Oli Brown is just like any other teenager, often to be found in his bedroom, trying to avoid studying for his A- levels. Unlike others however, Oli isn't occupying his time with computer games. No, Oli's passion is music. "I play a lot of guitar every day. It almost gets too much because when it comes to studying and handing in college work I almost always have to work into the small hours," said Oli. "The problem is, I play so much guitar that I forget about my college work until it's too late. I haven't got very long left at college, maybe just a couple of months now - but it's just that I can't really be bothered with it. "I just want to leave and go on but I've been told I should stay and complete them [A-levels]. I study an insane amount of music, and currently I'm writing quite a few songs because I've had quite a bit of record label interest. "There's one major label - sorry I don't think I can mention names? Eek!
 | | Oli Brown's guitars |
"So I have to write songs, play with the band, get to the recoding studio which costs a fortune! And then send the stuff out, which is the reason why I'm going on these tours. "I'm going to Texas, just for the weekend! To play at this festival called South By Southwest. I'm playing in Austin and this is because of a label interest. They want to take me out there, the hotel and everything is all paid for, which is nice. "They're taking me over there to hear me play and things which will be really exciting and next year when I finish college, I'll be touring more of America. "So yeah, this is kind of my struggle at the moment… Oli's struggle… to try and get through my college work. So I suppose I ought to do some college work now." Oli talks to us from Austin, Texas at the South By Southwest Festival. He was invited in April this year by a record company interested in hearing him play. Expecting to take part as a band member, he was surprised by a rather interesting opportunity. "Hello again, I'm now in my hotel room in Texas, in Austin. As soon as I landed, I found out that there's a foot of snow in New York, so all of the planes have been cancelled," said Oli. "I found out that Patrick possibly can't make it, so if he can't make it it’s going to be Oli Brown, with the band, which will be weird. They'll be a bass player and a drummer and a piano player which I'm really excited about. "It's just crazy though, cos this kid [Patrick] should be here, and I am disappointed for him in a way, because it would have been really fun to meet him and hang out, but it's also really exciting. "And now it's just my chance to really go crazy with it [fronting the band]. I don't really know what to do. I'm also really hungry, like starving! "There's no food in here - there's a fridge, but I doubt there will be food in there. But fingers crossed! So now I'm going to sign out now and find some food." A short while later... "Hi, I have to speak really quietly because it's really late and people are asleep. It was a great show, got recordings of it all, well the record label have," said Oli. "It was a fantastic show. I heard some really good bands. I got to meet them all and hang out with them all. The venue was really class. There were really nice crowds. "The kid [Patrick] didn't turn up, so I had to play. It went down fantastically; people were going crazy for it. People were dancing, it was cool. "It was like a proper blues jam. It wasn't organised at all, just a proper blues jam, really cool, I really enjoyed it, but I'm very tired. "One of the bands called Leo, I was speaking to them after the show and they asked me if I wanted to play with them later on in the evening at 12. So I was like, 'Yeah, sure', so I hung out with them and we ate at a really nice restaurant called Roy's. "Not like Roy's of Wroxham though! But I am absolutely shattered. I'm going to have a nice good long sleep now, so see you," said Oli. See Oli Brown play live at the BBC stand at the Royal Norfolk show on Thursday, 28 June, 2007 at 1pm. | 
