Strung Out Episode 248: AMERICANA THE BEAUTIFUL--THE MUSIC OF NORA O'CONNOR

Nora O'Connor has been a mainstay of the Americana music scene in Chicago, having toured and recorded with The Decemberists, Neko Case, and The New Pornographers, to mention a few.  She is also a prolific songwriter and musician.  Her latest album, "My Heart" goes for the heart with an amazing array of finely crafted tunes.  Nora's voice is honest and moving, her ability to deliver a song puts her right up and in front of an audience--a place she has definitely earned and is keeping.  Her website is www.noraoconnormusic.com

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:14:44
Unknown
Welcome to Strung Out, the podcast that looks at life through the lens of an artist. Your host is the artist, writer and musician Martin Lawrence McCormack. Now here's Marty.

00:00:14:44 - 00:00:46:33
Unknown
and welcome to Strung Out. I have with me kind of a Chicago legend. I would say in the Americana community. And, Nora O'Connor and Nora, not only a songwriter and a singer in her own right, but, you've been with a plethora of different bands, a lot of bands over the years, and we have a lot of ground to cover about our, Irish roots that we hold in common and other things like that.

00:00:46:33 - 00:01:11:55
Unknown
And, as you know, on the first podcast, we talk a little bit about Nora and her career and how she got to where she is today. And then in our second interview, those of you that want to find out a little more about how to be an independent musician or a working musician, and the creative process involved with that, we will dive into that with Nora.

00:01:12:00 - 00:01:36:37
Unknown
So, she's got a great guitar there. Why don't you give us a song? It started with something. What do you get? What you call. I'll just play a song called sort of my most recent record that came out in 2022. It was an album. Pardon me. What's the name of the album? The name is at my heart and it's I'm proud to records and we actually it came out on CD in 2022.

00:01:36:42 - 00:01:57:53
Unknown
Because like, everybody was making a record in 2021 and 2010. So there was like this long queue of people who wanted vinyl, but I didn't make vinyl at first. But, last week I, got a big ship and a vinyl. So the record is finally available on vinyl and a real excited well, congratulations, that's a big deal.

00:01:57:58 - 00:02:02:25
Unknown
Track one, side one is what I'm going to play for you now. All right.

00:02:11:52 - 00:02:54:19
Unknown
Where you turn walked away. You know, I didn't see it coming I try to find a way to you stay now I come on the track too much. Never run. To feel behind. Perhaps you run around with your fist down. For the last time. Let that come down. You know to stop kidding. Hey, guys. Through, broken hearted.

00:02:54:23 - 00:03:08:35
Unknown
So I to see.

00:03:08:39 - 00:03:48:30
Unknown
Through figure eight. Round. And we start to go just. I almost fell out of the car and everything. I just, I, you know, I keep looking at, I can't I let my guard down up for a little while and tell me now let it down to try to tell you something. I.

00:03:48:35 - 00:03:56:53
Unknown
Have broken heart. This song.

00:03:56:57 - 00:04:06:55
Unknown
I don't want to feel it in.

00:04:07:00 - 00:04:29:48
Unknown
That you look at me that way. I can tell you right? Yeah you can. You will forever wish me well. All right. Let me take you for me. You try to tell me something and can.

00:04:29:52 - 00:04:41:13
Unknown
You. My broken heart is so.

00:04:41:18 - 00:04:47:58
Unknown
So.

00:04:48:03 - 00:04:54:55
Unknown
So is.

00:04:54:59 - 00:05:05:50
Unknown
So good. So.

00:05:05:50 - 00:05:29:59
Unknown
Fantastic. Thank you. Cool. Sound like a nice little drive to it. Oh. Thank you. I got a good, Americana feel to it. Tell us a little bit about your guitar. I always like to introduce the guitars to folks because is this very special. Guitar is just so. It is special. I've had it for about 15 years.

00:05:29:59 - 00:05:53:06
Unknown
I'm not somebody that has a ton of guitars. I have one acoustic, one electric, one bass, bass, amphenol, no electric amp, and, you know, four pedals. Like, I don't have a lot of gear. But this is a V 25. It's either a 61 or a 63. I'm not exactly sure, but I got it. Up at, Guitar Works up in Evanston.

00:05:53:18 - 00:06:11:22
Unknown
A lot of guitar work. My guy. Yeah. And they're always. I buy all my stuff from there. But I bought my bass there, my electric guitar there, and, I really I love this guitar. It's like the perfect size. It's got a nice sound to it. It's a little. It's a little dry from the winter. It needs.

00:06:11:24 - 00:06:34:31
Unknown
It needs, humidity. Yeah, it needs it like a spa. You know, at the back of the guitar work. Yeah. And could just. Or Connor. Connor, Connor could just put it on a humidifier for a day. Well, we got capers. Wonder dog park on the way up there, but, if you are in the Chicago area and up in Evanston, I totally recommend guitar works.

00:06:34:35 - 00:07:00:55
Unknown
Just. Yeah, Larry, the whole game. Yeah. And, and it's it's got a great aged look to it, but the sound is really nice on it and, you know, so it's just, and nice to know that they carry those dusty. Well, yeah, I like what you. How do you describe your instruments? They sound more like tools rather than something that you're taking out and looking at, which is appropriate.

00:07:01:00 - 00:07:27:46
Unknown
You have been doing music for a long time. And are you a native Chicago? And did you grow up in the southwest Side? Okay, we lived at 55th in California, and then we moved out to the southwest suburbs. And okay, when I was eight, when I was a kid. Okay. And, we were talking briefly before the podcast and, your family, what county in Ireland are my mother and father are from County Kerry.

00:07:27:46 - 00:07:50:06
Unknown
List all the southwest of, Ireland. And, I still have a lot of family there. They came over in the 50s. They're from the same town, but they, you know, there's just a lot of, people from their town and people that they knew that kind of immigrated to this specific neighborhood, Saint Simon's Parish on the south side.

00:07:50:09 - 00:08:20:40
Unknown
Okay. 55th in California area. And, and they met up again here and got married and had some kids and, and my mom, sister actually still lives in the house that my mom and her siblings grew up. So their, their dad and his dad. So this house is like a historical, as a, it's like a landmark, I guess you would call it, like I've got pictures of is that they they had no plumbing.

00:08:20:40 - 00:08:54:41
Unknown
And when you had a thatched roof and, and my mom, sister still lives there, so that is totally cool. Do they ever push Irish music on you? Did you have 1,000%? Yeah, yeah, we blared the Irish. Our every Saturday morning was blaring our radio when we were doing our chores, and and they would have parties and people would come over and and inevitably, you know, people would just break out into song like, you know, no, just like no inhibitions, you know, like the the high walls helped.

00:08:54:41 - 00:09:16:15
Unknown
I'm sure. So it's just so cool all the way. Everyone, everybody's saying my dad was a great singer. My mom's a great singer. Although she doesn't seem very much like she would. So there's a lot of music, and they tell me that I, you know, was singing, like, immediately. Did you, did you ever learn Irish music?

00:09:16:17 - 00:09:34:22
Unknown
I mean, have to perform it? I mean, I'm surprised that a ton you didn't go into that, like, circuit. My my mom would really want to disown me for this, but I don't know a ton of. Although I just, like I have that those kind of inflections when I sing sometimes and just like that kind of flair.

00:09:34:22 - 00:09:59:36
Unknown
And then I really got into bluegrass when I started playing guitar, which is just like a similar to Irish folk music. So I'm really drawn to that. You know, those kinds of, chord progressions and melodies and, well, there's a lot of crossover and especially nowadays with the Irish and Americana. Yeah. You know, you got guys like Steve Earle doing Galway Girl and.

00:09:59:46 - 00:10:21:00
Unknown
Yeah. And God knows I know John Prine was over there living there for a while and everything like that. And the Irish music, in Ireland, it's a lot, a lot of it's American or man. It's just kind of Americana. Such a funny term. I've never been comfortable with it. I don't know about you, but, but worked for a little while.

00:10:21:05 - 00:10:39:25
Unknown
Worked at first, maybe. Yeah. Separated out from country to country. Yeah. Well, I mean, what would you consider indie? Yeah. What's the genre for you? What what do you call it or do you call it anything like. Or just for myself? Yeah, I don't even know. I mean, I think Americana kind of suits me. Singer songwriter kind of suits me.

00:10:39:25 - 00:11:06:38
Unknown
I mean, I really hate trying to describe music because it's just music, but I definitely lean towards like, country folk and like soft rock tendencies. When I'm writing the songs that I record. I did, you know, you know, your parents for just singing around the house sounds, you know, that's how it was with me. Did you know right away that you were going to go into music and you were going to make this a career?

00:11:06:38 - 00:11:25:15
Unknown
Or were you more of a, you know, I sense, you know, O'Connor from the South was, you couldn't have been an only child. Were you were. There were a ton of us, were out there. Well, there was less. And then. Okay, to a couple of cousins came and lived with us. So there was six of us for, for a while.

00:11:25:15 - 00:11:48:54
Unknown
And I've got, you know, 40 cousins like, there's just, there's, there's a lot of us. And, so did you know right away you're going to be a musician? I did it, but I knew I loved seeing, so I did, you know, musical theater and choir in high school. We didn't have, we didn't really have school of Rock or anything like that when I was going to high school, and I wasn't learning to play any instruments.

00:11:48:54 - 00:12:08:40
Unknown
And so I did a lot of musical theater, and that's kind of where I just started to really, like, figure out what what is my voice and what does my voice sound like and. What can I do with my voice. And and then when I got to college I went to college down in Southern Illinois at Siu, okay University you know, and I went down there for speech pathology.

00:12:08:40 - 00:12:46:00
Unknown
And then I met these folks that were in this music business program. And I was like, ooh, I worked at a record store in high school, and I love music. And and that's kind of what I fell into. You sound like a lot of, a lot of great bluegrass musicians down in southern. It's a surprising. It's a lot of, like, literally like go to cemeteries are having barbecues, like there's a ton of bluegrass jams and, and so I just started joining bands and it just, you know, and it just kept happening like they just couldn't stop.

