Oliver Black is a Canadian rock group from
Welland
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-o ...
, Ontario. Members of the band include Serena Pryne (vocals), Nick Lesyk (guitar), Greg Zack (bass guitar), and Allan Colavecchia (drums). Musically, the band performs heavy rock and roll music, with music that appears to be influenced by older artists such as
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...
, and
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
, but performed in such a manner that allows their music to stay fresh and non-derivative. The band has been described as "If
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
sang lead for
The Cult
The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's ...
."
History
The band originally formed, under the name Lenz Riot, in March 2002, and played primarily cover songs at shows throughout the
St. Catharines area. As the members of the band began to write songs together, they changed their name to Oliver Black (in 2004). Since then, Oliver Black has performed shows across Canada, opening for bands as diverse as
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
,
Thornley,
Default,
Jeff Martin, and
The Trews
The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Chris Gormley. The band is currently based in Hamilton, Ontario. From thei ...
.
The band has gained a reputation as consistently providing high-quality live performances, including receiving a score of 93/100 from Chart Attack magazine for their 2004 performance at the
North by Northeast
North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea mark ...
music festival in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario.
In January 2005, the band was signed to
TVT Records
TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...
, with
Universal Music Canada
Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here.
According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...
being responsible for distribution in Canada. To date, this relationship has led to the release of one EP, Live in Texas, which was released on March 21, 2006. The follow-up to this, the full length album 6th And Brazo's, was expected to be released in 2006; however, as of June 2007, the album has not yet received a commercial release.
As part of the recording process, Oliver Black temporarily relocated to
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, where they wrote and recorded parts of the album. The album name, 6th And Brazo's, is in fact a reference to an intersection in that town. While in Texas, Oliver Black also continued to build on their reputation as live performers, opening for bands such as
Grady,
Silvertide
Silvertide is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
History
Originally named Vertigo, Silvertide was formed in January 2001 in Northeast Philadelphia. At first, the band was signed by J Records, and they released their first EP ...
, and
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
.
In September 2008, Oliver Black officially changed their name to suit their new musical pursuits and sound to Townline.
Discography
Albums
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Website Oliver Black Live
Musical groups established in 2002
Canadian rock music groups