Olivia Wolf On Her Debut Album ‘Silver Rounds’

It remains to be seen, of course, but Olivia Wolf hopes that people will hear her music as something that's not tied down to a particular point in time.

The Nashville-based artist writes and performs music that is, in some ways, a throwback to earlier periods. That doesn't mean that hers is an old-timey string-band sound laden with banjo, fiddle and mandolin. Her new debut album, Silver Rounds, sounds modern but not trendy. As she describes it, her older-world approach to creating songs relates more to subjects and themes rather than instrumentation.

"My first rule, whenever I’m writing anything, is to try and be timeless," Wolf says. "So it’s not about texting or cell phones or Facebook or something, but it’s about something that’s connected to the earth or that will make other people feel like it’s their story, as well. A lot of the lyrics come from my real-life connection with nature."

Outside of being in tune with the natural world, Olivia Wolf also found inspiration in what's probably the hardest possible way. In 2018, she was headed toward the path of matrimony when the love of her life died in an accident two weeks before their wedding. The tragedy forced her to see life through new perspectives, which she shares in different ways throughout the album.

In "Lucky One," for instance, she sees the sunny side in terms of the afterlife she envisions for him. It's a remarkable love song in which a young cowboy goes out riding one day and never returns. She rings their dinner bell in vain, and the lasso she throws comes back empty. She's more resolved and hopeful in "Meet You at the Cross," but explores darker emotions in songs like "Lie in Wait," "The Veil," and the title track, in which she's able to release some of her anger and resentment.

Olivia Wolf sings about her profound loss again and again, sometimes starkly and directly but often more poetically. That said, it's not a depressing album. It's heavy, yes, but in some ways, it's uplifting to hear someone singing about things so personal and so real. It's a reminder that stepping into someone else's world for a bit can give you insight into your own.

For some relief, Wolf includes three songs ("High Life," "Weed King," and "Good Smoke Too") that give insight into other ways she's dealt with her life-changing crisis. Her co-writer on these 420-friendly tunes is artist Taylor McCall, who also plays and sings on the album and is a friend who shares her passion for fly fishing.

Wolf's crystal-clear voice and memorable melodies help make the album captivating. As a singer, she rides softly over sturdy soundscapes that can be tender or dramatic and have surprising turns. These are some of the reasons that listening to Silver Rounds is such a powerful experience.

Wolf credits producer (and multi-instrumentalist) Sean McConnell for helping her say what she needed to say. As a co-writer helping her to craft and refine her songs, she says, he was very open to her ideas and, in some cases, took them farther than she imagined both lyrically and musically. In that first song, as an example, she had two great lines about a river, and he easily offered up a third one that put the song firmly on course. In places where she wanted to add recorded sounds of bird calls and rushing waters, he found ways to suggest them sonically using musical instruments.

"I wanted people to be able to hear the mountain and hear the river and hear the wind," says Wolf. "That, to me, is what country is. It's music that's made by people who live in the country." She laughs and adds, "But I know that’s not everyone’s definition."

Wolf defines her music as a combination of country, rock, and folk, but she also has some strong bluegrass influences. For that, she credits her grandfather, who was the founder of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco.

Seeing so many masterful musical figures up close at the annual event had a profound and lasting effect on her, she says. As influences, she lists legends like Ralph Stanley and Doc Watson, top-shelf songwriters like John Prine and Guy Clark, and solid next-generation performers like the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show.

"When I started to write my own songs, I had very high standards for myself," she says. "I wanted to make sure that the lyrics would come across and resonate with folks."

Editor's Note: Like her taste in music, Olivia's interest in the outdoors came to her partly through her grandfather's influence. We'll explore her enthusiasm for fly fishing in detail in a Jamming Out feature story in our upcoming May-June 2025 print edition of Hook & Barrel Magazine. In the meantime, you can stream her music on major platforms or directly from oliviawolf.com, where you can also watch videos, find her concert dates, and order records, CDs, and a good assortment of merchandise.