Creating a band in 2012 takes a few different shapes than it did during the 70’s or 80’s, before the age of the the computer. Today, the emergence of the digital era has drawn so many musicians into an independent frenzy, creating all genres of music behind closed doors and sitting endlessly behind computer screens. Yet, not everyone is running out buying Ableton and locking themselves in their rooms, and most definitely not Chicago’s premiere Soul, funk and R&B based band The O’My’s. While they can appreciate technology’s contributions to music, they aren’t digging the auto-tune.
“In reference of what’s going on in popular music now with the auto tuning and some synth based stuff, which is stuff we are not against, but there is a certain amount of honesty that comes from putting your voice and your instrument on tracks as is,” says Maceo Vidal-Haymes, the lead vocalist and guitarist who is one of the leaders of the band. Vidal-Haymes met keyboardist and vocalist Nick Hennessey in 2007 at Lollapalooza after hearing about each other in the city’s young music scene. The two connected in the studio soon after with amazing chemistry and the O’My’s were born.
The O’My’s have gained a solid following thanks to their great live show and the release their acclaimed mixtape, Chicago Style, the band plans to go full throttle in the studio this summer. They have plans to release up to 2 projects by the end of the season as well as help their friends record, mix and promote their own projects. They also plan to collaborate with the likes of Chuck Inglish and Chip Tha Ripper. “We just want people to listen man,” Maceo told us. “We put [Chicago Style] and probably our next one out for free because we just want people to hear it.”
Read on to learn more about The O’My’s in this new First Look.