00:12:46:05 - 00:13:08:01
Unknown
Okay. So, I joined this really great harmony band. We did a lot of Crosby, Stills and Nash and Young and Beatles and did you play the Copper Dragon? Yes. Oh yeah. Yeah, oh yeah, I played the Copper Dragon, played boobies Beer garden. Okay. And hangar nine. And have you been down there? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's, you know, we used to play the Copper Dragon.

00:13:08:03 - 00:13:29:57
Unknown
Yes. Every so often back in the day, going and drive back to Chicago and and I knew Mike sharp down there. Mike Sharp was, he was in a band called October Child. Yeah, it was it. What was the name of his band? I used to play his band on my radio show. Mike Sharp is, a great all around great person.

00:13:29:57 - 00:13:51:31
Unknown
And one of the, one of the neat things about the Chicago music scene. I think they're very genuine human beings walking around that arena. Yeah. Sharpie is, and not only he has a recording studio on sound, man, and, and one of the best things about Mike sharp is he usually drives the world. Sold his car to, any gig hauling equipment.

00:13:51:35 - 00:14:09:34
Unknown
But, yeah, this band that he would nurse. So. And just like, you know, we hadn't come out to Iowa and play out, you know, out there. And I'd be like, is he going to make it? You know, that car? He would come and bring his it's always in his van or he would come to for sound.

00:14:09:40 - 00:14:35:01
Unknown
Oh yeah. So we I know more with the sound. Yeah. Yeah. So he was he recorded switch back you know off and on to you know, but, so what, you know, with your Siue days and that, you it sounds like at some point, because of the blue bluegrass and everything like that, you were you were being told that you had to jump into this.

00:14:35:01 - 00:14:54:42
Unknown
Did you were you one of these people that kind of just made a big jump and say, I'm going to do this full time or, you know, or were you the kind of person that you know, I had day gig and then I played. Tell us a little bit about that. Yeah. So, after college, I came home and worked at a law firm for many years.

00:14:54:57 - 00:15:19:48
Unknown
You know, I got a straight job and, and then, you know, and I didn't really play much when I first moved back to Chicago. But then, I had a couple of friends who were working in the kitchen at a place called Uncommon Ground in Lakeview or Wrigleyville. And they had a mix, and I started and I started, you know, there's a place called No Exit.

00:15:19:58 - 00:15:43:26
Unknown
The Park around here somewhere. And so I started I just started playing open mics and, and I just, you know, I kept my job, but I just kind of started playing around, and then I, I, I just, you know, I got to know some people. I was in this band, called, Urban Twang. Oh, yeah.

00:15:43:26 - 00:16:05:14
Unknown
For a at the, they came and they saw me in on common ground. They're like, hey, you want to join our band? And it was great because they, like, taught me how to play mandolin, and I play guitar, and I like singing harmonies is really my thing. Like, that's what I feel like I do best, and that's what I love to do most.

00:16:05:19 - 00:16:31:07
Unknown
So yeah, so it and, so I was just kind of doing it part time, playing open mics. And then I was starting to get like a Wednesday slot, an uncommon ground or an opening slot at Shubert. And, I was just like, okay, this is we, I just felt like I really started to get a network in Chicago, which, which they're just everywhere.

00:16:31:07 - 00:16:52:33
Unknown
I mean, the Chicago music scene is just there's all sorts of different pockets and different styles and different places to play. And, you know, if you put yourself out there, you can really find your people. You're coming into this, at a time like urban twang and that, it's, I mean, Chicago's always kind of had that country music connection.

00:16:52:35 - 00:17:19:52
Unknown
Yeah. And but it's always had its own kind of, distillation of country music. And I think part of that is because of the, you know, just the different populations of people that have come through, you know, a lot of southern, people and influence, just with, you know, Appalachian sounds like in, you know, down on the, South Side or around Socks Park.

00:17:19:57 - 00:17:38:55
Unknown
You know, we used to play a lot of clubs where they were originally autoworkers that were up from the South. And, so we had to have a little bit of all that stuff, but, but you were really kind of coming in on the cusp of what was to be called Americana music. Don't you feel like you kind of hit that wave kind of at the right time?

00:17:38:55 - 00:17:58:51
Unknown
I really did, because, you know, I, I did Urban Twang. And then I ended up like, okay, what is it? I wanted to know what it felt like to write. I wasn't writing songs like, I was playing a lot of covers. And I thought, I what is it? What would it feel like to write songs like, what is this songwriting thing?

00:17:58:51 - 00:18:24:50
Unknown
Because I, my, my bands in college were cover bands and, I'm going to write ten songs, I'm going to make a record. I'm going to put it out just to like, prove that I'm doing this thing. You know, I just wanted to prove something to myself. So, I mean, I wrote ten songs. I recorded the first. I don't really talk or play the songs anymore, but I just wanted to do it and like, just put a little bit of a stamp, like, well, I like your title of your album.

00:18:24:55 - 00:18:57:53
Unknown
I mean, cerulean, cerulean blue. I mean, I wonder where that came from. Yeah. But that, that, that's a very 90s title for those of you that, you know, that, watched, you know, Mulder and, Scully, you know, we're talking about that was the one episode where we kind of kept talking about cerulean blue, but, it's a great name anyway, by the way.

00:18:57:57 - 00:19:27:14
Unknown
Thank you. So I love the fact that you jumped right in with both feet and was it, Americana or was it, what? What was it? That's a really good question. I, it was a little bit of that. And like I said, like, I, I really, you know, I'm a kid of the 70s and, and, you know, classic rock and soft rock are really in my, in my DNA pretty hard.

00:19:27:14 - 00:19:45:47
Unknown
Like, I would sit in my house in the driveway and listen to the radio all day long, and my folks car, so it was just like a little bit of country, like, you know, I was trying to get a little bit twangy and, like, thinking about, like my, the bluegrass that I was learning to play in college when I picked up guitar.

00:19:45:47 - 00:20:08:57
Unknown
So, you know, it was definitely an experience experiment of sound. Well, very brave of you to just go out there and say, hey, I'm gonna put this out there and, and let's see, what year was that, like 94, 95, 94, 95. So, you know, that was the era of the cassette. And, what did you do? Cassette or were you on CD?

00:20:08:58 - 00:20:28:02
Unknown
You did CD. Okay. Yeah. Did you go to monster Disc? Was that your where did you get it processed? That's a really good question. So my camera on some common ground like he, you know, was experimenting with starting a record label. So he actually put my record out and he called this record company, Carbon Underground Records. Okay.

00:20:28:04 - 00:20:52:40
Unknown
So I don't, I don't know how many other records came out on that label, but I might have been the first. I might have been the last one. I think he did a few. Yeah, I don't know. I think he did a couple, a couple of things. So he was like, he was so supportive of the idea. At the when I was first getting rolling, he, I know now they have on common ground was and Michael Cameron was one of these guys that yeah, he did support the live music scene.

00:20:52:40 - 00:21:28:18
Unknown
He had a connection with Jeff Buckley. Yeah. And, and, you know, every year, I don't know if they still do the tribute to Jeff, too. Yeah. And, and that's that's kind of neat because Jeff Buckley, of course. His dad, more of a Californian kind of sound, but in common with Norah, deep Irish roots that, again, that and he was they were both people that, didn't necessarily play Irish music, but the Irish, that Celtic connection that comes through, yeah.

00:21:28:18 - 00:22:00:58
Unknown
Is is strong. And, I think it's no, no coincidence that you ended up doing Americana, you know, music. And, well, why don't we have you, do a second song right now, and then we'll, we're going to do is, continue along this path. And if you're joining us, which I hope you have, or with Norah O'Connor, and we are talking about her career as a singer songwriter and a performer, she's rubbed elbows with a lot of great musicians.

00:22:00:58 - 00:22:22:22
Unknown
We haven't even really talked about any of those musicians yet, so we'll we'll get into that, as well. But what's this next song? What do you got? So I'll do a song from my second record, which is a little more, you know, in that countrified vein in the song is called Bottoms and it we sure could use a violin player, but let's just imagine.

00:22:22:26 - 00:22:23:33
Unknown
Okay.

00:22:28:57 - 00:23:19:33
Unknown
Well, I'm going back to my mom's back where I know I had a friend is a friend back where I swore I'd never go home again. But this time I just want it that way. Going back to the right once again. There's some sweeping.

00:23:19:38 - 00:24:11:40
Unknown
And if I ever been out of it. So don't to to face in places that I know so well. Could be happy. I could be satisfied for long. I try to, for today. I'm going back to, I mean, I'll be back there. So sweet.

00:24:11:45 - 00:25:12:41
Unknown
When I left Montgomery, turning you, journey up north to the land of the snow. Might be all right for you. When your kin. I'm going to the farm to get up. Going back to the again. I'll be back. And so on, sweetie, I'll be back there. Some sweet day.

00:25:12:41 - 00:25:36:20
Unknown
Hey. Want to show your support of Martin's artist endeavors? Buy Me a Coffee is an online site that makes supporting Marty easy. In just a few tabs, you can make a payment of any amount and no account is needed. You can also decide to become an ongoing supporter. Go to Martin mccormack.com and click on the words support. Mark.

00:25:36:25 - 00:25:44:25
Unknown
Let's help Martin keep it all caffeinated.

00:25:44:25 - 00:25:55:16
Unknown
We're back. I'm listening to your voice, and I hear, like, a very beautiful, lilt, and,

00:25:55:21 - 00:26:16:56
Unknown
And I'm wondering to myself, did you ever get vocal training or did you ever or did you ever have a voice lesson or anything like that? Because you sound like you have really good breath support. I don't know if anybody says that to you, but you really do hold, you know, just there's a nice purity that comes through with your singing.

00:26:17:01 - 00:26:43:49
Unknown
That's, really nice to just sit back and I'm like, I don't think I could. I want to hear any other anything with it, you know, you know, I, I took a little bit of opera in college, where, you know, I had this beautiful, opera singer who is my teacher, and she would wrap her arms around me and, like, show me where I should be.

