A fateful elevator ride in Munich brought two souls shoulder to shoulder, and led to a lifetime together. A life of bliss, albeit a fleeting one. In the new Mighty Oaks single ALL THINGS GO, Ian Hooper recounts the story of his parents in parable on the beauty and transience of the moment. „My dad was a broke American graduate student in Munich in the early 80’s and he was invited to a dinner party by a stranger he met on the street. Intrigued as to whether this was a date or not, and never one to pass up a free meal, he accepted the invitation. He shared an elevator on his way up to the flat with another guest to the party, and she would become my mother“. What followed was a transatlantic love story, two kids, and the early death of Hooper’s mother.
Together with his band mates Craig Saunders and Claudio Donzelli, Hooper brings their story back to life: „From Multyfarnham / All the way back to Gig Harbor / And I still feel your hands / Holding mine back”, he sings to the tune of laid-back acoustic guitars, travelling back to the places of his youth. „These are towns and places in the US and Ireland that mean a lot to my family and me. Most people will never know these places, but it means the world to me to know that my family will hear these towns immortalized in music.“
ALL THINGS GO is not only a tender song about real love, but also a candid reflection on the brevity of life, on loss, farewells, and ultimately acceptance. „Death is a recurring theme in our music“, Hooper explains, „this song is about letting go. Sometimes it happens sooner than you’d have liked. That’s not unfair, it’s how life is. Accepting that takes time, but I’m at a point now where I can accept it as part of being here“.
With this new song Mighty Oaks announce their third album, set for release in 2020. „We were not sure whether we should really release ALL THINGS GO first“, Hooper says. In the end, the band picked this intimate piece, as it bridges the gap between their last acoustic EP the new chapter in their band history.
A history that began over ten years ago in a living room in Berlin and has lead to two records, hundreds of gigs across the world, and shared stages with the likes of Kings of Leon, The Lumineers and Chvrches. Their secret? „We’re three individuals who are all central to the band. Each of us has a strong role. Our three personas and the three countries we are from shape the ways in which we approach the creative process. In the end, this defines the music that we make“, Hooper points out. „We’re all passionate musicians – there’s no clear cut frontman, each one of us is able to stand on their own legs and carry the band. It’s most important to us that we create music that resonates with our listeners, that forces them to think, that provides the foundation upon which they can build their own connection to our songs“.
This November, Mighty Oaks join The Lumineers as special guests on the European leg of their tour, followed by the band‘s own European headline tour in February and North-American dates in spring. Next to array of brand new tracks, and past classics, ALL THINGS GO will no doubt be featured in the setlist.
Dates: Special Guest @ The Lumineers 2019
01.11. Lisbon, Campo Pequeno Bullring
02.11. Madrid, Wizink Center
04.11. Milan, Alcatraz
06.11. Switzerland, Zurich Halle 622
07.11. Munich, Zenith
09.11. Vienna, Gasometer
10.11. Prague, Forum Karlin
10.11. Ian B-Day
13.11. Hamburg, Sporthalle
14.11. Berlin, Verti Music Hall
16.11. Brussels, AB
18.11. Utrecht, Tivoli Ronda
19.11. Cologne, Palladium
20.11. Paris, Zenith