Today we’d like to introduce you to Oliver Books.
Hi Oliver, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hey! My name is Oliver and I’m a musician and music producer/engineer living in Rochester, Minnesota. I’ve been doing music my whole life.
My first band was called T3H GEEX, which played 3 classic rock songs at our 8th grade talent show in the small town of Chatfield, MN. Since then it’s been music interwoven with every part of my life, honestly. After high school, I attended the Institute of Production and Recording where I earned my degree in Music Production and Recording, while simultaneously developing a pretty severe “rock and roll lifestyle” habit.
After graduating I started “touring” which really meant I lived out of the back of a 2002 VW bug, and didn’t have a mailing address. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” or whatever Charles Dickens said. After that I moved back to Rochester when an acquaintance invited me to host an open mic while she was out of town.
It wasn’t LIKE returning home, it just was. After some ill-fated misadventures, I ended up in Fountain Centers, and upon exiting started another band called “Booksie & The Pages” with my friends and gigged around town. We had some success, and played some festivals in the circuit.
Then I joined a small group of friends to create “Foster Fest,” which was a music festival expressly designed to showcase local musicians, and raise money for charitable causes. Throughout our 3 year run, we raised around $35,000 for some local charities dedicated to serving victims of human trafficking, and the unhoused population of Rochester.
When the 2020 pandemic hit, I took some time away from music for my personal mental health, and built a career in marketing and communications. When my life stabilized in 2022, I returned to music, with a reinvigorated love of the creative process and performing. I joined some songwriting groups to hone my craft, and began playing solo shows. I also began picking up new outlets for my creativity, notably joining with local recording studio “Blue Lagoon Recording Room,” and performing in the musical “Once” led by local troupe Calliope Theater.
This led to the formation of my most current project, The Big Big World – a 7-piece rock band with 70’s Power-Pop inspired sound and lush orchestrations. You can find us online @OliverBooksMusic on Instagram or Facebook. We’ve had the pleasure of playing Rochester’s premier music festival “The Rochester Thaw,” have opened for internationally touring bands, and have filled Thesis Beer Project and Treedome, Rochester’s two most prolific rock venues. We’re jumping into the studio this year to record our debut album – so be sure to stay tuned to our social media to follow along with our progress.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
NO! Not at all! But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I’m a person living in sustained recovery from Substance Use Disorder. I thought that poor mental health and a substance habit were required to be a successful musician. Turns out, that was a bunch of nonsense, but it is hard to parse that when you’re in it. So I entered recovery in 2014, and it has been a wonderful change. It put me on a direction that has taken me to some wonderful places.
But that’s only the most dramatic challenge. Being a musician is challenging in every case. There’s a saturated market, full of immense talent, and an even more immense amount of noise. When I took a break from music during the pandemic, I needed to re-orient myself. I had tied my entire identity to “musician” – so, when I was doing well, I felt great, but when the gigs weren’t the best, I was totally depressed. Turns out, I just had some mental health stuff I really needed some help with.
I think it’s a challenge with any lifestyle, the need to have an accurate idea of your own self as a whole person, more than the idea, or idealized version of yourself. It took a lot of internal work (and a great therapist) to help me arrive at the place where I am so grateful to be who I am today. Mental health struggles and all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a musician, and I love sounds. Whether it’s nailing a mix while running sound, finding the perfect synth patch for a song, or just finding a guitar that sounds REALLY great. I think what I’m known for as a producer is finding the good weird for your music. Finding the thing that songs need to have their own creative voice, which helps stand out among the noise.
I think what I’m most proud of is all of the bands and musical projects I’ve led over the years, there have been ups and downs, and lulls, sure, but I think we made really great music, and even better memories. Currently , the momentum I feel with my current band, The Big Big World (@OliverBooksMusic on instagram and FB) is incredible. I think we’re forming a really fun band with a wonderful and accessible sound. And we’re a baby band, our first show was in August 2024, and the momentum has been so exhilarating.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Believe in yourself. ALL of yourself. Listen to your creative voice, not what you think other people want you to say.
Also, stick with it, it’s a war of attrition. Bit by bit by bit you can be a success – even if it doesn’t feel good all the time.
Pricing:
- Book Oliver for a solo show @ $75/Hour (sound system included)
- Book The Big Big World at $250/Hour (2 hour max, venue needs to provide sound)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/OliverBooksMusic
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/OliverBooksMusic
- Other: Streaming links – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/oliverbooks
