Greg Olin - Graves Interview

Born and raised in Stockton, California, Olin was influenced by his parent’s house jams by the likes of John Lennon, Leon Redbone, Carly Simon and Michael Franks in his youth. By the time Olin was in middle school, music truly left its mark on his heart with an introduction to the Repo Man Soundtrack. Groups like Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Jonathan Richman and Iggy Pop eventually creeped in as the 1980s punk and hardcore scene revolutionized its youth. Olin formed his very first group in college called The Muse. A group that explored the growing appreciation for country, but in the “alt” vain, but after a change of heart, Olin left this group and eventually met his longtime friend and collaborator, the great Kyle Field of Little Wings. Relocating to Portland, OR in 2000, Olin really began to harness his craft during this time as he explored and expressed his abilities as a songwriter for the next two decades! In this interview we explore Olin’s youth growing up with his sisters, seeing a bong for the first time at an outdoor Herbie Hancock concert, eventually relocating to Portland, his pals and longtime collaborators: Lee Baggett and Kyle Field and his most recent record, Gary Owens, “I Have Some Thoughts” that will be released on Perpetual Doom later this summer!

Are you originally from Portland, OR? What was your childhood like? When did you first begin to fall in love with music, more specifically songwriting? Was music relevant around your household growing up? Do you have any siblings? 

I grew up in Stockton, California. Think West Coast Valley, suburbia U.S.A. Most notably known for the horrific Cleveland School shooting in 1989 and being the home town to Pavement. I left Stockton in 94’, so sadly I missed catching any grass roots/ground floor Pavement shows. Had to settle for watching Cake play at the local coffee house. I wouldn’t say that music was super relevant around my home growing up, however my dad would put on records to elevate a mood from time to time. Formative records that were played at the house include, John Lennon (Plastic Ono Band), Micheal Franks (Art of Tea), Carly Simon (No Secrets), Leon Redbone (On the Tracks) and Jethro Tull (which always gave me a scary feeling). I had an older sister 4 years my senior, so I looked on and listened as she moved from Duran Duran to U2 to Steve Miller. This was the mid 80’s era of the Columbia house cd club. So it was that, or Tower records. It was not until about 6th grade that I was struck by music in a personal way. A couple of my older neighbors that I looked up to turned me onto the Repo Man soundtrack. Looking back this was super formative. It was unlike any music I’d ever heard up to that point in my life and it felt naughty and different; Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Jonathan Richman, Iggy Pop. I remember buying Black Flag 45’s and I didn’t even have a record player. I was just enamored with the Art. I recognized that something exciting was happening, though I don’t think I was quite able to grasp exactly what it was at the time. To answer your question about, “When I fell in love with music, or songwriting”, I’d have to say that it has just been a slow drip. So hard to pin down a moment, or experience. It is sorta just like having a cat that never dies, just keeps living, quietly moving from place to place with you, watching all your failed relationships, sad moments and moments of triumph. Your love for that cat grows and becomes more meaningful through the years. 

What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? Who were some of our earliest influences in your more formative years? When and where did you see your very first concert and when did you realize you wanted to spend your life making music? 

I was a bit of a jock growing up and played team sports, football and baseball. I picked up the guitar my sophomore year of high-school and was pretty much done with sports after that. I had a hair metal guitar teacher who’s band Rough Justice won the Battle of the Bands one year in Stockton. He gave me a copy of his tape titled “Taken By Force”. I never did learn to shred and have since unlearned any scales that he taught me. For better, or worse. I imagine that my suburban growing up was pretty typical. Not really anything beyond the obligatory underage drinking, T.P.’d house and occasional stolen street sign. Toilet papering someone’s house is the modern day trolling someone on social media. Such a bully move. I want to make a public apology to anyone who may have been T.P.’d in Stockton between 1990-1994. In regard to my first concert, my parents tell me that it was Donny and Marie Osman. I have no recollection of that. I tagged along to some concerts for a few of my sister’s birthdays. She and her friends would be down on the floor while my dad and I would be up in the bleachers 80’s dancing to the Thompson Twins, or Depeche Mode. Anytime I smell a clove cigarette to this day I am transported to waiting in line for the Depeche Mode concert. The first concert I ever self selected was in 1983, Herbie Hancock, the Future Shock Tour. I was super into breakdancing then and he had the big hit “Rockit”. Please check out the video for that if you are not familiar. It was an outdoor concert at the Berkeley Coliseum and Steel Pulse opened. I remember sitting there with my mom and my best friend and watching the guy in front of us pull out this big bong. Never had seen one of those until then. Had no idea. 

