Our Heart's Hero is an American Christian

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band founded in 2004. The group's touring players include Nick Joyce, Jacob Lawrence, Caleb Conroy, and Tyler Wellman. In 2004, Our Heart's Hero originated as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

band until late 2006, when the group signed with

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan wa ...

. They have released one non-independent album, ''Our Heart's Hero'', in September 2007, and are known for the radio singles "Back to the Cross", "Tomorrow", "Because of the Blood", "Love Is Breathing", "Bells" and "Shine On".

History

The band was originally formed in 2002 under the name "Fireproof".Our Heart's Hero Biography
on 1 Cubed; Retrieved March 29, 2008 Founding members Nick Joyce (from

South Point, Ohio South Point is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. South Point straddles Perry Township and Fayette Township. The population was 3,958 at the 2010 census. South Point is a part of the Huntington- Ashland, ...

), Jeremy McKnight (

Proctorville, Ohio Proctorville is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 574 at the 2010 census. The East End Bridge connects Proctorville to Huntington, West Virginia across the Ohio River. Proctorville is ...

) ]Gabe White (

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

) met in high school (Grace Christian School) and started the band because they wanted to make music that was more positive. They changed their name to "Our Heart's Hero" at the start of 2004; their first independent album, ''Can You Hear Me'', was released that year. It was followed by two other independent albums: ''Live in California'' on April 12, 2005, and ''Our Heart's Hero'' on July 4, 2006. They achieved some popularity as an unsigned group on MySpace, performing over 150 concerts a year and selling 20,000 copies of their 2006 release.

''Our Heart's Hero'' (2006–present)

The band signed with

in late 2006. "Gotee is thrilled to have Our Heart's Hero as the newest artist with our team," said label co-founder, Toby Mac. "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." Our Heart's Hero then began a period of touring, opening for

The Afters The Afters is an American Christian pop rock band founded by Joshua Havens and Matt Fuqua. Havens and Fuqua first worked together in a Starbucks coffee shop in Mesquite, Texas, where they performed songs for customers, before deciding to form a ...

in the spring of 2007. In mid-2007, they performed at the Revolution Calling Tour with

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

GRITS Grits are a type of porridge made from boiled cornmeal. Hominy grits are a type of grits made from hominy – corn that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp (ovary wall) removed. Grits are oft ...

and Falling Up, and also at the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tour. Their self-titled major label debut, ''Our Heart's Hero'', was released on September 18, 2007, and was produced by

Brent Milligan Brent Milligan is an American record producer and session bass guitar player currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Background Brent Milligan was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moved to Nashville after graduating from Louisiana State U ...

and

Ian Eskelin Ian Eskelin (born October 17, 1969), is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United, and president of recording and publishing company Radiate Music ...

. Their first single "Back to the Cross" was released approximately at time of the album; it reached a peak of No. 22 on ''Billboard'''s Hot Christian Adult Contemporary chart in January 2008. The album's production has been praised, but it received mixed reviews; ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'' said that the songs were "tailor-made for Christian radio", and that although "it is certainly a likable enough sound", the project lacked "clear or unique identity

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

fails to distinguish Our Heart's Hero from the pack."

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Jared Johnson shared a similar opinion about their album being "radio-friendly", saying that the band "plays it safe just enough to remain in the accessible pop/rock arena ..Still, one can't argue with the band's knack for hooks." Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album a rating of 2.5/5, concluding its review with: "if you're someone who is looking for something fresh and new, stay clear of this title, for you're bound to find yourself underwhelmed." Other reviews, such as ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

'' magazine, were more positive; "this isn't heavy or edgy enough to entice the

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...

crowd, but will appeal to fans of

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Thomas Camp (born January 12, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter from Lafayette, Indiana. He has released eleven albums, four of them RIAA-certified as Gold, and two live albums. Camp's original musi ...

". The review defined ''Our Heart's Hero'' as lyrically having "plenty of rock

cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...

s", but claimed that the band showed potential with its "clear and accessible" music. Their next single, "Because of the Blood", was released to Christian radio in 2007. On May 1, 2012, the band released a concept music video for the single "Shine On". In less than 30 days, the video received more than 1.1 Million views on YouTube.com On June 5, 2012, the band's sophomore album, "Shine On", was released. The first single by the same name reached a peak of No. 14 on the Billboard BDS National Airplay Christian Rock Chart.

Band members

The band has experienced several member changes since they formed as Fireproof in 2002. The only original member remaining is

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Nick Joyce.

Current touring players

*Nick Joyce –

Lead Vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Jacob Lawrence - Bass *Caleb Conroy -

*Tyler Wellman -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Godzirra -

Pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

Former members

*Emily Robertson (2004) (left the band to form

Carter's Chord Carter's Chord was an American country music group composed of sisters Becky Scott, Emily Fortney, and Joanna Ott, all of whom are singer-songwriters and vocalists. They are also the three daughters of Barny and Carter Roberston, both of whom pla ...

) *Hayden Lamb (2004–2006) (left the band and joined

) *Hunter Lamb (2004–2005) (left the band and joined

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...

) *Ricky Holbrooke (2005–2007) (left the band and joined

Showbread Showbread ( he, לחם הפנים ''Leḥem haPānīm'', literally: "Bread of the Faces"), in the King James Version: shewbread, in a biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present, on a specially-de ...

) *Taylor Carroll (2008) (left the band and joined

Pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

) *Jeremy McKnight (2002–2008) *Gabe White (2002-2004) *Jason Nattier (2006-2008/2008–2009) * Seth Morrison (2010) (left the band and joined

Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...

) *Cody Pellerin (2010–2011) (formerly of

Stellar Kart Stellar Kart was an American pop punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Inpop Records and Capitol Records. The band released their first album, '' All Gas. No Brake'', in February 2005. Most of their singles have been accepted exclusively o ...

) *Benji Smith (2010-2012) *Breck Arnold (2012-2013) (former drummer of They Came Running and Haley McGuire) *Jeremy Toler (2008-2013)

Discography

*2004: ''Can You Hear Me'' (

) *2005: ''Live In California'' (independent) *2006: ''Our Heart's Hero'' (independent) *2007: ''Our Heart's Hero'' (

) *2009: ''Becoming Nothing'' EP (independent) *2011: ''Love Is Breathing'' (Green Meteor Records) *2012: ''Shine On'' (Green Meteor Records)

Compilation appearances

*2007: ''Gotee Acoustic'', "Back to the Cross" (

Gotee Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan w ...

) *2007: ''Hear It Love It Live It: New Artist Sampler'', "Back to the Cross" (

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

) *2007: ''Outrageous Saturday 2007'', "Tomorrow" ( EMI CMG Distribution) *2009: ''Rockin Road Tunes'', "Tomorrow" ( Interlinc)

Singles

*2007: "Back to the Cross" – No. 22 on ''Billboard'''s Hot Christian Adult Contemporary chart *2007: "Because of the Blood" *2008: "Tomorrow" *2011: "Love Is Breathing" *2011: "Bells" *2012: "Shine On" – No. 14 on ''Billboard'''s BDS National Airplay Christian Rock Chart

References

External links

* {{Authority control Christian rock groups from West Virginia Gotee Records artists Musical groups established in 2001