A torch in the night - The OaKs

did justice plant herself as an anchor in your mind?
did the words speak themselves like they were spoken before time?
did the blood pound in your chest as you faced the sergeant down?
did you feel the power of god surging all around you?

-from For Hugh Thompson, Who Stood Alone.
My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968

(to learn about the real life heroics of Hugh Thompson, head here)

Powerful lyrics, to say the least. Expect much the same from the rest of Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind, the debut album from The OaKs. The band is the child of Ryan Costello who, in 2003, sold everything he had and moved to Afghanistan, where he worked for a humanitarian organization for two years (visit www.ryancostello.com to see images captured by Ryan on film during his work there). During that time, he worked during the day teaching refugees agricultural techniques to help them survive and at night, worked with his acoustic guitar, creating much of what would later become material for The OaKs' self produced debut album. It's one full of questions: questioning one's-self, and questioning the world around us. It's built on layers of instruments that gently support the intimate thoughts and feelings expressed in the lyrics.

As a result of Ryan's work, The OaKs partnered with the humanitarian organization on the release of Our Fathers... and agreed to donate 50% of the profits from each CD or track download to aid widows and recently-returned refugees from Afghanistan. Many artists pose social critiques in their work, but view back up their desire for change as The OaKs does. The group is in the studio now working on their second album, which is due out April, 2008.


The OaKs - For Hugh Thompson, Who Stood Alone. My Lai Massacre, Vietnam, 1968 : Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind

The OaKs - My Father's God : Our Fathers And The Things They Left Behind

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