Tom O'Connor

Artist Information

Biography

Tom O’Connor is a 29-year old singer/songwriter from Binghamton, New York that has released two full length albums and amassed a large fan base in his adopted hometown of Washington, D.C.

While attending West Virginia University he played on the ice hockey team, spending his off seasons learning guitar and writing his first songs. By the time he graduated in 2005 he was routinely performing throughout the area eventually relocating to Arlington, Virginia.

With influences ranging from Dave Matthews, Ryan Adams and John Mayer to Neil Young, Tom Petty and Paul Simon, his sound is an acoustic driven mix of pop rock and alternative country with an emphasis on solid songwriting and powerful vocals.

O’Connor has played over 250 shows in venues throughout the United States and his highly anticipated third full length record will be released later this year followed by a full time touring schedule.

- new 3 song EP, recorded in Ventura, California and produced by Aaron Goldberg and Chris Jay (Army of Freshmen)

- dates throughout the east coast in 2010 and west coast tour in early 2012

- multiple sold out shows in the Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. areas

- over 250 shows at notable venues on the east and west coast

- opened for a host of singer/songwriters including John Oates (Hall & Oates), Jaron and The Long Road To Love, Jimmy Wayne, Clay Cook, Levi Lowrey and Charlie Robison

- wrote and performed the theme song to the film, Desert Rain

- performed at a number of festivals including Takoma Park Folk Festival, D.C. Downtown Holiday Market Festival, Cape May Singer Songwriter Festival, Millennium Music Conference, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, Del Rey Music Fest, Texas Rock Fest, Garlic Fest, Zooney Fest and Finger Lakes Wine Festival

Instrumentation

Tom O'Connor-Acoustic and Vocals
*most performances are solo acoustic, but full band shows can be arranged for larger venues

Discography

Frozen in Anticipation (2008)
Heart, Body & Soul (2010)
Ventura EP (2011)

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• Lucky
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• Say to You
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• Lie
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• Tangled Up Tonight
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• When You Get Home
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Culture & Arts [+ Show ]
  

  “O’Connor has enough hooks for commercial radio but lyrically maintains the depth and poignancy of a...“O’Connor has enough hooks for commercial radio but lyrically maintains the depth and poignancy of a great singer/songwriter”
  
  
  - VC Reporter

• Alt Country Forum: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "A melodic and sincere album from a singer with a warm and soulful voice." “Tom O’Connor is a 28..."A melodic and sincere album from a singer with a warm and soulful voice."
  
  “Tom O’Connor is a 28-year old singer-songwriter from New York who has now released two CDs. On his newest album, ‘Heart Body & Soul’, the sympathetic singer goes back to his roots, accompanying himself with only an acoustic guitar and piano. This album is minimalist, it sounds so compassionate and sensitive that I am sometimes at a loss of words. Heart, Body & Soul is a personal and intimate CD in the folk and pop genres. The listener will swoon away with Tom’s guitar playing, expressions of sweetness, and straight from the heart love songs. The talented singer sings some slow, beautiful and touching songs (When You Get Home and Without Even Tryin’). But luckily the songs can get quite diverse and Tom sings his heart out when he sings Heart, Body & Soul and You’re Gone. It is just very difficult to find weak points, because they are simply not there. Heart, Body & Soul is a melodic and sincere album from a singer with a warm and soulful voice. ”
  

• Reviews: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "A collection of songs, sung with genuine feeling" “Tom O’Connor is a singer-songwriter from Wash..."A collection of songs, sung with genuine feeling"
  
  “Tom O’Connor is a singer-songwriter from Washington DC. “Heart, Body & Soul” is his second album release, and it’s a stripped back affair, with just guitar and vocals, though thanks to a warm production, it’s far from lo-fi. Scott Harlan co-produces (with O’Connor) and he certainly gets the best out of a collection of songs, which are sung with genuine feeling, whilst managing to stay on the right side of sentimentality. “History” is a gem of an opening track, with its tumbledown lyrical style and the title track is equally striking. Reviewers have been comparing him to everyone from Ben Harper to latter-day Eric Clapton. I think his voice and songs are good enough for that sort of comparison.”

