Artist Archive
Jenny Omnichord leads the page, followed by Hurryman, Casey Desmond and the
remaining Omni-Fest artists currently being kept in the archive. More artists
can be added here as the section grows.
Jenny Mitchell, from Guelph, Ontario, discovered the joy of Omnichord when
she was 15 years old. Her unique and creative mind, together with this
interesting instrument, came together and Jenny Omnichord was born.
We first stumbled on her soon after, while putting together the website for
the new Suzuki Qchord, featuring Jenny in the "famous artist" section. Many
of the Omnichord photos on this website were provided from her own extensive
collection of instruments, and Jenny has long been part of the wider
Omnichord Heaven community.
Jenny has several albums to her name and an international following as both
Jenny Omnichord and, in 2018, under her own name with Bird City.
Her endearing style and interesting lyrics won us over from the start.
Hurryman, aka Rob van der Plas, is our very good friend and a
singer/songwriter from the Netherlands.
After starting his Omnichord blog in 2000, probably the world's first
Omnichord resource, he became one of the administrators of the Facebook
Qchord & Omnichord group as well as the official Omnichord Heaven
Facebook page. Rob sings, plays guitar, and uses the Omnichord live and as
a writer's tool.
As Hurryman he records and performs dark and dreamy pop songs. Some call it
dreampop with a touch of Nordic frost: melancholic and dark, with
influences including Madrugada, Bowie, Cave, Low and Daniel Lanois.
Casey Desmond is another of Omnichord Heaven's long-time friends. We have
followed her career with interest, mesmerized by her love of very cool
vintage instruments and captivated by her stunning vocals. She kindly
provided some of the striking images you will find on the website.
Casey is an award-winning vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and
engineer from Boston, MA, currently living in Oakland, CA. Her writing and
performance credits span several genres, from the dark and folky The Woods
Colt to collaborations with electronic and dance producers.
Her experimental electronic pop project CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background)
follows work with multi-gold and platinum producers and a long list of
songwriting awards, placements and composition credits.
Lorraine is a long-time friend of Omnichord Heaven, first appearing on our
old website along with Karina Townsend as 50% of the Chalkwell Ladies.
Many will know her as Britain's Got Talent finalist and Golden Buzzer
awardee, "The Crumble Lady".
Whilst Lorraine delights and amuses all who meet and hear her, behind the
polyester facade she is an incredibly talented songwriter and musician. We
felt privileged to have her open Omni-Fest 20.
Sue McLaren is a British vocalist, producer and writer in the dance and
trance music scene, and is incredibly well respected for her work.
We first met Sue after she sent her Omnichord in for repair, and were
really intrigued to hear her at Omni-Fest 20. Her vocals layer beautifully
with the atmospheric sounds of the genre.
LASS is the electropop DIY project of Kasia Klimczyk, based in Warsaw,
connecting ultimate feminine sensibility with modern tools of electronic
music.
The Polish singer and producer has given dozens of concerts and performances
at festivals around the world, including events in New York, South Korea,
Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia.
Honolili, aka Lia Gibert, is an architect and singer-songwriter born in
Mallorca, Spain. Her music is inspired by legendary bands and vocalists of
the 60s, 70s and 80s. Lia loves art in general, but music is her real
passion.
Her beautiful vocals, together with acoustic guitar, ukulele and Omnichord,
transport you in an instant to another decade. Lia named her style of music
"Tropical Dream Pop", which feels exactly right.
We first came across Anna Toy, then Anna Nelson, in 2013 performing a
beautiful version of In My Dreams on her OM300. She and her
husband Andy Toy joined forces as MOXI.
Anna describes their sound as drawing on elements of modern pop and 80s
cinema, with distinct vocals against a backdrop of dark textures, moody
guitar sonics and memorable dream-pop melodies. This is absolutely the case
and many of their tracks could easily appear in films.
New Zealand born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Crawley grew up
teaching the other kids in her class how to play the recorder. Three EPs,
two albums and numerous singles later, she is charming audiences across
national and international stages with her original music.
With a natural ear for music and a refreshingly honest onstage presence,
Lisa produces heartfelt, authentic pop songs. Career highlights include
opening for Suzanne Vega, John Mayer, Jools Holland, Paul Weller and Simply
Red.
Rachel Pearl first caught our attention with an unusual live recording
where she made superb use of a dance style on her Qchord along with the
bass line; something we had never seen or heard before.
A fiery flash of red hair, Rachel Pearl clearly favours well-crafted pop
hooks in the vein of Sia. She somehow manages to sound nostalgic and
futuristic all at once, with lilting vocals and layered electronic
synthesis.
