"Mark and Maggie O'Connor
"Mark and Maggie O’Connor: American Classics identifies the cornerstones of repertoire, style and wonderful diversity of A New American School of String Playing. Mining a huge body of repertoire that has made its impact on American music, the selected tunes and arrangements by Mr. O'Connor represent stylistic importance, pedagogical value and have timeless appeal. The program offers a broad and interconnecting collection of American music through violin/fiddle solos and duos, with additional original music by Mr. O'Connor on violin, guitar and mandolin and augmented by Americana vocal song treatments. Audiences will find themselves inspired by the songbook of America as they have never heard it before.
New Releases 2023 — Singles and Music Videos through ONErpm Records!
“All We Will Be” embodies the artistic reach of Mark and Maggie O’Connor’s vocal music and in more than a few ways. The song, written by Mark and accomplished songwriter Joe Henry, speaks of our inherent worth beyond deeds,” as Henry speaks of his lyrical contributions, —“accomplishment, desire, struggle. And that the committed love that joins us transcends those things as well.” I asked how to play this––With both hands, you said, And the drum of your feet; And a sweep of your head. Musically, Mark creates a dramatic musical stage that takes the listener from quiet to loud, compositionally transitioning seamlessly from Americana roots to rock fusion tonalites and energy, showcased in a classical construction he obtains from his numerous string quartets and trio writing. The musical interludes make way for polyrhythmic transpositions of meter from the feel of the verses and choruses reflecting transcendence told to us by their story of testing faith and finding it again through music, love and sharing with each other. Maggie’s vocal performance takes on the role of storyteller, guiding the listener to her own pristine-sounding violin with a tone so rich with interpretive range, that the note choices displayed have the listener soaring together with Mark and Maggie by the song’s conclusion: in hopes that their traveling ways would lead us, would lead us.
“Spice of Life” from Mark and Maggie O’Connor is a new song written by Mark and co-writer Jim Parker. Mark O’Connor’s Americana music captures the joyful nature of Parker’s lyrics in remembering days gone by, and how it’s the little things in life that can stand out and make the difference. This idea resonated with the O’Connors as they worked on the song during the pandemic. The early verses capture universal notions: The creek down below, singing songs I re-member; From child hood days, with my Momma and me… and things turn a little more autobiographical such as learning to play the fiddle and winning fiddle and guitar competitions as a youth. He can-not re-member, the dates or how many, Just some-thing he did; it was nothing at all… And for Maggie, a verse about her love of horses: It’s the gait of my horse, as I sway in the saddle; The power that I feel, when I give him the reins. The driving up-tempo track is accentuated by the duo’s powerful fiddle and guitar work backed by session greats Dennis Crouch and John Gardner on bass and drums.
“We Just Happened To Fly” Mark and Maggie O’Connor is an Americana song written by Mark O’Connor and Joe Henry. The lyric deals with the idea of a couple taking a leap of faith together—holding hands, hearts entwined and believing they can fly. The acoustic guitar and violin along with a driving upright bass and drum set find the beating heart of these words with a certain inevitability—as if their meaning could’ve never gone any other way. A beautifully produced music video of the song shows Mark and Maggie alone on a wooden deck atop a forested mountain singing together and playing their instruments hand-in-hand as they take flight. https://onerpm.link/markandmaggie