Olivia Jean at Encore at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2023-06-16)

Singer songwriter Olivia Jean wrapped her current tour in midtown Kansas City at the intimate confines of Encore at Uptown Theater, in front of many of her most passionate fans.  

The evening began with a short set from familiar Kansas City sisters, The Black Mariah Theater, who we'd recently seen live, supporting the likes of Katy Guillen and the Drive and Low Cut Connie.  The twin Motta sisters dressed boldly with one in bright blue and the other in a salmon ruffle, so were hard to miss in the crowd following, and the city's grown quite accustomed to their own blend of self-described "sparkly witch-rock". 

As goth garage group The Black Belles continue their extended hiatus, singer Olivia Jean has not been resting, releasing her third solo effort, Raving Ghost (on Third Man Records, of course) just last month, and was winding down this leg of her tour in support of the new record.  

The solo material somewhat echoes the goth garage style of her previous band, as well as works in some retro surf, psych, punk, and even can turn a bit heavier here and there; but make no mistake- it's straight-out Detroit muscle rock 'n roll, first and foremost.  

Jean and band dipped into The Belles' catalog a couple of times, but as, or more eye-awakening was her revved-up, pedal-to-the-metal, near mosh-inducing cover…err, re-imagining of Enya's New Age-ish hit, "Orinoco Flow", with the "sail away, sail away, sail away" choruses going right to the jugular.  

Fans and the curious that missed Jean and band on this tour have another chance in the Fall, as she steps in to play as part of the first night of a powerful Riot Fest lineup in Chicago, then hits some select Northeast cities supporting The Hives, in a bill that shouldn't be missed. 

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Join garage rocker Olivia Jean as she performs at Encore at Uptown Theater on Friday, June 16! Her new album Raving Ghost arrived via Third Man Records on Friday, May 5. Produced by Olivia Jean at Los Angeles’ famed Valentine Recording Studios and Third Man Recording Studio in her home base of Nashville, Raving Ghost has been met with early excitement from fans and media alike, with the likes of Pitchfork, SPIN, BrooklynVegan and more chiming in at the outset.

Raving Ghost is an album populated by mysterious characters in various states of danger – cursed lovers, doomed souls, women deliriously haunted by unseen forces. Over the course of its 11 spellbinding tracks, Olivia Jean amplifies that drama with her wildly melodic take on garage rock, handling each riff with the power and precision she’s previously shown as a member of the Black Belles and as an in-demand session/touring musician.

Featuring backing from such top musicians as My Morning Jacket keyboardist Bo Koster, Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr, and drummers Carla Azar (T-Bone Burnett, Nikki Lane) and Patrick Keeler (The Raconteurs, The Afghan Whigs), songs such as the serpentine title track and a frenetic cover of Enya’s classic “Orinoco Flow” stand tall as a feverish collision of goth-punk, power-pop, and classic garage, charged with an energy so intense that the speakers to several of Valentine Recording Studios’ vintage amps ended up blowing out during the sessions. A stunning evolution of the retro-surf sound featured on Olivia Jean’s critically acclaimed past solo work, Raving Ghost ultimately proves the most magnificently heavy and mesmerizing output yet from an endlessly fascinating artist.

Growing up on the outskirts of Detroit, Olivia Jean found her first musical love in 1960’s instrumental surf bands. Taking up guitar at an early age, she soon became enamored by Detroit’s thriving garage rock scene, drawing inspiration from its unique rawness. As a teenager, Olivia began recording her own original instrumental surf music. After years of self-recording, she put together a demo that soon led to the co-founding of the Black Belles and the band’s signing to Third Man Records.

Olivia Jean followed the release of the Black Belles’ self-titled 2011 debut album with her own first full-length, 2014’s Bathtub Love Killings, returning in 2019 with her self-produced sophomore album, Night Owl.

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