Eight years, two albums, touring across the world – and growing up along the way. When Ian Hooper, Craig Saunders, and Claudio Donzelli of Mighty Oaks worked on their first EP Driftwood Seat in 2010, the world was a different one. And they were different people. Recorded in Claudio’s tiny apartment, this collection of songs that were never officially released still captured the ears and hearts of listeners everywhere. Born from a space of pain, at a time when songwriter Ian was thrown out of his apartment, crashing on Claudio’s couch while his mother was battling cancer, the songs on this EP are still as raw, honest and fresh today as they were when Mighty Oaks first recorded them. Fast forward to 2018, not much has changed and still, everything. The boys are fathers now, their lives in Berlin established, and they played some of the most important festivals worldwide and hundreds of live shows. With growing up however also comes reflection: While working on their third album and creating new hymns, they decided to have another go at the four songs of Driftwood Seat, the songs that started their career, the songs they have performed over and over again, the songs their fans know by heart. Particularly the title track with which they’ve ended almost every show over the years: “Driftwood Seat has played a huge role in our live set since the very beginning”, says Ian. It was inspired by his first foray into music, when he spent hours by the beach in front of his house in Gig Harbor, Washington state, playing guitar and writing songs. “I would always sit down on the driftwood that washed up on the beach – a scene that changed with the coming and going of the high tide.
