Support Staff & BOARD MEMBERS
Grimalkin’s support staff members currently work on a majority volunteer basis.
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Nancy Grim Kells
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / FOUNDER / FACILITATOR
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Carla Pompey-Bennet, CJ STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
BUSINESS MANAGER
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ANNA CHUA
BOARD DIRECTOR
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ERIC KEMP
BOARD DIRECTOR
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TIAIRA HARRIS
CHAIRPERSON
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Savan DePaul
VICE CHAIRPERSON
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(ELI) ZABETH OWENS
MARKETING AND EDUCATION DIRECTOR / SECRETARY
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Jonathan Lee Hicks
TREASURER
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Curtis Corneilius Charity
BOARD DIRECTOR
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Michael Rider
BOARD DIRECTOR
The Collective
Grimalkin Records is comprised of queer & qtpoc artists & activists from around the world. Interested in joining? Read more.
Quinton Barnes
he/him | Toronto, Canada
Originally from Kitchener, Ontario, artist Quinton currently lives in Toronto and offers valuable insight to the work we do with Grimalkin. He assists with mastering and curating, as well as creating and donating exclusive content for our supporters and assisting with reviewing submissions. His stunning, experimental R&B and soul album, Aarupa, was released March 2020 with a remix album released soon after. He released his masterpiece As A Motherfucker with us in 2021. He released his masterpiece As A Motherfucker with us in 2021. Grimalkin released his newest album For the Love of Drugs in October 2022.
Rafael de Toledo Pedroso
they/them | he/him | Ponta Grossa, Brazil
Rafael de Toledo Pedroso is a multimedia artist with more than 30 records over the span of a decade and releases music under various monikers and projects. In addition, they are a writing contributor at Cordiona Mag. Rafael is one-half of both Pedroso & Pedrosa and A/C Repair School, both releasing with Grimalkin Records. They are also known in the underground music scene in Brazil for their hip-hop act, heche, their noise project, deus1, and the avant-garde electronic music of summer 2015. Rafael hosts a radio show, Radio On Berlin, with the other half of Pedroso & Pedrosa. Rafael helps with reviewing submissions. They also do A&R in Brazil and help with fundraising once a year. Additionally, they create and donate exclusive content for our supporters.
Maxine Juno Sinclair / Phantómódel
he/him | Richmond, Virginia
Founding member of Phantómódel, Maxine helps us with reviewing submissions and occasionally with A&R. He also helps us fundraise once a year and creates and donates exclusive content for our supporters.
Here’s a digital remaster of Panic Picnic, a collection of demos he released through Grimalkin Records in 2019. A new album is on the way!
Eric Kemp/Infinite Bliss
they/them | Norfolk, Virginia
Eric Kemp aka Infinite Bliss is an ambient and drone metal musician who often uses loops, tape noise and samples in their music. They have contributed a track on our Gr & Friends compilation and curated a Halloween release called Mischief Night in 2020. Their album “We Reach For Crowded Aboveness” releases on Grimalkin in June 2023. They help Grimalkin with reviewing music submissions, occasional A&R, creating and donating exclusive content for our supporters on Patreon and Bandcamp, fundraising, and with booking shows locally.
Thom Castles
they/them | Baltimore, Maryland
Cazre Thomas is a Baltimore based, self-taught musician and multidisciplinary artist. Using multiple genres of music that are rooted in the Black Diaspora; along with collage, film, graphic design and photography to explore and share themselves, well as be a means of social commentary. They help Grimalkin with reviewing music submissions, occasional A&R, creating and donating exclusive content for our supporters on Patreon and Bandcamp, fundraising, and social media support.
Nancy Grim Kells / Spartan Jet-Plex
they/them | Richmond, Virginia
Nancy Grim is the founding member of Grimalkin and has a variety of music collaborations. They facilitate Grimalkin Records by handling most of the day-in, day-out tasks such as email, promotion, press, social media, booking, organizing shows, reviewing submissions, mailing and organizing of orders, and general coordinating of everything that keeps us up and running. In addition to that, they purchase everything needed for the label, hand dub the tapes, handmake stickers and pins and payout proceeds to the various organizations and the artists we support. They organize and maintain the daily work for Grim Works and our programs and support services. Their work as a special education teacher for 14 years and as a vocational counselor, benefits specialist and disability advocate for 7 years enabled them to save money to found and invest in Grimalkin and helped us keep it running for the first couple of years.
They are also a 2023 recipient of a Songwriting Fellowship from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
All proceeds for Nancy Grim’s releases on Grimalkin and their personal Bandcamp help fund their ability to sustain their work for the label.
