About Caroline Olivier

I was born in Northern France where people drink beer and eat (French) fries with mayo, but my roots lies in Bordeaux where I grew up and where people drink good wine and eat foie gras. Mmmmmh foie gras…. After a year exchange abroad program at UMASS and 3 years studying in Paris at Sciences Po I decided to ditch French welfare, 8 weeks annual vacation and free healthcare to move to California and go to UCSD… and stayed after graduation. I guess there’s something about a good Baja taco I can’t resist.

I started studying music when I was 5 and never really stopped since then… 10 years of formal piano education, took a few sax lesson with Ryan Montana and guitar/bass were self-taught.

Equipment: Ocean 5-string bass, Fender Squire fretless Jazzbass… and a tambourine

Influnces: I’m an old school rock person so I'm into stuff like Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Santana, the Stones, Jimmi Hendrix, Bowie, Queen, Radiohead, CCR, Black Sabbath… too many to list here. I also like great songwriters like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ben Harper and Paul Simon, I love blues, Latin and African jazz, old school R&B (read Sly and the Family Stone, not that MTV crap) and pretty much anything I can shake my booty on. And newer stuff like the Shins, Death Cab, Michael Franti, Dispatch. Last but not least I absolutely dig this band called New Monsoon that I discovered at the Belly Up this year... check them out if you don't know them yet!

Favorite food: Chocolate, cheese… all chauvinism left apart, they’ve still got to be French!

Favorite movie: The Graduate

Favorite eating establishment: My mom’s kitchen

Favorite place to shop: Extraordinary Desserts, Guitar Center, the French Gourmet, Blick art supplies, Victoria’s Secret, REI

Favorite city: Barcelona