Reeve Oliver

Biography

Reeve Oliver is a three-piece indie rock band from San Diego, CA, which blends the nervy energy of punk-pop with the lightly mopey affect of emo while embracing the big guitar attack of bands like Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies. Reeve Oliver was launched in 1999 by guitarist and singer Sean O'Donnell, who had played in several other bands while paying the rent as an entertainer at Sea World (he was the opening act for the dolphins). While Reeve Oliver began as O'Donnell's solo project, in 2002 he decided to take his songs out of the bedroom and into California's rock clubs, recruiting his friend and fellow Sea World employee Brad Davis to play drums. As O'Donnell and Davis searched for a bass player after several early recruits failed to work out, they found themselves sharing a rehearsal space with established San Diego band Fluf, and O'Donnell's songs caught the ear of Fluf frontman Otisserie Bartimus (usually just called "O"), who volunteered to play bass in the new band. Bartimus clicked with O'Donnell and Davis, and in 2003 the band self-released a six-song EP drawn from their demos called Reevolution. To the band's surprise, Reevolution won the award for Best Rock Album of 2003 at the San Diego Music Awards, even though it wasn't a full album and hadn't received proper distribution; the award drew some welcome attention to Reeve Oliver, leading to a spot on the 2004 Warped Tour and a road trip opening for their friends Yellowcard. Reeve Oliver's self-titled debut album was released in the fall of 2004 by the independent label The Militia Group, and after solid reviews and extensive touring the band was signed to Capitol Records in 2006; their first major-label set is expected to be released in the summer of 2007. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide