This gently paced album is a delicacy that fits well into this singer’s body of work. Her penetrating insights of the world are sought after, yet rarely a relic of magnificent importance as this. The entire embodiment of this grossly talented individual is a topic that all human beings of any spectrum would enjoy and care for in all it’s exceptional being.
CMJ has announced it ...
"Singer-songwriter Marykate
O'Neil will drop her fourth solo release Underground
February 3rd on Nettwerk/71 Recordings. This is O'Neil's
full-length follow up to her EP mkULTRA
released earlier this year. It features her signature
feminine, edgy vocals and contributions from Jill Sobule,
Mickey Grimm (Butterfly Boucher, Over the Rhine) and Ken
Maiuri (Pedro the Lion, Soft Drugs, Mark Mulcahy).
When speaking about the album's title O'Neil said "I
just don't think the underground is ever over, I just
think sometimes it is harder to find." O'Neil harnessed
the DIY spirit when making Underground
collaborating with friends on the music, the production
and even the album art".
so...i guess i should too!! drummmm role:
the new record will be out february 3rd! it is being released digitally thru nettwerk records and in limited quantities thru my own 71 recordings collective on cd. the release is an eleven song album called "underground". the songs are:
1 - green street
2- easy to believe at first
3 - nashville
4 - saved
5 - mr. freidman
6 - me, the bee & the miner
7 - underground
8 - attention
9 - different for girls
10 - one thousand times a day
11 - so long
i rounded up all the usual suspects! i was joined on the recording by my friends and favorite wrecking crew! mickey grimm (butterfly boucher, over the rhine) on drums, james haggerty (josh rouse, joe marcs bros) on bass, jill sobule on guitar and vocals (and who also co-wrote some songs with me). also, joining us this time around is my multi-instrumentalist pal ken maiuri (pedro the lion, the soft drugs, mark mulcahy) who plays basically everything....he is limited only by the amount of limbs he has! it was produced by jill sobule, roger moutenot, jacob lawson and ME. (this time around i even got to turn some knobs!) songs were mixed by brad jones (josh rouse, david mead, matthew sweet). it was recorded in my apartment in brooklyn (williamsburg & bed-stuy), nashville and nyc. weeeeehoooooo! the cover art was done with my pal skifeets! (see his illustrations to the left!)
i
will
be touring "underground" with my band the Delta
Salinity Report. in an effort to bring the
spirit of the record to our live shows, i have
been playing all shows with old friends on what
i am calling 'the friends and family tour". so far
tour dates have included shows with: Jill Sobule,
Nada Surf, The Sawtelles, Lloyd Cole, Jim Boggia, Senator,
Audrey Ryan, The National Convention, The
Gramercy Arms, Mark Schwaber, Hilken Mancini and
Lianne Smith ---- please go and check out all of
their music -- you won't be sorry!!
<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
may 5, 2009 -- i have been hiding out avoiding swines. a new review came in today from the most fabulous people at fencepost who say:
to which i say....I YAYAYAYAYAYYYAAA! in other news i got a new bicycle! i am very excited!!! they mighty fine folks at continuum cycles are building it for me and when done it should look something like this. the frame used to belong to the owner so good karma abounds. IYAYAYAYAYAYAYYA! i am hyperactive today with excitement! hide the adderall!
february 20, 2009 -- in the next issue of VENUS underground gets 4 STARS!!:
"Marykate O’Neil’s fourth release, Underground,
features a retro ‘70s singer-songwriter sound. It is true that her musicianship is above par, but it’s the Brooklyn-based artist’s clever use of words that are most striking. O’Neil peppers colorful New York lyrical detail (from exiting the subway at Union Square on the title track, “Underground,” to meeting at McCarren Park in the yearning-filled “Attention”) throughout her sharp stories. — Kim Newmanfebruary 11, 2009 - i am officially sold out of 'underground'. i only pressed a few thousand of them. i am not sure if i will repress yet??? but right now what is in stock at cd baby, amazon, etc. is all there is. it is available everywhere as a download near you.
february 3, 2009 - "underground drops" - cd release date!!!!
click to order "underground" here! or download @
!!!!!!!!!
today's free daily download at largehearted boy - is "one thousand times a day"! whose named "underground" a recommended new release!
"one thousand times a day" is a weekend pick on my crazy music blog!
"one thousand times a day" is on KEXP as a download of the day! WOW!!! i love that station!!!
the power of pop says: Simply magnificent! An essential for 2009.
Last year’s mkULTRA Ep was a tasty appetizer for the main course, Underground, and by all accounts, its a sumptuous feast! Underground (MK’s third album) encapsulates all that is wonderful and delightful about pop music. And when I use the term “pop”, I am talking in the classic sense, as in the kind of music that the world lapped up from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Carol King, Laura Nyro et al, all those years ago.
Thus, the eleven songs on Underground bear testimony to MK’s grasp of melody, reverential pop sense and literate lyricism. Whether intentional or not, Underground can be split into two halves. The first five songs are sophisticated, smart pop that combine technical brilliance and instinctive coolness. Tracks like the smooth Green Street (last heard on mkULTRA with the line “And I lived back in the village/Where there’s no more any sign of Dylan” prominent), the melancholy Easy to Believe At First, the countrified Nashville (resplendent with its Harrisonesque slide guitar), the provocative Saved (where MK protests against being judged), the Nyro-Rundgren channeling Mr. Friedman (and perhaps my favorite of the lot) and song #10, the Honeys produced by Brian Wilson influenced One Thousand Times A Day.
The rest of Underground tends to a little more folky, with MK’s acoustic guitar high in the mix, whilst MK either tugs at your heart strings or challenges your thinking processes. The wistful Me, the Bee and the Miner, the strident title track (”I don’t wanna leave the underground” the declaratory statement of intent), the pleading Attention, the twangy Joe Jackson cover - Different For Girls and the closing So Long, a loving tribute to the late great George Harrison - “I have found religion/I follow the sun/I don’t care a smidgeon what you are/Or who you have done”.
interview here with pop culture press who calls *mko* buzzworthy!
neu futur magazine: gives us some love!
an interview with indie pulse here
an interview with pure music here!
new beats says, "Underground is a charming and winning old-school pop record".
have no money? me neither....so, trade it here:
new video directed by an automatic beatnik!!! click to watch daddy-0!!!
"underground" makes BLURT'S most anticipated records of 2009!!!! "O'Neil has been releasing solo records of uncommon delicacy and delight since 2002"
underground!
As a continuation from 2008’s EP "mkULTRA," the fourth release by Marykate O’Neil not only remains true to form and style, but lets loose eleven more songs for the fans who crave more. Well-crafted and filled with a retro singer-songwriter sound, Underground is a clever little album from this New York musician. Marykate O’Neil has gotten her name into people’s ears with her self-titled full-length, "1-800-BANKRUPT," and her recently released EP. Now, with Underground she continues on the tradition of delivering crystal clear sweet vocals over fun, complex yet simple music heralding back to a time when songs were new and creative. Perhaps it is the spirit of the underground community O’Neil throws into her music that gives it such a dynamic, intriguing and addictive sound. Songs like “Nashville” spell out a wonderful story and the beat behind “Mr. Freidman” is the pure sound of Carly Simon. A ‘70s feel sporting modern attitude. “Green Street,” also on "mkULTRA," has a chorus to die for. The wonderful mixture of new and old puts Marykate O’Neil not only in a category by herself but also forces the listener to take a step back and realize how much effort and skill has gone into this record. This isn’t just some simple pop record. "Underground" is an intricately woven set of songs that run the gamut of the poppy-melancholy singer-songwriter spectrum, but with class in every word and every pluck of the guitar. -- Metro Spirit
Underground's a
sometimes wry and sometimes warm (and often
both, as the excellent "Saved" demonstrates
in particular) collection of songs about
life and love in a gentle, attractive vein.
O'Neil and a core supporting duo on both
songwriting and performing —
Jill Sobule and
Ken Maiuri — create, along with the
support of various other performers, a
number of excellent confections throughout
Underground. The rich arrangement on
"Nashville," with O'Neil and
Sobule's voices plus some lovely guitar
work on their parts, sounds like it should
be on some radio station somewhere right
this second, while the slow building glow of
"Me, the Bee and the Miner" is at once the
album's most understated song and perhaps
its most successful, an embrace of near
silence to excellent effect. Meanwhile, a
stellar choice of a cover song —
Joe Jackson's "It's Different for Girls"
— gives everyone the chance to deliver, with
a performance both rollicking and, with its
concluding harmonies, beautifully serene as
well. Often the best lines throughout the
album are delivered with a perfect
straightforwardness — thus on "One Thousand
Times a Day," there are great bits about
taking sick days and walking through
familiar book shops, while on "Easy to
Believe at First" when the song first hits
its chorus and everything shifts from minor
to major keys, it's delightful to hear
O'Neil sunnily sing, with just the right
pause at the right place, "Everything is
going to be much better...when you go away."
--- ALL MUSIC GUIDE
While its title may be a
sly reference to the fact that her
recognition factor still lies well below
the surface, Underground is
worthy of the big breakthrough Marykate
O’Neil has threatened to pull off for
quite awhile now. A record that revels
in traditional pop platitudes, its songs
sound timeless from the get-go, bringing
echoes of Carole King, Gerry Goffin and
that long-ago era when the Brill
Building crowd dominated the musical
charts. Indeed, in songs such as “Easy
to Believe at First,” “Mr. Friedman” and
“Attention,” O’Neil keeps her pop
sensibilities front and center, bracing
them with effusive hooks and a giddy
school girl vocal that’s both shy but
suggestive. A capable songwriter with a
traditional sensibility, she offers only
one cover, a surging version of Joe
Jackson’s “Different for Girls.” It’s an
apt match with the rest of the material,
especially since she easily makes the
song her own. O’Neil’s dewy-eyed
persona, a spunky stylistic stance that
becomes ever more impressive as the
album ambles towards its conclusion.
Coming quickly on the heels of
mKULTRA, a six-song EP released
this past October, Underground
suggests that O’Neil has indeed arrived.
It’s certainly way past time the world
watched her surface. ---- Amplifier
'After the recent 6-song EP this is the third longplayer by this New York based singer-songwriter ... and I mean songwriter in that old fashioned, sophisticated, these days so hard to find, brainy sense of the word, as once established by the likes of Carol King or Laura Nyro. Best heard in ‘Green Street’, she’s most usually sticking to the mentioned "tapestry" of sounds, occasionally "name-checking" other just-as-cool references, old and new, such as Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson or Elvis Costello. To justify the Greenwich Village folky-beat looks on the cover shot, there’s a more conventional folky moment or two to be heard as well. In the covers department, this time it’s Joe Jackson’s ‘Different For Girls’, which she makes sound as if it could’ve easily been written especially for her". Popism
click here to HELP! get mko some radio play! ACT UP! RQST UP! "underground" sets sail to a radio station near you on FEB 2nd!
mkULTRA makes best of
2008!.
BEST OF 2008 @ #1 with metro spirit :
"A BANNER YEAR: Her light voice and poetic lyrics made this EP the surprise find of the year."
BEST OF 2008 with "zero gossip"
BEST OF 2008 @ # 3 with absolute power pop!
BEST OF 2008 with "Metro Mix" for 'under the radar" :
"The common denominator throughout O’Neil’s sweetly girlish vocals and keen melodic sense, which are strong throughout and flat-out stunning on “Map,” the EP’s highlight. Made for: Anyone who’s ever had a crush on that girl in the horn-rimmed glasses sipping cappuccino and jotting in a notebook at the neighborhood alterna-café…or, for that matter, girls who wear horn-rimmed glasses and frequent alterna-cafés.
click here to order mkULTRA!!!
some press for mkULTRA:
"O'Neil's literate
lyrics feature the sort of off-kilter insights Emily
Dickinson might make if alive today.
After listening to commercial radio, hearing O'Neil
sing is like reading Sylvia Plath's brutally honest
poetry in the wake of watching "American Idol". She
seems to be telling listeners, no matter what the
price, hard-earned truths are the only ones you can
trust". -- The Boston Globe
In a more refined world, Marykate O’Neill’s tuneful story songs would be heard on the radio more than the cutesy, advertising jingle-like compositions of Colbie Caillat or Ingrid Michaelson. This third solo release finds the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter turning out songs with such flair that it makes me wonder how long it'll be until she becomes more widely discovered. - PREFIX Magazine
"Though too short, there's enough on the six songs gathered here to remind us just how good O'Neil can be. With my musical appetite whetted, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of her third full-length." 3.5 out of 4 stars -Newsday
"Lyrically O'Neil is a mix of sugar and spice and sometimes everything not so nice. We like her fire." -- WXPN/world cafe live
"Intriguing and creative, mkULTRA’s danceable yet moody sound is a break from the usual miserable dime-a-dozen singer-songwriters. When it comes to fighting against the hordes of girls thrusting their heart out on a sleeve, Marykate O’Neil stands a full head taller than the rest" METRO SPIRIT
Recent singer-songwriter-centric music tends to be decidedly folkie but some of us do remember a time when pop-rock artists like Randy Newman, and Elvis Costello would combine literate messages with well-worked music. O'Neil belongs to the old school and on this EP taster (before the release of her third full length - Underground - in 2009), O'Neil fully confirms her talent at fashioning smart pop songs from the foundation of thoughtful lyrics. - Power of Pop
There’s a lot of praise to be
found while googling around for Marykate
O’Neil info, and with references like Elvis
Costello, Astrud Gilberto, Glenn Campbell
and George Harrison, I just can’t help but
being tricked into the whole thing. I
haven’t heard any of the previous two
albums, but this 6-song EP not only covers
pretty much all of the mentioned, but also
brings to mind other just as cool names. As
soon as you spot the geeky
She-Austin-Powers-like cover shot, you’ll
realize that none of this praise is
surprising after all … and neither is the
brain (!) on the back cover. To me, she
gives her best right away, with the opening
“tapestry” of Carol King-like sounds heard
in ‘
Singer/songwriter
Marykate O¹Neil immediately wins the
listener over with her incredibly
sweet and captivating voice. It certainly
helps that Marykate has a real knack for
crafting warm, catchy and bubbly melodies
that have a way of getting right into your
head and bouncing around in your brain. The
introspective lyrics hit the touching spot
as well. The arrangements are admirably
tight and tuneful to boot. The tempos chug
along at a gradual tempo and the beats are
pretty subdued, yet still steady. A lovely
and
moving jewel.-
Jersey Beat
GET YOUR FREE COPY
of mkULTRA
HERE -> IN A CONTEST! with blowin' your
cover who says:
"O'Neil's music is a superb blend of
thoughtful charm and cynicism"
And in other news, 'green street' is a filter pick of the week.
below are some photographs from the mkULTRA east
coast tour -->
november 4, 2008 - just got back from voting! long lines -- hopefully this is a good sign!! this past weekend we did a video for the upcoming record. it is being directed by michael k. anderson - here
october 28, 2008 - FRANTONE DIRECTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
september 18, 2008 -- so i have this little blog. i ask my writer friends to write for it and other artists i know to contribute. it is really just a fun way to keep up with what each other is up to. my pal philip dray (who has a new book out) wrote this....and it is so so great - i thought this should be my real press release for the new record -- i pasted it in here. i hope that is ok :).
One time many years ago I was attending an avant garde theater performance at a loft on Lower Broadway when this Asian woman walked in and sat down in front of me. She was wearing a large stocking cap that I feared would obstruct my view and I was about to tap her on the shoulder when someone whispered, "It’s Yoko." Then I noticed that the thin, lanky guy she’d come in with was John.
The show began. It was a Richard Foreman play and the actors rode across the stage on bicycles, made disjointed philosophical remarks to one another, and occasionally removed pieces of their clothing. At one point several actresses came to the edge of the stage and lifted their skirts, shaking their bare behinds right at the audience, only a few feet from John and Yoko, while offstage somebody clanged a cowbell. I felt protective of John and Yoko for a moment, as in “I hope this ass-display right in their faces is OK, maybe they wish they’d just gone to a movie,” but then I remembered they’d invited the press to join them in bed, and Yoko had made a short film about a fly crawling around in her pubic hair.
Right after the show John and Yoko were the first to reach the door, but instead of making a quick exit, like we all expected, John held open this heavy loft door while the audience filed out. He did it without being condescending, nor did he seem unduly wary of people. It was almost like an impromptu performance piece of his own. He stood there looking back and smiling at everyone as we filed out; he didn’t avert his gaze.
John was taller than I had imagined, and had a lighter complexion than I’d ever noticed before, with light brown hair and even some freckles. He was wearing a jean jacket and looked very casual; he seemed a little vulnerable, maybe, but in an endearing way.
Of course within a year or so John was dead, and Yoko was commissioning messages of reassurance and love in skywriting over Manhattan. Reagan got elected and set to making greed fashionable. Things began to suck generally. I bought “Double Fantasy” and Yoko’s solo album “Season of Glass,” but it made me sad to hear them. I didn’t listen to the Beatles anymore. I started writing books. I got married. I went to the village in Lithuania where my family was from – at the end of a dirt road in-between a forest and the tundra -- and heard about all the terrible things they’d narrowly, so very narrowly, missed. I visited Cuba and felt ashamed at what America, out of petty meanness, had done to the place.
Then one night I heard some music by a songwriter named Marykate O’Neil. I started listening to Marykate tunes in the car, at home, on my Disc-man CD Player.
Marykate is not John Lennon or Yoko Ono, nor should she be. She is a gifted writer of pop music, and as a performer she is a real treasure. In-between songs she tells funny-ass stories (if people don’t get them she cheers anyway.) Once in awhile she’ll stop a song to go back and add something to a story. Sometimes she cries out ay-ay-ay for no real reason, or wails a bit like her idol Yoko. When you see Marykate you thank God you live in America, where such people are allowed to roam free.
If I was cultural czar of the United States, I would send Marykate around the world to sing and entertain, maybe with her friend Jill Sobule or perhaps my friend from Minneapolis, Slim Dunlap, who was in the Replacements and who onstage is the closest thing we have to Hank Williams living today and would complement Marykate well.
The best thing about Marykate is that she writes songs that come from her own experience. They never seem contrived. There’s a feeling of exultation, like you’d get from running off on your own as a teenager to catch a Monkees show in New Hampshire (that’s one of her stories). There’s also a hint of sadness and world-weariness, what Marlene Dietrich would call Weltschmerz, that feeling that comes from being ditched by someone you love and having to drive through a snowstorm to verify it by illegally entering their house and checking their emails (that’s another story).
In the remote past somewhere in Ireland I think a female ancestor of Marykate’s sat around a fire, barefoot and in a filthy dress, strumming a lute, singing Celtic ballads; in the 1960’s Marykate would have been cast in a beach movie along with Terry Garr or been a dancer on “Shindig,” or maybe hung out with John or Yoko.
Her secret? She doesn’t try and beat you down with some huge female vocal that is really too honking big. Instead her singing sneaks in and around everywhere, finding all the right nooks and crannies. Even when her voice enters a cul de sac and you think “no way in hell she gets out of this one,” Marykate usually finds a way. If not, she’ll just start the applause herself. --
Phillip Dray
september 12, 2008 - the song "green street" is going to be featured on a cd compilation given out at all landmark theatres. in nyc that means the sunshine and i guess basically means at an art house theatre near u! also on the record is: radiohead & uh huh her.
september 2, 2008 - videos are being made!!! YAY!! i can't wait to see them!
michael k. anderson - will be doing "nashville" - learn more about his work here
shannon manning - will be doing "so long" - learn more about sparkle television here
august 28, 2008 - the press photos and cover for mkULTRA are up. they were taken at professor sarah woolley's lab at columbia university where they study song birds! how perfect is that?!!
besides being the name of my new album -- what is mkULTRA? read more about it here
august 14, 2008 - GET BLOGGIE ON IT! BEE CHARMER
July - in an act of sheer lunacy i went and recorded another song for the EP. it is now in LA being mixed by the most excellent christopher fudurich.
march 10, 2008 - i think the name of the new record will be called "underground" ... i am working with my friend criag eastland on the artwork. go to his website and look at his work. ya ya ya.
march 6, 2008 - my long time pal jill sobule is funding her next record jerry lewis style. click on image
and donate.
february 26, 2008 - the 3rd mko record is all mixed...shaked and baked. it will actually be my 4th full length studio album. but the thing is the more i make them the less 'studio' and the more homespun they actually feel to me. my first record i made at ft. apache in boston with my band piewackit. we did it all on 24 track analog tape. all vintage all the time. the knobs were pretty, the board was old. this new record i made in some my favorite places with my favorite people --nashville, brooklyn and nyc --- jill sobule, brad jones, robin eaton, ken maiuri, jacob lawson, roger moutenot. here are some photos from the sessions in my apartment ---->
i recorded 8 songs in nashville. then moved to my apartment and recorded 7 more. my neighbors in bed-stuy were not happy (however, during mixing brad heard some beats coming in thru the windows from across the street -- so go figure.). i then moved to stratosphere and did some overdubs. then i went back to nashville and mixed with brad jones at alex the great studio. i love alex the great. i made my first record there. brad and robin have all kinds of wonderful books there and most of all .
february 2008- going to stratosphere sound on friday to record for the recording. i will be met there with a jack's americano by jill sobule, ken maiuri and james mastro. rumor has it my new scooter is in thank to fine folks at brooklyn bretta!! YAY!
october, november, december, january 2008 - fall is for back to school and recording.
shut in. shut in. shut in. shut in.
august - in ze studio-io-io. woodshed that is. pens and
notebooks. de de de da dee de. writing, writing,
writing.
this photo has nothing to do with anything. but who does
not like airbrushed unicorns?
july - i found the bastard who stole my scooter!
june 2007- the spring fling tours have been down right bouncy. click here to read all about it!
april 24, 2007 - the film Stephanie Daley is in art house theatres now! my song mundane dream is in it. yay. it is a really great movie with Tilda Swinton, Amber Tamblyn and Timothy Hutton.
Stephanie Daley:
What if what I believe turns out not to be true?
Lydie
Crane: Then stop believing it.
april 4, 2007 - back from France. it was truly an amazing time. please go to myspace to read up on all the existential essentials! i am doing a show in nyc next week i think...should be super super fun. in other news, my luggage is still in france. i returned on the plane with just my guitar and baguette bag in hand. merci thank you to everyone who made it such a special trip. my only regret is that i didn't accept that bag from the attic from bruno!! here are some photos ---> amelie and i hope yoko would approve!
march 9, 2007 - i had a great time at last nights show. thanks to everyone coming out on such a freezing cold night!! like john denver i am leaving on a jet plane. ooo la la.
february 20, 2007 -- just got back from nashville. i had the best time ever and am exhausted. i recorded 4 new songs with roger and jill. it was so much fun as always. playing on drums is the most excellent mickey grimm. and my pal ken maiuri flew down with me from nyc and played many many instruments. got to visit with robin eaton who is busy producing in his new bohemian palace of a studio. in the heart of country i ate an an orange croissant, lots of coffee, really bad chinese food, and really yummy thai. went to katy k's, a party at joe pisapia's.....and ummmm other places too.
february 2007- this month i will be in nashville working on the next record. yee haw. i am really excited to go back in the studio and work on some new songs!!
january something - i just found out 1-800-bankrupt made
david bash's/amplifier magazines best of 2006. as they
say in hee haw..yee
haw!
january - my pal marianne petit just did a cool new video for the "sky is falling". see it here
december 27, 2006 - happy new year! i always feel that the start of the new year seems like it should happen in september -- not now...but this year it kind of does feel like a new year...so i think i am going to have 2 new years, 2 leaves turning over, and 2 sets of resolutions. i have been a shut in lately writing for the new project which is due out this spring. i am not sure if it will be an ep or a full length. i keep going back and forth.....which brings me to my original point...don't be so indecisive..... new years resolution # 8937493847. the working title of the record is 'invitation to a tea party'. speaking of spring i am due back in europe. i still haven't learned french.....new years resolution #0980830840928408540...but i plan on it.
september - 2006 - the video for 'past all the stars' is being featured on IFC as part of their film short series!! turn on your tv and look for it :)!!! meanwhile, click here and vote for it :)!
june 30, 2006 - back from paris
here are some photos. more to come!
june, 2006 - oooo la la. paris. paris. paris.
6.07.06 - popmatters asked me to write an article of my
favorite things.
here
it is :)!
5.13.06 - just saw 'stephanie daley" it was great. it stars tilda swinton, amber tamblyn & timothy hutton and won the screenwriters award at sundance. if anyone gets the chance they really should go see it :)!.
5.11. 06 - the film, "stephanie daley" is being show at BAM on may 12th and may 20th. go get popcorn with butter & hear my song "mundane dream" being played during the 'party scene'! here is nytimes article on the event
5.10.06 - the record will be released on june 19th in France. in September it will be released in Germany, UK, Spain, Benelux & Switzerland. this is the cover for the EU release:
click
here to visit the EU website. see u in june in paris & i hope to be back to see more of EU in the fall to tour with the September release.
5.4.06 -
who knew the line would be so long? not me?! we are already in back order for 1-800-bankrupt. we hope to be restocked within the week. in other news today i saw a woman on a scooter (which was a honda passport like mine)..and over her helmet she had a grocery bag. i got a scary view into my future.
