Meet Oliver White | Musician/songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Oliver White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Oliver, how do you think about risk?
I think it’s important for artists to take risks. Risk is a main ingredient in a work of art. If we don’t push boundaries or try to do something out of the ordinary we’ll become become ordinary and push products.

More often than not our risks result in failure, but success is also rarely achieved easily! In my career AND in my everyday life taking risks has caused me to fail time and time again, which has taught me lessons to apply in my future efforts. Measuring risk is tricky for artists. The higher the risk factor, the greater the potential reward….but how high can we afford to bet? I’ve bet above my limit many times and somehow I’m still here.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While reading an interview with Kirk Hammett of Metallica (my favorite guitarist at that time)I learned that most of his influences were influenced by blues guitarists. When I read that I could not unhear those blues licks sprinkled into Kirk’s playing. From then on I was a blues fan and implemented it into everything that I’ve written. Blues, along with rock, funk and folk music are always in my spice rack.

I’ve lived on the Red River my whole life, teetering between growing up in southern OK and living in north TX, right in the middle of Red Dirt Music country. Too blues for rock venues and too rock for blues venues, which DID set my music apart from others, but it was difficult to find local venues to play. It also made my band stand out from others and we started to play some shows in the DFW area. Playing the Texas International Blues Festival for a few years and sharing the stage with local and global blues legends got us a lot more attention and soon we were also involved in the Red Dirt scene that was taking place on the Red River.

There are pieces that I’ve written that I feel are better than some of my others, but I’m proud of all of the songs that I’ve written. They’ve all come from my own experiences or an experience that I’ve witnessed. I’m excited to release some music that I was working on in 2020. Since we couldn’t get together to write I recorded some material using GarageBand on my iPad and sent it to my band members for review. We plan on recording right after Christmas 2023.

I had a lot of help to get where I am today. In 2007 I had a record label and management team to help me out and when they moved on to book for a corporation I took back all of that responsibility. I became the singer/guitarist, band leader, bus driver, tour manager, stage manager, booking agent, etc….I’ve done all that I can to stay relevant and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t still be doing this without the help of my friends and peers. This industry is full of challenges and it’s been those friends and peers that have kept me in the public eye.

It IS who you know. The music world is very small and there are a lot of people in it. If you surround yourself with artists who inspire you and who are more talented than yourself you’ll become a better version of yourself. Don’t be afraid to get onto a stage with people who you can learn from.

I want to continue to write songs that not only reach people, but that also teach people. I’ve been doing this for over half of my life and I’ve still got more to say.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live right down the road from our downtown here in Sherman, TX! Sunday morning brunch at 903 Brewers is a must! Next stop is the local cigar lounge for a nice relaxing smoke and a couple of drinks. You can booze it up if you want, but I’m drinking coffee and driving.

Monday is usually my day off, so I ride my skateboard. I rode when I was younger but quit when I became a young adult. After a 30 year break, I picked it back up and have been skating again for almost three years. If skating isn’t your thing we can drive south for an hour to Dallas so you can shop at Nordstroms while I skate at The Boneyard.

This area also has lots of lakes and trails! I try to embrace the outdoors as often as I can and there’s a lot of natural beauty to experience on and off of the water. We’re going to hike 2-3 times while you’re here. Don’t forget to stretch. We have access to fishing, boating, hiking, camping…. Whatcha wanna do?!?

Weekdays are great for walking around in Sherman or it’s sister city Denison, TX to explore coffee shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, breweries, wineries and shops of all sorts.

Weeknights I host or attend open mics at different locations. I feel like open mics and jam nights are a way to build and maintain relationships in my community. I also participate in open mics and jams at random locations while I’m on the road to help build relationships with artists in different cities.

When the weekend arrives if I’m not playing locally (which is usually the case) I’m packing up for the weekend and headed out on the road. In the event that I’ve got a weekend free there are BBQs and backyard jam sessions to attend. If I’ve got friends playing in town or close by that’s where we’ll end up! Showing support and spending money!!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oliver White Music

Instagram: @theoliverwhitegroup

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