00:26:43:49 - 00:27:19:57
Unknown
Feeling embarrassed when I was when I was breathing. And I think I've just, you know, I've studied a lot. I've learned how to take care of my voice a little better over the years, and I feel like it's still, you know, I've been doing this a long time, but I, I, I feel like I'm still trying to find, you know, it's like I'm always searching for the best place to put a note or to play, you know, even while I'm in the middle of other songs or like, I love what you're saying because, I, I studied voice and, that whole idea of the best place to put a note and I think

00:27:19:57 - 00:27:44:26
Unknown
for somebody that, sings, you're talking about, I'm assuming, in a room like, you know where to place your voice. Yeah. I didn't always know. Like when I. When I first got to college, I joined, a Rolling Stones cover band called Dead Flowers. That's actually the first band that I was in. And I really didn't know how to sing.

00:27:44:26 - 00:28:09:41
Unknown
I was like, I'll never be embraced a bird. And, you know, I was like, how do you know? It just took me a while, but like, calmed down. All that's going to make me cough. So, you know, I, potentially did some damage there in the beginning of my singing career just right. You know, just try to find technique and to learn how to do it.

00:28:09:41 - 00:28:30:43
Unknown
And, you know, I, I'm, I'm friends with a lot of singers. And, you know, we talk about this stuff. Learn from each other, you know, warm how to warm up and share warm ups with each other or how to warm down or what to eat, what to drink, you know, all those kinds of things. Well, speaking of singers, you've you've sung, alongside Kelly Hogan.

00:28:30:48 - 00:28:58:30
Unknown
Yeah. And, Neko Case, who has, a real unusual voice and, you know what? What is that sisterhood like with with, with those women? Because they're kind of your peers your age. Yeah, you guys kind of. We're all hashing it out together. Sing. Well, were you were you all switching leads and vocals and things like that or what?

00:28:58:30 - 00:29:30:02
Unknown
Well, I mean, Kelly and I have a pretty rich singing history. It's like we've done a ton of, like, what we call the lady parts, like singing, singing backup for other people. You know, we've we've toured with different bands, we've recorded with a number of bands. And so her and I have a really great relationship, and we are kind of at the point where we can, you know, she goes up, I go down.

00:29:30:07 - 00:29:50:37
Unknown
You know, if we both jump on the same note or we jump, we jump right off to give the other person the know, but we kind of know where to where to go and and I sung with Nico on and off over the past 25 years. Most recently I've been touring in her band for the past like four years, singing backup for her.

00:29:50:37 - 00:30:15:32
Unknown
And and she's so fun to sing with. Like, her songs are so cool and and so is that with, The New Pornographers, or is that with her? Just Neko Case? With Neko Case? Okay. But I've also been was touring with the New Pornographers the last year, too, and I've, I've recorded a bunch of records with them over the last 20 years.

00:30:15:37 - 00:30:33:32
Unknown
I saw that the Decemberists were at, space not too long ago in Evanston. Did you sing with them? They're actually coming in July. Are they coming in July? Okay, yeah. Okay. I saw the song. I thought you and I are going to sing with them because that's crazy. And I toured with them for almost four years. That's very cool.

00:30:33:34 - 00:30:57:04
Unknown
And we had like, you know, we were on like, a raised stage that we called Harmony Island. Oh, that's stood and, we made up dances and it was good. We had our oh, we had a party up there. And everybody loved Harmony and Harmony Island. And where did you, did your Harmony come in as kind of an innate sort of thing where you can.

00:30:57:04 - 00:31:18:37
Unknown
That could hit harmonies? Oh, I think so. Like when I hear songs from my childhood. I know the harmony. I just know it, like. Yeah, that's just where my ear right goes. Like, there's some song that I don't even know the melody of, but, you know, there's just songs in my DNA that I. I know all the harmonies too, so it's just, I'm just really.

00:31:18:42 - 00:31:38:57
Unknown
It's kind of fun. Yeah, I think that's my favorite. Yeah. Being at home, being able to do harmony and, just, and I know it befuddles some people because it's, it's the kind of thing that it it I really do think it comes naturally. I don't, I don't think you can really learn harmony. I mean, you can be taught a harmony line.

00:31:38:57 - 00:32:02:27
Unknown
Yeah, but it's you can tell the difference between somebody that can just kind of wing it and feels that, that feeling, you know, you've done a lot of, singing them with groups and, Jeff Tweedy, did you work with, the legendary, you know, Mavis Staples? What was that like? Did you enjoy yourself a nice.

00:32:02:27 - 00:32:24:47
Unknown
Yeah, it was incredible. Kelly and I were brought in to, sing on her record that Jeff Tweedy produced, and he wrote a couple songs for it, and, like, like, cherry picked all these other beautiful, like, staple singer songs. Create on the record and, it was it was incredible. Kelly and I were, you know, I mean, we were so welcomed there.

00:32:24:47 - 00:32:44:00
Unknown
And we're like, okay, they asked us for a reason. So we're just going to we're going to do what we do is like intimidating and as nervous as we were, it it worked out great. I, we recorded the record in at the local loft. And, you know, we all just stood in a circle and sang everything live. Oh, well, that's really nice.

00:32:44:05 - 00:33:08:18
Unknown
They just put the drums were isolated, but okay. We were, you know, Mavis was over there. Donny, her, one of her original backup singers was there. Her sister was hanging out, Yvonne and Jeff in the control booth, and then her guitar player and the bass player. Drummer. When you find yourself in a situation like that, you know what's going through your mind.

