It’s crazy to think that the first time I interviewed Olivia Millerschin, she was in high school and I had only just started Lemonade Magazine. I knew back then that I was listening to something pretty special and that opinion never changed through the years. Millerschin has everything you could ask for in an artist: a great personality, a pitch perfect voice, witty lyrics and most importantly, she’s never tried to be anyone else than Olivia Millerschin. You never feel like like she’s just reacting to trends or molding herself to be like [Insert Artist Name]. She’s 100% genuine and that isn’t always easy to come by anymore.
Through the last six or seven years, we have interviewed Millerschin at least three times (off the top of my head) and I always go back to her as one of those artists that I sort of brag about “finding”. During that time though, the Michigander had never been to Seattle…never! It seems hard to believe, but I even recall giving her a bad time once for playing a show in Portland, OR only to head south afterward for California. This year however, Millerschin and the gang (Bryan Reilly – Guitar, James Pyne – Trombone) ventured a little further North and West to play some music for the patrons of Stone Way Cafe in the Fremont District of Seattle.
Stone Way Cafe is a wonderful little gem in the Northern part of the city. I imagine it holds around 40-50 people max (I could be off, estimating building size is not one of my stronger suits) and on this particular evening, every seat was filled. The stage is barely raised from the cafe area and sports a beautiful mural featuring all of Washington State’s official flora, fauna, music and landmarks. Millerschin, Reilly and Payne took the stage at around 7pm and kicked off with a cover of Norah Jones‘ “Don’t Know Why”. Given that this was the first stop of their West Coast Tour, there wasn’t a set list quite yet, so there was a fair mix of covers, as well as originals including two brand new songs, one of which will be the theme song for an upcoming show on HGTV (Neither have names yet. She admitted to only naming her songs when she has to in the studio).
Throughout the two hours of music (besides a quick food & drink break), Millerschin delighted the audience with her lovable banter and her sugar 
sweet vocals. One of my favorite things was actually watching Pyne and Reilly react to some of her interactions with the crowd. I probably looked like an idiot laughing at this. There is also something to be said for both of their work as musicians as well. Reilly’s work on the acoustic guitar was flawless, even breaking into a solo at one point that I wasn’t expecting and Pyne’s improvisations on the Trombone were spectacular. As a fellow ukulele fanatic, I also feel it necessary to point out Millerschin’s mad skills on four strings as well.
What impresses me so much about Olivia Millerschin is that over the years as I have watched her grow as a writer and an artist, it has become very apparent that she will only get better and better as time goes on. With that said though, while many artists’ material from when they were much younger can be cringe worthy, Millerschin’s actually stand the test of time. Sure her earlier songs are a little more folksy and cute than her newer stuff, but it’s still quality. That alone says a lot about what an incredible artist she is.
Make sure you check her out when she’s in your city! The remainder of her tour is posted below.
P.S. Come back soon guys.
5/8 – Grants Pass, OR – Grants Pass Museum of Art
5/9 – Beaverton, OR – Hart House Concert
5/10 – Ashland, OR – Brickroom
5/12 – San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah Saloon
5/13 – Boulder Creek, CA – lille æske
5/14 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hotel Cafe – Stage 2
5/17 – Encinitas, CA – Solomon House Concert
5/19 – Las Cruces, NM – McDowell House Concert Series
