Local pop star releases first — and last — album
SANTA CRUZ >> These days Oliver Tree Nickell lives in Hollywood. But he started out here in Santa Cruz. The performer’s first album (and last) “Ugly is Beautiful” was released by Atlantic Records and leapt onto the billboard charts on Aug. 1 as both No.1 alternative and rock album. Oliver Tree, who embodies elements of Evil Knievel, Andy Kaufman and Iggy Pop, spoke with the Sentinel about why the album release was delayed, what it’s like to build the world’s biggest scooter (and ride it) and why he’s done with music and has established a production company called Alien Boy Films.
First and final album
“Ugly is Beautiful” has already had great sales, with two RIAA gold singles (500,000 sales) for the songs “Alien Boy” and “Hurt.”
“I worked on the album — ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ — for five years. It’s been finished for a few years and I wanted it to come out sooner but it’s really hard to release an album on a major label if you don’t have an audience,” Oliver Tree said.
“Basically, I was forced to keep delaying the album release until I had a big enough audience,” he explained. “The timing of it was completely horrible. But in this time of darkness, people do need something positive to uplift them, so I feel grateful that it could offer that.
“At this point I’m done with music,” Tree declares. “I’m on a major label that has access to some of my older music, so some of that stuff will get released. I made a thousand songs to make that first album and I don’t feel the need to make any more now. ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ will be my first and final album as Oliver Tree.”
Fringe of society
Tree told the Sentinel that he’s now focused on producing graphic novels, animated TV shows and feature length films. “I’m working on two screenplays right now. That’s been one of the parts of the pandemic that’s been the best; it’s given me time to write and do things I never would’ve had time to do before,” Tree said. “One of the screenplays is a coming to age story of an oddball character who lives on the fringe of society. The other one is more of a thriller exploring loneliness and death. It’s completely separated from the world of Oliver Tree and everything I’ve been doing with this project.”
Santa Cruz freak flag
“Santa Cruz was my main boot camp. I spent the bulk of my existence there learning how to make art, locking myself away and recording endless albums that would never see the light of day. I was able to learn true creativity and authenticity. People are very understanding in a place like Santa Cruz, so they welcome you to let the freak flag fly,” he recalled. “What I left in Santa Cruz was the nest, and I spread my wings to fly. I’ll always be a Santa Cruzean. It’s my hometown, where I was born. But there’s a world to go out and see, explore and conquer.”
Lived out of a suitcase
“I will probably miss touring in a lot of ways, but I won’t miss me not being able to be healthy because I’m not sleeping and traveling and working very odd hours,” recalls Tree. “It takes a toll on you and I did that for almost four years. No resting. I lived out of a suitcase for that entire time.”
At his concerts it’s common to see Oliver Tree fans display bowl-style haircuts and wear jogging suits, just like the singer.
“That’s where you get to see the real cultural impact and how things translate from the internet and the online Matrix into the real world,” Tree said. “That is a really big turning point for any artist when you can see the culture come to life and what you’ve curated and see it exist before your very eyes.”