Well hey it's August the 7th 2023. And, um... as of this recording, tomorrow on Tuesday radio WV is going to upload the debut of Rich men North to Richmond. And it's going to be the first song to get out there that's been recorded on the real microphone in the real camera. And not just on my cell phone. And Lord willing it's going to get some traffic and um maybe at least a few of you are going to drift your way over here. And I thought I'd have kind of an introduction video on um on what it is I'm aiming to do here. So uh, well, um....
I've been playing a long time and
singing, I I really started to write my
own music back in 2021.
Things were,
things were obviously not good for a lot
of people. And, um...
and in some respects I was one of those
people. And, uh... I had
wasted a lot of nights getting high and
getting drunk.
And
I had sort of gotten to a point in my
life where even things that I did, I didn't care
about, didn't mean anything to me anymore.
And, um...
I mean this is certainly no Dr Phil
episode, but
I uh
I've I found an outlet in this music.
I started uploading a couple songs and
um you know, "Ain't Got a Dollar" I
uploaded
um spring last year. And Then uh "Rich
Man's Gold", "Cobwebs and Cocaine", and the
list goes on from there. And there's
probably been about a dozen or so
Originals. That I've put out just off my
cell phone.
And, I started getting messages from people
saying like how much the music was
helping them, and
you know with their struggles and their
lives. And
that they'd been sitting on the back
porch listening to me for the last hour.
And, it just uh,...
I don't know it, it um... it really gave me
a purpose. Tt made me feel like, um... Made
me feel like I wasn't just wasting my
time.
So, anyway,
kind of the last roller coaster the last
year,... I have um,...
I have decided that that this is this is
going to be what I do
um at all costs, no matter what I'm going
to
create. I'm going to write, create, and
produce as much original authentic music
as I can.
Um in the hopes that it,
it,...that it'll at least help somebody out
there that needs it.
I know we're living in dark times and I
know that this is
this is really just the beginning of
what's to come.
and um
There's a lot of beautiful people in
this world. And I meet a lot of
awesome people every day,
even back when I,
back when I did work in the factory. You
know I sing about selling my soul. And I
am a ginger so I don't know if I have a
soul to sell or not.
But, uh,..
I met a lot of good people, even back
then working third shift 12 hours six
days a week, And
and now I spend a lot of time on job
sites and I meet people from all across
the country. And the universal thing I
see is that it's like no matter how hard
they push and and how much effort they
put into whatever it is they're doing,
they just can't quite get ahead because
the dollar is not worth enough. It's
being overtaxed.
People are just sick and tired of being
sick and tired.
So yeah, I, I want to be a voice for those
people. And not just them just humans in
general, and some of the struggles and
the battles that they go through.
And there'll be a lot of positive songs
on here too. There already are some
you know, "90 some Chevy" and "Between You
and Me" and I mean even "Ain't got a
Dollar" those are going to be fun songs.
And there'll be plenty more like that...
I appreciate you, you taking the time to
listen.
And, and hopefully you like what you hear.
My email is oliveranthonymusic
gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you.
I'll, I'll speak a few minutes on uh
"Rich men North of Richmond" and then
we'll hang this thing up. I don't want to
chatter too long to you. Butm uh
"Rich men north of Richmond", it you know
it touches on my time in Western North
Carolina. Working in the factory and um
it talks about some people that live
north of Richmond Virginia. Who I'm sure
you're very well aware of. Who um
who make life a little more difficult
than it should be.
Tt touches base on human trafficking and
the atrocities.
I'll say this I I sit I sit pretty dead
center down the aisle on politics
and and always have.
um
I remember as a kid the conservatives
wanting war and and and me not
understanding that and I remember
I remember a lot of the controversies
when the left took office and
it seems like
you know both sides serve the same
master. And, and, and that Master is not
someone of any good to the people of
this country.
But,
I think one of the worst things that a
human being can do is is take advantage
of a child.
And
I can't begin to conceptualize
what has to happen to someone, in order
for them to think that's okay.
And
I think I drew the line on
being quiet
when
I started to see that becoming
normalized.
And I'll leave that at that.
In the last part of the song it touches,
on,
on,
um...
on, on suicide rates, and on, and really on,
mental health and depression.
There's no reason why young men or women
in this country should be committing
suicide.
There's obviously a problem you know
people talk about epidemics in this
country and the homeless homelessness
and the drug use and
the lack of skilled labor
and the suicide rates. Those things
aren't
those aren't problems those are symptoms
of a bigger Universal problem. And
a lot of people know that it's common
sense. But we don't talk about it enough.
And maybe that is the problem. That maybe
that is the problem today is we just
don't talk enough Common Sense anymore.
To know we've kind of went a little off
the deep end.
So uh so yeah
I guess I'll leave it at that.
I hope wherever you are in the world
listen to this and whatever it is that
you're trying to do with your life, I
hope that you I hope that you succeed at
it.
And I hope if you take anything away
from me,
and the music I write, it's that
this life is a
is a beautiful opportunity, and
I don't care
where you are or what you've done,
where you think your life's heading.
Everything can change in a moment, as
long as you're above the dirt you've got
a Fighting Chance.
I'll say this and I'll go I uh,
I spent a long time being angry and
angry little agnostic Punk.
And I remember talking about Sky Daddy
and Cloud Papa and I would get so angry,
about the concept of God. Because I
I had sort of perverted what my vision
of God was. Because I
I looked at I looked at the religion of
man as God and not and not God himself.
but,
um...
There is a Divine creator that loves you.
And,
and sometimes it takes falling down on
your knees and getting ready to call
things quits,
before it becomes obvious that he's
there. But
he's always there, you just got to look
out for him, and listen for him
so I'll see you on the next one.
And um,
and I love you guys and gals. And I'm
I'm really appreciative of you listen to
my music and giving me a voice. So Lord
willing this is just the beginning.
Hope you guys have a good night, bye!
- Oliver Anthony
Oliver has since been invited on the Joe Rogan Podcast to discuss the overnight success of the song.