Biography

A voice of silk and a timbre as smooth as the river that runs through her hometown of New Orleans, La, Nicole Ockmond is an artist not only to be heard but appreciated.

Nicole’s path to music was like most but with one slight twist. She was exposed to the music of her grandparents, parents, and siblings but didn’t realize her gift for singing until a stint in the Army National Guard. Her voice was found while marching in formation during boot camp.

The path had been set, upon her return home Nicole landed a gig singing in a local blues band and working as an intern at Ultrasonic Studios. The band didn’t last but the internship proved to be valuable experience. She learned by listening and observing two of the best in action, Grammy award winning engineers Steve Reynolds and David Farrell. Nicole also got offered the chance to sing backup on Mercury recording artist Windy’s debut & also sang backup along with Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen on Snook Eaglin’s Money Pit records release, Lock Doctor.

With the release of her debut CD “In My Head” on Emoveré Recordings, to local and regional delight, Nicole set out to perform with The Nicole Ockmond Group at various venues such as The Neutral Ground, Hi Ho Lounge, the Hard Rock Café, The Howlin Wolf, The House of Blues, The Little Gem, and Banks Street Bar. Nicole has opened for Marsha Ball, Meschiya Lake, Ingrid Lucia, & Nayo Jones.

On her latest release, again on Emoveré Recordings, “Something Out of Nothing” listeners can expect story telling at its best with smooth hypnotic grooves, perfect to accompany a lazy Sunday morning or a roots rocking Saturday night. This release features musicians: Mike Brown (guitar), Adam Coolsaet (drums), John "Papa" Gros (keys), Brad Hallenbeck (guitar), Mark Lamaire (bass), Harmony Minturn McCune (harp), Don Williams (guitar, harmonica, & background vocals), & Nicole Ockmond (guitar & vocals). Recorded by Chris Finney & Steve Reynolds at The Music Shed in New Orleans. Mixed and mastered by Mischa Kachkachishvili.