Lindsay Aromin
Lindsay Aromin
During my travels, I feel drawn to flowers for their vibrant colors, tones and fantastic textures. Going through my photos I realized I took more pictures of flowers than people. Only my museum shots outnumbered them. I have even stopped the car so I could go out and take pictures of some vivid colors that caught my eye along the roadside.
I wanted to tell a story about artists and how we worked and thought and planned before we picked up a brush. My paintings start with one of my photos and devolve into a small painting and then into an abstraction of that painting. They are happy paintings that come out of a difficult time in my life and also in our country's life. I believe that you have to look at the brighter side of things and art will take you there
My background in art is strange. I was told as a third-grader that I could not draw and I took music lessons and I never had an art class. After taking a drawing-one class in a local college at the ripe old age of 52 and then transferring to U Conn where I graduated with a BFA Summa Cum Laude at age 58 and then on to my MFA at Vermont College at 60 years. After school, I reached out to Norwich Arts Gallery and have been a member since then.
CHRISTINE OHLMAN
& Rebel Montez
Wed, June 11, 2025
7:30 pm
Doors open at 7:00 pm
​$25 Adults
$23 Seniors/Military/Student
$20 Members
Listen Here
Christine Ohlman’s early bands—The Wrongh Black Bag, Fancy, and The Scratch Band—laid the foundation for her fiery blend of rock, soul, and blues. At 16, recording with The Wrongh Black Bag under legendary producer Bob Shad (who worked with Ray Charles and Janis Joplin), she absorbed raw blues-rock energy, covering songs like “Wake Me, Shake Me.” With Fancy, she honed her stage presence on Connecticut’s teen club circuit, while The Scratch Band (featuring future SNL bandmate G.E. Smith) became a crucible for her eclectic tastes, blending country, Lou Reed, and soul into raucous live shows. These experiences cemented her love for “wild guitar bands” and Southern soul, later defining her signature “Swingin’ rockabilly” sound with Rebel Montez and her decades-long role as SNL’s “Beehive Queen.”
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Christine Ohlman’s musical foundation was built on a deep love for soul, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll, nurtured early on by her mother’s record collection. Core influences include Etta James, Ray Charles, and Jackie Wilson, whose emotive power sparked her passion for R&B. She recalls, “My mom used to frequent Café Society in NYC to hear Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. I picked up on blues and jazz through her.” The raw energy of Stax and Atlantic Records legends—like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Aretha Franklin—alongside rock pioneers Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, cemented her gritty, soul-drenched style. Blues titans Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and John Lee Hooker further shaped her fiery stage presence, teaching her the visceral power of unfiltered blues.
Later inspirations expanded her sonic palette. Memphis Minnie and Koko Taylor reinforced her admiration for trailblazing women in blues, while The Rolling Stones’ 1966 Hartford concert and mentorship from producer Andrew Loog Oldham deepened her rock rebellion. Her time with The Scratch Band (featuring SNL’s G.E. Smith) became a laboratory for genre-blurring experimentation, mixing Lou Reed’s edge, country twang, and soul grooves into what she calls “swingin’ rockabilly.” These influences converge in her music—a fusion of streetwise storytelling, soulful vocals, and unbridled rock ‘n’ roll energy—embodied in her nickname, “The Beehive Queen.”
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Ohlman’s style—a “Contemporary Rock R&B” fusion (per SIRIUS/XM’s Dave Marsh)—stems from these roots. She mirrors Etta James’ passion, Ray Charles’ soul, and the Stones’ rebellion, while her songwriting weaves blues storytelling with rock energy. As she puts it:
“I’m here to set your soul on fire.”
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