Album Notes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL HOPE NETWORK, 50% OF THE PROFITS FROM EVERY CD SOLD WILL GO DIRECTLY TO AID RECENTLY RETURNED REFUGEES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF AFGHANISTAN.

In 1999, in a lone apartment complex a few miles from the University of South Florida in Tampa was where The Oaks traces it’s roots. A chance meeting, Matt brought his djembe over riffing under Ryan’s acoustic guitar, and soon they realized that they had a musical connection neither had ever experienced.

Underpinning their musical philosophy was also a strong sense of the needs that existed in the world around them. In 2001, as the world’s eyes turned towards Central Asia and the Middle East,

Ryan started to look into humanitarian organizations that were serving in that part of the world. In 2002 Ryan was accepted into Global Hope Network, an organization that focuses on serving in the most remote places around the world. At the beginning of 2003, Ryan went with GHN to Afghanistan, and came back with an overwhelming passion to move there and serve. He then spent 2003 traveling and speaking to raise awareness of the needs in Afghanistan and learning about teaching creative agriculture.

At the end of 2003 Ryan moved to Kabul, where he began to study Farsi and learn the Afghan culture. He began to travel out into the central mountains, spending time with the recently-returned refugees there, learning of their needs, conducting surveys and doing distributions of seeds to help the farmers get back on their feet. In 2004 he helped to start the Hope Center for Agriculture and Nutrition Development where farmer’s families could come and learn creative agricultural techniques and nutrition and hygiene.

In the meantime, Matthew stayed in the States, completing a Master's degree in environmental ethics, teaching undergraduate philosophy courses and playing in various projects throughout the Central Florida area. Eventually, Matt began to pursue playing full time, earning enough through playing drums to support his family. Ryan and Matthew kept up email correspondence, exchanging occasional song ideas. While in Afghanistan Ryan met an a girl from Washington state named Denise who was teaching English to government officials.

In 2005, after two years, Ryan finished his two-year commitment in Afghanistan and returned to Orlando where Matt was living. As they started to spend time together again they found they had even more to express musically and lyrically from their experiences over the past few years. They began to work on a new album, recording completely in Matt and Ryan’s living room.

They began to see a theme come together on the concept of those who came before, of learning from “our fathers” who walked the paths and made the difficult choices that we are making now.

In the summer of 2006 they started to put together a live band, joined by Naomi Schalm, who sings backup on 4 tracks on the album, Greg Willson on guitars, Jeremy Siegel on bass and occasional trombone, and Tim Cocking on keys, accordian trumpet and other random instruments. Their skills and colors add a whole new dimension to The OaKs.

The OaKs are currently busy promoting "Our Fathers and the Things They Left Behind," recording new material, and enjoying each other's company.