Olivelawn

About

Southern California punk/alternative band active from 1989 to 1992. They released two albums on local labels. Two of the members went on to form Fluf.

Olivelawn was formed in the fall of 1989 by guitarist Otis "O" Barthoulameu, who had grown up in Huntington Beach and been around the Orange County punk scene since the late 1970s, and professional skateboarder/amateur bassist Neil Blender, who had played in Worked World. Blender brought in Worked World drummer Eddie Glass. Singer Mike Olsen had grown up in Seattle and moved to Orange county in 1988; he got to know the other band members while working as a record store clerk in Westminster, and was invited to join. The band took its name from a mortuary located near Glass' home.

Blender played on Olivelawn's first two 7"s but dropped out after a few live shows, and was replaced by Barthoulameu's longtime friend and coworker Jonny Donhowe (both were photographers for Transworld Skateboarding magazine). The band members were spread across three southern California coastal counties: Barthoulameu and Donhowe lived in San Diego County, while Olsen lived in Orange County's Huntington Beach and Glass in Los Angeles County's La Mirada. They practiced at a rehearsal studio in Garden Grove.

Both of Olivelawn's studio albums were recorded with Seattle-based musician and engineer Jack Endino, who had worked with Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. 1990's Sap was recorded in Santa Ana, California and released on Long Beach label Nemesis Records, while 1992' Sophomore Jinx! was recorded in Seattle and released on Cargo Records, which had a branch in San Diego. The artwork for Sophomore Jinx! was based on The Ventures' 1964 album Knock Me Out!, with that band's Mosrite guitars swapped out for Olivelawn's preferred Fender guitars. Olivelawn performed mainly in southern California, with rare tours up the west coast, since Barthoulameu, who had previously toured as a roadie with several bands, did not enjoy the hand-to-mouth touring lifestyle.

The band members parted ways in 1992. Barthoulameu and Donhowe formed Fluf, Glass joined Fu Manchu, and Olsen joined The Bottom Feeders. Donhowe died in 2020, and Barthoulameu in 2023.