Olivia The Band

What do you get when you combine four friends, crazy surf-punk music and lots of Aloha? Olivia, of course. Olivia The Band is Reed Cromwell (lead vocals, bass), Gabe Watts (guitar), Justin Abilla (lead guitar) and Christian Perreira (drums). The guys grew up on Oahu’s North Shore and have been as close as brothers since childhood. The bond they formed as friends surfing  day in and out set the stage for this band’s development.

The band actually came about almost by accident. “Back in the day we would go to see groups like Pennywise, Sprung Monkey and Blink 182. It was while driving home from a show in 1995 that we decided to start a band so that we could touch people like they had touched us,” Abilla said, recalling their mission.

Armed with a goal, the musicians went out and bought the best instruments they could afford and set out to learn to play them. After graduating from high school, the group began to pursue music and relocated to San Diego (more surf) where they later signed a record deal and produced their self-titled debut album released last January.

Not surprisingly, Olivia The Band has been compared musically to the likes of Blink 182 and Relient K, groups among the ones that have inspired them. Their songs, which meld pure adrenaline with a faith-based Hawaiian backdrop, are written in collaboration by all four members, with the lyrical content written exclusively by Cromwell, the lead singer. The beat explodes with energy and passion, but a close listen reveals purpose beneath the drive.

“I try to say something of worth, and my hope is that if some kid is super bummed out, he’ll listen to us and it will help bring him through,” Cromwell said.

The amity of the guys is also shown in the significance of the band’s name. “Olivia,” which was christened in remembrance of the loss of guitarist Justin Abilla’s baby sister, is as a reminder of the Paradise awaiting her and others in the hereafter. 

Their focus on the eternal is also evident in the way they spend their time on tour and treat their fans. While most bands leave the venue immediately following a show, Cromwell, Watts, Abilla and Perreira generally hang out with each person who approaches them, interacting until fans become friends.

“The real fruit happens, for us, off-stage. It happens through conversations with people after our shows. The music plants the seeds, but the true ministry occurs as we share in relationship with this community of people—these new friends,” Abilla says.