When I first met Oly, she floated towards me like a fairy. She has a presence. A musician born in Los Angeles, California but raised in Miami, Florida. When she’s not producing community events like Lash and Let’s Sang she can be found performing, DJing, and hosting around town at venues like Las Rosas, Mama Tried, and Gramps, to name a few. In the early 2000’s she had an indie band, Gemma, they released a 7″ on an indie imprint. In 2016 her band played iii Points. Currently, she is in an alt-country band called Nick County and the Rainbow Smoke, and most recently she was chosen to curate the Miami playlist for HomeUnknown.
HomeUnknown is a music player spotlighting great music from local music scenes. They bring together various city’s local music by connecting them through curated playlists. The player was launched earlier this year and also includes playlists from Denver, Chicago, Louisville, NYC, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Francisco, and Philly. It was founded by Ricardo D, who also created the logo, website, and design of the platform.
Oly and Ricardo D connected after the launch of the player through Tropicult. Oly being heavily involved in the Miami music scene was the perfect curator for the Miami playlist. It went live this week. It has over 13 tracks from Miami local artists including:
I got to preview the entire playlist and was impressed. While it’s mostly of the Rock/Indie genre, Oly gave us a little bit of everything.
- One of my favorites from the list was Rick Moons song Moment Breaks. It’s super dreamy and made me feel like I was in an old movie. I’m looking forward to the premiere of his music video Cracker Jack, December 15th at Gramps.
- Another gem is Nick County and the Big Texas Assholes. First of all the name is a winner. The opening lyrics to their featured song Nepa are hilarious as well. The sound is like a slow march, something you would listen to as you wind down from a wild night out in Miami.
- I have to mention Give You My Love by Daniel Melwski. He has an interesting and recognizable voice. I’ve been listening to the song on repeat. It’s very well produced.
- If you’re looking to bounce a bit, play Millionyoung Rareform.
- Morning Samba by Juan Ledesma is just that. Perfect to brush your chompers too. Intriguing melodies and super fun beat.
- Raw and real more your speed? Otto Von Schirach song Astronomical will fit the bill.
Listening to Olys featured song on the list Nowhere to Run gave me chills. It’s should be the theme song to this article by Agustin Elias. Ricardo D had this to say about Oly:
“She’s a great person, and when you’re investing a lot of time and energy in an arts project, good and passionate people matter more than anything.”
Oly has spent many years in the trenches of the Miami scene. She sources music artists from Carol City to Wynwood. Ricardo D went on to say:
“the other quality she exemplifies is a phenomenal ear. I couldn’t be happier with the bands she included in her playlist. Showing off the truly talented musicians in local music scenes is what will get the fans listening, which will help give the most exposure to the various scenes.”
Looking forward to seeing what she curates next!
Take a listen to the playlist, and support the HomeUnknown project through Patreon. We’re looking forward to seeing what other gems Oly finds. If you’d like to be considered you can reach out to her directly via her Instagram.