Andrew P. Oliver – “Faces”

Before the sibling duo of Brother Oliver became the Greenville-based psychedelic folk band that it is today, Andrew Oliver was just a college kid exploring his consciousness in a dorm room, just like the rest of us. At that time, Andrew’s exploration included self-recording music, most of which was never released to the public. That was about six years ago now.

Andrew recently decided to give a proper release to “Faces”, a song that he created during his college years. The song is an electronic and acid rock hybrid that is completely separate from Brother Oliver’s body of work. It has a similar vibe to some of the newer stuff that Brother Oliver has been putting out, though, so it’s an interesting listen to get an idea of the creative progression that has led to the kind of psychedelia that Brother Oliver is producing today.

We linked up with Andrew for a quick Q&A about “Faces” and how it relates to him as a musician. Press play on the track below, then scroll down to learn more.

Is this the original recording, or did you re-do it?

Yes, this is the original recording. It’s the original mix and master as well.

What was the recording process like?

The spacial guitar tones were recorded on an iPhone in my garage back home in Michigan. I chopped up those takes and basically made samples out of them and synced them up to the beat. The vocals were then recorded in my dorm room at Bob Jones University (which looking back is nutso—I was risking expulsion).

I was on a big Terrence McKenna kick back then so I used to put a sample of his voice on most of the tracks I made. The “reclaim your mind” quote at the end of the track is his voice. That portion of the song meant a lot to me back then, and it still does.

The artwork for the track is also the original artwork from that time, made by my good friend Ricky Altizer.

Have you ever played this one live? Do you plan to throw it in the mix at all?

This song has never been performed live. I’d like to play it out though. We’ll see what the new year brings.

Is “Faces” the only single from this vein of college recordings?

I was making a lot of music while in school. I was making a lot of beats and a lot of folk music actually, it was a somewhat strange combination. “Faces” kind of stood out though as far as its identity. I was pretty pumped on it. It was never properly released which is why I wanted to put it out finally.

Where did Brother Oliver stand at the time of this recording?

Brother Oliver existed but it was in its infancy. We were still trying to find our abilities as performers and I was still trying to learn how to play a guitar half-way decently. This was maybe a year before the release of Stubborn Fool.

Anything else you want to mention?

Play it loud. Thanks for having me.