Desert Hollow

The name Desert Hollow is a definition for the geographical and artistic influences of this farm fresh, California based duo. Xander Hitzig and Nicole Olney teamed up in love and music a few years back.

Xander comes from the West Virginia countryside, and Nicole from the California desert. Both influences are prominent on their debut EP, “Thirsty”. Her lilting vocal seems to melt into the sturdy, eclectic musical beds of each tune. His voice is as deliberate as an old-school folkie singing with no amplification. When the two come together in harmony, it’s as if they have known each other all their lives. Flaunting a Gram and Emmylou-like confidence in their delivery, one is pulled back through the decades in a time machine made of stringed instruments only to land in present day Los Angeles’ alt-country scene.

With a gypsy spirit, the two found themselves sleeping in an old GMC van before moving into a bungalow in Venice Beach. The two consider themselves “weirdos” at heart and embrace their artist lifestyle; Xander, busking with his fiddle on Abbot Kinney Blvd, and Nicole writing poetry, stories and even a short film that got into the Cannes Festival.

They share a love for early traditional folk and bluegrass but are equally passionate about indie-folk and alt country music. Both members are songwriters with their own processes.