00:33:08:23 - 00:33:37:13
Unknown
Don't fuck this up. No. Besides, besides the obvious angst, but, I mean, we I was just I felt a ton of gratitude, and I just really wanted to do a good job for Mavis and, like, stay in my lane and, you know, not overseeing, you know, just try to find, you know, it took me a long time to singing harmony, to, like, you know, you're supporting the melody.

00:33:37:13 - 00:33:58:25
Unknown
You're not the lead singer here, like, you know something. And it's it's taken me years to kind of figure that out. And, so that was back in 2010, I think I was starting to figure it out. But, you know, really just, like, stay in my lane and, you know, just pick a real sensible harmony, like, like I say, singing with Kelly.

00:33:58:30 - 00:34:17:41
Unknown
We just kind of fall in, you know, she goes one way at, you know, she goes to the higher note, I go to the lower note and, like, never really fighting over parts because where we land naturally and it works with each other like good harmonization, I always say it's like the blue Angels, you know, you're doing these.

00:34:17:46 - 00:34:48:02
Unknown
Yeah. And you just kind of innately know where the other, the other voice is going to go. And it succeeds because of that. You don't, you don't, and, you know, staying in your own lane. It's an interesting way to look at it, though I, I suspect, though, as somebody doing harmony, it's more, you're taking that voice like somebody like Mavis Staples, and you're just.

00:34:48:02 - 00:35:12:33
Unknown
You're just kind of giving it this beautiful glow around finding, like, the right vibration, right sound, and that kind of fits with with what's happening. And then when you get that, that zing, you know, where it just like melts and it happens and it works. It's magic. And, what was it like working with, Jeff Tweedy? You know, he's kind of a legendary guy as well.

00:35:12:33 - 00:35:37:17
Unknown
And, the sense of, been, been up here in Chicago for a long time now. Yeah. You know, kind of a Saint Louis boy, you know, coming up, but, now Chicago certain news is home. Is he the kind of guy that, you know, will call you up and say, hey, listen, or, you know, let's, you know, I want you and Kelly to sing.

00:35:37:17 - 00:36:00:52
Unknown
I want you to sing or, you know, come over for a barbecue. Okay? What kind of, I mean, kind of relationship do you have in your musical circle? We're friendly. You know, when I did this, I haven't worked with him much since, like, our band opened for Wilco at the Chicago theater once, and, I did a cruise with Nico a couple of years ago, and John was there, and he's wonderful.

00:36:00:52 - 00:36:24:32
Unknown
He's just a great artist, and he was great to work with. You know, he trusted the musicians and, you know, he would, he would be like, lunch is ready, but I want one more take out to you guys, you know? Right. He would, you know, he was a really good, and gentle leader as he, you know, as a producer for that record.

00:36:24:32 - 00:36:50:50
Unknown
And he. Yes. It was great to see, just his relationship with me. This is a really special relationship. They're good friends. It's it's it's one of those things that, you're happy to see the recording like that, because, you know, time is fleeting. And once that era is over, you know, it's never to come back again.

00:36:50:55 - 00:37:16:04
Unknown
But yet here you are. That's part of an era. And you feel, any kind of, you know, weight of, musical responsibility upon your shoulders. Do you feel like, geez, I'm. I'm one of these people in the Chicago community that people, you know, look to for, what's happening? You know, what's what's going on? I don't feel that way.

00:37:16:04 - 00:37:48:33
Unknown
I mean, I feel like I'm a music worker, and, I, I play my own gigs, I, I tour with different bands. I do studio work, you know, I just, I just kind of feel like I'm chugging along as a, as a someone who works. And I happen to work in music, you know, I don't really, and I'm lucky enough that I get to do all these, all these different things, like, I can make an album or I can go work on somebody else's album or, you know, go tour with another band.

00:37:48:33 - 00:38:16:18
Unknown
Like, I like the it's it's a little crazy and, you know, like, sometimes it's all or nothing, but, I, I'm, I'm, I don't feel like I'm a leader of any group or, I don't really, I don't, I don't really consider myself that, but I like what you said. Do you sort of, you know, musical worker.

00:38:16:25 - 00:38:43:46
Unknown
Yeah. That's a very Chicago. Yeah. Sensibility comes from Blue collar. We were right. You know, it's that I always want to work that work ethic. Yeah. I'm kind of hoping the new pope is, kind of going to carry that forward. I have a feeling he's now, you know, he's a Dalton, boy. So maybe they're a, you know, but there is something about Chicago and a lot of the musicians that, have that kind of blue collar sensibility.

00:38:43:47 - 00:39:04:46
Unknown
And I think it's kind of in the the, the musical DNA of this town, no matter what genre you're playing. And you know what I think I think about, like, there are younger artists in Chicago that are doing some amazing, amazing, amazing work. And I just think like, oh, Chicago's in great hands. Like, you know, this music community is not going anywhere.

00:39:04:46 - 00:39:28:07
Unknown
It's still very strong. There's like so many young bands and young artists doing really cool and interesting creative things. So I just feel like I just feel like Chicago is in really good hands. The next generation is just kicking so much ass. That's that's spoken like a sage.

