INTERVIEW: Desert Hollow release their debut EP ‘Thirsty’
Photo: Xander Hitzig and Nicole Olney, better known as Desert Hollow, recently released their debut EP, Thirsty. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by KG Music Press with permission.
Desert Hollow, consisting of Xander Hitzig and Nicole Olney, are a California-based folk duet whose debut EP, Thirsty, is out today, May 21. Fans of the duo’s music can expect five songs off the new recording, with Hitzig on lead guitar, fiddle, mandolin, penny whistle, kazoo and five-string banjo. Olney is featured on guitar, banjolele and kazoo.
The two first met while working together on the set of the country musical Sneaky Ole Time, according to press notes, and they continued to create around their shared love of bluegrass, folk and indie music.
Thirsty features the title song, plus “I Can’t Wait for Summer,” which seems entirely appropriate in late May, and “Look at Those Birds,” among other tunes. Listeners should be able to identify traces of West Virginia and California in the lyrics and sounds of the EP, and that’s because Hitzig is from West Virginia, while Olney grew up in the California desert.
Recently the two exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about their debut recording. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can listeners expect from your EP Thirsty? How long have you been working on it?
HITZIG: They can expect a real good time, a quality listening experience of wordsmithery and musicality. We’ve been working on this project for quite some time. Things got pushed back a bit because of COVID-19, but we leaned into it. And I must say that the end result has been very pleasing and delightful to be sure.
OLNEY: Listeners can expect a lively variety of vibes in this batch of tunes, instruments that have been used for a long time used in a fresh way and lyrics that tell stories. We started the recording process almost exactly two years ago now.
How would you define your sound?
HITZIG: I would describe our sound as timeless, like it could have come out and been a hit 40 or 50 years ago, but also coming out today feels totally fresh and poppin’. It’s not just about the lyrics or just about the music; it’s about what happens when they come together and elevate each other.
OLNEY: I would say our sound is reminiscent of folk songs of the past and present, but also very accessible. Whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, there is something in there for everybody.
You play a lot of instruments on these songs. How does adding in these instruments help with your overall sound?
HITZIG: Adding in multiple instruments on each track helps give the songs depth and color, and can also help steer the emotional journey.
OLNEY: Each instrument adds to the atmosphere of each song. There are so many songs out there today with tones that were created by a computer. I feel like creating our songs with a plethora of actual instruments gives us that organic sound that we loved so much about the music that came out in the ’60s and ’70s.
How did songwriting work for the album? Did you work together? Separately?
HITZIG: When it comes to songwriting between the two of us, it’s different every time. Quite often, one or the other of us will write a song and bring it to the other to see what they can add and inspire, but sometimes you can just have an idea and build the song together using that idea as a starting point.
OLNEY: For these particular songs, we wrote them separately and then brought them to each other at a very early stage. From there, the songs transformed into what they are today, so kind of both. We worked on them together and separately.
Who are some of your musical influences?
HITZIG: John Hartford, Django Reinhardt, John Prine — there’s so many. Jimmy Hendrix, Vassar Clements, Del McCoury, Kenny Baker, Billie Holiday, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, to name a few. There are so many more that it’s mind boggling.
OLNEY: Sam Cooke, Laura Marling, Bob Dylan, Gregory Alan Isakov, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd … so many more.
How did you two meet personally and professionally?
HITZIG: We met professionally and then personally. We met in a theater production in Los Angeles, and well, some things just can’t be stopped. Nicole started sharing her lunch with me, and things kind of took off from there. And it’s a good thing they did.
OLNEY: Yeah, we met as castmates in a musical in Santa Monica. I don’t think either of us had any intention to find a life partner out of the gig, but we just clicked. And we ran with it. Making music together happened really organically. We were always surrounded by 2-8 instruments courtesy of Xander. It would have been weird to not start collaborating.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Desert Hollow’s debut EP is Thirsty. It is now available. Click here for more information.