• Four Play: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "This is a strong disc full of well-crafted songs" At first glance, it seems Tom O’Connor might j..."This is a strong disc full of well-crafted songs"
  
  At first glance, it seems Tom O’Connor might just be another participant in a long line of Washington area singer-songwriters. Posing with an acoustic guitar and an earnest look on the cover of his new record, “Heart, Body & Soul,” the young musician from northern Virginia certainly looks the part. But O’Connor has more than slick record packaging going for him. Love songs abound on this record, and O’Connor’s supple voice, crystalline guitar strumming and occasional piano playing make most of them winners. The upbeat song “History” – an ode to a new girlfriend with a history of bad relationship choices – is a nice showcase for O’Connor’s clear, compelling voice. “Gets Away” is a more somber musical journey that laments his loss of a love: “I can’t seem to get things right in love and relationships in my life,” O’Connor croons. O’Connor’s writing is solid if sometimes a bit overwrought. If there’s one quibble here, it’s that the young singer-songwriter’s lyrics are so smitten with his girlfriends – the songs are almost all full of rapturous compliments and/or heartfelt apologies for unspecified slights – that the listener might be left wondering if O’Connor’s just too darn nice. A little more bite might do O’Connor’s music some good, but this is a strong disc full of well-crafted songs, nonetheless.
  
  

• Press Pass with Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "O’Connor displays an encouraging mix of talent and passion" Inspiration is a fickle and fleeting..."O’Connor displays an encouraging mix of talent and passion"
  
  Inspiration is a fickle and fleeting customer. You never know when the urge will strike to change your destiny, to follow your passion to take a path few are brave enough to tread.
  Arlington singer-songwriter Tom O’Connor falls among the minority of souls who take the bold plunge to follow their dreams. O’Connor, a Binghamton, N.Y. native, had never so much as picked up a guitar before attending a Dave Matthews Band concert just before going to college in West Virginia. But after watching Matthews perform, O’Connor began to see a new future for himself and bought his first guitar the very next day. And now he’s putting in the time and effort it takes to succeed in an increasingly muddled music industry.
  During the day, O’Connor works as a government relations representative for the Security Industry Association. At night, he’s chasing down gigs, mailing out samplers, practicing old tunes and writing new ones. Usually, he can even squeeze dinner into the routine.
  “It’s pretty much from the time I come home until the time I go to bed,” O’Connor says. “It’s basically like working two full-time jobs.”
  By now, he’s used to the workload. And with an album (Frozen in Anticipation) recorded with Scott Harlan at Kensington, Md.,’s Golden Sound Studios, he has a proper package to show off skills.
  From the back-country, foot-stompin’ romp of “Tangled Up Tonight” to the rest-your-weary-head strains of “Become Memories,” O’Connor displays an encouraging mix of talent and passion that marks a very solid first foray into recording.
  But even talent isn’t enough to leave a lasting impression these days.
  “The business aspect is very difficult. You always hear the cliche, ‘the entertainment industry is tough,’ but I don’t think I really understood how true that was until I started doing it,” O’Connor says. “Luckily, I have a day job, for now, and I have not yet had to rely on music as my main source of income. Unfortunately, and too often, people are not open to original music. They would rather go out to see cover artists play top 40 hits than to go watch upcoming local or touring original acts.”
  And while the Do-It-Yourself era of music has certainly aided O’Connor to gain a foothold in the industry, it has also increased the volume of his competition. Easier access to recording tools has encouraged more and more musicians to take a stab at performing professionally, increasing both the size of the proverbial pond and the number of fish in it. Fortunately for him, the added income of his day job has allowed him to stick to the course he has plotted for himself and not cave in to outside demands.
  “[I can] make the music that I want to make. Every track on my record has been my favorite song at some point and time and I am very grateful for that,” O’Connor says. “The artistic integrity of my work is likely to be challenged somewhere down the road, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I will continue to work as hard as I can to succeed creating the music that I like.”
  With a series of performances at Arlington’s Ragtime, O’Connor is still getting the opportunity to stand out, and he’s still got a larger engagement on the horizon. On April 25, O’Connor will perform a full-band show at Jammin’ Java. He also has shows slotted for Alexandria’s Buzz and Washington, D.C.’s Artomatic later this season.
  Imminent success or not, O’Connor plans to continue chasing his dream. And as long as he does so, music fans in the District will have an opportunity to unearth one of the area’s hidden gems.
  
  -Mike Hume

• Monthly Music Reviews: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "O’Connor’s vocals are beautiful, and at times, swooning laments that melt into fluid strumming and ..."O’Connor’s vocals are beautiful, and at times, swooning laments that melt into fluid strumming and quivering string arrangements."
  
  "Binghamton, NY-born and Arlington-based singer-songwriter Tom O’Connor’s debut album, “Frozen In Anticipation,” is pop-folk at its smoothest. O’Connor’s vocals are beautiful, and at times, swooning laments that melt into fluid strumming and quivering string arrangements. At his best O’Connor’s songs are reminiscent of Eric Clapton’s later solo work..."

• Recommended Show: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  "Thanks to his simple guitar plucking, lilting orchestral arrangements and Southern folk vocals, O'C..."Thanks to his simple guitar plucking, lilting orchestral arrangements and Southern folk vocals, O'Connor's star has been on the rise locally...O'Connor's live set is sure to please his growing fan base."

• Weekly 10 Word Review: Tom O'Connor
  

  "Arlington, Virginia, singer combines folk with elements of pop, country." -Jeff Hahne

• Soundcheck: Tom O'Connor [+ Show ]
  

  Last music you bought: Deep River, "10 Mornings"; Old 97's, "The Grand Theater Volume 1"; Megan Burt...Last music you bought: Deep River, "10 Mornings"; Old 97's, "The Grand Theater Volume 1"; Megan Burtt, "It Aint Love"
  
  Soundcheck: Tom O'Connor
  
  DECEMBER 23, 2010
  
  Age, place of residence and instruments played
  
  28; Arlington, Va.; acoustic guitar/ piano.
  
  How do you describe your music?
  
  An organic blend of pop, rock, folk and country
  
  Musical influences
  
  Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers, Matt Nathanson, Ben Harper, Joshua Radin, Ryan Adams, David McMillin, NeedToBreathe, Dave Matthews Band, John Butler Trio, The Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young.
  
  Best gig
  
  "I always seem to play well and get a lot positive feedback when I perform at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Va. There, I recently opened for Jaron and The Long Road to Love and really won the crowd over. I also remember, for whatever reason, playing a great set at the Del Ray Music Festival in Alexandria, Va., this past summer.
  
  Worst gig
  
  "A few years back, I played a solo acoustic show after a death metal band at the now-defunct Grog and Tankard in Washington, D.C. The worst part about the gig was that I got added to the bill earlier that day, so I wasn't really able to promote the show. Needless to say, my style of music did not mix well with the audience."
  
  Last music you bought
  
  Deep River, "10 Mornings"; Old 97's, "The Grand Theater Volume 1"; Megan Burtt, "It Aint Love"
  
  Musician you'd most like to meet or perform with
  
  Dave Matthews or Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers
  
  Upcoming gigs
  
  * Tonight: Nathanael Greene's Publick House, Greene, 8 p.m.
  * Dec. 29: Trax at the Historic Radisson, Scranton, Pa., 8 p.m.
  * Jan. 8: Caffe Vivaldi, New York City, 8 p.m.
  
  Website
  
  www.tomoconnormusic.com
  
  Future plans
  
  "I released my second record, 'Heart Body & Soul,' on Nov. 30. It is a solo acoustic album intended to be more representative of my live shows. Though I play with a band on occasion, more often than not my performances just feature me and a guitar.
  "In 2011, I plan on playing shows up and down the East Coast to promote the new record and work on securing placements for my music in television and film. Eventually, I will probably redo some or all of the solo acoustic tunes with the same band that played on my 2008 debut record "Frozen in Anticipation."
  
  -- Chris Kocher
  
  

Setlist

60-90 minutes of original music and occasional select covers.

Basic Requirements

Calendar