Mighty Oaks (band)

Mighty Oaks are an indie/folk rock trio made up of Ian Hooper (US), Claudio Donzelli (Italy) and Craig Saunders (UK). They formed in 2010 and are based in Berlin.[2] According to Allmusic, the group releases "tight, three-part harmonies and effusive, largely acoustic-driven folk anthems."[3] In early 2014 they released their first LP, Howl, on Universal Records.[3] The album peaked at No. 10 on the Official German charts with several singles charting as well. They have since released a second LP, Dreamers (2017), and an EP, Storm (2017). On the 7th of February 2020, they released their third full-length album, All Things Go.

Not to be confused with the psychedelic rock group from Canada.
Mighty Oaks
Background information
OriginBerlin, Germany
GenresIndie folk,[1] folk rock
Years active2010-present
LabelsAstralwerks, Vertigo, Capitol, Universal Records, BMG
Websitewww.mightyoaksmusic.com
Members
  • Ian Hooper
  • Claudio Donzelli
  • Craig Saunders

History

2010-12: Founding, first EPs
Vocalist and guitarist Ian Hooper

Mighty Oaks was formed in early 2010[4] by instrumentalists and vocalists Ian Hooper (United States), Claudio Donzelli (Italy), and Craig Saunders (United Kingdom).[3] Hooper had moved to Hamburg after college some time before, and had befriended bassist Saunders when both were working on solo material as singer-songwriters. Several months later they met Donzelli at a small acoustic festival, and kept in touch afterwards.[5] All three members had an interest in indie rock and folk rock,[4] and together began focusing on guitar and instruments such as mandolin. The group self-released an EP on March 21, 2011, recording it themselves[3] in Donzelli's apartment.[2] Though never officially released on a label, the EP garnered several hundred thousand hits on SoundCloud.[2]

2012-14: Studio releases

The group began focusing fully on their music in the middle of 2012, beginning to record in a studio.[2] In the summer of 2012 they self-released their first studio EP, Just One Day,[3] distributed through Rough Trade Records. In support of the EP they toured with Shout Out Louds in Europe, opened the Waldbühne in Berlin for Kings of Leon, and joined bands such as Chvrches on the 'Introducing!' tour of Germany put on by Intro Magazine.[2] The band later played a sold-out tour of Switzerland, Austria, and Germany in the fall of 2013.[2]

2014-2019: Howl and Dreamers
External video
Mighty Oaks "7 Days" /// Berlin Sessions #64 (Aug 2013)
Mighty Oaks "Brother" Official Music Video (Jan 2014)
Mighty Oaks "Be With You Always" Official Music Video (Jan 2017)
The band at 1Live Krone 2014: L to R, Claudio Donzelli, Ian Hooper, and Craig Saunders

In early 2014 they released their first LP, Howl, on Universal Records in Europe.[3] The album peaked at No. 10 on the German chart, with several singles charting as well. It reached the top 10 on the charts in Switzerland, also charting in several other European countries.[5] In early 2014 the band released the single "Brother," releasing a music video which was filmed in Washington state. The band stated that "‘Brother’ is based on Ian’s relationship with his best friend in the States, and their adventures and maturation in the...Pacific Northwest of America."[6] They released the EP Brother in the United States in October 2014.[7] About the EP, the band explained that "each song represents a different excerpt from a point in Ian’s life and, in such, we treated each track as a different scene in a movie, or chapter in a novel, hoping that each one would carry its own meaning and be surrounded by its own world and emotion."[6]

Major festival performances from 2014 included events such as the Melt! Festival and Dockville in Germany, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Latitude Festival in the UK, Slotsfjell in Norway, Way Out West in Sweden, Exit Festival in Serbia, and Valkhof (NL). As of December 2014 the group was touring Europe on The Golden Road Tour.[8] Their debut album was released in the United States in the spring of 2015 and the band played festivals like SXSW in Austin, Texas in support of the release and went on a US tour to perform together with Milky Chance.

2016 was a year of turning points and upheavals, also for the band whose members took a break after two years of uninterrupted touring and left Berlin to temporarily return to their home countries. They all reunited in Washington State, not far from Ian's hometown, where the band retreated to the studio of producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy, etc.). It was there that they recorded Dreamers, their second album, which was released on March 24, 2017 on Universal Music. The band went on a sold-out Europe tour in spring, a North American tour in September and a follow up European tour in November and December 2017. Just before the band started off for their winter tour, they self-released a 4-track EP called Storm.

In the summer of 2018 they played several European festivals, among them Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival, Traumzeit Festival, Zermatt Unplugged and a Milky Chance & Friends Open Air in Berlin.

