Love, War & Music : Artist Spotlight: The Oh Hello's

By: Alex Duck

So this brother and sister duo might not be new to you guys, but they have just recently made it onto my airwaves in the last few months. This Texas group was a diamond in the rough for me and can't believe I hadn't stumbled upon them sooner. I actually got the oppurtunity to see them at Houston's Free Press Summer Festival, and their show was nothing less than entertaining. Tyler and Maggie Heath may be the front man and woman for this group, but that didn't stop them from having 11 musicians on stage ranging from accordion players, to banjo players, to random men hitting floor toms. All of those joyous noise came to together to make something I really haven't heard before. A mix of modern folk, a little bit of Texas twang and a contemporary Christian influence. Needless to say I had to dive deeper to find out about this group who's name was inviting enough already.

So who are Tyler Heath and Maggie Heath?
This eclectic folk rock group reigns from San Marcos, Texas, yet another reason they grew near and dear to my heart.
They created their first self named E.P in 2011. The track Lay Me Down was the first song I ever listened to and when Maggie opens up with her first note I was immediately enticed. These two seem to have mastered the two part harmony and compliment each other like.... SIBLINGS (duh). They seem to take turns singing lead on each song, seamlessly switching roles.

So when showing them to my friends I tried to think of a band I could pair them with, and that was a task in itself. However, if I had to group them or have them cobill with someone for a show it would be artists like The Head and the Heart, Sufjan Stevens, Josh Doyle, or even the Lumineers. The common thread between all these groups is the simplicity of the music, the poetic lyrics, the gimmick free live show, and certain kind of transcendent folk feel. Not soul music, but music for the soul.

I wouldn't be surprised if you stumble upon them on NPR's All Songs Considered the coming time. They seem to be entering a music scene that actually has a craving for this kind of music. Not music you can get drunk to, not music you fist pump to (well i guess no one is stopping you) but rather music you can dance to and just feel physically and emotionally better than you did before the song started. Artists with Christian faith influence like the Heath siblings usually get piled into the music worlds form of limbo and get stuck only playing on comtemporary Christian radio stations called "The Air" or "The Message." However, The Oh Hello's have seem to break that faith block of the music world and take there inspired songs to a more mainstream audience. I am glad this form of feel good music has crept its way back into the scene.
Keep doing what your doing Tyler and Maggie, I am a fan.