Anna Chua / Memoryville
she/her | Manila, Philippines
Anna is a musical powerhouse with several music projects, including Memoryville, selective hypnosis and agsit. She also runs the awesome label, Genjitsu Stargazing Society as well as United Cassettes out of the Philippines. She helps us with reviewing submissions and also helps with reviewing and editing our quarterly newsletters. In addition, she does A&R for us in the Philippines and creates and donates exclusive content for our supporters. She also created our public Discord, Minnie Mouse Club, and is currently one of our moderators there.
Savan DePaul / Ishtar Sr.
they/she | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Savan is a musician based in Philadelphia. They support Grimalkin with mastering and curating releases. They also assist with creating and donating exclusive content for supporters, with reviewing submissions and with social media occasionally. They are also a moderator on our public Discord, Minnie Mouse Club. In 2020, they released a collaborative album with Madame Data, and in May 2021, they released Divine Ecdysis with Grimalkin, which was their debut, full release as Ishtar Sr.
PEACERUSSIE
he/him | Baltimore, Maryland
PeaceRussie is a multi-faceted, genre-shattering artist whose production stretches across various eras and sounds. With over a decade of experience and creation under his belt, Russie has been an integral part of the growth and attention Baltimore is getting right now. PeaceRussie’s friend and fellow artist Son Brave described him as “Protean” which means “Readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable” this extends into Russie’s art as well. Born in Baltimore, PeaceRussie spent his early years moving from house to house and would eventually settle with his grandparents. As he grew older the young upstart was exposed to the whole gamut of music, R&B, Soul, Gospel, Hip-Hop, etc. Combine this with PeaceRussie’s affinity for the house, techno, trance infused ‘Baltimore Club’ we can see the origins of the versatile producer start to show. It is impossible to stuff PeaceRussie into a specific lane, the “protean” comparison is on point as he’s proven over his 10 plus year tenure he can create for any situation. “I make music that’s akin to my mood or ‘color', they explain, “I want the listeners to feel like the music they hear compliments them personally.”No matter where one listens to PeaceRussie, one can find that they have a genuine love and passion for the music and more importantly, to bring people together with their art. PeaceRussie helps us with reviewing music submissions, outreach, and fundraising.
Cin the Ciege
he/him/thon | Richmond, Virginia
Cin the Ciege (he, him, thon) is an eccentric artist whose music transcends boundaries and captivates listeners with his self produced alternative sound and heartfelt lyrics. Born out of the intersections of being black and bi, Cin fearlessly embraces his unique identity and channels it into his craft. Cin helps us with reviewing music submissions, creating and donating exclusive content for our supporters on Patreon and Bandcamp, social media, and outreach.
Berko Lover
she/her | Baltimore, Maryland
Berko met founding member Nancy Grim Kells through organizing one of the compilations we put out as Friends For Equality. She has also been a member of Grimalkin since Nancy Grim started forming Grimalkin back when we released compilations under the name Friends For Equality in 2016. She’s been supportive of the work we are doing and helps with recruitment as well. She helps us review submissions, creates and donates exclusive content for our supporters, assists with fundraising once yearly, and helps with researching grants and other funding opportunities.
Berko also has several other music projects, such as So Nice Yesterday, and her own food show.
She also has a collaboration with Nancy Grim called MERGE which was released in April 2019. She has vast experience in working with and running non-profits and will assist us in running and managing Grim Works with our production network and programming once we secure funding.
(Eli)zabeth Owens
they/them | Richmond, Virginia
Eli Owens is a musician, multimedia artist and educator. They have also been a member of Grimalkin since Nancy Grim started forming Grimalkin back when we released compilations under the name Friends For Equality in 2016. They handle Grimalkin’s website, a lot of graphic design needs, and formatting artwork for releases on occasion. They also help manage our Patreon and is Nancy Grim’s main partner in Grimalkin developing and evolving over the years. They also assist with editing and formatting our quarterly newsletter. When needed, Eli also offers support with daily logistical tasks, promotion and outreach, managing our interns, and organizing shows. Currently, they have taken on assisting us with managing our interns, and once we can secure more funding, they will assist us with running and managing Grim Works with our educational programming and managing interns.
they/them | Kent, United Kingdom
Originally from Bermuda but currently residing in the UK, Sylken Somers helps with social media promotion, artwork, recruiting and reviewing submissions. Their EP, Prone, was released in January 2020 and a special edition of it released on lathe in May 2020 through Grimalkin. Somers is currently on a hiatus to take care of personal business and will be back when they’re able to.