00:39:28:12 - 00:39:56:49
Unknown
But, you know, seriously, you kind of you kind of left, you kind of gone. To L.A. you could have gone to Nashville. You could. So what, you know, you, you know, are you one of these people that just, are you able to balance your life in the sense, like, you know, you are you were one of these people that's like, yeah, I got to go, you know, get some rose bushes and two, you know, that sort of thing.

00:39:57:04 - 00:40:19:14
Unknown
I, you know. Yeah. Do you find that important to them? Yeah. I mean, I, actually sometimes I find it really difficult, like when I'm busy, it's great. And when I'm not, I'm just like, what am I doing with my life? What's going on here? I'm like, okay, I should go buy some rose bushes. And like, this is my time to, like, paint the hallway or, you know, I mean, I have kids who are big now.

00:40:19:14 - 00:40:44:46
Unknown
They're 17 and one's in college, and, you know what I just have? I've always found Chicago just to. There's just so many places to play. And, and, you know, started off being in, like, you know, the uncommon ground thing that I joined this band called The Blacks. And I got into the bloodshot community, and then I joined, you know, Andrew Bird's band and toured around with him.

00:40:44:46 - 00:41:11:55
Unknown
And just like, you know, I never, I, there was never a lack of people to play with or sing like, I never felt like, oh, I gotta get out of here. I just never felt that. And a lot of people come here now. Yeah, I mean, it just seems like that. I think there is some sort of, you know, it's not like, you know, the, this the so-called scene where, you know, during the time of the Smashing Pumpkins, right?

00:41:11:57 - 00:41:37:17
Unknown
You know, that all that stuff kind of. But there's always been this, like, steady hum of of, musical heritage or whatever. It's it's hard to put your thumb on it, but it's, but it's something where you just kind of feel like. Yeah, I'm, you know, why go elsewhere? Because it kind of sustains itself. Yeah. It's, an interesting vibe that you can pick up from Chicago.

00:41:37:17 - 00:42:01:25
Unknown
And so you're, you're kind of a homebody to some degree there. You've got you've got your boys and, where's, where's your once, you know, where's he going to college. Goes up up in the U.P., Northern Michigan University, Marquette Marquette landed and fell in love with place. That's really beautiful part of the country.

00:42:01:30 - 00:42:49:18
Unknown
Yeah. And who's up there. Well Susanna. Yeah, yeah. She's up in their neck of the woods. Another great Chicago musician. Your kids, are they saying, you know, they can follow in your footsteps? You know, my oldest son is, he's very musical. He loves music. He knows a lot about music. He's kind of taking, like, a lot of business classes and classes and marketing classes, but he's also interested in, like, he does a lot of, beats and sounds and soundscapes and a lot of, like, you know, like logic pro stuff, you know, like building soundscapes and and music and, as a

00:42:49:18 - 00:43:13:20
Unknown
hobby. So, so I'm glad he spends his free time, creative like that. What about your youngest is he's four. He's, you know, growing up when he was little. Just a great dancer, great singer, a lover of music, not really a musician, which is important to him. Yeah. I say they both like. Yeah, like all day long.

00:43:13:22 - 00:43:38:43
Unknown
You got to have that love. Yeah, they love it. Or you don't have an audience eventually. I mean, it's, it's those people that really kind of move the music along, I think. Yeah. But, and you're married and so, you know, husband. Husband is, he's a high school teacher up in, Highland Park, and he's actually, he was in a band when he was a kid called verboten, with Jason Narduzzi.

00:43:38:45 - 00:44:00:33
Unknown
Oh, okay. And that's why, you know. Okay. And Jason, he wrote a musical called verboten the musical back. And, you know, you spent years writing it, but it, it was at the Chopin Theater and about late 2019 into 2020, and as a couple of years ago that he decided to get the band back together. They made a record.

00:44:00:37 - 00:44:22:27
Unknown
So Chris had to dust off his bass after 41 years. And so he they played riot fast. They played it space. They opened up for Iggy Pop at the Salt Shed. Oh, man. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So there, you know, it's it's like verboten. Is this childhood band that they were in and it just lives on and on and on.

00:44:22:39 - 00:44:45:59
Unknown
That's story. I remember they were, I think at one time up at Hogtied Music. Would that make sense? Verboten for playing, I mean, to Jason or Duty could go on to law school or something like that. I didn't know he's in Bob Mole's band. Okay. All right. Still touring. He also had a band called verbal.

00:44:46:04 - 00:45:19:56
Unknown
Verbal? Yeah, yeah. With Alison. Okay. Janie. Yes. That's an actress themselves. And then, cellist. Alison. Okay. Helen Money is her stage name. We, my brothers and I had, a band in the 80s up in Chicago, Beyond Blue. And so we were around Jason, the Barbeau days. Yeah. And I think there was, if I remember right, verbal had there was another verbal and they had to change the name or something like that.

00:45:19:57 - 00:45:46:42
Unknown
So I vaguely remember. So maybe that was the one that was up, just up on Central Avenue with that. I just remember, but we would talk to Jason and that's many, many months ago, he was booking a coffee shop up there. That might be what the connection is. It's it's coming out the cobwebs of my, recollection, but, but I love the fact that you're just, like, a down home person, you know?

