In 2017, Oliver Hazard was formed out of the small midwestern town of Waterville, Ohio. Mike Belazis, Nate Miner, and Devin East share a tight-knit bond through the band fueled by years of friendship. The band is named after Oliver Hazard Perry, an American naval commander known for his exploits around Lake Erie. Their fifth stop on tour was their first time headlining in Austin. Mark Belazis noted how this was the biggest crowd theyβve seen on this tour. He mentioned how at some shows they end up playing for a crowd of five, and while they donβt mind small crowds, the amount of people that showed up for their Austin show blew their minds. They brought a very upbeat, nostalgic feel with their folksy tunes, making it impossible to not sing and dance along. They opened with their song βSaratogaβ and finished with βDandelionβ, their most popular track. βHoney, Iβm Hardlyβ, their most recent track, released on May 15th. They were very open and interactive with their audience, playing song recommendations from an Instagram DM for the first time and talking about their crafty, homemade drum and tambourine set ups. The band was very grateful towards their opener, Caleb Hearn, even stating, βIβm sure one day we will be opening for himβ. The groups authenticity and humility will continue to charm growing crowds for many years to come. If you missed them on this tour, theyβre also touring with The 502s again soon, so see if your city is on the list of βpit-stopsβ theyβll be at.
Caleb Hearn warmed the crowd up along side his friends Austin Pardue (guitar) and Wilson McBeath (keys/vocals). They were all comfortable on stage and seemed exited to play for the crowd. Many people in the audience already knew his music, which he pointed out to thank those who were singing. Heβs grown a large following on social media, especially TikTok, by playing his music for a virtual audience. Most of the songs he played were upbeat indie pop tunes but a common thread in his music is that it can mostly be found relatable by large amounts of listeners. You can see this in a new single of his, βKlonopinβ. Before playing this song, he shared that he was recently prescribed Klonopin for anxiety and thatβs what this song is based on, the feeling of relying on something external to feel okay. He played another new song, βIf It Wasnβt For Youβ for the Austin crowd, which was released two days later. Itβs on the sadder side, but still one worth listening. Based on the crowdβs massive positive and welcoming energy toward Caleb, even as an opener, itβs safe to say his success isnβt slowing down any time soon.
