Finom

Last updated
Finom
Also known asOHMME, Homme
Origin Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres
Years active2014–present
Labels Joyful Noise
Members
  • Sima Cunningham
  • Macie Stewart
Website www.finommusic.com

Finom (formerly known as OHMME, and Homme) is a rock band from Chicago formed by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist duo Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart in 2014. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Since 2016, Matt Carroll has been FINOM's drummer. [2] [8]

Contents

Background

Both Cunningham and Stewart attended Whitney Young Magnet High School on the city's near west side. While Macie Stewart was in high school, she played keyboards and sang in Kids These Days. Adding electric guitar, Stewart co-founded Marrow with Cunningham's brother, Liam Cunningham (a.k.a. Liam Kazar), in 2013 after Kids These Days disbanded. [9] Drummer Matt Carroll also played in Marrow. [9] As of 2020, Stewart also plays violin and keyboards, and sings, in Chicago's avant-garde jazz ("improvised music"/free improvisation) community, including as a member of Marker, led by Ken Vandermark. [10] [11] [12] Cunningham sang with the Chicago Children's Choir, and performed in the band The Audians while in high school. Since 2008, Cunningham has played and sung in bands, toured and recorded as a backup singer, worked on solo projects, and curated music festivals. [13] [14] [15]

Both Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart have released solo albums. [15] [16] From 2017 through 2020, Cunningham and Stewart—often along with Ken Vandermark, Anton Hatwich  [ de ], Isaiah Spencer  [ de ], and Cunningham's brother Liam Kazar (Cunningham)—usually participated in the annual winter performances in Chicago of the Yes We Can Band led by Jeff Albert  [ de ] and Steve Marquette  [ de ], which covers New Orleans rhythm & blues/funk tunes, particularly those of Allen Toussaint and the Meters. [17] [18] As of 2021–2022, Cunningham, her brother Liam Kazar (Cunningham), and others frequently join Andrew Sa's Cosmic Country Showcase band in Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [19] [20]

History

According to Cunningham, the band started because "we knew we could sing well together, and we wanted to make some noise with the guitar." [2] Both artists are trained as classical pianists and were familiar with the scope of sonic spaces keyboards had to offer but, according to Stewart, "since we were interested in experimenting and creating something different from what we had both done in the past, we chose guitar as our outlet for this band. We wanted to create parameters for ourselves that were both new and uncomfortable to force ourselves into a different creative space”. [2]

Finom have been touring both nationally and internationally since January 2016, including playing Pitchfork Music Festival in 2016. [4] [21] They have toured with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Iron & Wine, The Joy Formidable, Tortoise, and The Ophelias.[ citation needed ] In 2016, Finom added drummer Matt Carroll, who also worked with Cunningham and Stewart in the band Marrow. [2] [4] By late 2021, OHMME had expanded its touring band.[ citation needed ]

OHMME released their first single on November 13, 2015, a self-titled EP in 2017, and two full-length albums: Parts in 2018 and Fantasize Your Ghost in 2020. OHMME have vocal and instrumental credits on projects of other musicians, including Chance the Rapper, [4] Thor Harris, [22] Richard Thompson, [4] Twin Peaks, Ken Vandermark, [12] V.V. Lightbody (Vivian McConnell), [9] and Whitney.[ citation needed ]

Noisey dubbed OHMME "the band at the heart of Chicago's music community." [2] [9] After OHMME played a Tiny Desk Concert spot for NPR, Bob Boilen (TDC curator and producer of All Songs Considered) remarked that it was among the best performances of the series. [23] [24]

Fantasize Your Ghost, OHMME's second full-length album, was released on June 5, 2020 by Joyful Noise Recordings. [1] [25] [21] [9] In October 2020, OHMME released a concert film of the Fantasize Your Ghost material, plus two songs from a new single, with additional musicians Nnamdï Ogbonnaya  [ de ] (drums), Ruby Parker and Quinn Tsan (backing vocals), and V.V. Lightbody (backing vocals and flute), but without Matt Carroll; the film was recorded at and subsequently livestreamed (via YouTube) from Constellation in Chicago. [26] [27]

In December 2021 in Chicago, Cunningham, Stewart, and Alex Grelle inaugurated "Full Bush", a theatrical tribute to Kate Bush, written by Grelle and Jesse Morgan Young. [28]

The duo announced in August 2022 that they had changed their name from OHMME to Finom, for legal reasons, [29] [30] and that they would embark on a nine-date tour of the eastern United States the following month. [31]

As of 2023, Finom continue to tour and to perform locally in Chicago. In a summer 2023 outdoor performance in Chicago, the duo were accompanied by Spencer Tweedy on drums and V. V. Lightbody on guitar, flute, and bass, but without Matt Carroll. [32] [ better source needed ] On October 16, 2023, Finom re-released their debut album, titled OHMME.