4.09.06 -- click here to watch the revolution. it is not televised just up on the internet. the blogs have spoken - this just in ...and under the headline "never been so happy and full of beer". actually the lyric is never been so happy and full of fear...hold me closer tony danza! --->FROM FLUXBLOG
april
5 - filter magazine
has called
me an artist to watch. i'm
watching!!!! are you watching? and then you can
click
here to listen to the song "stay"! listen and watch.....watch and
listen. i like to watch and listen. When I'm in the shower, I'm
afraid to wash my hair. I
might open my eyes and find someone standing there.
People say I'm crazy, just a little touched..But
maybe showers remind me of Psycho too much
That's why...
april - 4, 2006 -- click here to watch my very first music video by the fabulous marianne petit.
february 28, 2006 -- my pal
marianne petit
is doing a music video for the song "past all
the stars" off of my upcoming album. here is a picture
of me ...in it.
december 20, 2005 - big news! "mundane dream" is going to be used in a film which will be shown at the sundance film festival. the name of the movie is: "STEPHANIE DALEY". it is the story of Lydie Crane...a forensic psychologist who is hired to determine if stephanie daily denied her pregnancy and committed suicide! yikes!!! it stars tilda swinton. did you see her in that movie the deep end? that movie is so good. anyway, here is more info on it:
http://festival.sundance.org/filmguide/popup.aspx?film=6654
http://imdb.com/title/tt0483812/combined
in other movie happenings, last night the bomahs and myself recorded the basic tracks for the theme song to a short film called: "dale crawford".
in other news, it is really cold out. the nyc transit union went on strike and there is no subway service. in a way, i love these small disruptions because it is like getting a snow day when you were a kid....everything is forced to slow down a little bit and people are a bit nicer to each other. the same thing happened in nyc with the black out.
i just sent the artwork off along with the audio master to begin duplication!!! yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow!!!
october 17, 2005 - the arms i made for ted are being featured in a japanese music magazine. look!
july 26, 2005 - howdy! just
installed arms on ted's (the man who mastered the
record) speakers. i thought they needed them...what do u
think?
i am playing friday at my friend chris mill's happening.
it will be short set at the magnet
theatre. come on!!
june 18, 2005 - my super super cool pal mikki halpin is launching a new zine called CLOSET. for those who don't know, mikki is the co-founder of Ben is Dead magazine, and the former editor of Stim (which was called "The Next New Yorker" in Time magazine). the first issue is dedicated to break-ups and has both funny and sad tales of woe beneath its sheets. the launch party is on july 12th at black betty in williamsburg. the paaaaty starts at 10pm. COME ON! it begins with a showing of the film ROBOT PIZZA BUTLER. come on by and get your copy of the zine. it comes with a groovy cd compilation as well which features songs by: Nada Surf, J-Church, Jill Sobule, Cheeseburger, Julia Marvel, The Brought Low, National Stranger and ME. i just realized i will not be there...as i will be in LA. i have a show at the hotel cafe on the very same night! so NEW YORKERS go paaaty. get your copy of the cd. WEST COAST PEEPS please come to my show. i only get out there every couple of couple.
june 8, 2005 -- don't you think this family looks nice?
may 22, 2005 -- i got new jeans. i found this poster from my old band. i wish i kept more of them.
may 10, 2005 -- friday i am doing a wacky salon happening so-low. hope to see yaz (carl) there!
may 3, 2005 -- just got back from seeing my friend mia theodoratus play a show on east 27th. it was called the harp consortium. she sang and played harp while a boozy dancer put on make up and rolled around on the floor. it was great. AND to top it all off, i scooted there! all, i have to say is, it is a bit i ya ya ya going over the bridge! the next 2 shows i will be joined by my most fab backing band the bomahs: alec berlin; clancy (pop star kids); and david shuman (lilys). meep meep.
april - 25, 2005 -- have a bunch of nyc shows coming up. they should be lots of fun. each show will have a differnt cast of characters sitting in and playing with me. i have no idea what will happen. so, in a way they will much like all my other shows. in other news my friend fran unlocked my scooter from the fence! she picked the lock. (so emma peel) yeah!! i can ride again. now i just have to get license plates.
march something, 2005 -- talking to yourself is something your are not supposed to do, especially in public places such as buses, sidewalks, hot-dog stands, and church. i bought this 101/2 by 71/2 thing called Theme Book. it has a shiny yellow cover and wide marginal ruled pages and cost 25 cents, which anyone will tell you is quite a lot of money these days....just go ask daisy clover. i am busily working on the artwork which is always one of my favorite parts of putting out a record. bleep.
february - 01, 2005 -- i put this show together with a group of my friends. down with hallmark! down with whitman's samplers!!! mark your calendars for feb 14th & the "i don't heart valentines day hootenanny!" i will be playing at pete's candy store along with my pal mia a.k.a
as the angry angel on harp, wire monkey (improv right out of
the windy city) matthew caws
and lianne smith. spooning with an RX.
