Finom Explained

Finom
Alias:OHMME, Homme
Origin:Chicago, Illinois, United States
Years Active:2014–present
Label:Joyful Noise
Associated Acts:Marrow, Kids These Days, Tweedy, Marker
Current Members:
  • Sima Cunningham
  • Macie Stewart

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]

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,,, and Cunningham's brother Liam Kazar (Cunningham)—usually participated in the annual winter performances in Chicago of the Yes We Can Band led by and, 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." 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”.

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

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,[21] Richard Thompson,[4] Twin Peaks, Ken Vandermark,[12] V.V. Lightbody (Vivian McConnell),[9] and Whitney.

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.[22]

Fantasize Your Ghost, OHMME's second full-length album, was released on June 5, 2020 by Joyful Noise Recordings.[1] [23] [24] [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 (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.[25] [26]

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.[27]

The duo announced in August 2022 that they had changed their name from OHMME to Finom, for legal reasons,[28] and that they would embark on a nine-date tour of the eastern United States the following month.[29]

As of 2024, Finom continue to tour and to perform locally in Chicago.[30] In 2021, 2023, and 2024 performances, the duo were accompanied by Spencer Tweedy on drums and V. V. Lightbody on guitar, flute, and bass, but without Matt Carroll.[31] [32] 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

Live-performance musicians

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Multiple-artist compilations

External links

Notes and References

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

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Finom".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.