The roots of Oak is Keeping began in mid-2006 when Shay Isdale (guitar/vox) and Mastin Kirksey (drums) decided to quit sitting on their asses and started writing music again. They called the project Dead Leaves, which was later changed to legal reasons. (It was a pretty lame situation.) While writing and recording, the two played with several musicians but didn’t find the full band until old friends Andrew Carlson (bass/guitar/slide) and Hannah Durham (guitar/bass/ vox) joined their forces; along with Nathan Marchese (Keys/vox) the group began playing live. However, this line-up was short lived when Carlson and Marchese moved out of Austin. The search for new band mates was short lived when Kyle Robarge, who actually rehearsed with the early creations of Dead Leaves, began to play with the group in July of ’07.. Isdale, Kirksey, Durham and Robarge are writing and playing shows around Central Texas.
The group has influences ranging from Queens of the Stone Age, Toadies, Cream, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Willie Nelson, Metallica, Jimmy Eat World, Muse, Wolfmother, Spoon, Foo Fighters, The Mars Volta and on and on…..And the outcome of this group of diverse musicians……..
Huge, dark guitars, pounding drums and powerful bass lines all with a touch of classic rock, and a hint of blues. Soaring harmonies with brash lyrical content about every thing from murder to love. Songs can range from hard rock, like “What We Live,” powered by a thumping drum beat and heavy guitars, to power-pop rock such as “So Sweet,” driven by keys and harmonies.
Oak is Keeping is currently booking shows around central Texas and building their fan base with hopes of hitting some big stages. With almost 10 shows under their belt, their crowds have ranged from 60-70 on Thursday and Friday night at the Red Eyed Fly to upwards of 100 at the Curtain Club in Dallas. They have appeared on a local TV show, Infynit Hour, where they played a 30-minute live set, and have had several songs featured on an independent musicians website, redfizz.com. Members of the site rate and review a band’s songs, and these are things they have been saying….
-- “So Sweet”
This is retro pop-rock bliss.
-- “Burn it all Down”
This band sooo rocks! Good writing, dynamics, the total package...
-- “Book of Matches”
Wild composition w/some hellacious playing--neat vocals, lyrics...You do your own
thing and you do it very well. Awesome!
-- “Tell Me These Things”
Holy #@&%! this is #@&%!in unbelievable, i feel like it's 1978 and i'm stoned and
hearing led zeppelin or aerosmith or something for the first time, dudes, this is
awesome.