According to their Instagram page the band has retreated to the studio in autumn 2018 to work on new music.

2020-present: All Things Go

The band's third studio album, All Things Go, was released on February 7, 2020, via BMG.

Style and influences
Donzelli (L) and Saunders (R) both handle vocals and variety of string instruments, as does Hooper (not pictured).

According to Allmusic, the group releases "tight, three-part harmonies and effusive, largely acoustic-driven folk anthems."[3] The band's lyrics are mostly autobiographical,[5] often focusing on themes such as nature,[4] family, friendship, love, loss, and beauty.[6] Songs periodically reference the Pacific Northwest of North America, where Hooper is from.[2] All members contribute to the songwriting process.[6]

Members
  • Ian Hooper (2010–present) - vocals, acoustic/electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele
  • Claudio Donzelli (2010–present) - vocals, electric/acoustic guitar, piano, mandolin, banjo
  • Craig Saunders (2010–present) - vocals, bass, mandolin

Awards and nominations
Year Award Artist/work Category Result
2014 1Live Krone Awards Mighty Oaks Best Band Nominated
European Festival Awards Newcomer of the Year Nominated

Discography

Albums
Albums by Mighty Oaks
Year Album title Release details Chart peaks
GER
[9]		 AUT
[10]		 CH
[11]
2014 Howl
  • Released: February 28, 2014
  • Label: Capitol / Universal / Vertigo (GER)
  • Format: CD, digital, vinyl
 10 39 10
2017 Dreamers
  • Released: February 23, 2017
  • Label: Capitol / Universal / Vertigo (GER)
  • Format: CD, digital, vinyl
 17 28 38
2020 All Things Go
  • Released: February 7, 2020
  • Label: BMG
  • Format: CD, digital, vinyl
 29

EPs
EPs by Mighty Oaks
Year Album title Release details
2011 Driftwood Seat
  • Released: 2011
  • Label: Self-released (GER)
  • Format: Digital, CD
2012 Just One Day
  • Released: Jul 5, 2012
  • Label: Self-released (Rough Trade distribution)
  • Format: CD, digital
2014 Brother
  • Released: Oct 7, 2014
  • Label: Astralwerks / Universal
  • Format: CD, digital
2017 Storm
  • Released: Nov 3, 2017
  • Label: self-released (Rough Trade distribution)
  • Format: digital
2019 Driftwood Seat
(Reissue)
  • Release date: February 1, 2019
  • Label: Can Can Recordings
  • Format: digital

Singles
Singles by Mighty Oaks
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
GER
[9]
2014 "Just One Day" 87 Howl
"Brother" 66
"Back To You" -
2016 "Horsehead Bay" - Non-album single
2017 "Be with You Always" - Dreamers
"Dreamers" -
"Raise a Glass" -
2018 "Like an Eagle" - Driftwood Seat
(Reissue)
2019 "Driftwood Seat" -
"All Things Go" - All Things Go
"Forget Tomorrow" -
"Lost Again" -
2020 "Tell Me What You're Thinking" -

Further reading
Interview and articles
  • "Mighty Oaks veröffentlicht Storm EP" soundjungle.de. Nov 11, 2017.
  • "Mighty Oaks - das Interview zum Album "Dreamers"". PULS Musik. March 27, 2017.
  • "Wired in #14: Mighty Oaks". Europe and Me. May 27, 2011.
  • "Mighty Oaks Interview". The Seventh Hex. Sep 17, 2014.
  • "Mighty Oaks Would Like You to Meet Their "Brother"". CMT Edge. Nov 17, 2014.
  • "Live Review: Mighty Oaks travel 'The Golden Road' to London". iammusic.tv. Dec 1, 2014.
Discographies
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References
  1. Monger, James Christopher. "Mighty Oaks – Biography & History". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  2. The Windish Agency: Mighty Oaks The Windish Agency
  3. Mighty Oaks | Biography | AllMusic Allmusic.com
  4. Maier, Rike (May 27, 2011). "Wired in #14: Mighty Oaks". Europe and Me. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  5. Nilsen, Alyssa (May 8, 2014). "Interview: Mighty Oaks". musikknyheter.no. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  6. "Mighty Oaks Interview". The Seventh Hex. September 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  7. Shelburne, Craig (November 17, 2014). "Mighty Oaks Would Like You to Meet Their "Brother"". CMT Edge. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  8. Jones, Erin (December 1, 2014). "Live Review: Mighty Oaks travel 'The Golden Road' to London". iammusic.tv. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
  9. "Discography Mighty Oaks". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  10. "Discography Mighty Oaks". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. "Discography Mighty Oaks". Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
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