-
0:00/4:39
-
No Heart 5:000:00/5:00
-
Bier Bitte 4:500:00/4:50
-
Sleeping Giant 5:390:00/5:39
BIO
Weaving powerful vocals with heavy guitar riffs and eighties synth beats, Olive Dares the Darkness has evolved into a progressive art collective that seeks to bring new sounds to the shores of Charleston, South Carolina. The band features Becca Darling on vocals and keyboard, Mike Baum on guitar, Danielle Carlson on drums and Mr. Minister on bass. The band also hosts ODDcast, an online radio show at slereadio.com, at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesdays.
Becca Darling is incensed to call herself the Olive's frontwoman. She's an overly-educated educator with questionable morals and a passion for teaching future leaders. When she's not busy dripping in sarcasm, you can find her singing at various gigs around town, playing guitar in her backyard, making fun of her husband and training her dogs. She's a minor celebrity on a rock in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Darling picked up a guitar at the age of 16. She had cancer. She kicked it. She played with Stevie Wonder once. He was cool. 'Nuff said.
Mike Baum is the other guy to Becca’s Annie Lennox and the older, less mature, brother of Mr. Minister. Commonly credited as the crazy member of the band, he lacks the talent to be cool-crazy like Syd Barrett or Peter Green, struggling to see the bright side of life nearly as much as he struggles to play guitar. Additionally, he is the primary programmer for ODD because making computers make music is infinitely preferable to Olive having more than the four dysfunctional personalities she already has.
Having played bass in live performances since the age of 15, you would think Mr. Minister would be an aficionado, but he compensates for that with his oversized amp he calls Hampton. Actually, Minister names pretty much everything. His basses are Brittany and Natalie, and he also named the band. A lot of people have never heard Mr. Minister speak and some have assumed that he can't. While he may be mostly silent, Mr. Minister has a firm hand on the bottom end of the band. He's never played with anyone famous, but 10,000 Maniacs' bassist once asked if he offered lessons. As an ordained minister, he is also available for weddings and funerals.
Although Olive’s drum machine was more accurate, Danielle Carlson was the final piece to make Olive complete. Danielle is a classically trained percussionist and multi instrumentalist who never thought she’d be in a band that played anything other than showtunes, but would now play Olive’s music in front of an abandoned Walden Books for mall walkers if the band let her. Danielle is by no means a stranger to the stage. Her finest performances includes winning $274 dancing to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” Danielle once helped shape the young minds of the future along with Becca and Mike, but decided to leave that and make a real impact on the world by chauffeuring clients on party buses.
Music
Photos
Olive Dares the Darkness performs Friday, July 30, 2021, at Pub on 61 in Charleston. (Photo courtesy of Jack Brandon)
Olive Dares the Darkness vocalist Becca Darling performs Friday, July 30, 2021, at Pub on 61 in Charleston. (Photo courtesy of Jack Brandon)
Olive Dares the Darkness lead guitarist Mike Baum performs Friday, July 30, 2021, at Pub on 61 in Charleston. (Photo courtesy of Jack Brandon)
Olive Dares the Darkness bassist Mr. Minister performs with Friday, July 30, 2021, at Pub on 61 in Charleston. (Photo courtesy of Jack Brandon)
Olive Dares the Darkness drummer Danielle Carlson performs Friday, July 30, 2021, at Pub on 61 in Charleston. (Photo courtesy of Jack Brandon)
Olive Dares the Darkness released their debut album "I" in March 2021.