Prior to Graves, you participated in The Muses. Can you tell me about this outfit? What initially inspired your project Graves? When and where did you make your live performance debut as a solo artist and what was that experience like for you? 

Wow, you dug deep. The Muses was my first band. A college band in San Luis Obispo, CA. An alternative country band to be precise. I think that it can often draw up funny feelings for musicians to harken back to their first go at “band-ing”, and I would not be outside of that experience. That said, I think we were not all together bad. We certainly really loved it. And dare I say, we were “cherished” for a couple years there in San Luis Obispo County. It was so exciting to actually have a band that rehearsed songs and played them for people in bars and, or occasional frat party. That’s truly what dreams were made of for me at that time. We would get to open up for a band called the Mother Hips who we were big fans of. To us at the time, we had really made it. At some point I started to feel that the music became a bit of a trope. It started to feel insincere for me and I no longer wanted to write songs within the “Alt-Country” template. It was maybe 97’, or 98’ when I met Kyle Field, now Little Wings. Our spending time together definitely influenced me to explore a different, more personal voice in music. I don’t recall a first performance as a solo artist, but in the interim, between The Muses and Graves, I played as York Roberts. I did my first “tour” with York Roberts, myself, Kyle Field, Lee Baggett and Heather Galbraith. We played shows throughout the NW, which shortly thereafter led me to Portland. 

Tell me about writing and recording 2001 debut “Love Love Love”. When and where did recording begin and how did the deal with FILMguerrero come about? What was the overall approach and vision for this album and what was most important to express with this being your debut? 

I moved to Portland, OR in 2000. I lived in your typical musical house with a bunch of meagerly employed fellows. Kyle being one of them. He introduced me to Adam Selzer who ran the Type Foundry recording studio. I was really eager to meet people having just moved there and thought it would be fun to have a recording experience beyond the home-do-it 4 track approach. I loved working with Adam and he knew so many great people/musicians in town. He would invite people in to play for this part, or that, which is how I met the talented Cory Gray. I’m pretty sure Cory has played on every Graves record since. Adam also introduced me to John Askew, a musician and wonderful man who had put a few records out on his Label FILMguerrero. I guess John felt good about the recordings I’d made and was kind enough to support me in releasing the first Graves album, “Love Love Love”. You asked about the vision and approach for this album. Not Sure. I can only imagine that It was guided by the experience itself… Being pretty fresh to Portland, I was making music and friendships with people at the same time. I’m pretty sure I was paying like 250$ for a room at that time so it made perfect sense to give the rest of my earnings to Adam Selzer for the joy of recording. That studio is/was such a special place. At least in my mind. Old waterfront industrial warehouse building with a particular dusky musky smell. Smell of Joy. A lot of great music got made there over the years. I’ve never been one to have any sort of specific conceptual expression with any of the music that I make, or at least am not cognizant of it if there is. I tend to just have a period of writing that sort of encapsulates a chapter of my life, experiences, moods, etc. I write them, record them and then do my best to share them and move on. It’s really just a process that has become a comfortable part of my life. I don’t take it for granted. I feel #blessed to have this experience. I believe it helps level my emotional, mental and psychic landscape. 

You had a run with Hush Records from ‘04-’07 with releases such as “Yes Yes Okay Okay”, “To Sur w/ Love'', “Easy Not Easy” and “Seldom Slumber. How did you initially meet and become friends with the label? Would you tell some of the highlights and your most fondest memories of writing and recording those records? 

