Oliver Anthony is rolling up his sleeves and jumping in to raise money for hurricane relief. The Virginia native took to social media to announce that he will be hosting a benefit concert in Morgantown, West Virginia, featuring the Davisson Brothers, Mikele Buck, Zack Runyon, and a special guest. In the video, which is a nod to the Morgantown tradition of couch burning (lost on some folks), Anthony says that he'll charge $25 a ticket and 100% or the proceeds will go to hurricane victims. Dubbed the The Rural Revival Project: Hurricane Relief Show, the concert will be held on November 2nd at the Hazel & J.W. Ruby Event Complex at Mylan Park. He also added in a follow up video that he's been on the ground helping out in Western North Carolina, a part of the country that has been absolutely devastated by Hurricane Helene, and that'll be releasing a video on that soon. He acknowledged the amount of rumors coming our of the recovery efforts regarding FEMA and government involvement/interreference, power struggles, fraud, etc.... we've all heard the stories... and he indicated that he's talked to tons of people on the ground and will shed some light on that. Once again... respect. But the part that caught my eye was in the comments section, where a fan told him he was a "genuine dude" and "everything right" the music industry. To which, he replied... he was getting out of the music industry all together:
"I'm in the process of getting out of the music industry. It's a big joke. The plan is to eventually change my entire focus to traveling ministry work. It's all part of this Rural Revival thing. I just have to go at it in baby steps since it's completely DIY." He followed that up by saying that he'll still make music:
"No, I'll still be releasing music just like normal, I'll just be set up legally as a ministry." It's unclear if that statement is simply referring to the corporate structure by which he sets up his business (I suppose there are some tax implications if he's looking to get 501(c)(3) status), or if we'll see a major departure from the typical way artists release music and perform shows, independent or otherwise. From my bird's-eye view, Oliver was never really participating in the "music industry" all that much. In another comment he said "I have 7 brand new songs recorded that I'll start releasing soon" so it sounds like he may just be taking a ministry-focused approach to music, combining it with charity initiatives and good causes, vs the more standard approach of booking a 40-city tour, filling up a van and hitting the road. Of course, since Oliver Anthony's explosion onto the music scene with the viral, and somehow controversial, "Rich Men North Of Richmond," he's remained rather quiet. He's played some shows, made some podcast appearances with Joe Rogan and the great Jordan Peterson, and he independently released his
Hymnal Of A Troubled Man's Mind album this past spring, as well as a follow up single, "Cowboys & Sunsets" in June. It's clear that Oliver has always done this music thing his own way, and although the recipient of some viral fame, he's made a concerted effort NOT to capitalize on what many of his haters perceived to be that "15 minutes of fame" and cash a big check from a record label. He said a while back that he
turned down millions of dollars from record labels and it sounds like he has no plan to change course on that. It's certainly been an interesting ride for Oliver Anthony, and if he continues to use his gifts for the good of humanity, I have to say, for a third time... respect. https://www.instagram.com/oliver_anthony_music_/reel/DBfEIO_R1m-/
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