Cyoakha Grace
    vocals, composer, soundtracks, Indian Harmonium, German Melodica, percussion, flutes, keys, live looping

Lead singer-songwriter, producer of BLIND'S 5 albums, Cyo has won awards for songwriting, as well as loyal fans and critical acclaim for creating genre' busting music. Cyo started out avant, with her first music writing partner, a member of the "scale bending maverick", THE HARRY PARTCH ENSEMBLE, then she explored melodic post punk with Portland band PIG ON FIRE (90s). She formed LAND OF THE BLIND out of a love of Kate Bush's vocal style & Peter Gabriel's experimental world feels (95). BLIND immediately was noticed on the west coast, from Seattle-Vancouver BC to San Francisco, being an 8 piece world-trance-vocal band in an era when there was nothing else but "grunge" happening. With a 4 women 4 men line up, they opened for groups like PELE JUJU & toured with SF's THOTH, opened up for JEFFERSON STARSHIP & PATTI SMITHE. BLIND played all the major fests up and down the coast & did a cross country tour with NY's SQUONK OPERA. Cyoakha formed improv/dark-trance-noise Portland band BLACK ORCHID, with one release. Next Cyo joined SF's Progressive World Rock Fusion band, AZIGZA ("Led Zeppelin meets Mahavishnu Orchestra") & left Portland for world music center, San Francisco in 1999. She reformed BLIND in SF & continued touring with both AZIGZA & BLIND. AZIGZA released 2 critically acclaimed CDs and were the new Prog-Rock international darlings. Cyo then joined female Celtic Funk band DRUID SISTERS TEA PARTY, with 2 CDs released.

Cyo also sits in SF's cutting edge ensemble BIG CITY ORCHESTRA, & learned to sing opera when BCO performed Verdi's "The Troubadour", opening for THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS. She performed with BCO @ Oakland's ILLUMINATED CORRIDOR PROJECT, 05 New Music Summit, sponsored by Edgetone Records/Oakland Opera. Cyo's work was chosen for the CD compilation, "WOMEN TAKE BACK THE NOISE", featuring world-wide female avant composers. CY recently sang for EDA MAXYM/STEPHEN KENT's CD release.

AS ACTIVIST & Eco-Warrioress-Witch, she has songs in "TREESIT" an award-winning eco-documentary, as well as many other eco-films. As FILM COMPOSER, she wrote & was Music Supervisor for the dark-otherworldly 96 minute soundtrack for the B & W animated film, H.P. LOVERCRAFT's novel "THE DREAM QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH", available on DVD. The companion CD, "UNKNOWN MUSIC FROM KADATH", is her most avant work so far (available on order page). Currently writing for various movies.

CYOAKHA GRACE O'MANION continues to write, sing & tour with BLIND as a stripped down, tripped out Tribal-Trance duo ("SHEMANA ELECTRONA") mixing her beautifully haunting 4 octave soaring vocals with dreamy earthy grooves with partner Krystov. Their Exotic Erotic mix of Organic World instruments (Didjeridu, Harmonium, Native Flutes, Middle Eastern Drums, Appalachian Dulcimer) together with Burning Man beats, Pagan lyrics & Live Looping is simply outstanding. BLIND toured Australia for a month long 5 city tour with fellow witch-singer WENDY RULE & were the only US band to be invited to perform in the world-famous Spiegeltent (Germany, 1930) at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide, Australia! BLIND toured the NW this summer as a trio with RHAN WILSON (academy award winner-THOTH) on live looping, funk bass, djembe kit, and electric guitar.

She records in various projects in many styles (SEE BELOW), & has even sung comedy on "Altared Christmas", Rhan's famous CD.

