Biographery J Oscar Writes and Plays Modern Folk That Pops

J Oscar Bittinger carries a beat guitar case full of stories. They’ve been collected in travel, borrowed from strangers, picked up off the floors of barrooms and bedrooms, fished from friends and made up from real life. The stories get woven into songs that take the shape of folk, rock, Irish and pop music. Sometimes they sound like poems, sometimes like fables, some may require a tissue and others might make you want to dance. Thoughtful or fun, they sound the best when you sing along.

J Oscar Bittinger has toured the Midwest as a singer-songwriter and founded the 80-90’s Musician Magazine recognized pop-rock band Pillar of Fire. Delving into more traditional acoustic styles, in the beginning of the 21st Century, he’s been a founding member of The Folk Bros (Bruce Zeeuw and Steve Aldrich), played “Celtic Roots, American Rhythms” with Oxter/Mahone, and combined traditional tunes, with beats and grooves and originals with Celtic leanings in the singer-songwriter duo Dublin Station.

J Oscar’s current projects include the weekly Facebook live stream (“A residency from my residence”) that can be seen every Thursday at 8:00 ET (echoed at  JOscarBittinger.com), as well as  curating past recordings (+plus working on a new 2023 CD/Bandcamp) release. He is also reviving – post pandemic – the beloved West Michigan holiday singer-songwriter showcase “A Winter’s Tune”.