january 16, 2005 - january chow chow chow chow chow. february chow chow chow chow chow. this friday (the 21st) listen to wfuv. my friend jill will be dj'ing from 8-11pm. i gave her large amounts of payola (crack, kitkats, cafe bustello) so she would play a song off my upcoming album.
december 28, 2004 - i bought a new calender. this could be the year my luck will turn around...or not. did u know that on jan 1, 1934 prohibition of alcohol ended in the US? did u know that on that same day in 1804 the haitian slaves, led by jean jacques desalines declared independence? me neither....but now that i bought this new organizer...2005 is bound to be a banner year. i am playing this thursday as a guest for an improv group. the show is called "beauty, love & truth". It is at juvie hall under the gene frankel theatre on bond between layfayette and bowery here in nyc. i play 5 songs starting @ 8:00pm and people act them out. could be good....could be awful. kind of like 2005.
december 8, 2004 - hey look! there is an interview in indiepoprock.net! also, please check out my new and possibly favorite holiday song of all time -- bigfoot and santa. i heard it while i was down in nashville finishing up my record. i went back and recorded 6 more songs. i had a great time and bought more socks.
november 3, 2004 -- maybe not.
november 2, 2004 --just got back from voting!! the lines were very long. it took me an hour and 1/2. i hope this is a good sign!!
october 29, 2004 - This goes under the
title --- what was I thinking. This is not new
by the way. Many of my friends have made fun of me over the years for
things like this --- driving into the subway; getting eaten by an
escalator; falling thru a window that wasn’t there. My friend Jill says
my life is a continuing Lucile Ball episode. My friend Brad came over a
little while ago and left saying, thanks for letting me make a guest
appearance on the sitcom. But it isn't like they all know they saying these things independently
of each other. Ok back to the story, so maybe
I have seen Roman Holiday one too many times. And maybe it was
just a fashion thing. But, I bought a scooter on eBay. I was very
excited. I was thinking helmets. Outfits. The nice people at Brooklyn
Bretta accepted shipment and put it together for me. I went to go pick
it up last week. When I got there, I realized I had
gotten more than I bargained for.
First of all, it came in the wrong color. Green not Red. Somehow it
looks more serious to me in green. But I then I thought....well,
I guess it is not so bad. But then, I found out it has things like
clutches and gears. I thought it would be like driving the mopeds you
rent when you go to Hampton Beach or something. I was wrong. So I just
left it there. I went back yesterday. This time I brought my friend
Matthew who drove me home on it. It was fun riding on the back. It was
little like a Williamsburg holiday. I started getting excited again. I
started thinking more about outfits. And the green really isn’t so bad.
It is kind of Emma Peel British. So, I locked it up. Ran back to work.
After work, I went to visit my friend Tracy. She’s just got a new pug
puppy named pancake. I had a glass of wine, I played with pancake. I
sang pancake "on the edge of country".
I subwayed it home. And, I just couldn’t resist!!!
The scooter was sitting there shinny and new. All I wanted to do
was see if I could start it. I live in a brick building with an iron
gate around it --- you know, with those rod
iron fences that are around every city apartment building
in NYC? I turned the key..nothing. I pushed down on that metal
kickstand kind of start thing. Biiillllah. Stalled out. Again. Again.
Again. Again. Again. Again. And ---then -------woooooooooosh
--- BLAM. The scooter it is fine. Not a scratch. Me? Not so fine. I ripped my jeans.
Cut up my ankle, which is bumpy in new ways. 
Bruises
are developing by the hour. The fence, it is
bent. Bent by the impact of my ankle crashing against the rod iron. Yes, I guess it
is hard to crash a scooter within a five-foot radius. But I did it. And
now, I have a scooter for sale. Anyone want to buy a scooter? It
is REALY NICE. 
In other news, I am going back into the studio at the end of next month. I can't wait! I am recording five new songs and finishing things up.
august 26, 2004 - thanks to everyone who came to the LA show. hope to be back soon!!!
july 12, 2004 - more macaroni facts...this one i
learned from my friend Bernard.
july 6th, 2004 - a couple of songs that i co-wrote the music for will be featured in a musical which is starting on July 20th. the name of the play is prozac and the platypus. it is a piece yoko herself would love!!
july 5th, 2004 -
yesterday i
learned that in the song yankee doodle dandy when it says... "put a
feather in his hat and called it macaroni"...they are not talking about
spaghetti. macaroni is an italian word for fancy dandy dress --- who
knew!
june 29, 2004 - happy belated jean baptiste day!
april 27, 2004 - here is a home recording of, "i'm ready for my luck to turn around"
february 23, 2004 - i am home! i am done! well, i am done recording and mixing. i had a great time. we recorded and mixed 12 songs. i did not bring enough socks. but, i bought some new ones. i ate at fat moe's and pancake pantry. i did not get new jeans.
february 13, 2004 - i am packing to leave for nashville. i hate packing. i am the type of person who forgets everything. i always seem to forget socks and toothpaste. i don’t know what to bring....should i bring my rocket or just my 335? ok, well i guess i better get back to it.
february 6, 2004 - it is a rainny day in brooklyn
today and i am being a shut in. did you know that in nyc approximately
110 manhole and service box covers along with
157 light poles have been found to have
stray voltage. did you also know that the "marykate
o'neil" record is available to be downloaded at
itunes,
musicmatch,
real player and
napster. woo woo woo woo woo woo wo.
