Q&A: Oliver Hazard Sets New Heights with ACL Performance and Upcoming Headlining Tour
☆ BY SOPHIE GRAGG ☆
KICKING OFF WEEKEND 2 OF AUSTIN CITY LIMITS WITH THE GOOD ENERGY WE NEEDED - Oliver Hazard didn’t let the Austin sun slow them down. Comprised of Michael Belazis, Devin East, and joined by Nate Minor, Oliver Hazard is known for their unique musical journey. Their digital-age mythmaking began when they won a Facebook raffle to record a single song but instead played their entire album straight through in one take. Their debut LP 34 N River in 2018 garnered attention, and this July, they released their self-titled album.
Fresh off a successful U.S. tour alongside Houndmouth, Oliver Hazard is on the rise. Their distinctive blend of indie-folk and their dynamic live performances promise to leave a lasting mark on the music scene. Despite an early Friday afternoon set time in the Texas heat, fans and new listeners alike gathered for a hefty early crowd for their ACL set.
As Oliver Hazard gears up for a local symphony show and an extensive winter and spring tour, their captivating live performances continue to win hearts, leaving a lasting impression on their ever-growing fanbase. Read below to learn more about the art of crafting their live shows, their creative process and more.
LUNA: Y'all just played your set here at Austin City Limits, how are we feeling?
OLIVER HAZARD: Very good. Yeah, we set our expectations very low because we didn't want to get disappointed since we were playing an early afternoon set on the first day. The crowd was great and it’s very cool to be here.
LUNA: You guys just finished up a tour as well. How do festivals compare to your normal venue shows?
OLIVER HAZARD: Oh, it's just different energy, there’s way different energy at festivals. It’s nice when you're playing because stagnancy is no fun. Static is good in the theater, because you're captivating…but it’s a little challenging for a band of ours, right? We can have very quiet moments. I think that those moments were captivating and well received today.
LUNA: What's been your favorite song to play live?
OLIVER HAZARD: It's a good question. I always love playing our song, “The Flood”. It's a really long build-up song that even if people don't know it, by the end you will. People leave excited to go hear the recorded version.
LUNA: When you're in the creative process of recording and writing, how often are you thinking about the listener or translating it into a live session?
OLIVER HAZARD: It's a consideration, but we try not to let it dominate, or because that can limit you…I don't know if we're gonna put like a 16-part harmony on a song, because that can be tough to pull off. But I think our rule is if you can translate it, and make it into like an intimate acoustic song, or even something that's in between full band and acoustic then we can do it.
I think fans can translate it in their own heads and have it be like the second version or they can fall in love with it in a different way. I think that's like a really important. I've been to many shows where I see someone play the piano version of a song and I fall in love with that song again in a different way.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for the rest of the year?
OLIVER HAZARD: We have a show with our local symphony in Toledo, so that'll be good. We're pretty much just looking forward to touring in the winter and spring. I feel like we do more of our extensive touring in the very early part of the year.
We've got our first headlining tour that starts at the end of November and goes for a couple of weeks in the Northeast. We've never like booked 10 venues and headlined them before so this is definitely a big moment for us.
