of "Songs for Waiting"

Shows - see all 1

Live on Fair Game/PRI

Our Story

In late 2003, just two years after 9/11, The OaKs's Ryan Costello sold everything he owned, joined a humanitarian organization and moved to Afghanistan. Late at night, while the dust storms blocked out the stars and rattled the windows, he would sit and work out impressions of what he had seen and heard that day on his acoustic guitar. After returning to the United States, Costello joined back up with his long-time creative and song-writing partner Matthew Antolick, who was drumming full-time in a Moroccan band. Antolick and Costello began working out Costello's melodic ideas and lyrical concepts, home-recording what eventually would become Our Fathers and the Things They Left Behind. The release of Our Fathers... drew immediate attention to The OaKs and the attention quickly went national as Paste magazine featured Costello and The OaKs in their July 2007 cover story "Can Rock Save the World." The OaKs also partnered with Global Hope Network on the release of Our Fathers...and agreed to donate 50% of the profits from each CD or track download from that album to aid widows and recently-returned refugees from Afghanistan. Costello and Antolick immediately realized the difficulty of translating their multi-tracked compositions into a live setting with just a duo, and began working to put together a band of diverse musicians who could make the compositions come to life on stage.

In July of 2007 the OaKs began recording Songs For Waiting. Using the warm, full sound of Costello's old house, they determined to use no artificial reverb on the new album, instead using room mic'ing techniques to mix the elements together in the style of their favorite 1960's jazz and rock albums. The OaKs employed trumpet, trombone, sax, Hammond organ, bells, analog synths, acoustic and classical guitars, electric and acoustic bass, a plethora of shakers, tambourines, and hand-drums, and a Wurlitzer electric piano from 1959. The album was mixed using as few modern mixing tricks as possible, including no artificial reverb or delay. The OaKs' Songs For Waiting was finished on November 8, 2007. The new album was released on March 4, 2008.

Stream the new album right now at www.theoaksband.com

Occasional Musings.... - see all 9

Melissa sings with Ingrid Michaelson. Best. Night. Ever! Jun 17

Last night, I got to sing up onstage with Ingrid Michaelson at the Social. TWICE. Ahhhh!!!!! :):)

This is what happened.....

Links

Check out our feature article in the July 2007 Issue of Paste Magazine here

Read more about Ryan's work doing agricultural development in Afghanistan with Global Hope Network at www.ghni.org

and see the photos Ryan took while living in Afghanistan here

Become a "friend" of the OaKs on our myspace page (yeah, I know, but we sort of have to...) here

and, finally, you can check out our Sonicbids electronic press kit here

Thanks for stopping by! Much love, The OaKs