Equipment

In interviews, Cunningham and Stewart have described some of the musical equipment that they use, especially Stratocaster guitars and various pedals. As of 2019, Stewart often uses an Electro-Harmonix Octave Multiplexer pedal to substitute for a bass guitar. [33] [34]

Band members

Touring musicians

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Multiple-artist compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Vandermark</span> American composer and musician

Ken Vandermark is an American composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan of Arc (band)</span> American indie rock band

Joan of Arc was an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois named after the French saint Joan of Arc. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerhoof</span> American band

Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kramer (musician)</span> American musician (born 1958)

Mark Kramer known professionally as Kramer, is a musician, composer, record producer and founder of the New York City record label Shimmy-Disc. He was a full-time member of the bands New York Gong, Shockabilly, Bongwater and Dogbowl & Kramer, has played on tour with bands such as Butthole Surfers, B.A.L.L., Ween, Half Japanese and The Fugs, and has also performed regularly with John Zorn and other improvising musicians of New York City's so-called "downtown scene" of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Business (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Big Business is an American stoner/sludge metal band founded in 2004 by bassist/vocalist Jared Warren (Karp) and drummer Coady Willis. They formed in Seattle, Washington and have been based in Los Angeles, California since 2006. Their music is characterized by a bombastic and frantic style, and for most of their existence Big Business has been a bass-drums duo with occasional other musicians contributing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Ten Eleven</span> American post-rock band

El Ten Eleven is an American, Los Angeles-based, post-rock duo, known for combining guitar/bass doubleneck or fretless bass, with heavy looping, or vamping, and the use of an effects pedal, over acoustic or electric drumming. They have released ten full-length albums, 2 EPs and a remix album, earning generally positive reviews.

Goblin Cock is an American heavy metal band from San Diego, California, United States, started by Rob Crow of the band Pinback. Musically, they play a form of doom metal/drone metal with rather unusual lyrical subjects, including pop culture songs about the films Godzilla's Revenge, Billy Jack, and the Snuffleupagus from the TV show Sesame Street. All members of the band have taken on stage names. The band is currently signed to Joyful Noise Recordings and has released two albums on the Absolutely Kosher record label. They went on tour for the first time in 2006 and played at the 20th annual South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX. They also performed on September 15, 2005, at the College Music Journal's annual music festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Low Anthem</span> American indie folk band

The Low Anthem is a band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2006 by friends Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky. The current lineup consists of Knox Miller, Prystowsky, Bryan Minto and Florence Grace Wallis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Joy</span> Canadian shoegaze band

No Joy are a Canadian shoegaze band from Montreal formed in late 2009 by Jasamine White-Gluz and former member Laura Lloyd.

Kids These Days was a hip hop band from Chicago, Illinois. The band formed in 2009 while the members were teenagers and their debut album Traphouse Rock was released in 2012. Their split in May 2013 served as a launch pad for Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suuns</span> Canadian rock band

Suuns is a Canadian rock band from Montreal. It was formed in mid-2007 when vocalist and guitarist Ben Shemie and guitarist and bassist Joe Yarmush got together to make some beats which quickly evolved into a few songs. The duo was soon joined by drummer Liam O'Neill and bassist and keyboardist Max Henry to complete the original line-up. The band signed to Secretly Canadian in 2010. Since 2018, Suuns saw the departure of Henry as an official member to pursue a scholastic path, and in 2020 they officially signed with Joyful Noise Recordings with their 2020 output of Fiction, followed by their 2021 LP The Witness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leadfinger</span> Australian rock and roll band

Leadfinger(pron: Led-finger) are an Australian guitar rock band formed in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, in 2006 by Glasgow-born singer/guitarist Stewart 'Leadfinger' Cunningham. The band has released six albums to date, with the most recent coming out in February 2022 through Golden Robot Records.

Discography for jazz reedist Ken Vandermark. The year indicates when the album was first released.

Tweedy is an American rock band composed of Jeff Tweedy, from the group Wilco, and his son, Spencer. The duo has released one album, Sukierae, in 2014.

Marrow is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band consists of three former members of the Chicago band Kids These Days, as well as one new member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Son Lux</span> American experimental music project

Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band's first three albums, At War with Walls & Mazes, We Are Rising and Lanterns, shaped the band's unique sound through post-rock and electronica influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaimie Branch</span> American jazz trumpeter and composer (1983–2022)

Jaimie "Breezy" Branch was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical Fuck Storm</span> Australian band

Tropical Fuck Storm are an Australian rock band and supergroup from Melbourne, Victoria, formed by Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin from The Drones. Lauren Hammel, from the band High Tension, plays drums, and Erica Dunn, from the bands Mod Con, Harmony, and Palm Springs, plays guitars, keyboards, and other instruments. Their sound is characterised by elements of art punk, noise rock and experimental rock.

