Marykate O'Neil (born 1968) is an American indiepop singer-songwriter, currently based in New York City. She is known for her quirky, literate pop sensibilities. She released her fourth solo effort, Underground (Nettwerk/71 Recordings), on February 3, 2009, following 2002's self-titled album (which made it onto CMJ's 'Best of 2002' list), 2006’s 1-800-Bankrupt, and 2008’s mkULTRA EP. Her work has previously been hailed by critics as "witty, angsty goodness",^[1] and "pure magic".^[2]

Biography

While attending Boston University, O'Neil ended up singing and playing guitar in the indie-pop outfit piewackit. Although the band had a deal with I.R.S. Records and was pulling off shows with Ida, Mary Lou Lord, Juliana Hatfield, Lois, and Elliott Smith, things fell apart, and O'Neil moved to New York City.

In 2002, she recorded her self-titled debut album, financing the project with pre-approved credit cards. The record caught on among fans of literate pop, and reached the top 10 of the CMJ charts. Three songs from Marykate O'Neil were covered by Japanese film and television star Tomoyo Harada. The Nettwerk music group picked up 1-800-Bankrupt and re-released the album, broadening O'Neil's exposure. In 2006 O'Neil's song "Mundane Dream" was featured in the Sundance award-winning film Stephanie Daley starring Tilda Swinton, Amber Tamblyn, and Timothy Hutton.^[3]

Along the way, O'Neil has befriended like-minded musicians and writers forming a community of players who reappear on all of her records and are her own 'wrecking crew' of sorts. Members include Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Lianne Smith, Ken Maiuri (Pedro the Lion, The Soft Drugs), Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, David Mead), Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Sleater Kinney) and Jill Sobule. Jill Sobule has also co-written a number of songs as well as produced O'Neil's records. O'Neil and Sobule met in the 90's when O'Neil was a member of piewackit playing at a festival in LA with Jill Sobule, Frente!, and The Murmurs. O'Neil is also known for her DIY ethic and typically records song tracks in her home, as well as doing her own album artwork.

Discography

Music videos

• "Nashville" , off Underground, directed by Michael K. Anderson
• "I Sleep With My Clothes On" , off 1-800-Bankrupt, directed by Marianne Petit
• "Past All The Stars" , off 1-800-Bankrupt, directed by Marianne Petit. This video was featured in a 2006 IFC short film series. ^[4]
• "The Sky Is Falling" , off 1-800-Bankrupt, directed by Marianne Petit
• "Secret War" , off 1-800-Bankrupt, directed by Craig Eastland
• "Secret War" live from the Living Room in NYC, April 12, 2007
• "Green Street" live from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, October 9, 2008, by Frantone

Selected press

• Artist spotlight & interview from NewBeats, 2002
• Review of Marykate O'Neil from Splendid E-Zine, Jul. 23, 2002
• Review of 1-800-Bankrupt from Filter Magazine, May 2, 2006
• "My Favorite Things" feature article on PopMatters, Jun. 7, 2006
• Feature in Worcester Telegram, Jul. 7, 2007
• Single review of 'Green Street' (off Underground) in the Boston Globe, Oct. 7, 2008
• Interview feature in the Cambridge Chronicle, Oct. 10, 2008
• "Under the Radar" feature on Metromix, Dec. 19, 2008
• Underground included in Most Anticipated Albums of '09 from Blurt, Jan. 02, 2009
• Review of Underground from Allmusic
• Review of Underground from Sentimentalist Magazine, Feb. 3, 2009
• Feature in the Hudson Sun, Feb. 4, 2009

References

External links

• Artist's Website
• Marykate O'Neil on Myspace