Mikey Joseph O'Connor - The Love is Letting Go of Fear EP

Back again and on a prolific streak of songwriting, friend of the blog and It's A Thing! co-host Mikey Joseph O'Connor brings us a softer, gentler, happier, and even more honest set of song with The Love is Letting Go of Fear EP. What's different from The Day I Stopped All This? I mean, what could Mikey have possibly done to top the earnest, honest, tragic last love letter of last Autumn's EP? You probably think I'm building this up too much. You're probably right. At least in a sense. The answer to the question, the what's different question, is everything. On Love is Letting Go, O'Connor isn't merely working on letting go of fear, as the title might suggest. He's not even in the throws of a clear philosophical conundrum. See that wayside over there? Yeah, that one? Well, that's where all of Mikey's anger and frustration and disappointment seems to have fallen. The anguish inherent to The Day I Stopped All This is no more, and this new EP is very different kind of love letter.

This love letter is about amends, first. "Dear Aaron and Sarah... Sorry" is a brilliantly open-hearted, fully culpable and responsible song. It's a song that apologizes with its title, and clarifies that apology with its lyrics, its music and its frankness. It's a song about abuses. (And there's some continuing distinct Replacements vibe in there.) And having learned to transcend them. This is also a love letter about falling in love. "Earthquake Weather" is that song. O'Connor croons over a jaunty guitar, piano and bass composition about finding true love and remarking on the insignificant moments, the little ones, that become so huge when romance is attached. Love is restorative here. In a very prevent-the-city-from-shaking-apart way. Here's a video of it. LIVE!


Mikey Joseph O'Connor - Earthquake Weather from Mikey Joseph O'Connor on Vimeo.

It's a love letter crying, "It's us against the WORLD and all the evils therein." The darker "The Lions Den" is a song about breaking apart, but not because of the internal, human conflicts that come with love cast asunder by its parts. Instead, it's a song about an outside force, something bigger and darker and more indomitable, that seems ready to swallow both the song's protagonist and his subject of rescue. It's also one of the most brilliantly composed songs O'Connor has ever created. And it's a love letter about pure joy and thanks. "The One Good Thing" closes the set with an incredibly open and vulnerable character study. It opens with the stellar, inspiring lines, "My dreams go bad because I still can't trust myself/ And my dreams come back because of my mental health." It's a fucking incredible track too, with a solid piano riff, a ripping guitar solo, and a gorgeous refrain "You're given to me like a song that's on the radio."

In short, and in long, The Love is Letting Go of Fear EP is spectacular. Listen to it. You can check it out exclusively through Mikey's ReverbNation page.

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Mikey Joseph O'Connor - The Day I Stopped All This EP

Friend of Gas Lantern Media, leader of The Most Awesome Protagonist and co-host of It's A Thing! podcast, Mikey Joseph O'Connor [or MJO'C as I like to call him (rather, I've never called him that, but what the hell, I'm gonna try to start a thing and abbreviations {or abbreves} are totes in right now)] is not merely a proponent of the Ska'd for Life movement. He's also a talented singer-songwriter who generates tunes reminiscent of the sad-times Shins, The Replacements and with The Day I Stopped All This EP, a bit of almost-dub-steppy, Bon Iver-ian lamentative reflection. But beyond all the direct, sincere and vulnerable lyrics, O'Connor creates elaborate sonic tapestries that venture from subtle, folk rock beats to downright church-choral-style lovelorn-ness. Above all else this is a break-up album, and if I were to sum its sincerity and emotionalism into one word, that word would be Pinkerton. The Day I Stopped All This is fragile and angry, frustrated and nostalgic, heartfelt and seething, but it's also a sort of love letter to a bygone era. Or, failing that, a final, resigned, but sturdy, goodbye.