CYOAKHA GRACE O'MANION DISCOLOGY:

with LAND OF THE BLIND:
1. ONE EYE '96, 2. OUT OF CHAOS '99, 3.ORDINARY MAGIC '03, 4. EDGEWALKING BLIND'05, 5. SHEMANA ELECTRONA '07, 6. THE GREEN FAERIE PROJECT
with AZIGZA: 7. AZIGZA '00, 8. KRIYA '06
with DRUID SISTERS TEA PARTY: 9. TEA PARTY '04, 10. GYPSY LOVE CARAVAN '06
ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS.....
11. WOMEN BRING BACK THE NOISE COMPILATION produced by Ninah Pixie, BCO '07
12. ALTERED CHRISTMAS, produced by RHAN WILSON of THOTH '04
13. CHOMPING AT THE BEAT, Pablo Sablo '07
14. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGERS, Michelle Garcia '07

"a singer who can move from a breathy whisper of pure clarity to a roaring, howling angel" The Rocket.

Krystov
     Australian didjeridu, Indian sitar and dilruba, Appalachian dulcimer, percussion

Krystov is a member of the original Portland Blind, & can be heard on OUT OF CHAOS, ORDINARY MAGIC, EDGEWALKING BLIND & SHEMANA ELECTRONA. He has played his own tribal, non-traditional style didj, for over 9 years, studied with International Didj Master - STEPHEN KENT (Transmission). He also studied the sitar with Mark Deutsch (SF). K plays the Appalachian lap dulcimer (studied with Cyntia Smith, Aeolus), with a CELTIC picking style which adds a wonderful Folk element to Blind's new trance feels.

You can hear more of Krystov as he was chosen from among the best didj players for "Didj Planet 3" with a special didj mix of TRIBE from OM. He was so well received on tour in Australia, home of the didj, that he feels very blessed. His style of didj-ing truly impressed the Aussies as he plays very differently from the current "barking" GANGA GIRI style or the trad style... Aussie fans said "we just can't believe a
"YANK" can play the didj so damn great!"

As a SOUND HEALER, he has years of traditional medicine behind his experience, combining solid medical knowledge with spiritual belief that certain DEEP EARTH vibrations assist in healing. He studied with Sun Bear, Hyemeyohst Storm, The Eagle Clan, and GRANDFATHER ROLLING THUNDER and many more in the Native tradition. He invented and patented a device that helps relieve pain speed healing through use of sound called SOUND RELIEF, that has helped suffering world-wide. He shares this knowledge with hands on healing work, Didjeridu Vibrational Assists after BLIND concerts, private sessions, and in workshops, as well as teaching Didj and Breathwork to women, children and others traditionally left out, while honoring both the aboriginal peoples of Australia and the Native Americans here at home.

Rhan Wilson
    bass, drums, guitar, percussion, live looping

Rhan is a one-of-a-kind talent! A multi-instrumentalist, Rhan begins with tribal drums (a drum set he's made himself with African Djembe's), then layers us with a BIG FAT Massive Attack-like bass with sexy grooves, and tops it off with ambient trancey psychedelic guitar. Rhan is the Funk in Faerie-Folk-Funk!

Rhan's stellar music background includes playing with many of SF and Santa Cruz's top world and rock musicians, including many years as half of the duo THOTH (Academy Award winner), HAUNTED BY WATERS (one of SF's top world trance bands) and funk alternative band INSTANT BRO. As well as a stellar musician, Rhan currently is producing several CD projects as well as recording on various CDs.
For more about Rhan: altared.com

   as occasional member

COOL LINKS

Jen Delyth, and, "Beyond the Ninth Wave", Jen's AMAZING celtic art film which she graciously permits us to show during our performances, check out her site and support her!!!
AZIGZA both albums are critics favorite, available on CD BABY, so go check them out!
Didj Planet 3   for didj lovers everywhere, here's the "didj" version of our song, Tribe
"TREESIT" go to Earth Films, a great activist group of filmmakers up in Humboldt County
"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" Guerilla Productions, movie clips
"WOMEN, TAKE BACK THE NOISE" check out this 3 CD, 3 year project with noise packaging!