Oliver Thiessen

Sometimes as hard as you look, you sometimes pass over something in your very own backyard.  This is the experience I had with Oliver Thiessen.  With the internet, the world is not soo big anymore and the grasp for music goes fully around the globe.  That is why I am happy to provide more local talent from my current home of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Pending an upcoming official album release from Thiessen, there are more than a few tracks to get the impression that this young talent will definitely provide us with a great debut.  Of this, I am more than sure.  I find his brand of singer-songwriter folk recordings to be very atmospheric – they provide an envelope for his lyrics.  His songs include stories that often describe one’s journey through the world and the relationships that bond all of us.  Thiessen’s songs feel comfortable and with his soft and harmonious vocals drifting around you, you might find yourself getting a bit of a life lesson at the same time.  I think artists that create and perform their own material are more likely to be story tellers as well as songwriters.  With that being said, you will not find much “fluff” in the lyrics while at the same time be able to listen with the intent of just being entertained as well.

While Thiessen is not specifically an acoustic artist, the guitar is definitely the solid base to his sound and it connects all his songs.  Thiessen assures me he is constantly writing new songs, working to get them all recorded and hopes to have a full length album soon .  He also described his song crafting and the methods to his music;

I love trying new and different things with my music, I am constantly buying instruments and musical gadgets, and I’ll always try out 100 different things in a song, before one or two of them works well. I write music because it’s basically what keeps me going in life, it’s an outlet for everything. I love writing songs, recording, playing them.

Two upcoming shows in Calgary (hey you locals, come out and support):

Hope you like the below tracks, I have included the more recent “Crooked Teeth” along with a track not currently online yet “Clap Your Hands”.  As well, I have attached what I am calling a BONUS TRACK, the first song I had ever heard about a year ago – “Flashlight” from his Virb page – take a listen, be his friend and simply enjoy the great music.

~Smansmith