The EP opens with "(Not All) Pretty Blonde Girls are the God Damn Devil." It's a track that demonstrates mostly strongly, perhaps, O'Connor's signature scratchy, nearly-Westerberg-ian wail. That wail is what gives this song the extra dose of character that makes it so strong. Sung by a more "traditional" vocalist, the direct, clear, concise and vulnerable lyrics may have sounded twee or whiny, but here, O'Connor's voice feels as torn up as the lyrics would have you believe. Plus, the chorus and refrain, backed by graceful harmonies and some subtle drums, flesh out a song that could have easily been left spare and hollow. The result is that catchiness that runs through your head, and this writer's head. On "The Winter River Bridge" O'Connor paints an elaborate picture of not merely losing someone, but losing time and place in the process. And the chorus, oh em gee, the chorus, so thick with guitar, fuzz, and some vocal clouding effects, feels as catchy as that from "(Not All) Pretty Blonde..."

From that darker place, though, things pick up a bit on "The Best Last Day," a lively goodbye note or "thank you" with syncopated, jangling guitar and a chorus of backing "Oohs." It's a mature piece, really, that while still as dark as the preceding two tracks, is also something of an olive branch. It is the musical equivalent of seeing an ex months or years later, having reflected, and saying "It was fun while it lasted," while fighting the urge to hold up your middle finger. And the closer "Someone Smiling/Someone Shining" is one part Gilbert O'Sullivan, one part Leonard Cohen and one part, well... just Mikey Joseph O'Connor. It is a full, lush, pastoral track that feels like an old Polaroid of the girl you loved once, but can't any longer. The piano/keyboard work and wall-of-voices vocal complete the picture. It feels, if I may create a semi-hackneyed image from a film, like that one final look upon an old lover's photo prior to letting the wind carry it away into the ocean.

You can hear The Day I Stopped All This EP at Mikey Joseph O'Connor's reverbnation page here. Or just give it a listen here, via the streaming player below. And of course, listen to It's A Thing! and visit their website to keep up on all that world-hopping madness.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #16

THE SHOW CAN DRIVE! Mikey implies danger of sidewalks today, for ladies perhaps worried about getting out of one man's dreams and into one's man car... Also, a two-man horse costume, ready for Halloween, must weave, no matter how many asses there are! It's a High energy, Good vibe show! Watch out for ska sightings, checkered-braces, loafers and continuous positivity. Also, watch out for Nu Metal... there should be an umlaut there, but we have shortage because of the war. And for the college poster-purchasing, dorm-decorating set, an impromptu review of the bildungsroman/coming-of-age film Scarface. Big news, the studio is now in beautiful, unstable, Egypt, where a Sphinx-head space is surprisingly cheap and tourist friendly. Jared's dad! Hanging up! And weird voices! Jared has sand in his shoe because of Egypt's many beaches. Jared plays more SAD SONGS by sad Scotsmen... It's an emotional show. It's a show filled with revelations. Mikey is a sucker for a Scottish accents. And introducing Major Bummer, a super-hero sent to quash any and all versions of fun. He's kind of a dick, but you'd still read one million of the books.

Mikey wants to talk about the LIVE Fringe Festival shows at the Exit Theater. Jared is reluctant. "Hell is a half-empty auditorium..." Luckily, despite the horrifying lack of audience, they were able to churn out a documentary, seen here at Gas Lantern Media and at It's A Thing's website. The Hippos are greatest killers of people, excepting, of course, a group of badgers linking together into a single, giant human form. Oh and let's talk about Blink 182... pudgy and pale dudes taking in a show, maybe after a brunch. But remember, it's not an insult to say, "That's so Jared!" Or is it? Secular is the word of the day...

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Special Documentary Film Podcast - It's A Thing!: The Greatest Show That No One Saw

A few weeks ago, our noble heroes and podcasters-extraordaire journeyed to San Francisco's Fringe Festival, set on performing It's A Thing! before a live, in theatre audience. Things didn't turn out quite the way the boys hoped, but in the interest of lemonade and documentaries, Mikey and Jared turned the bullshitstorm of disappointment into a crafty expression of emotion, frustration, love and proper pronunciation of common words. So, like with the train wrecks and car wrecks of old, look upon the tragedy of two young men's lives and gawk and laugh! This is It's A Thing!: The Greatest Show That No One Saw... live, in pre-recorded, streaming internet video! Also, go to itsathingshow.com, for special, exclusive web-tastic updates!
It's A Thing: The Greatest Show That No One Saw from Mikey Joseph O'Connor on Vimeo.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #15.5

Since Jared and Mikey are performing live for San Francisco's Fringe Festival, and because they have been away for the last couple weeks, here's a little stopgap, bonus, wonderpod! We get the final word from Mikey's dad regarding that whole broken leg, scooter incident. Don't worry, it's thrice as wonderful as you can imagine. If you're in SF, hit the old Exit Theater. You can find out about the event here... And as always, enjoy...

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #15

The penultimate to DRIVING podcast! Number 15. Holy gods. Oh... oh... Shit. There's talk of the incredible film franchise the Gremlins. Jared gets angry. But, we all come together to WILL Mikey to one day know the gentle, sensual, coital touch of a woman. With limited ado, it's Jared Reads the News. Unlike last week, there's actually some news. And then the boys do the bit. It's delicious... with background streetcar ambiance. The glory... and horror of some all-year-all-the-time Burning Man. Deserts... Mel Gibson... poorly dubbed Australian action film dialogue! Mikey has a great idea... seriously. Post-pre-anti-contra-Irony! And that's it. The whole podcast ends there.


But then it doesn't. Because they play some tunes. Car chase tunes. Tunes by which one might travel speedy distances wielding a gun and a gorgeous lady. Nic Cage is coming for you. His hair is a bird. There's some Rat Facts backlash. The prize... went to Mikey's roommate. Is there some nepotism afoot? Or roommatepotism? Dicks! And then... Girl problems. GIRL PROBLEMS! And Jared and Mikey wed, come apart at the seams, and divorce, all on good terms because each of them get half of the other person's stuff. It's like a trade. And then they play more music. But this time, neither Jared nor Mikey like each others songs! They hate each other. So much! Jared's dad! Mikey's old apartment! STORIES that will make your funny bone flip out with orgasmic jubilation! Mikey chats us up with some taxidermy too! It's a special, wonderful, ramblingly charm-heavy, gut-busting, ass-blasting, thigh-mastering It's A Thing! And for the last time, it's just It's A Thing! not The It's A Thing! No "the!" Cut that shit out!

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #14

After a short break, two weeks during which our hearts only grew fonder, the boys, Jared and Mikey, move from their studio in the Alps to a new one in beautiful Paris, France. Jared had a birthday. And to him we say lovingly, "Fuck you, Jared. Fuck your handsome face." He's 78 years young. Well, no, let's not be silly. He's 84, but he doesn't look a day over 78. The boys talk costumed flag-wavers and then Jared plays some music close to my heart, music by Ted Leo, who is not at all involved directly in either of our blood-moving organs, but are super dear to us. Oh man, Jared and Mikey need a sponsor, who will tolerate their need to get pumped! There's an It's A Thing! Sings! musical not just in the works, but touring in a dingy warehouse with a sign that says "Theetrr" written in crayon, near you. It's pretty great. Except for the pain and nose bleeds it causes. 1 in 3 viewers will die. The other "It's A Thing" is gone from the internet. Mikey moved, but that the first rule of noose ownership is that you've gotta put up one of those "hang in there, kitty" posters in the place before you set the noose out. It adds drama and inspires. And POP PUNK! POP PUNK! POP PUNK! Jared starts babbling about the Turkey Trot... And that's all in the first 20 minutes! What would you pay for this kind of entertainment? Wait. Don't answer yet... No, seriously. Quiet down. Here... comes... RAT FACTS! And haircuts... and the magic of conversations with new people. The sadness of corporate mascots... standing and dancing in the sun... And Jared's job history. It's RESUME READING ACTION right here on It's A Thing! the Podcast that wants to take you out to dinner and won't try anything until after you finish that third glass of wine.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #13