I met Chad Crouch of Hush Records the same way. He, Adam and John (FILMguerrero) were all friends. At the time it seemed John was slowing down a little with his label and Chad was picking up speed, or becoming more active. I’ve honestly always had so much respect for anyone who supports musicians at this level. The “probably not gonna make your money back level”. I seriously started feeling bad that HUSH wanted to release the 3rd record we did together cause my sales were so low… So if anyone out there is in the market for a Graves compact disc I’ve got you covered in spades. I am so grateful for the Mike Dixon’s (PIAPTK) and Lou Crisitello’s (Perpetual Doom) of the world. True philanthropy in my opinion. After the first two Graves records I stopped recording in an actual studio. I got myself a Tascam 388 and began doing the records in my apartment, or at a friend’s beach house, or wherever. I have very fond memories of using that machine to record (Ramtha: may she rest in peace). The freedom and playfulness of home recording is where its at for me. Always has been. When I listen back to any vocals I’ve ever done in an actual studio, I kind of never like them. I know I am probably not alone in that sentiment. Honestly, my memory in regards to the specifics around recording these records is less Crystalline and more Smokey Quartz. I do, however, recall the fond memory of having Karl Blau come do some horns for Seldom Slumber. I am always in awe watching Karl work. He is on another level musically and otherwise. 

Your career is vast and prolific, bending genres, elements and tone. I’d like to jump ahead a bit to last year’s release of “Mushroom” on Perpetual Doom with one of my favorite songwriters, Uncle Kyle. What was it like to create this project with him? Both of your works compliment each other and really highlight the youthful beauty that's found in both of your works! 

Working with Kyle on this project was a delight. We’ve played music out in the world a bunch together over the years, but have never actually collaborated on a project together, musically, or otherwise until the “Mushroom” book. I think we are both very good at making each other laugh and that’s really just how this book was made. We may have had one loose conversation in the beginning about the general tone and concept behind the book and then it was off to the races, us just shooting poems, or poem titles back and forth. If we crossed a line and it got a little too crude, or inappropriate we both knew it and pulled back. The most enjoyable part for me was when he’d send a funny title and then I’d have to try to reverse engineer a little poem out of it. It got a bit obsessive for me at times. It was the pandemic so there was a lot of sitting around anyway, but it turns out writing short silly 4-8 line children poems is a great thing to do in the morning over coffee. Probably better for you than Sudoku. I’m really proud of that project. Kyle’s drawings are amazing as always and it’s just such a beautiful artifact in my opinion. Looking forward to looking at it again in about 10 years. 

That brings us to your most recent work with PD. What can you tell us about what you’ve got in store for this spring/summer? When you reflect back on the previous years of your career, what projects are you most proud of?

Yes, I am very excited about this new Graves record. Gary Owens, “I Have Some Thoughts” is a full circle re-return to the country template. I feel like this time around I was able to bring a deeper honesty and maturity to the music. It helps having lived a little in those 25 years since The Muses. In June I am taking my 4 year old daughter on a West Coast tour in support of this record. Also bringing along Zeb Zaitz, Nick Aives and Jason Cirimele. Both Nick an Jason were an integral part of carving out this new record. I owe those guys a lot. Very excited to expose my daughter Orli to the world of music on the road. Not a grueling tour by any means, but for a 4 year old it will be a good push. In regards to previous projects that I am most proud of, two come to mind. Both of which happen to be collaborations. The first project being, “Solid Home Life”, which I did with Lindsay Schief (previously of LAKE). Lindsay is an amazing songwriter, musician and overall talent. Actually, If ever I had a concept record “Solid Home Life”  would be the one. The record has a feeling of domesticity and tenderness that touches on themes of home life. The second collaboration was “Lee Bagget & Graves”. Lee and I brought no pre-written songs to the record, but instead wrote them all on the fly over the course of two separate weekends. I think a total of 6 days total was spent on the record. For some reason I can listen to that record and enjoy it as if I had nothing to do with it at all. It all happened in such a flash. It’s a rare experience to be able to listen to your own music so objectively.