About Our Hearts Hero
Our Heart’s Hero formed out of necessity when two friends from just such a small town in the middle of nowhere decided that somebody needed to be playing some inspired rock ‘n’ roll. “In the small town area where we lived there weren’t a lot of great worship bands around,” explains front man, Nick. “Christian radio didn’t exist in our town. All we had was the junk on MTV. We saw a void and thought maybe we could fill it.” Still only sophomores in high school, Nick Joyce, his buddy Jeremy McKnight, and Gabe White grabbed some other guys and started messing around, eventually developing a sound that was bright and poppy with an underlying rock ‘n’ roll streak, wrapped around a message of hope and encouragement.
Adding Derrick Bishop and Dave Harris to the band's membership, the five moved to Nashville, Tennessee in hopes of learning more about turning the hobby they had started into a full time career. During this time, the band released it's first EP (The Dizzy EP, 2002). As the band continued to grow and change, Derrick returned to medical school at Marshall University in Huntington, WV and Dave moved on to other musical aspirations, including road tech-ing for country music powerhouse "Lonestar".
Nick, Jeremy and Gabe changed the band's name to "Our Hearts Hero" to officially kick off the birth of a new sound and a new band. In 2004, the newly named "OHH" headed into the studio to simultaneously record their debut album (Can You Hear Me, 2004) as well as an all-worship album (Our Hearts Hero: Worship, 2004). The three then ventured west, to one of California 's premier Christian camps, Hume Lake, to lead worship for the summer. As the band's fall, winter and spring touring schedule grew increasingly busy.
Gabe stepped down from the band to marry his now wife, Jennifer. Nick and Jeremy teamed up with longtime friends, twin brothers Hayden and Hunter Lamb, from Franklin, TN. The foursome toured a rigorous nation-wide schedule over the next year and a half, racking up well over 100,000 miles on the road. The band then released their 3rd full length project (Our Hearts Hero: LIVE in California ).
In late 2005, Hunter Lamb received and accepted an offer to play guitar for Atlantic Record's "Paramore". Then in early 2006, Hunter's brother Hayden excepted an offer from Provident Music's "Red" where he currently serves as drummer. Filling Hunter's guitar position is Jason Nattier, from Ashland, Kentucky . Ricky Holbrook, Grayson, Kentucky, stepped into Hayden's spot on the drums in the Spring 2006.
Signed with Gotee Records, Our Hearts Hero released their self-titled debut album in September of 2007.
"Gotee is thrilled to have Our Heart's Hero as the newest artist with our team,” said label co-founder, Toby McKeehan. “We love the music and the hearts of this band. Not only is their music top notch, but these are guys who pour their lives into the kids they play for and walk through whatever life brings to them with grace and wisdom. I can't wait for people to meet this band."
Hailing 11 songs of heartfelt, soaring pop-rock, all penned by lead vocalist, front-man, and guitarist, Nick Joyce, this must-hear album contains a combination of Nick’s soulful, emotion-laden vocals set against a backdrop of smart and spunky pop-rock melodies. There is a healthy dose of encouragement in the lyrics too.
In the beginning playing in the band was just about having fun, but it seemed God had other ideas. “All these doors started opening for us to play for youth groups and churches, and the calls started coming from further and further away from our hometown,” Nick recalls. “It just caught on like wildfire.” The band took their show on the road and soon found themselves playing over 150 shows per year. “The demand for our music got to be so great that we had to make a decision whether we were going to do music as a career or not,” Nick says of the band’s decision to relocate to Music City . “ Nashville was a central part of the country as far as touring was concerned. And it was a place where we could learn about the craft of doing music for a living so we wouldn’t have to come home from the road and go to work at McDonald’s. “I don’t know that the move was necessary, but it took us out of our comfort zone. We came to learn. We wanted to learn the business side of things, and we wanted to learn how to balance the business with the ministry. We didn’t come with an agenda. We just wanted to walk through the doors that God opened.”
The first radio single released by Gotee Records, "Back to the Cross", peaked at Number 22 on the national charts and landed at 77 on the CRW Year End Top 100 list for AC Adult Contemporary on nationwide Christian Radio.