january 14, 2004 - recording recording recording in the cold...and in the snow. this time at the magic shop in nyc. it is a very neat-o place. they have all this recording gear that looks like it came from a 1950's space movie. klatu verada nepto...or something like that. next month, i go back to nashville to finish the record. wooo hoo :). here are some photos from the magic shop.
december 31, 2003 - HAPPY NEW YEAR! this year i am going to join the gym and actually go. i am going to pick up my clothes off of the floor. i am going to find a new apartment for the same price...but one that doesn't leak every time it rains. i am going to watch less of the superstation. i am going to grocery shop. i am going to eat out less. i am going to try and not to be late all the time. i am going to learn to speak french. i am going to take piano lessons. i am going to start and then quit smoking.
december 18, 2003 - howdy! just got back from nashville where i have begun the beginnings of the next record. i had a great time. here are some photo's of everyone. it is being produced by my pals jill sobule and roger moutenot. the very talented mr. mickey grimm is playing drums along with various rhythmic objects. a lovely fellow named mr. hags is the man on the bass and bill demain is making his piano debut on a song. jason lehning is playing keyboards on most of the songs and i met a nice man at the luggage store who is a big fan of my hairdresser. also participating is matthew caws -- who is doing some singing; robin eaton -- who is doing some singing; rob burger -- who is doing some playing and eli aka LIJ -- who is doing some playing.
october 10, 2003 - "make a mask smaller than your face. let it drink wine instead of you". yoko ono 1962
october 3, 2003 - i am listening to Neil Diamond - Live in America. VERY highly recommended!! :) for everyone in the nyc area i am doing a free show at pete's candy store on october 26th. come on down if you can, i will be playing some new songs. i am just about done with the writing of the next record and will begin recording next month. can't wait! thanks to everyone whose been writing....and i am sorry for all the pigeon stories. i hope that my brushes with them will end soon.
september 9, 2003 - this morning i did a fun interview with john broughton in melbourne, australia at 3SER-FM. did anyone hear it?
september 8, 2003 - viewing fun.
august 26, 2003 - ok this isn't really news. but what are the odds. today, a pigeon shit on me. it was unpleasant. but the thing is...last week a pigeon shit on me in the very same spot! i am told that if a pigeon shits on you it is good luck. i had never heard of this prior to being shit upon. i think it is a made up nyc myth. i guess it is supposed to make u feel better for getting shit on. but, it doesn't make me feel better. i just think i should stop walking under tress all the time.
june 3, 2003 - bonjour. just got back from paris. had a wonderful time. here are some photos.
may 13, 2003 - can it be called a world tour if you are leaving the country? SURE IT CAN. so i am getting excited to embark on my world tour. it begun in bayshore, then goes to LA, then to the exotic land of williamsburg, then paris, lyon, london (maybe), back to paris. i hope i have time to buy some new outfits.
april 22, 2003 - spring is here!!! and not a moment too soon. it was the winter from hell here in brooklyn. but now the flowers are in bloom and i am getting very excited for my french tour -- ooo la la!! i will also be doing an east coast/west coast thing in mid may. i have also been busy doing some home recording with my friend jacob lawson running those knobs and levers. it has been great fun. other than that...i have no good stories....ok..well i have one. the other night a bunch of friends went to sammy's romanian in the LES -- it was so fun. they serve chicken liver and bottles of vodka in blocks of ice. AND i got to sing "you don't bring me flowers" with my pal richard julian --- i was neil of course!
january 8, 2003 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!! to start off the new year the record will be released in France, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal on Polaris records. Yea!!! Also, there is an article about me always being late in the new issueof rockrgrl. AND...i got a new pair of jeans for x-mas!!
november 26, 2002 - "mundane dream" is one of the songs being featured on a compilation of artists selected by cmj.
november 16, 2002 - i just picked up from the williamsburg post office a package sent from koji in tokoyo. tomoyo has recorded "radio shack" and "sunny day" and i think they sound GREAT :)! as my boston friends would say (without any irony intended) -- it's wicked awesome!
november 12, 2002 - japanese pop star tomoyo harada has recorded 2 of my songs which will be featured on her upcomng alblum. i haven't heard any of it yet, but am looking forward to it!
november 1, 2002 - cmj was very fun. there are a whole bunch of pictures up from it in the pictures section. also, there are a bunch of new photo's in the live section taken by some nice folks who came to the shows.
october 12, 2002 - the record is now available in spain, australia and japan.
september 16, 2002 - just recorded "traffic jam" for a teenage fanclub tribute which is due out in november. had a fun time recording it. my friends dennis diken, dave derby, james mastro, jill sobule, and chris collingwood all played on it. also...apparently tripping over pigeons is not an unusual thing!!!? who knew?!?! a couple of people wrote me and told me the same thing has happened to them!!! one person even rescued their injured pigeon and nursed it back to health before freeing it into the wild. what is that carpenters song...bless the beast and the children...? does that song apply? is this what they had in mind?
september 1, 2002 - today when i was walking down the street i tripped over a pigeon. has this ever happened to anyone? it was alive by the way.