Oliver Hazard

From Waterville, Ohio, the folk trio Oliver Hazard built a following through opportunistic breaks and energetic recordings, among them their widely praised debut 34 N. River in 2018 and the self-titled album issued five years later. They also sustain a busy concert schedule that includes regular appearances at Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, and their own yearly hometown event.

The group’s formation rests on an improbable sequence of events. Waterville native Mike Belazis, then employed in California as a camping trip instructor, returned home for the 2016 holidays and crossed paths with longtime acquaintance Griffin McCulloch, a keyboardist. On impulse the pair began writing songs together for the first time and booked a handful of local shows for the following year. Expanded to a trio by guitarist Dave East, another Waterville acquaintance, the band entered and won a raffle that granted them brief studio time. Taking the opportunity, they committed ten tracks to tape and released the unpolished acoustic set in 2018 under the name 35 N. River, choosing the moniker Oliver Hazard in reference to the naval hero of the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry.

Their unconventional path continued after signing with Canadian indie label Nettwerk. The resulting tour itinerary encompassed major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Americana Fest, and the Newport Folk Festival, dozens of living-room performances for fans, and an annual single-day event in their hometown. Oliver Hazard Day has taken place every year since 2018, aside from a 2020 cancellation prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The band revisited the studio that produced 34 N. River for the 2019 EP The Flood, which contained the originals “Dandelion” and “Gold Teeth Girl” alongside a version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia.” A second EP, Northern Lights, arrived in 2022 and featured “Fly Right” and “Two X Four.” Those recordings were expanded into the 2023 self-titled album; McCulloch left shortly afterward and was succeeded by Nate Miner. The revised lineup’s initial release was the 2024 EP Raindrop River.