gravedream
she/they | Chicago, Illinois
gravedream is from Chicago. She assists Grimalkin with reviewing submissions, posting about our releases on social media, making playlists, and helping with A&R occasionally. She also helps us fundraise once yearly and creates exclusive content for our supporters. She is currently working on a release for Grimalkin and released a single, Squares and a Five in March 2021. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Michael Rider
they/them | Ney York City, New York
Michael Rider (they/them) is a pop singer-songwriter from NYC. Having released their latest, fourth studio album "Cycle," in 2022 with Grimalkin, they have also been an active collective member. Rider is also a visual artist. They help Grimalkin with reviewing music submissions, occasional A&R, creating and donating exclusive content for our supporters on Patreon and Bandcamp, fundraising, and social media support.
Isobel Bess/(is)
she/her | Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Isobel Bess (she, her) is an experimental musician, composer, audio engineer, writer, and game designer currently transmitting from Lenapehoking. She began working with Grimalkin in 2022, with the release of her album Light Play on the label. Since then, she’s helped out with reviewing submissions, developing workshops, fundraising, and serving as a part of Grimalkin’s production network. She writes a sporadic music blog and newsletter at echosequence.space.
Past Collective Members
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Backxwash
she/her | Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Backxwash joined us in April 2019 and helped with promotion, recruiting, and general advice. Her amazing album Deviancy released with us in July 2019. She followed up that release on Grimalkin with the POLARIS Prize winning album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It in May 2020 and STIGMATA EP in August 2020. Backxwash left our collective in September 2020 and we wish her the very best in everything.
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Mariah Fortune / Woven In
she/her | Baltimore, Maryland
Mariah joined us in 2019 and helped with making graphics like flyers and social media promotion. We released a remastered version of her album Hexed to Death in December 2019 and her album Profess in 2020. She left our collective in February 2021 to focus her many creative endeavors and we wish her the best in everything.
Mariah is a resource for artists touring through Baltimore, and although it is now closed, she facilitated and booked shows at an all-age sober showspace, Catbody. She also runs the Black Creatives Redistribution Fund which directly supports Black creatives with resources, equipment and money. You can also follow the Black Creatives Redistribution Fund on Instagram.
Mariah has also made some really awesome zines and compilations of other artists that you can support on her Bandcamp Page.
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Hunting Dog
(ask) | Richmond, Virginia
Hunting Dog is a queer Black experimental electronic musician from Richmond who is interested in themes such as the occult, cybernetics, self-love, and chaos theory. Hunting Dog helped with organizing benefit shows and recruiting. -
Mabel Harper / Don't Do It Neil
she/her | Philidelphia, Pennsylvania
Mabel has a variety of music and writing projects, and helped with recruiting bands, artwork and graphic design, and mastering releases.
Mabel’s fantastic album I Wanna See What Death is Like was release November of 2020 as a follow up to her first Grimalkin release, B/X (2019) under her moniker Don’t Do It, Neil. Tape proceeds from I Wanna See… went to the Okra Project. Proceeds from tape sales of B/X went to No More Dysphoria.
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Evan Imanchinello
they/them | Richmond, Virginia
Evan is involved in several community projects that help people in Richmond including Great Dismal, which hosts and books benefit shows and supports local and touring musicians. They helped with recruiting bands and musicians and with organizing shows as well as giving us general advice.
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Fey Xuan
they/them | Detroit, Michigan
Xuan Nguyen || FEYXUAN is a disabled fey orchestral music composer, writer-poet, and illustrator-designer. Though their first EP with Gr, Weak & Divine, presents more of their early experimental work, they've begun to make their way through the rabbit hole of composing orchestral suites for their divine+monstrous interactive fiction games, which can be found here (MOTHLILY PROJECT) (落ち椿｜｜OCHITSUBAKI).
They have special interests in polyphonic or otherwise highly layered music, East / Southeast Asian cooking, and honing their fluency in Japanese through the consumption of Japanese media and the production of bilingual JPN/ENG media projects like OCHITSUBAKI.
They helped out Gr with graphic design work, as well as always being open to help out queer/trans/poc centered projects like Gr and Prismatica Mag and Shade Literary on a sliding scale. They hope to someday make something that makes them feel like Revolutionary Girl Utena does.
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Molly Kate Rodriguez / kate can wait
she/her | Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
M. Kate is a musical artist based in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico and supported Grimalkin’s mission by reviewing submissions, posting about our releases on social media on occasion, creating exclusive content for our supporters, and helping with A&R occasionally. Her last album, Veraniegas, was released through us in January 2020.