Thomas McConnell
Since
March 2012 when Thomas first started on Liverpool's open-mic scene he has
toured the UK with China Crisis, Ian McNabb & The Vinyls. He has also
opened up for Steve Cradock, Ian McCulloch & Ian Broudie, The Pretty Things
and The Real People. His most recent EP, "Worried About Thomas
McConnell" was released in August 2013 to critical acclaim. His eclectic
sound is influenced by Rock/Pop of the 20th century in particular, The Beatles.
He plays all his own instruments on recordings, writing and arranging every
part.
Mojo
Magazine featured Thomas & Ian McNabb's cover of The Beatles', "All
I've Got To Do" in their August 2013 issue and attached CD, "We're
With The Beatles". A video of Thomas performing Paul McCartney's,
"New" the day the song was released was shared by Paul himself on his
official Facebook and Twitter pages. The story was featured in the Liverpool
Echo and led to him meeting and being recognised by Paul at his BBC Radio 6
gig/Q&A in October 2013. Recently, he has become one of the youngest
musicians to be endorsed by Hofner Guitars.
Questions for Thomas McConnell
1 – You only started on the open mic
scene in Liverpool in 2012, are you surprised by how quickly you have become
well known?
Well I don’t really know how well known I am to be honest
so, on the one hand I’d be really surprised if I was thought of as well known.
On the other hand, I’d obviously want people to remember my music or a lot of
what I’ve done so far would have been pointless.
2 – Having opened for acts such as
Ian McCulloch and Ian Broudie, have these experiences helped you as a
songwriter or performer, and how?
I wouldn’t say it’s helped my song writing because it’s
more direct things than gigs which influence that but it’s helped my
performance, definitely. Playing in front of bigger crowds gives you more
confidence to be a better performer (when it goes well…).
3 – Your 2013 EP ‘Worried about
Thomas McConnell’ was all over the internet around the time of its release,
were you surprised by both the momentum it gained and its wonderful reception?
Yeah, it was surprising and very cool when people started
making their own “Worried About Thomas McConnell” pictures. It was my hope that
people would but I wasn’t really expecting them to and the fact that it was
well received just made all the effort feel worthwhile I suppose…
4 – With so much young talent
appearing weekly within Liverpool, can you see a return to the days of the
Beatles, when Liverpool was a major force in the world of music?
Well that’d be really cool but I don’t think music works
that way anymore. Because of the internet the whole world is an online city
with millions of talented people trying to push their work so I don’t know if
one place could become a major force anymore.
5 – Your cover of the Beatles ‘All
I’ve got to do’ with Ian McNabb, made the Mojo cover CD for the Beatles
special, just how much did that mean to you personally as a fan of the Beatles
in particular?
Yeah it meant the world to be asked by Ian to do it
because it was the first thing that was going to go out on a major national
publication with my name on it and the fact that it was to do with The Beatles
just made it even cooler.
6 – Can you sum up in words just
what it was like to have Paul McCartney share your cover version of his song
‘New’ with the world over the internet?
Unbelievable, I still can’t really believe all that
happened. Although it was a cover, to have your musical performance validated
by the person that made you want to be a musician fills you with confidence to
say the least…
7 – How did your endorsement with
Hofner guitars come about?
Basically, a fan of mine mentioned me on the Hofner
facebook page in a comment about their favourite songwriters and the guys at
Hofner looked me up and gave me a message with the offer. I’m over the moon
about it.
8 – If you could perform at any
music venue in the world, where would you choose and why?
I can’t really think of anywhere specific. I always get a
buzz when I find out I’ve played somewhere that The Beatles or a Beatle did. In
fact, when I play in a new town, I always look up where they played to see if
it’s the same venue or nearby. I suppose I’d choose anywhere they played.
9 – What would be a necessity for
you on your dream tour bus?
A steering wheel.
10 – What can we expect next from
Thomas McConnell?
In a few weeks I’m supporting Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze
who’s one of my biggest influences so I’m very excited about that. Also, I’m
currently working on a new EP which will hopefully come out in the summer and
planning more shows throughout the year!
Be
sure to check out Thomas McConnell as he continues his assault on the music
business, we wish him all the very best in the future and I am certain to be
seeing more of him soon. With talent like he has there really is no need to
worry about Thomas McConnell.
Links
for Thomas McConnell
Website - www.thomasmcconnell.co.uk
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thomasmcconnellmusic
Twitter - www.twitter.com/mcconnellsounds
Soundcloud - www.soundcloud.com/thomasmcconnell
Bandcamp - www.thomasmcconnellmusic.bandcamp.com
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