She has been called "the female Johnny Ramone", and rumour has it she channels the spirit of Jimi Hendrix for guitar instruction. Known for her blistering rhythm guitar and screeching licks, Emma-O has been shredding riffs all across Ontario for 15 years. After performing in nearly every major club in Toronto and putting in time, sweat and energy hauling gear and promoting hers and other bands' shows, Emma-O left the hustle and bustle of big city life to retreat to more natural settings, where the serenity and "greener pastures" were more conducive to songwriting and creativity. Always sticking true to her DIY punk roots and ethics, Emma-O writes, produces and promotes her own music (EMMA-O, THE GLOOM) without the assistance of a record label, and co-writes and produces the music for the experimental duo DRONICA, which she co-founded in 2005 with Cowboy Junkies' accordion player Jaroslaw Czerwinec. She is an accomplished and prolific songwriter, contributing material to various projects over the years, most recently with Toronto's THE JOHNNYS and FIDGET. In 2002, her hard work paid off when her song "Phone Sex Girl" held the number 1 position on the punk charts at mp3.com Australia for 7 consecutive weeks. In 2004 she repeated that same success with her project The Gloom, holding the number 1 position on the lo-fi charts for 4 weeks. In addition to this, several of her songs have held top positions at Soundclick.com, Amazon.com and various other sites around the world, and continue to remain steady on the charts. Emma-O has been featured on APTN (Aboriginal People's Television Network), TVO (TV Ontario), Spirit Magazine, The Globe and Mail, The Blue Envelope zine, and the radio stations CFRB, CKLN, CIUT, THAT Radio (all from Toronto) and Banana Peel Radio (Vancouver).
Believing in the philosophy of "Do what you love and love what you do", Emma-O works, lives and breathes music, art and expression. Emma-O grew up listening to The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, X and Stiff Little Fingers, and knew at a very early age that punk rock meant much more than studded jackets and crazy haircuts. It's an attitude, a way of life, a life of freedom. To Emma-O, being "punk rock" means being who you want to be, and doing what makes you happy in life, and not letting anyone or anything get in the way of it.
A diverse artist with a wealth of creativity to share, Emma-O is also a published writer and published photographer. She has been a visual artist her entire life. She is a beaded jewellery designer, and was trained by haute-couture jewellery designers Ericson-Beamon. Not just an artist, Emma-O is an entrepreneur as well. From 2003 to 2008, she ran her own business providing promotional services for bands and the arts scene in Toronto, and has been building, marketing and promoting her own web sites since 2000.
Though Emma-O may seem like another "sensitive artist", there is much more to her than meets the eye. A long-time student of the Natural and Esoteric arts, Emma-O is a Truth-seeker finding her way to an enlightened path. She uses the arts as a way to connect herself and others to a Higher Power. A fierce defender of the Earth and its creatures, she hopes to not only heal herself, but also the world through art, information, music, beauty, sounds and colours. But don't try to slap a label on her, because Emma-O doesn't fit into any neat label or box. A unique soul who walks her own path, her message is very simple--do what you love and love what you do. Embrace all that life has to offer, good or bad, and above all, know yourself, be true to yourself, and miracles can and will happen.
EMMA-O'S BANDS/PROJECTS:
Emma-O -- 2004-present -- all guitars, all vocals, percussion, organ, keys, songwriting and arranging, recording, production, engineering
The Gloom -- 2003-present -- all guitars, all vocals, percussion, songwriting and arranging except for collaborations with The Futz's Edgar LeBel, recording, production, engineering
Dronica -- 2005-present -- all guitars, effects, vocals, organ, keys, percussion, co-songwriting and arranging with Jaroslaw Czerwinec, recording, production, engineering
The Impatiens -- 2005-2007 -- all guitars, lead and back-up vocals, co-songwriting and arranging with Johnny Vine, production, engineering
The Johnnys -- 2006-2007 -- lead and rhythm guitar, back-up vocals, co-songwriting and arranging with Dave and Veronica Johnny
Fidget -- 2006-2007 -- rhythm guitar, back-up vocals, co-songwriting and arranging with Nicole LeGault and Teresa Hart
Pimpinella -- 2003-2004 -- all guitars, all vocals, songwriting and arranging, recording, production, engineering
Underwire -- 2000-2003 -- lead and rhythm guitar, lead and back-up vocals, bass, percussion, songwriting and arranging, recording, production, engineering
Trans Love Airways -- 1998-2000 -- rhythm guitar, back-up vocals, co-songwriting and arranging with Trans Love Airways
Musical Accomplishments
May 2007: The Johnnys release 13-song debut album, in which Emma-O performs lead and rhythm guitar, back-up vocals and co-writes 2 songs.
July 2007: Fidget release 10-song debut CD. Emma-O co-wrote the music for 2 of the songs, "Blah Blue" and "Molly", and wrote all of the music for the song, "Jump Ship and Swim".
October 2006: Dronica releases first album, "Brain Shredder"
February 2005: Emma-O's side project The Gloom hits #1 on both the Lo-Fi Artist Chart and the Lo-Fi Album Chart at mp3.com Australia.
November 2004: Emma-O records, produces and releases 4-song demo on her 4-track for her side project The Gloom, featuring the songs "The Gloom", "Solitary Confinement", "Beautiful" and "Unsunshine".
August 2004: Emma-O records (as part of Pimpinella) 3-song demo with Jared Enderton in Buffalo, NY, featuring the songs, "Diamond Eyes", "Orange Girl" and "Another Girl".
May 2003: Emma-O's song (as part of Underwire) "Phone Sex Girl" hits #16 on the Hard Rock Charts at amazon.com.
April to May 2003: Emma-O's song (as part of Underwire) "Phone Sex Girl" reaches #1 on the Punk Artist Chart at mp3.com Australia and stays there for 7 consecutive weeks. Underwire also enjoyed 5 straight weeks as the #1 punk artist. During this time, Underwire was averaging around 100 streams of their music a day.
May 2002: Emma-O records (as Underwire) 5-song demo at First Take, Inc., Toronto. The songs, "Phone Sex Girl", "Nothing", "Cheat", "Whenever I Call You" and the acoustic "Li'l Girl Child" are subsequently released.
March 2002: Emma-O appears on the Toronto radio station CFRB 1010 AM call-in show the "Who-on-Earth-Told-You-You-Have-Talent" contest.
January 2002: Emma-O (as Underwire) profiled as the "Featured Artist" for January by Boise, Idaho fanzine The Blue Envelope.