From The Inbox

Sometimes I am already surprised which music of young bands is made. Many of these bands were inspired by the heroes of the past and try to let live on their music. Not that I am misunderstood: I doubt in no manner the skill of the single musicians and their abilities to write songs in their tradition. What I miss nevertheless is, often that I do not enough influence from the younger history of music in their sound finds again. Anyway, there are some artist I would like to feature time by time because they did a very good job. Today's band Olio reminds me on the early Police but with less punk and reggae influence and therefore some more heavy metal in it. Here is the band in their own words:

Three brothers from other mothers (and fathers) got together, from the OC, LA and DC, to create a miscellaneous collection of musical works aka OLIO. Inspired by everything from Black Sabbath to Barry White these guys stir up an eclectic blend of rock/pop/funk music and serve it up hot! Whether it’s songs about break-ups, make-outs, shake-ups or four letter words, Olio produces electrifying, positive music from their studio in Los Angeles, CA. On stage Arif Hodzic sings and breaks strings (sometimes his right hand gets heavy), DeHaven Carrington grooves on drums and croons (when the lights are low and the mood is right), and newest member Kelley Hill is a fireball of energy, bouncing on one leg and just tearing the bass up (you may even see metal shavings come off the neck).

Olio hit the road in the USA the summer of 2013 for their “Comeback Kings Tour.” Played a successful string of dates in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and cities in between in June and Scottsdale, Austin, Fort Worth, Little Rock, Columbus, Philadelphia, NYC, DC, Kill Devil Hills and Atlanta in July and August. 5 weeks, 11,000 miles and 30 shows! They went back into the studio to record a brand new album "Untitled" due for release in March 2014. This is a much anticipated project, after their time with recording legend Eddie Kramer, who produced the band's last two EP's, the aforementioned Comeback Kings & the yet to be released France Sessions.

Back on December 18, 2012 Olio released the Comeback Kings EP produced by legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones, Santana, Woodstock, Kiss, Frampton, Robert Randolph, Grace Potter). This session was born from a project at Loyola Marymount University where Eddie and the band recorded their first single together "Hello/Goodbye". This prompted a new relationship so the band & Eddie could finish an EP. Before the project was done, Eddie needed a band to do a session in France for a Recording Workshop for some of the worlds top young Producers.

So Olio got on a plane and while there, they laid down the foundation tracks for the France Sessions EP. More importantly they wrote two new songs while there. One of which is "Rich People Problems" which Eddie loved and had the band record it immediately! old school style, no click track, just push record and go! The song is now a staple in the live shows and shows the raw energy of the band as well as their groovesmanship. the second song "Round & Round" can be heard on their 2014 release "Untitled."

2011 is what kind of started all of this good fortune. Olio won the Emerging Artist Competition held by Rusty’s on the Santa Monica Pier. They were the only band to play the Twilight Dance Series twice in one summer, opening for Dawes with Jackson Browne in front of a crowd of several thousand music lovers. Shortly there after bassist Kelley Hill joined the band and they have been non-stop ever since.

Other accolades include the celebrated release of their 2010 single “Get It Good” following the success of the 2009 11 song album “Living The Dream.” The songs are dynamic ranging from the nylon stringed sweetness of “Completely Beautiful” about the profound impact of becoming a parent (received an Honorable Mention Award in the 2008 West Coast Songwriters International Competition) to a hard rock/rap collab that already has 20,000 NJ Devils fans shouting “Here We Go” at the Prudential Center. Their homage to the mamacita de futbol aka “Soccer Mom” inspired one impassioned UK critic to call them “sexist and subtle as a sledghammer.” (Olio still thinks Benny Hill, John Cleese and Ricky Gervais are funny) The sound created is rich and packs a punch reminiscent of the John Mayer Trio while thematically aiming for Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life.”

To experience Olio only on recording is like Vader without the Darth. Whether it’s 30 minutes or 3 hours, the energy generated by these three could power a small town (or even the lesser known planet Zeta-Reticulan5). So, maybe the question isn’t Who or What is Olio but rather When and Where?

OLIO - Boom
OLIO - Get A Room