Miss Olivia & the Interlopers

The Crowds Await

When did you first get into music?

All of us started playing music as kids. Olivia and her brother played music around the house. Mike and David played in bands since High School. We all came from musical families that instilled a love for music.

What genre of music do you perform and why? We always joke that we are like a good mix-tape. At our core, we are a great rock and roll band, but we incorporate R & B, some soul, some country… you name it. Our influences come from all kinds of music, but in the end we try to make whatever style sound like us.

And why did you choose that style of music?

Our music is a mishmash of styles, but at our core we are basically a rock band. We love to play live and love that feeling of a crowd feeding off your performance.

Who or What inspired you to pursue a career in music?

We’ve all had lots of people that inspired us, but as far as a career in music… probably just that addictive love of playing to a crowd and playing music with people you love.

How has your music evolved since you first began performing/ songwriting?

Hopefully your songwriting always improves the older you get and the longer you are playing together. Before COVID, we played live a lot! With that comes a cohesiveness, and an understanding of what types of songs work best with a crowd.

I’m sure you have shared the stage with a lot of talented artists/celebrities along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us?

As ‘Miss Olivia & the Interlopers’ we haven’t had a lot of celebrity stories… But as individuals… Mike got to try out for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In LA, Olivia used to sit in regularly with Slash’s Snake Pit. Some cool recording projects. LOTS of little stories like that.

If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why?

Pick one… hmmm… (check the video).

Which ingredient do you think makes you special and unique as an artist in an industry overflowing with new talent and ideas?

At live shows, people always comment about the energy that we have together musicians. It’s obvious that we are family. There is a connection that comes across to an audience in our performances and in our music.

What has been your biggest challenge as a performing artist? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

I guess one challenge is just opportunities. The opportunity to be heard. To get played. To get gigs. To overcome that, we have worked very hard at our craft and played out a lot.

A common phrase in the industry is, “you must suffer for your art.” Do you agree with this statement? If so, how have you suffered for your art?

I think all artists suffer some for their art - whether it’s financially, sacrificing in other areas of life. Yeah.

How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?

Absolutely - both in good ways and bad. It’s easier to reach a wider audience. It’s easier to distribute music. Since our EP has been released, we’ve had radio play across the US, and in countries like Australia, Italy, Portugal… places that we’d never have dreamt would hear get to hear our music.

If you could change anything about the music industry. What would it be?

I would make sure that we were signed to a label. Other than that… Something needs to be done to make streaming revenue more fair to musicians.

What are the 5 albums that have helped make you the person you are today?

We have so many influences as individuals, but as a band… The Police ‘Zenyata Mondata’, Aerosmith ‘Toys in the Attic’, Erykah Badu ‘Baduizm’, The Clash ‘Combat Rock’, Jeff Buckley ‘Grace’, The Black Crowes ‘Southern Harmony…’, and so on…

Tell us about your current project. During the pandemic we released an EP ‘Tiny Tales’. It was part of a full album release that we were working on, but we decided to get it out there now, since we didn’t know what things were going to look like. With out the ability to play out really promote something properly, we wanted to get something out there. We also released a single of ‘Message in a Bottle’. Our version is pretty stripped down and has a sense of isolation that seemed to resonate during this crazy time.

What is the best advice you have received?

Olivia: “It’s not who you know, or what you know - It’s how long you stay in the game. Do not give up on it if it’s your dream.”

What’s next for you?

Get vaccinated. Hope that live music returns to normal sometime. Work on some new music. Repeat.

How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

missoliviaandtheinterlopers.com has links to places to stream our music. We are on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube music, BandCamp… You name it. Just look for Miss Olivia and the Interlopers. Please listen!