Today it is sixteen years ago we released I am Oak’s debut album ‘On Claws’. Sixteen years... we just let that sink in. This album was an important release for the label, and created a scene with many other bands, releases and shows. The original first pressing is long sold out, but we still have its 2013 reissue with two bonus tracks available on cd for only 5 euro, and on beer-coloured transparent vinyl for only 15 euro. Get them on snowstar.nl.
It’s been a little while since the last IAO show. We’ll be getting ready to play an intimate show at the cozy theater @vestzakenschede (via @m_metropool ) next month! Hope to see some of you there! 🐣
Hi all! It’s the one year anniversary of Time Drifts this month! 🎉
This photo was taken about two years ago, in the midst of recording Time Drifts, in the home studio where almost all of the album was recorded.
Hope the album found its way to some of you. Thanks for listening!
🦤
📷 @immennimmen
Op vrijdag 12 juni staat I Am Oak in Vestzak in Enschede voor een bijzondere avond vol dromerige indie-folk. De band rond singer-songwriter Thijs Kuijken groeide sinds de oprichting in 2008 uit tot een vaste waarde binnen de Nederlandse muziekscene. De kaartverkoop voor dit intieme seated concert start op vrijdag 6 maart om 10:00 uur.
#poppodium #metropool #vestzak #concert
Big thanks to everyone at the shows in Manchester, London and Brighton 🇬🇧. We had a great time and met some lovely people along the way. We had some off time to enjoy some of the beautiful English nature as well. ⛰️ What a treat!
Heading out to Belgium at the end of the month for a show at De Loge in Gent on Feb 25th!
The best movie I saw last year was Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies. Moving, rich, intimate, authentic and absorbing. Strong characters and strong acting. Recommended! The best book I read last year was Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse. I had made peace with the thought that Woolf wasn’t for me, after giving up on Mrs Dalloway twice about 15 years ago, but To The Lighthouse came to me at the right time (surrounded by water and silence in Sweden) and everything fell into place. Very rewarding read! Both of these “last year’s best things” happen to be British and we happen to be heading over to England next week! Looking forward to it. Come by if you’re around!
27 jan - Gullivers - Manchester
1 feb - The Grace - London
2 feb - The Folklore Rooms - Brighton
What a nice way to end the year: I am Oak’s new album is one of the 3 Best Utrecht Albums of 2025 (3voor12/Utrecht) and Time Drifts is also highlighted by de Volkskrant as one of the most beautiful album covers of the year.
We are proud to release this special project on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. Three Friends of Winter is an intercontinental collaboration between Hako (Osaka, Japan), I am Oak, and The World of Dust (both Utrecht, the Netherlands).
Beyond the fact that the song is released by three friends on the first day of winter, Three Friends of Winter is also an art concept inspired by pine, bamboo, and plum. Together, these three symbolize steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. We are all very happy we finished this recording and are finally putting it out into the world!
The music was composed by Hako, Stefan, and Thijs. The lyrics were written by Stefan (first part) and Thijs (second part). The single is now available digitally on a platform of your choice, as well as on a limited-edition transparent square 7” (in the Tiny Room Records Bandcamp store).
#newmusic #iamoak #theworldofdust #hako #osaka japan japaneseculture threefriendsofwinter indiefolk homerecording wintersolstice wintermusic
Thanks a lot to everyone who came out to one of our shows this year. We’ll continue into the next year, starting with shows in the UK. Hope to see some of you there!
Jan 27 – Manchester – @gulliversnq
Jan 28 – Glasgow – @thegladcafe
Feb 1 – London – @thegraceldn
Feb 2 – Brighton – @thefolklorerooms
Check iamoak.com/shows or bio
#iamoak #handoftime #timedrifts #uktour #indiefolk
Release news!
Three Friends of Winter — the collaborative song and limited 7” of I am Oak, Hako and The World of Dust — is coming out on December 21st, the first day of winter.
We first met in Osaka back in 2019, while touring Japan. During covid, the three of us started creating music together from afar, sending files back and forth and slowly shaping a song. Hako plays mbira, noise box, and whispers; Thijs sings and plays electric taishogoto; and Stefan plays the rest.
The result is Three Friends of Winter, which will be released digitally when winter begins. We also pressed a limited square 7” — just 50 copies! Preorders are now live on the Tiny Room Bandcamp.
We’re really happy to share this final release of the year, and we hope you’ll enjoy it when it arrives. ❄️✨ Love, Thijs, Emiko and Stefan
