Oliver Fauser was born in July 1965 in Lörrach, right on the border with Basel. In 1979, together with his friends Thomas Vogt and Wolfram Gumbert, he founded his first band: United Images. He played drums and sang at the same time. In 1982, the band performed live for the first time at the youth center “Hüttli” in Lörrach (today known as the “Nellie”). Soon after, he became the lead singer and songwriter, the band changed its name to Madison Bow and went on to play legendary concerts in the Lörrach and Basel area, until finally disbanding in 1986.

But Oliver had already begun working on his own. From 1982 onwards, he experimented with Fostex four-track recorders, recording all instruments himself, learning by doing – and creating unusual, curious recordings…

Since 1986, he has worked under the name The Moonchildren, the umbrella under which all of his musical projects have since been released.

In 1986 he traveled to New York for the first time. A year later he moved there with Wolfram, played gigs with New York musicians, soaked up the city’s life, its groove, its streets, its clubs. In 1989, their paths diverged and Oliver moved to Los Angeles. The following years became a constant back-and-forth between Europe and America, a life on the road, between stages and studios – the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. He also worked as a stage technician for theater, musicals, and ballet, touring all over Europe and collaborating with artists such as Heidi Kabel, Willy Millowitsch, Manfred Krug, Rolf Knie, and international ensembles from London and New York.

In 1991 his first son was born, in 1992 his second. In 1994 came the divorce, and from then on Oliver raised his two sons on his own. He juggled fatherhood, work, and the unrelenting urge to make music. In 1995 he released a best-of cassette/CD of his four-track recordings: Churchsongs, now out of print.

In between, he lived in the Bay Area of San Francisco, later in Cologne, where he entered the film industry. He worked on the first four episodes of the then-new Tatort duo Dietmar Bär and Frank J. Behrendt, and filmed a Schimanski movie with Götz George in Croatia.

In 1998 Oliver returned to the Black Forest for the sake of his children and their schooling and settled down. Between 1998 and 2001 he recorded the album Songs from the South City together with his second wife. They separated before its release, but the project marked a new beginning. During this period, he founded his label MotherMoon Recordings, which remains the home for all his releases to this day.

At the same time, Oliver developed his visual art. In the 1990s, he began sketching well-known personalities with felt-tip pens. From 2005 onward, he intensified his work with styrofoam, filler, emulsion, oil, and acrylic, creating a unique technique with a strong signature style. Between 2013 and 2019, he exhibited nearly forty times – twice at Scope Basel, three times at Art Zurich, and also in Tokyo, New York, France, Italy, and of course Germany.

In 2016 he combined music and painting for the first time: Feel was released as a strictly limited “Art & Music Box Deluxe,” eight songs by The Moonchildren in a handmade wooden box, each accompanied by an original artwork. At the time, art took center stage – until the pandemic of 2020/21 brought everything to a standstill. Planned exhibitions, including in New York, were canceled. Oliver sold his house in the valley and moved next door to his mother, who suffered from dementia, to care for her. She passed away half a year later, followed another six months later by his father. Around the same time, his stepfather was diagnosed with cancer, whom Oliver also cared for until his passing in 2024.

In these years of farewells, Oliver found his way back to music. He wrote new songs, recorded them, shot videos. In 2021 he walked the Camino de Santiago from Portugal to Santiago de Compostela. Afterwards began a time of great travels: to Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and Morocco, later four months across South America – from Chile through Bolivia and Peru deep into the Amazon, and finally Mexico. He met shamans, took part in ceremonies, and was deeply shaped by the landscapes, cultures, and people he encountered.

All of these experiences culminated in his 2024 album Grace, produced together with his longtime sound engineer Mario Melle.

Oliver Fauser is an artistic lone wolf. Although guest musicians occasionally appear – exceptionally many on Grace – he otherwise does almost everything by himself: writing songs, playing instruments, singing, recording, mixing, producing, editing and shooting his videos, programming websites, designing covers, coding digital releases, creating graphics, and publishing everything through his own label. A one-man show that bears his signature in every respect.

Today he lives with his girlfriend Nadine, whom he calls his muse, in a small mountain village in the Black Forest. He writes new songs, films videos, and works on his second novel The Beach. His relationship with his now fully grown sons remains close and loving.

Contact: moonland2(at)aol.com