00:45:46:47 - 00:46:12:55
Unknown
So what what what is it that you want to see happen to yourself? It's a really good question. I kind of love this. This it. I can't say there's balance, because sometimes it's like, all or nothing, but, you know, just like this combination of, like, doing my own solo material, playing solo shows, I've done these solo living room tours and I want to get back into that.

00:46:13:00 - 00:46:35:37
Unknown
I'm actually doing a little bit of that this year. I went out west and I'm going out east this next week and next month I, they like house counties, house shows, living room shows. Yeah. Okay. It's just a great. Are you do you book them yourself. I do I went through this booking agency called undertow. They do like living room tours for a lot of different artists.

00:46:35:41 - 00:47:01:06
Unknown
And this year I'm just doing like, these little tours. Let's, I'm calling them because it's just like 2 or 3 shows at a time. So I'm booking those myself, and, it's super intimate, you know, it's just really nice. You know, I get there at six, I play from 730 to 9, and I'm, you know, in my jammies by ten, as opposed to getting to a club at four, playing at eight, getting home at midnight.

00:47:01:06 - 00:47:23:49
Unknown
You know, I do that too. Yes. You know, I, I do that, I do this, I tour. So, you know, I'd like to see how long I can keep doing it. You know, I end up doing it really. It's hard to look too far into the, into the future, but I, I, I don't see quitting anytime soon. I don't think we're allowed to.

00:47:23:51 - 00:47:41:07
Unknown
Yeah. And this business, we can't. We're not allowed to. Yeah. You're supposed to go with your boots. I think you know that people in their 60s and 70s are doing it, you know, like we're still. Yeah, we're going to be a, you know, 80s and Bob Dylan. So, I mean, you know, it feels that way. Does it?

00:47:41:09 - 00:48:00:17
Unknown
Yeah. I mean, it just there's some people that it just seems like they're going to go on forever, but, well, we'll in our next interview, we'll get a little more into your, you know, what it, what it takes to wear all those different hats as an independent musician. And, but I want you to play us out on this one, okay?

00:48:00:18 - 00:48:29:55
Unknown
This song. And I want to thank you for being a strung out. And, do you have a website? How do we. I have a website. Nora O'Connor music.com. Okay. My website. Very good. So thanks for reminding me. I'll go update. It will be flashing that through the, you know, YouTube thing. But those who are listening now you know, and and you're going to be, backing up The Decemberists in July, which is great.

00:48:29:56 - 00:48:48:58
Unknown
Okay. Yeah, we're just going to sit in with them for this. For the one I think. Yeah, I think we are. Yeah, yeah. And people can find, and I'll be on tour with the go case of, September, October, November, December, January. Well, like she's got a record coming out in September, so she's working hard now, but working hard.

00:48:48:58 - 00:49:11:19
Unknown
So, I'll, I'm about to get after it, you know, being on the road for a while with her. Oh, yeah. We'll have to talk about that a little bit to the travails of, being a road warrior. Yeah. So. All right, folks, well, thank you so much, Nora. And what's this song called? This is called, this is another one off my last record.

00:49:11:19 - 00:49:13:48
Unknown
This is called Outer Space. Okay.

00:49:28:38 - 00:50:05:29
Unknown
She should come with you. Watch the birds fly around here on Earth to get that time. All that time to settle down. Cause I would just for patience. I'm sure I would lose my mind. Make time for quiet travel. In the past where I, I to.

00:50:05:34 - 00:50:44:57
Unknown
I was drifting out on some, space where it had all my memories. Get it started mixing up bit. Know it's lonely out in space I can't get home. It is. Let's get it up. All day. Down the. It's up until there's. Until. Oh.

00:50:45:02 - 00:50:52:18
Unknown
Oh.

00:50:52:23 - 00:50:59:51
Unknown
Oh, oh.

00:50:59:56 - 00:51:12:08
Unknown
00I can't take you for a long.

00:51:12:13 - 00:51:19:36
Unknown
Would you like to see your time?

00:51:19:41 - 00:51:39:05
Unknown
Will you open up? Your mind is you open? I can take you for. Oh, my.

00:51:39:10 - 00:51:45:19
Unknown
Oh.

00:51:45:24 - 00:51:52:50
Unknown
Oh.

00:51:52:55 - 00:52:00:01
Unknown
Oh, oh.

00:52:00:05 - 00:52:12:17
Unknown
Oh, I can't take you for I.

00:52:12:22 - 00:52:19:52
Unknown
Would you like to see side.

00:52:19:57 - 00:52:52:31
Unknown
Will you open up your, I can take you far up. Love you. Since when? You start watching other birds fly around.

00:52:52:31 - 00:53:10:14
Unknown
Thank you for listening. For more information about this show or a transcript, visit Martin mccormack.com while there. Sign up for our newsletter. See you next time on Strung Out.

00:53:10:19 - 00:53:23:06
Unknown
It's so strong. Spain, we feel, makes no sense at all. The swan song wasn't part of the deal, was no good. All giving no choice. Giving us a.