Strand Of Oaks Shares ‘Moon Landing’ Alternate Take

Strand of Oaks shared an alternate version of the song “Moon Landing” from the recently issued album, Eraserland. The release today coincides with the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Strand Of Oaks mastermind Tim Showalter also celebrates his 37th birthday today. A message shared by Showalter with the alternate track notes today would have been the birthday of late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. Here’s what Showalter wrote:

If Eraserland is a place, Moon Landing is the door to get there. There is no chorus or even riffs. It is a glossary to help define who I was when I wrote the record and help piece together all the loose ends. On record it is a career highlight for me probably because my only contribution was vocals. When it came time to play this live, it was bittersweet, missing Jason Isbell’s guitar, Carl’s [Broemel] sax, Kevin’s [Ratterman] insane sonics, and really just everyone who was on that recording. Its meant to be a document and not to be duplicated. I was trying to unlock the song, and I sat on my acoustic strumming three chords and found a totally different song.

What I couldn’t recapture was the frenetic energy of studio production, but what I found was the emotional waterfall of lyrics that I honestly never paid a lot of attention to. Then the added weight of 50 years since the Moon Landing, 37 years since I was born, and the beautiful gift that I got to share my birthday with Chris Cornell. I feel like even the date of my birth sums up my life and musical career, the cosmic mixed with musical admiration. I hope you enjoy listening and do me a favor after you do put on “The Day I Tried to Live” and let it flow over you.

– Strand of Oaks

Stream Strand Of Oaks’ “Moon Landing (Alternate Take)” below: