Young Prodigy
From a very young age, I wanted to be a performer,’ says accordion legend and multi-instrumentalist Liam O’Connor. ‘Music is not only in me. It defines who I am.’
Born in Newmarket, Co Cork, Liam O’Connor was raised in a family where music was not just a hobby, but a way of life. Cutting his musical teeth at the tender age of four, Liam excelled early and went on to join the family band, The O’Connor Family, at the age of 10.
‘Music was always in the house,’ he remembers. ‘My Dad used to play the accordion while Mom was the main energy behind us all. When I was very small, I used to watch my father play the accordion and coming from a musical background and a musical area, Sliabh Luachra, there were lots of traditional musicians in the area and Irish music was a big part of our tradition.
‘I come from a family of seven — three brothers and three sisters,’ Liam says. ‘They are all musical, and all played in the family band. We all played records and tapes in the house, and we travelled the country playing in sessions with Comhaltas.
There were many instruments in the house and as a young boy there was ample opportunity to pick up and play almost any musical instrument. Liam plays 20 instruments himself. It was the accordion, the squeezebox, that he settled on and mastered.
As still a very young man, Liam became an All-Ireland champion and won the Beamish & Crawford award for best all-round musician from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. A precocious talent at a young age Liam was soon mixing his love of the traditional with a unique blend of the contemporary. A creative innovator whose musical style and ability has seen him use elements of Traditional, Blue’s, Jazz and Cajun and Reggae. These distinctions meant that Liam very quickly graduated onto the world stage. But what exactly does that mean?
Well, Liam produced critically acclaimed and best selling records onto the world stage. It means touring the world with Michael Faltely’s ‘Lord of the Dance’. It means producing and then filming his own show and having the resultant DVD be a best seller too and then changing that show and doing it again. It means travelling and playing al over Europe and America, spreading the message. And what is the message? Well, the message is a simple one. It goes something like, ‘My name is Liam O’Connor. This is my music and this is the way I play it’. Because, you see, apart from being a critically-acclaimed and best-selling performer, Liam O’Connor is also an innovator. Liam O’Connor isn’t just playing the music. Liam O’Connor is actively seeking to change the music, pushing it in new and exciting directions, seeking different and more challenging collaborators and constantly reaching for a place the music has never reached before. Why? Why not just get up, play it like it’s always been played, take the easy option, keep life simple? Well, the answer to that is, in its own way, even more simple again. Let’s quote the maestro himself…
‘You don’t own the music. You can’t own the music any more than you can own the air or own the water. The music is lent to us. We only have it for a short time. It’s what you do with it in the time you have it that counts’.
After an early career spent playing and performing to accolades in Ireland with The O’Connor Family, eventually joined by Lisa Aherne on vocals, Liam O’Connor signed a major deal with MCA Universal Music. The first fruit of the new partnership was the release of his debut album, employing the spellbinding vocals of his long-time collaborator Lisa called
The Awakening. The record met with huge critical acclaim and was nominated for an IRMA award. Not least, it also brought him to the attention of Michael Flatley and Ronan Hardiman, composer of the live-performance extravaganza Lord Of The Dance, starring Irish-dancing maverick Michael Flatley. His years of touring with Lord of the Dance influenced Liam in forming and refining his musical and performing style. As a result, Liam O’Connor on record and live is a unique experience. Never a man to be pigeon-holed in a genre, his playing style incorporates elements of classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, reggae as well as traditional Irish. As a result, his performances have and almost spiritual dimension. Is high-intensity performance, musical verve and swagger and his delivery have been compared to a knock-out delivered by a musical heavyweight.
‘I toured the world with Lord of the Dance. It was a dream, to get an opportunity to perform on the world stage with an international star.’
Playing the great venues of the world with some of world music’s finest instrumentalists and keeping such stellar company paid off in more personal ways for Liam, too: over time, he saw that he was ready to create and perform in his own live show, with his own musical vision at the centre.
The Liam O’Connor Live Show
The Liam O’Connor performance is a spectacular explosion of music, song and dance, rooted in the Irish Music tradition.
A vibrant energetic collection of musical delights, the Liam O’Connor Show is a high-energy celebration of sound and movement, possessed with a colourful, passionate energy, and captures the essential excitement and variety contained in all aspects of contemporary Irish music. Spellbindingly brilliant, a blast of musical energy and an explosive talent are just some of the adjectives that have been used to describe Liam O’Connor. His music breathes passion and magic as he delights his audiences by enchanting all present with his unique style. Musically, Liam O’Connor is not simply an Irish traditionalist: he is an innovator. It signals an exciting new approach, combining elements of blues, jazz, cajun, reggae, samba and classical reels and infusing them with the very soul of Irish music. The show is infused with the powerhouse of Liams virtuoso accordion playing as he strides across the stage taking the accordion to new heights.
Every concert Liam O’Connor performs is a unique occasion where artist and audience revel in the full glory of wondrous musicianship and encounter the living heart of Irish music, song and dance, where barriers are broken and ‘Reel Spirit’ abounds. He captures pulsating energy and creative power at the heart of Irish Music , displaying music full of class and integrity.
Where did the idea to mingle all these seemingly disparate types of music come from? ‘From having gotten the chance to travel the world,’ Liam says simply. ‘From seeing the world, and listening to all kinds of music. I like to experiment with music – for example mixing ethnic sounds with reggae, cajun and world music. And rock ’n’ roll, of course.’
Liam O’Connor has occasionally been described as the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion. Whilst a description like this may be described as fanciful, in the case of Liam it can even be regarded as an understatement. His live performances are marked by an explosive energy, a charismatic presence, an almost messianic genius and a musical style which is entirely his own. His playing and performance is an almost combustible mix of high intensity, energy and poignant interludes. Simply put, Liam O’Connor is a musical hybrid. Nobody else gives so much of themselves to their audience.
Ultimately, though, Liam’s great gift as a player is that, whether he’s firing off a flash of Afro-Cuban-trad fusion or playing the most gorgeously traditional air, he brings another dimension to the music, finding depths and subtleties in both well-known traditional pieces and modern compositions, completely reinventing them. Not surprisingly, his live performances have seen him hailed as a true musical phenomenon.
Liam has performed thousands of sell-out shows at The Killarney Avenue Hotel, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
These shows have become legendary. Two hours in the company of a world class band and a troupe of award-winning dancers have left audiences breathless. With the sublime singing talents of Lisa Aherne. A gifted performer. Lisa brings a wonderful delivery to original material and interpretations of some of the best songs in the world. A versatile and multi-talented vocalist.
The production showcases Irish traditional music at its best and is infused thoughout with Liam’s own special brand of magic. Dance weaves effortlessly between modern styles. For the lover of musical genius, innovative arrangements and unequalled dance, this is a show not to be missed.
People from Chicago to Cairo, and from Athens to Auckland have come to the show and have been staggered at the breath and dynamism of Liam O’Connor live. A multi-media extravaganza, the show has attracted such famous guests a Spandau Ballet singer
Tony Hadley (who guested with Liam) and award-winning composer (Hill Street Blues, Law and Order, The Rockford Files) Mike Post, who paid Liam the ultimate compliment by stating that Mr. O’Connor was really in possession of that ‘performance gene’.
Around The World And Back
Live performance is one of Liam O’Connor’s strongest talents.
Having displayed his peerless onstage charisma internationally, first touring the world with
Lord of the Dance and then on his own, Liam is now one of the most in-demand live performers in Ireland and a leading light in Irish music worldwide.
In 2010 when Ireland was looking for a musical star to produce and perform at it’s Pavilion at the World Expo in China they looked no further than Liam.
Liam travelled to China on a number of occassions to perform in his specially produced show. His music was big hit with the Chinese audiences who instantly took to his amazing stage presence.
Amazingly Liam juggled his performances in China with those on the home stage at his summer show – proving the music is really universal.
Highlights of his distinguished career include sell-out tours of the US, Scandinavia, Italy and Austria; appearances in legendary venues such as The Point, RDS, Dubin, Slane Castle, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Radio City Music Hall, New York, Sydney Opera House, Australia, Wembley Arena, London and Sun City, South Africa, Rome, Italy and the Kremlin in Russia. He is almost a household name at this stage in that most unlikely of countries, Brazil. His musical talents have captured an enormous and devoted following in that country and it is a place to which he returns on a regular basis. He has also immersed himself in Brazil’s musical culture and has incorporated elements of samba and Latin American into his repertoire. He is also the only Irish musician to have been asked to perform at the world famous Ryder Cup for golf, not once but twice (Detroit 2004, Ireland 2006). He has also performed to 170,000 people at the All-Ireland Football and Hurling Finals in Irelands National Stadium, Croke Park, Dublin. Irelands Superbowl and there is two of them.
His affiliation with historic sporting events continued when he recorded the official anthem for the GAA in 2006, entitled ‘The Morning Dew’; it features the voice of Irish broadcasting legend Micheál O Muircheartaigh and topped the Irish charts for six weeks.
‘I grew up playing GAA with my local clubs and have been a fan of the GAA for many years,’ says Liam. ‘I’ve performed as the music entertainment for five All Ireland Finals in Croke Park, Dublin. So when I decided to record a track as a GAA anthem, I asked Micheal O’Muircheartaigh to do the voiceover, as he is ‘the voice’ of the GAA. It was great to work with a man with such knowledge of the game he epitomises all that is great about our heritage and culture. He is a national treasure.
Current and Future Projects
Not content to wow audiences in live performances, Liam has been extremely active in the recording studio. The last few years has seen him release three CDs and two DVDs, all of which have been major sellers. Achieving the ultimate accolade of being listed in the Guinness Book of Records 2008 as being in possession of the fastest fingers in the world a remarkable achievement in its own right, but it almost pales into insignificance when held against his other musical talents. Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned his piano-playing.
In addition, his collaborations with other artists read like a who’s who of popular culture: Lord of the Dance; Terence Quinn, lead actor in the TV series LOST; the Artane Boys band; Gaelic football legend Micheal O’Muircheartaigh; and most recently the chart-selling Duets CD and documentary with the late Christy Hennessy. One of his current collaborations is with composer Brian Byrne and the RTE Concert Orchestra with an original concerto for accordion. With seven times Grammy award winner drummer and percussionist, Paul Wertico, (drummer with Pat Metheny band for many years).
Also Grammy nominee, John Themis, one of the worlds top guitarist and passionate song writers who is producing Liams’ latest album Tico Tico. John Themis has had number one success performing, producing, arranging and writing for artists from Cat Stevens, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Rod Stewart, George Michael, Boy George, Mary J. Blige and Andrea Boccelli.
But after all, for Liam O’ Connor, pushing the boundaries through music is a raison-d’être. ‘I am a very passionate person,’ says Liam, ‘and I feel my music comes from inside me, my soul and my heart’.
‘Music is not only in me, it defines who I am’.
Pure passion, energy, excitement and feeling that he brings to a performance and in the end that is what describes him best. Liam is first, last and always a performer.
PRESS QUOTES
‘Everyone was so overcome by the magic of the music…. O’Connor certainly injected instant atmosphere… you can expect to hear a lot about this maestro…’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘Liam has a real understanding of music. The tone and sound have the mark of loving craftmanship’ IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE
‘Liam O’Connor brings the accordion to new heights’ IRISH EXAMINER
‘It was Killarney-based accordion genius Liam O’Connor who stole the show with a top-notch performance. O’Connor has injected a new energy into his routine and, accompanied by international dance champion Kelly McDonnell, he delivered a powerful performance which was described by MC TV3’s Lorraine Keane as ‘truly magnificent’ THE KINGDOM NEWSPAPER
‘An artist born with the performing gene’ MIKE POST (HILLSTREET BLUES AND LAW & ORDER)
‘Celtic fire & passion with incendiary performances’ ITALIAN STAGIONE THATRALE NEWSPAPER, MILAN
‘This fast moving mix of traditional music and dance is spectacular entertainment’ DANIEL O’DONNELL IN THE SUNDAY WORLD
T.V. APPEARANCES
Gay Byrnes – Late Late Show
Kenny Live
RTE’ s Live at 3
Open House
French, Portuguese, Brazilian and American TV channels
Michael Aspels ‘This is your life’ on BBC 1 and BBC 2
Seoige and O’Shea
Vodafone Allstars
Michael Flatleys tribute on ‘The Late Late Show’
Christy Hennessys TV documentary
Micheal O’Muircheartaighs TV documentary
RTE News (launching Guinness Book of World Records)
and most recently Pat Kennys Late Late Show
OTHER HIGH PROFILED PERFORMANCES
Ryder Cup
World Trade Conference, London
Hogmany, Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland
Special Olympics
Guinness
Liebherr
Tour of Ireland, Cycle Race
European and World Ambassadors
O2
Vodafone All Stars
World Bankers Conference
Universal Music
Croke Park (National Stadium Dublin) All Ireland Finals (Irelands Superbowl)
