Oliver Tree has gone from DJing at local Santa Cruz parties to world tours and performing in front of large audiences at San Francisco’s Outside Lands with artists like Green Day and Pussy Riot.

Oliver Tree is a study in contrasts. The 28-year-old Californian singer-songwriter, whose songs are often poignantly emotional, presents himself in concerts and videos as a clownish figure, playing an ...

James Hetfield is a lifelong reveler in “manly” extremes. It makes sense that Hetfield, the lead snarler for Metallica, would voluntarily brave remote and frigid conditions. Oliver Tree, though?

A cartoon character by design, Oliver Tree’s comical image and mastery of over-the-top gimmickry can be a double-edged sword. Simultaneously a living, breathing meme and a genre-fusing sonic ...