Concert Review: Oliver Hazard Come From Waterville To Rockwood

Making it in just 10 minutes earlier, Oliver Hazard felt like three, regular joe’s waltzing into Rockwood Music Hall for a jam session. Actually, we, their audience, felt more like we were walking in on them. They were so accessible and sociable that their talent felt like a happy happenchance for their crowd.

Playing tracks off their debut, 34 N. RIVER, nearly every song felt like a souvenir from their life’s journey. Lyrically, the crowd of NYC Millennials could relate to tracks like, “Comfort Me”, “Jealous Man”, and “Hey Louise,” that talk about dreaming of greater adventures while trying to make sure your daily life feels adventurous. How to want better without losing love for what you have is the core challenge to happiness. Thus, as they laughed with inside jokes and described the one Chinese restaurant they had in their hometown of Waterville, I realized the power of Oliver Hazard is to turn folkloric the mundane of humanity.

Vocally, Oliver Hazard sung in harmonies; as if Bob Dylan had split his voice in three. From “Wondering” to “Caesar Knows”, the ways their voice layered over each other, as if it was destined they sing together, was soothing. Moreover, they added claps, snaps, and playful hooks that ignited the audience’s inner kid to play along.Even their songs of “spite”, felt calm and bathed in lavender melodies. Thus, their good humor and silliness was an add on that oddly showed even the funniest, most talented people understand struggling for joy.

While they goofed around and radiated vocal and guitar/ key arrangements that felt bright and earthy, like the sun hitting fields of grain, their lyrics proved between smiles are struggles. We laugh with our friends, ride around in a van trying to “make it big”, or sit around on a Friday night to hear music and drink a beer because the good times are our fuel to drive to better ones. While we all believe it is our hard work that gets us places, it is the fun times that allow us to dream of such destinations. For More Information On Oliver Hazard Click Here.