Oliver Anthony’s long talked about Rural Revival is coming to life.
After announcing that he would leave the music industry to pursue ministry, which was a roundabout way of saying he no longer wanted to be associated with Music City but would still be making and doing music, he announced he was working on a project called the Rural Revival.
“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. No, I’ll still be releasing music just like normal, I’ll just be set up legally as a ministry.”
In one of his longwinded social media rants, he shared that his vision for this Rural Revival project was to find a way to bring music to small communities, not only to boost their economic revenue from tourists coming to the event but also to give the middle finger to companies like Live Nation.
“I have this vision… I want to create a routing schedule that runs parallel to Nashville, circumvents the monopoly of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, and goes into towns that haven’t had music in them in a long time. It stimulates their economy, showcases their culture, it uses local vendors and local musicians. You’re not having to drive out to Pittsburgh to a concrete amphitheater to see a show. It’s done out on a farm or on a main street that desperately needs the economic impact.”
When Anthony revealed this vision in October of last year, he had not detailed any plans of when it would take place or when the first of these “festivals” would be. But he’s clearly put his nose to the grindstone and figured out something very quickly because he recently shared his plan for when the first Rural Revival is to take place.
Anthony was recently asked to speak as a keynote speaker at The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference. The ARC is known for trying to turn back the clock, taking civilization back to its roots. Their website states:
“Our ambition is to draw on our moral, cultural, economic, and spiritual foundations to develop a more hope-filled vision for the future and, ultimately, to re-lay the foundations of our civilization.”
Anthony was a great choice for a speaker, given his radical views on politics and the use of technology and his living fully off the grid before being discovered through his viral video. I do chuckle, though, because, for someone who preaches so much about not using technology and social media too much, he sure does love to rile people up with the longwinded rants he posts across multiple social media channels… but I digress.
However, I must admit that Anthony had some decent points during this public appearance. In his speech during the convention, Anthony talked a lot about how many of the heroes of today are not social media influencers but politicians, and it’s those who go unnoticed and who never get recognition beyond their neighbors who are the true heroes. He ties this point back to what he witnessed during Hurricane Helene relief efforts: These folks were the ones who were making big moves to help their community and those in need.
And I firmly believe that is something we all agree on. While yes there was a lot of media coverage surrounding parts of North Carolina and other areas of rural Appalachia that were affected, many civilians, small organizations, and some country music stars were the folks who truly made an impact during relief efforts.
Towards the end of his speech, Anthony went on a rant about how the people on the news are the last ones who made an impact.
“I’m just here to remind you that we don’t need our false idols. We should no longer rely on politicians who bow down to money to manage our city or our states. We need to find the real leaders everywhere and empower them.
Western Carolina was proof to me that there is an army of good people left in this world, who want to do good things. We just have to give them places to gather and give them the ability to act.”
To close out his speech, he delivers a Bible verse and announces that one of the places he will give these “leaders” to gather and act will be at the first Rural Revival project in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
“And so, I’ll see you on April the 5th in Spruce Pine, North Carolina for the first official gathering. It’s now my life’s mission to revive rural America one town at a time. It’s called the Rural Revival Project.”
Well, there you have it, folks. It’s coming to life. Given that Anthony has yet to detail the format of these gatherings, I am interested to see how the first one goes.
The website notes that attendees can expect documentary screenings, speaker workshops, skills workshops, and access to counseling. These all sound like great resources; however, they are also different from Anthony’s first notion that they would be bringing music to these small communities.
April 5th is around the corner, and we will finally see what all of this is about…