<i>Fantasize Your Ghost</i> 2020 studio album by Ohmme

Fantasize Your Ghost is the second studio album by American band Ohmme. It was released on June 5, 2020 under Joyful Noise Recordings.

<i>Sweet 17 Singles</i> 2018 compilation album by Twin Peaks

Sweet '17 Singles is the first compilation album and fifth overall album by American rock band Twin Peaks, released on February 9, 2018 on Grand Jury Music. It consists of 12 songs that were initially released across six 7" vinyl singles starting in July and ending in December, 2017. Each single was limited to 300 copies and sold by subscription. Due to popular demand, Twin Peaks compiled the songs and issued them on vinyl.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "OHMME". Joyful Noise Recordings. 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ohmme Is the Band at the Heart of Chicago's Music Community". Noisey. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  3. "Discovery: OHMME - Interview Magazine". Interview Magazine. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kot, Greg (August 18, 2016). "Homme the latest experiment for 2 multifaceted musicians". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  5. Kot, Greg (August 9, 2018). "Ohmme blows up boundaries". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  6. Wilt, Chloe. "Experimental duo Ohmme returns to Columbia". Vox Magazine. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  7. "OHMME - OHMME (Fox Hall Records, 2017) | Review | Earbuddy". Earbuddy. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  8. "5 Questions: Musician Matt Carroll". Esthetic Lens. 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Roti, Jessi (June 10, 2020). "A room of Ohmme's own: On Fantasize Your Ghost,..." Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  10. Wall, Patrick (February 1, 2018). "With Marker, Ken Vandermark Synthesizes Sounds to Manipulate Memory". Free Times (Columbia, South Carolina). Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  11. Margasak, Peter (February 1, 2018). "Veteran Chicago reedist adapts a mentor role in his visceral new Chicago quintet Marker". Chicago Reader . Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  12. 1 2 Brown, Hilary (March 26, 2019). "Macie Stewart's Equilibrium". Downbeat Magazine . Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  13. Terry, Josh (2017-06-29). "Ohmme Is the Band at the Heart of Chicago's Music Community". Vice. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  14. ""Do You Speak Music?": Sima Cunningham at TEDxYerevan". TEDx Yerevan. 2012. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  15. 1 2 "Sima Cunningham". Reggies. 2015. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  16. Julious, Britt (August 27, 2021). "Ohmme's Macie Stewart steps into spotlight with spectacular solo album 'Mouth Full of Glass'". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  17. Long, Zach (20 September 2017). "What to see at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival". Time Out Chicago . Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  18. "Sat. February 22 2020: Yes We Can! The Songs of New Orleans". Hungry Brain. January 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  19. Nelson, J.R.; Galil, Leor (June 8, 2021). "Cosmic Country star Andrew Sa drops a high lonesome covers collection". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  20. "Cosmic Country Showcase – Hosted By Andrew Sa feat. Sabine McCalla • Elizabeth Moen • Wyatt Waddell • Dylan Bragassa • Skyler Higgley". Cactus Club Milwaukee. 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  21. 1 2 Knopper, Steve (March 12, 2020). "You might think OHMME is a mantra, but it's in fact the place to be to hear remarkable music from a Chicago band in rare form". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  22. "Thor Harris: 2019 Artist in Residence". Joyful Noise Recordings. 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  23. Davis, Melissa (2021-11-08). "Experimental Rock Duo, OHMME Play WFYI's Small Studio". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  24. Ohmme: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert , retrieved 2021-11-11
  25. "Ohmme - "3 2 4 3"". Stereogum. 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  26. "OHMME Presents: Fantasize Your Ghost". Constellation Chicago. October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  27. "OHMME Presents: Fantasize Your Ghost". Constellation Chicago, YouTube. October 29, 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  28. Julious, Britt (December 2, 2021). "Music of Kate Bush becomes theater with Ohmme at Constellation this weekend". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  29. Mendoza, Marie; Schwabe, Ethan (September 6, 2022). "Introducing 'FINOM'". WBEZ . Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  30. Pearis, Bill (August 22, 2022). "Tour news: Coldplay, David Cross, Alex G, Todd Barry, Bewitcher / Wormwitch, more". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  31. Pearis, Bill (22 August 2022). "Tour news: Coldplay, David Cross, Alex G, Todd Barry, Bewitcher / Wormwitch, more". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  32. "JUL 24 2023: Finom Setlist". setlist.fm. July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  33. "Labor of Love: OHMME". Chicago Music Exchange. 2019.
  34. Maine, Sammy (November 11, 2019). "How Chicago duo OHMME harness their classical training for textural experimentation". Guitar.com . Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  35. Strauss, Matthew (March 7, 2024). "Finom (fka Ohmme) Announce New Album Not God, Share Video for New Song "Haircut": Watch". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  36. "OHMME". Sub Pop. October 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-20.