The importance of staying limber should be the title of this edition of It's A Thing! but it's not because we try not to be too obvious around here. Jared confronts cartoon animals in one of the Alps-bordering countries of Europe. And there are SEGMENTS. First you get a little "Jared Reads the News" and back by popular demand, another thrilling, eyeball popping, genital engorging edition of Rat Facts! Like I said, segments, and not like a centipede. Not at all like a centipede because that would be disgusting... and leggy. Jared uses a tale of dentistry in a glass house (where one ought not throw teeth) to make an important point about the American health care system. Oh, and bloody teeth and apologies. Somehow, Jared and Mikey make jail into the ultimate excuse for being late. I think I'll try it on Monday morning. Also, Lil Wayne gets a SportsCenter tattoo. Brilliant! The moral and the lesson is that Lil Wayne is dumb, but his music is great. And then... oh my. Jared reads the news. About Ecosexuals! And a couple who has married the moon, the sky, some mountains... etc. And it's all been Nudist-friendly. ECOSEX. All in all, a successful segment. It even has a theme song. In other news, Jared loves Bryan Adams, Canada's Crown Prince of Music. Wait? Ryan? Oh. Well. Now, I want you to think of something. Close your eyes and think of Jared playing a snare drum in a patch of paws. Actually, imagine him with a Tuba. It's a much funnier instrument. Rat Facts! Education! It's an epic show. And if you have a day that needs saving... have we gotta thing for you! If you want some Denver music love... Jared will provide it! That and talk of mythical animals. And cargo planes... And the origin of Nature's vendetta against Mikey. It's an action packed, can't miss, It's A Thing! podcast.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #12 - All Special Guests All The Time.

How much would you pay to get kicked in the balls? Here's the 12th It's A Thing! right up in your collective face. Jared and Mikey are joined by two special guests. One is Jared Horney, Mikey's rat and the human Jared's namesake. The other... is me, Nate Ragolia. The question is can any of us handle this? The boys cover profanity and the glory of retirement parties. But Jared is sad. And I try to fix it, with Mikey's help, by telling the story of the first time I met Jared... back in college... in a writing class... and he was dressed... comically boldly. Mikey gives me an excellent music recommendation and we tease Jared mercilessly. As he deserves. For what he's done. And he knows what he's done. And then... Mikey tells a tale, a tale of Friday night, and a tale of brotherhood. It's a tale of Mikey viewing a vast, impenetrable and permanent nerdiness, but just as Mikey tries to save himself with a roll of the 12-sided die, he is struck down by a level 48 boy-mage named "Questionable Cleaning Practices." Everyone is old. Or are they? It's a violent tale of time scorning the young... and trying to sell advertising space. Jared, upon seeing a Rap Contest poster, decides to save the local youth center from closing, by spitting fiery word rhymes. The youth center is demolished... A little plug for a great band, The Most Awesome Protagonist occurs, preceding a story about a man not merely picking a fight, but just asking for one, in Oakland. Oh, and there's talk to lady boobs. And, in a last, emotional tirade, they try to put a little cap on that whole other It's A Thing thing. There's music! There's jokes! There's unresolved sexual tension!

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #11

Jared plays guitar!? It's the 11th It's A Thing! Let's talk interns! Oh what will Mikey and Jared do with a British intern? Or a regular one? I'm pretty sure there's a lawsuit on the horizon. And certainly a lot of listeners made "cross." At least the boys have never played Leonard Cohen, right!? Jared's love of the Goo Goo Dolls in a partnership with the historical internet program "The Napster" led to his first acquisition and experience with a song by the Replacements. It's the attack of the killer lyrics, baby. Then the boys start talking about bowling and Mikey makes up the name of a California town. There's an interrupting phone call, too. But, oh man, the boys discuss the other It's A Thing podcast. Jared emails them and some how nearly causes an international incident. And there's some beautiful discussion of America Day, the day that eats... Wait. America Day: Horses are Just Depressed Cows. Or... hmm... America Day: We're sick of Horses' Shit. Jared gloats about an Indiana Jones style trip... on horseback... among the Mayan ruins. It's an extra tasty, extra frenetic It's A Thing! Jared says exorborant... thinking that it's exorbitant... At least that's what Mikey and I think. And believe me, I wasn't in the Alps, but I can read minds when they are in enough pain. Jared starts pimping GBV again, and rightfully so. And there's not a hot dog truck, but it's summertime, so there should be. I think. Get ready for some pop-punk. Some top hits. Some sparklers. Some freedom. And some America. All of these things dripping with the syrup of comedic experience. And a porcelain doll named Chet who haunts our communal nightmares. Oh... and nudity mixed with pool covers. Watch your face. Watch your butt. Wash them both. So says MOM.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #10 - "For All The Lovers"

Holy shit! It's A Thing! And not just any thing, but this thing... is the 10th thing... Apparently not the only thing out there. A "competing" podcast is out there, being a thing too. Weird right? But at least Jared and Mikey are back in the Alps where they're safe from internet doppelgangers. And hey, the boys are doing okay... on this THEMED SHOW! For all the lover's out there, it's time to get aroused, get cozy, but don't crack open that bottle of wine just yet. You don't want to spoil your love-ppetite. The important thing is that this thing, which is undeniably a THING, is all about love. Don't touch the radio dial... it's not yours. You don't own a radio. It's 2011. Apparently Mikey used to live in Seattle and saw Cursive there. And Jared lists the extravagance in which they record the show. All the while in total darkness. With a noose dangling from the ceiling... Apparently the noose stuff just gets creepier. Is Jared a sociopath? Will he be as popular as Dexter? Can anyone be? AMAZEMENT! There's so much story, even to tell more in this synopsis would ruin the crap out of ALL of them. Okay, fine, you got me... Mikey hadn't heard a song, but remembers D'Angelo and that one video that we all remember. Fan-boy gushing ensues. There's love, baseball, stuff, things! You'll LOVE it. And it will love you back. Hopefully gently. Oh wait for it... total nudity. And a sneak peek at next week's episode... with a special guest.

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #9

On the 9th It's A Thing! titled "How Did It Come To This?" or "Brand New Numbers" or "Nudity In The Mountains." Since they passed the naming rights to me, I'm gonna call it "The Incredible Roadtrip Through Sonic Sadness." Jared and Mikey discuss the future of the podcast, including some special guests and program notes. Plus, cabs and helicopters: Which one is the more responsible transport to their Alps studio? Laughter occurs at regular and repeat intervals. Jared's bad habits with bartenders cause some weighty resentment. It's just pleasant. Very pleasant. Almost too pleasant. Then Jared talks about his dog Luka, strange laps, and space maps. Suddenly, the floor drops out of the room and sadness washes over them like that swamp in The NeverEnding Story... Oh gods and clown makeup! Secrets will be revealed! Mistakes will be made. Happiness will be brought back to the mid-line. Luckily, the boys have plenty of money for all the times they'll be sued. And that's somewhere around a million... Also, look there out on the distant rampart! It's a reference to the Charleston! Will Jared break his hip before he gets the chance to become an older man? It's an emotional and raucous episode, loaded with blurts and bursts of madness, and in that way it's just like real life, only much, much funnier. Giant air guitar! Exclamation point (bang)!

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #8

The eighth It's A Thing finds Mikey and Jared far from their usual studio in the Alps on a whole new continent. Mikey attempts to make amends with his brother and father after last week's "Razor-Scooter-broken-leg-Playstation-3-purchase" debacle. It's a heart-warming series of fathers and sons and brothers, and family. But can Mikey's tall tales stand up against Jared's small stories? It's a tough task given that Jared will mention that movie where Bill Murray keeps waking up over and over and over again to repeat the same day. What's that movie called? Moments include: sketchy cabs and borrowed time, waiting tables at terrible breakfast restaurants... (Gas Lantern Media does not condone the throwing of bricks through storefront windows.) Oh man, and there are pie trees! All the flavors of the rainbow! Great tunes fill in the gaps between massive life-changing revelations! Isn't that a treat!? Will they survive to create a potential ninth and tenth podcast? Yes. Sorry to spoil it. But, yes. Yes they will!

It's A Thing #8

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #7

From their remote recording studio in the Alps, this is the newest edition of It's A Thing, numbered 7, seven! SEVEN! It's called Covers. You'll hear why. Jared and Mikey talk airlifting dogs, bagging kittens and clandestine browser use. Heartfelt moments include tales of rat funeral etiquette and a very special episode of Community. There's sports joking, couch moving and blown minds. And a kind, shame-aware plug for their friend James Fluty and his stand-up comedy. Jared lays some of that creepy hidden track shit sound that will open a portal to hell. Some amazing covers of songs you already know, but don't know you know them the way you will know them once you've listened, you know? And oh, comics, Bored to Death, Men In Black 3, some dad stories, presumably designed to create a low-bar of appreciation just before Father's Day, Red Rocks Amphitheater, the PianoFight theater group and revelations about the meaning of life itself...

