ANDREW OLIVER IS A SONGWRITER AND AUDIO ENGINEER IN TAYLORS, SC. HE STARTED FORTHRIGHT RECORDS IN 2013. HE’S RELEASED MUSIC UNDER HIS OWN NAME, ANDREW FLIP OLIVER, AND with his stephen oliver in Brother Oliver.

R: Describe your process for writing lyrics.

A: I come up with my lyrics at random times, it’s really an existential thing. I’ve never decided to sit down and write lyrics, it’s just something that finds me. And when it does, I scribble it down into one of my pocket notepads. I’ve tried taking notes on my phone but it’s never felt quite as natural as a pad and pen.

“I can feel the winds a blowin’, / I think it’s time for a change. / To keep the wheels a turning / I’m the coal burning in the flame.”
— Andrew Oliver

R: Where do you find lyrical inspiration?

A: I’ve found a lot of inspiration lyrically from the band Dawes, at least as of the last couple years. Their lyrics always seem to capture my attention, straightforward yet with room for the listener to think. Similarly, I try and use a fair amount of abstraction in my lyrical content, balanced with a straightforward idea or message. Ive always been a fan of making the listener think and explore an idea or emotion themselves. It’s a fine line to walk though — introducing an idea, or a concept, that carries through clearly, yet is ambiguous enough to be translated directly into the life of the listener on a personal level. It’s communal I guess, the kind of experience that connects the artist with the listener in an intimate way. I think that’s what it’s about, making friends not making fans. It’s an outpour of me to you.

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