Ohmme

Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, a pair of multi-talented musicians from Chicago, are Ohmme, an experimental indie pop band who use their striking vocal harmonies and lean, angular guitar patterns to create songs that are spare but full-bodied, making clever use of dynamics to generate a rich sound out of a small number of elements. Cunningham and Stewart had an impressive résumé of work with Windy City musicians of all stripes before they began working together in 2014, inspired by the Chicago improvisational music scene. As their sound solidified, they released their first EP in 2017, a self-titled six-song effort that documented their adventurous voice-and-guitar constructions. In 2018, they dropped their first full-length album, Parts, which found them expanding their musical palette with additional instrumental colors without losing their focus. Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart are both classically trained pianists who had made a name for themselves as first-call accompanists in Chicago's independent music community. They've provided backing vocals on-stage and in the studio for Chance the Rapper, and also sang and wrote string arrangements for Twin Peaks' single "Tossin' Tears." Cunningham was a touring member of Tweedy, featuring Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer Tweedy. And Stewart is a former member of Kids These Days, which featured future hip-hop star Vic Mensa. They were also frequent habitués of Constellation, a celebrated Chicago venue devoted to experimental and avant-garde music; in addition, Cunningham curated Postock, a similarly adventurous music festival held in Albany, Wisconsin. As Cunningham and Stewart began exchanging ideas about using vocals and guitars in unique ways, they formed Ohmme and began performing regularly, using their live sets at Constellation and Postock to put their thoughts into action. By 2017, Ohmme decided it was time to go into the studio, releasing the Ohmme EP through the local Overcoat label. The EP received positive reviews, and as the group moved up to bigger venues and better-known festivals, they invited percussionist Matt Carroll (who had worked with Stewart in the band Marrow) to join them for several performances. All parties concerned were pleased with the results, and Carroll signed on as a regular member of Ohmme. As well as adding Carroll's drums and percussion work for their first full album, the group also invited several guest musicians to perform on the sessions, including Doug McCombs of Tortoise, jazz cellist Tomeka Reid, and MacArthur Fellowship-winning free jazz reed player Ken Vandermark. The album, Parts, was issued by Joyful Noise in August 2018. Ohmme toured extensively in support of the album, and their months away from home informed the songs that became their second LP, Fantasize Your Ghost, produced by Chris Cohen and released in June 2020. ~ Mark Deming