Marykate O'Neil (born 1968) is an American

indiepop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

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 CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'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", and "pure magic".

Biography

While attending

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, O'Neil ended up singing and playing guitar in the indie-pop outfit piewackit. Though the band had a deal with

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...

and was pulling off shows with

Ida Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy * Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing *Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...

Mary Lou Lord Mary Lou Lord (born March 1, 1965) is an indie folk musician who started performing as a busker in Boston. Life and career Mary Lou Lord first gained attention playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston's subway stations, partic ...

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls (band), Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Julia ...

Lois Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English C ...

, and

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

, 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

charts. Three songs from ''Marykate O'Neil'' were covered by Japanese film and television star

Tomoyo Harada is a Japanese actress, singer, and lyricist, and was a popular idol in the 80's. She was cast in numerous films and TV-series since her beginning in 1982 in the leading role of the original TV series '' Sailorfuku to kikanju''. Her first role in ...

. The

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

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 ''Stephanie Daley'' — retitled ''What She Knew'' for US television — is a 2006 drama film starring Amber Tamblyn, Melissa Leo, Tilda Swinton and Timothy Hutton. The film, which received a limited release in North America on April 20, 2 ...

'' starring

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

Amber Tamblyn Amber Rose Tamblyn (born May 14, 1983) is an American actress and writer. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' as Emily Quartermaine at the age of 11. She followed with a starring role on the pr ...

, and

Timothy Hutton Timothy Tarquin Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at age 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in ''Ordinary People ...

. 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 Matthew Rorison Caws (born August 5, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Nada Surf. Caws is also a member of the indie rock duo Minor Alps, along ...

(

Nada Surf Nada Surf is a New York City-based American alternative rock band formed in the 1990s, consisting of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), Doug Gillard (guitar, backing vocals), and Daniel Lorca (bass, backing vocals). History 199 ...

), Lianne Smith,

Ken Maiuri Kenneth Maiuri is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Florence, Massachusetts. Since early 2016, he has been the keyboardist for The B-52's. He has played in numerous other bands, such as Pedro the Lion and The Mammals. He ...

(

Pedro the Lion Pedro the Lion is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. In 2006 Pedro the Lion wa ...

The Soft Drugs Timothy William "TW" Walsh (born January 26, 1975 in Melrose, Massachusetts, United States) is an American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, mixing engineer and mastering engineer. In August 2003, Walsh officially joined ...

), Brad Jones (

Josh Rouse Josh Rouse (born March 9, 1972) is an American folk/roots pop singer-songwriter. Originally from Nebraska, Rouse began his recording career in Nashville in 1998 and later relocated to Spain. In 2014, Rouse won a Spanish Goya Film Award in the c ...

David Mead David Mead may refer to: *David Mead (military general), founder of Meadville, Pennsylvania *David Mead (musician), American pop singer and songwriter *David Mead (rugby league) David Mead (born David Moore on 4 November 1988) is a Papua New Gui ...

), Roger Moutenot (

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...

Sleater Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

) and

Jill Sobule Jill Sobule (born January 16, 1961) is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl (Jill Sobule song), I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel (Jill Sobule song), Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''Cl ...

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! Frente! (or Frente) were an Australian folk- pop and indie pop group which originally formed in 1989. The original line-up consisted of Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart on lead vocals, Tim O'Connor on bass guitar (later rep ...

, and

The Murmurs The Murmurs were an American alternative pop music duo composed of singer-songwriters Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody. Some time after the duo went their separate ways, Hailey became one half of Uh Huh Her and Grody became a founding member of R ...

. 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

piewackit

*''sockmonkee'' (1997, Rock-It Records), produced by Michael Deming (

Lilys Lilys are an United States, American indie rock band (music), band formed in Washington, D.C., Washington, District of Columbia, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tra ...

Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory Sy ...

The Pernice Brothers Pernice Brothers are an American indie rock band. Formed by Joe Pernice in 1998 after the breakup of his old band, the Scud Mountain Boys Scud Mountain Boys are an United States, American alternative country band. Formed in 1991 in Northampton, ...

) *"''boyfriend''" 7" single (1997, Aargh Records) *"''prime time''" 7" single (1997, Aargh Records) *featured on ''Somewhere Between Heaven and Xanax'' compilation on Pop Narcotic

Solo

*''Marykate O'Neil'' (2002, 71 Recordings), produced by Michael Deming &

*''1-800-Bankrupt'' (2006, 71 Recordings), produced by Roger Moutenot &

*''mkULTRA'' (EP) (2008, Nettwerk/71 Recordings), produced by Marykate O'Neil, Roger Moutenot &

*''Underground'' (2009, Nettwerk/71 Recordings), produced by Marykate O'Neil, Jacob Lawson, Roger Moutenot, &

Compilations

*''International Pop Overthrow - Vol. 4'', "Mundane Dream" (2001, Not Lame Records) *''Right to Chews: Bubblegum Classics Revisited'', "Get Down" (2002, Not Lame Records) *''International Pop Overthrow - Vol. 5'', "Still Waiting" (2002, Not Lame Records) *''What a Concept!: Tribute to Teenage Fanclub'', "Traffic Jam" (2004, Not Lame Records)

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 Independent Film Channel, IFC short film series

ref>IFC MediaLab *"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, 200

*"Green Street" live from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, October 9, 2008, by Franton

Selected press

*Artist spotlight & interview from NewBeats, 200

*Review of ''Marykate O'Neil'' from Splendid E-Zine, Jul. 23, 200

*Review of ''1-800-Bankrupt'' from

Filter Magazine ''Filter'' (stylized as ''FILTER'') was a seasonal, off-beat entertainment magazine on American music which was founded in the summer of 2002. It featured commentary and photos of up-and-coming musicians and filmmakers ranging from actors to wri ...

, May 2, 200

*"My Favorite Things" feature article on

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, Jun. 7, 200

*Feature in Worcester Telegram, Jul. 7, 200

*Single review of 'Green Street' (off ''Underground'') in the

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

, Oct. 7, 200

*Interview feature in the Cambridge Chronicle, Oct. 10, 200

*"Under the Radar" feature on

Metromix Metromix LLC was a Chicago entertainment website at Chicago.Metromix.com, owned by the ''Chicago Tribune'' division of Tribune Publishing. It served the Chicago metropolitan area. The website now redirects to that of the Chicago Tribune. History ...

, Dec. 19, 200

*''Underground'' included in Most Anticipated Albums of '09 from Blurt, Jan. 02, 200

*Review of ''Underground'' from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

[] *Review of ''Underground'' from Sentimentalist Magazine, Feb. 3, 200

*Feature in the Hudson Sun, Feb. 4, 200

References

External links

Artist's WebsiteMarykate O'Neil on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Marykate American women singer-songwriters 1968 births Living people People from Hudson, Massachusetts Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts