Oshima Brothers at the me&thee in Marblehead

The me&thee welcomes the Oshima Brothers to its stage on March 6 at 8 pm. The Oshima Brothers sing contemporary folk and acoustic pop songs with classic sibling harmonies. Boston-based Hawthorn will contribute even more exquisite harmonies to this concert. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the me&thee is located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street.

Raised in a musical family in rural Maine, the Oshima brothers have honed their style since they were young and were exposed to a variety of different musical genres. On stage, Sean and Jamie create a surprisingly full sound with dynamic vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, octave bass, loops, and percussion. Sean sings and plays rhythm guitar, harmonica and cajon. Jamie sings, plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, mandolin, banjo and fiddle.

The Oshima Brothers’ root-based pop sound is ‘infectious and fun,’ says Chris Wienk, WEXT. Popmatters praises their ‘blues-centric melodies…with a contemporary rhythmic strut.’ Their sibling harmonies are magnetic and they play with a surprisingly full sound and a contagious joy that comes from a lifetime of making music together. Their debut album, Oshima Brothers, released in 2016, is a collection of 11 original songs written by Sean, and arranged and recorded by Jamie. Their EP Under the Same Stars was released in 2019 and produced videos to accomplish each of the tracks. NPR’s “Heavy Rotation” playlist recently featured their song “Ellie” as its lead track. Within a month of its release, Under The Same Stars has garnered hundreds of thousands of streams from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.

Hawthorn, the band created by Heather Scott and Taylor Holland, is named after the Hawthorn tree whose berries are powerful medicine for the heart. They are quickly gaining national recognition for its powerful vocals surrounded in old-time banjo, warm guitar, and dreamy electric lines. Hawthorn “digs into its folk roots while also reminding us that tradition is about tending to the flames, not the ashes,” reports NPR. WBUR’s review of Hawthorn notes that “when they harmomize, the edges of their voices bleed together like watercolors on paper.” Hawthorn’s latest album, Maggie Willow, is named after a character Heather and Taylor imagine as a shared ancestor. All the songs, co-written or co-arranged by Taylor and Heather, center in the powerful two-voice blend Hawthorn has come to be known for.

Tickets for Oshima Brothers are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. Student tickets are $10. Tickets are available online at www.meandthee.org and can be purchased in person at The Digital Docs or the Arnould Gallery in Marblehead. As at all me & thee events, refreshments are available, including homemade pastries, coffee, and teas. The me & thee has a handicapped-accessible entrance and an accessible bathroom, is a smoke-free environment, and is easily reached by MBTA bus.

The me & thee is one of the oldest continually running acoustic listening rooms in New England, and probably the country. It has been and will always be a volunteer, non-profit organization sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead. For information and directions, call ###a>781-631-8987 or check the website at Next concert: March 13 – Hayley Reardon with special guest, Chris O’Brien