Want to know something I love about my music industry friends here in our own Macon, Georgia?
They know what music I like.
Danielle the Cox Capitol Theatre emailed me the other day saying- we’ve got a band coming that I think you’re going to really like.
What she didn’t know was, I already did!
The Oh Hellos are an eclectic rock folk duo out of San Marcos, Texas. And Danielle was right, I do love their sound. I love that they are a brother and sister duo who started out by playing a song for their mom. I love that they have this fun sound but that their lyrics are just as powerful- it speaks to the writer in me.
And I got to interview them, right here. Check it out the answers I got from Tyler Heath!
MW: I’ve read that your recent album, Dear Wormwood, was inspired by C.S.Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. Can you elaborate on that? Is faith something that plays a large role in your music?
TH: Our album definitely draws on The Screwtape Letters! We wrote it like a collection of letters to a tormentor from the person being tormented, touching on a lot of the subjects and themes from the book (fear, pain, death, etc). Our beliefs absolutely inform our writing, but one of our goals with our music is to seek out common ground and write songs that can resonate with anyone.
MW: I have a deep appreciation for music, and I’ve been told my poems sometimes are like musical lyrics, but I don’t have any idea how to write music. When writing songs, are you writings out the lyrics first and then the music? Or vice versa?
TH: It’s usually both, at different times! Sometimes the lyrics come first, other times we have a melody that we fit lyrics into like puzzle pieces. Sometimes the lyrics and music come to us at the same time, especially as we’re just beginning to write the song.
MW: I love the lyrics of “I Was Wrong” in your first album, and how the music goes with it. I was struck by it from the first word, the first note. The words and the music seem to be the perfect mix or hope and despair. The words apologetic, and the music uplifting. Did you intend for it to be that way? Or did it just kind of happen?
TH: That juxtaposition of joy and melancholy is very much intentional! Life is rarely one or the other. I Was Wrong is a great example of that tension, but it runs through the rest of our music as well.
MW: I’ve read that you started out in music by creating a gift for your mother. What’s your mother like? Is she a source of inspiration and encouragement? I personally find that interesting because I am a mother, and I hope I can encourage my children in any way possible.
TH: Our mom is extremely encouraging and supportive, and she and our dad have been in our corner our whole lives. The first song the two of us wrote together was for our mom’s birthday, although it’s not nearly as sweet and thoughtful of a gift as it might sound – all the lyrics basically poked fun at her.
MW: I’m told that when performing on stage y’all tend to… bring along a lot of people? What’s that like to transition from a brother and sister duo to working with a much larger band?
TH: Including the two of us, our touring band is currently nine members strong! It’s not without its challenges, but a large ensemble onstage feels completely natural to the two of us. We both come from fairly classical backgrounds, and our production style often reflects that with dense, intricate arrangements. We’ve found that translating that full sound to a live setting takes a lot of hands.
MW: Ok I have to ask a “Macon specific” question- just in case no one told y’all- we’re the home of a lot of musicians. Little Richard, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers, Capricorn Records, even Jason Aldean! Did you ever listen to any of those artists? And aside from that, which musicians would you say a- most influence your work but also b- that you like to listen to in your downtime, whether they are of your genre or not?
TH: We were exposed to several of those artists growing up, for sure! The two of us have widely differing tastes in music, and we both bring different influences to the table when we write, but there’s plenty of overlap as well: Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, The Middle East, and the Muppets, to name a few.
Molly is a communications professor, parent, Southern culture commentator, and social media marketing maven. She is also a freelance writer who has worked with a variety of publications and online magazines including Bourbon & Boots, Paste Magazine, Macon Magazine, the 11th Hour, Macon Food & Culture Magazine, and as the Digital Content Editor for The Southern Weekend.