It's A Thing! #7: Covers

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Podcast: It's A Thing! #5 & #6

Starting today Gas Lantern Media will also feature a great music podcast, produced by Mikey (of The Most Awesome Protagonist) and Jared in San Francisco, It's A Thing combines wit and wisdom with a healthy slice of quality music. Imagine if Abbott and Costello met Robert Pollard and Morrissey instead of crossing ill of the Mummy and the Wolfman. The charming comedic duo runs frantically from song to song, artist to artist, all while trying only to escape the ancient pyramid of internets with their lives. A fragile love forms between them, creating a bond so pure and noble that nary the greatest sweeps of God's mighty hand could break it. And calmly, in the sweet afterglow of song after song, sweet nothings are whispered that unveil the deepest secrets of life, nature, science, love and French-Canadian cuisine... It's actually nothing like that, it's a thing, but it's nothing like that. Still, it's a great image...

Here are episodes 5 and 6. Future episodes should be available here, barring complications related to their recording studio nestled high in the Alps. So, have a cup of tea, light something and enjoy...

It's A Thing #5


It's A Thing #6

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The Most Awesome Protagonist

Being a Denverite, a Coloradoan, a Mile-High Club member (anyone who has lived at this altitude is, after all) I'm not fully familiar with the Bay Area music scene, but I will boast that I know good music when I hear it. Recently, I linked to three songs by Oakland/San Francisco's The Most Awesome Protagonist, a band led by Mikey O'Connor in various iterations since 2006. The current line-up includes Aaron Goeth (drums/vocals) and Sarah Mammel (vocal and "tiny instruments"). I may not be qualified to speak to the band's growth, or the changes in sound over time, but this lo-fi pseudo-post-punk-indie version sounds full, talented and full of potential. In just three songs, The Most Awesome Protagonist gives us a very clear Clark Kent-Superman act (or if you prefer Peter Parker-Spider-Man) by showing both a raucous, party-centric booze-addled side and a quiet, mournful sincerity that function in appealing and effective contrast. The product of this phone booth mood change is a litany of impressive compositional moments, and some truly exceptional new music.

And now, the songs, in the order they appear on the band's REVERBNATION page:

"We Danced In All The Bars" plays up O'Connor's raspy, potent and dour vocalization (he could be a dead ringer for Paul Westerberg) mixed with in a rocking song of reminiscence that overflows with accordion wails in a dirge. Powerful drum work follows, pummeling the lyrics and persistent guitar maintains a driving pace. And then, a beautiful harmony-infused bridge loads on the sincerity and smooths things out for a bit, the perfect bit actually, before the rock returns and blasts through to the final note.

"Untimely Death Song" feels upbeat, but the lyrics (as the title might betray) are quite the opposite, as the words cry for help and compassion in a world of abandonment. O'Connor's wailing serves the chorus especially well, as he sounds genuinely lost, alone and helpless. The drum work keeps perfect pace, dropping back when the drama is necessary, and stellar backing vocals fill in any blanks. Any song that ends with the cry, "Don't let me die here all alone" and then fades to silence leaves me with a questions. What does that silence mean? Does it mean loneliness? Does it mean death? I might be reading too far in, but this is my favorite song of the three because of the sincerity, and because the song stops short of melodrama or droning on to the point of irony. It's the perfect amount of fear and death, and the silence afterward is essentially permanent.

"Try Another Day" is the Clark Kent track, loaded with ukulele and pristine harmonies. It's a song about finding the perfect person, and losing them, and looking again. It's the perfect outsider looking in song, for when we all feel paralyzed by the beauty right in front of us. And the song itself is so beautiful that it feels complete. It's not some singer-songwriter, whiskey soaked mumbler of a song, and that makes the repeat, sweet sentiments extremely palatable. The melodica solo at the end is a particularly graceful touch.

What I love about music is that it's part of our collective consciousness. We all hear it all the time and we all have a certain capacity to create. When a small group of songs like this (Can I call it a three's company of songs? I probably shouldn't.) shows so much diversity and complexity, while also showcasing a bands greatest strengths I think that's a pretty solid indicator that there are great things to come. Check out The Most Awesome Protagonist. This is a band to root for. We need new heroes.

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