We had a chat with Dotts O’Connor and found out some more about his journey, his new EP Jodie, and the man behind the music
An artist who’s thoughtful and earnest take on alternative folk has led to a wide variety of tracks that capture the charm and allure of his distinctly Irish appeal, Dotts O’Connor has the kind of timeless rawness to his sound that feels like it would stand out in any era of music, such is the rewarding and heartfelt nature of his work.
His latest EP Jodie is a collection of four tracks that do a really great job of highlighting what makes him feel special, steeped in emotion and soul as he looks to capture the nuance of rural life and the “quiet places and loud thoughts” that come with it. We love this new release, and had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about it and a bit more about his journey and inspirations as an artist.
Who TF is Dotts O’Connor?
I am a singer and a songwriter and guitar player who enjoys singing, writing songs and playing lots of guitar. It has been said that I negotiate the waters of the alternative folk world, I couldn’t possibly comment on that.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music for manys the year. My earliest memory of music making is pressing play on a beat on my sister’s keyboard and playing simple melodies along with the beat. I suppose the real music making came when I joined a band with my friends called Come On Live Long and we had an amazing few years writing music and playing together.
Why do you make music?
What else is there to do? In all seriousness, I, like many other musicians and artists make music in order to put some order and sense to the world and also for sheer enjoyment, I think that’s reason enough.
What are your biggest influences?
I think my biggest influences are hearing those singers and artists who sing a song or play their instrument like it’s the last thing they are ever going to do on this earth and they bring you along with them. I suppose Jeff Buckley’s music would be an example of this. I am a die hard Jeff fan.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
I played a sold out show with my uncle in the town where I grew up, Boyle in Roscommon and it was full of our friends and family and other listeners and there was some magic in the room. I think that was a really nice moment.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
I write songs that are descriptive of the human condition and I also try to write songs that are narrative. I enjoy the challenge of telling a story within the confines of a 3/4 minute pop song. I think about arrangements alot. For me, the guitar is part of the arrangement of the song and not just an accompanying instrument. As I mentioned earlier my music sits somewhere in the alternative folk world.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
With the music industry the way it is and particularly with the reliance on the broken practice of streaming I don’t believe the ‘I’ve made it’ phrase has any relevance. I think it’s important to be ambitious and driven and to savour the moments where people recognise and respond to what you are doing but overall I think I get huge fulfilment from doing the basics of recording a song I wrote and in particular, performing that song in front of people. With AI becoming more prevalent in music I think It’s becoming increasingly important to create spaces that are the antithesis of anything AI related and that solely revolve around the listener and the performer(who are both 100 per cent human!) . With that said, whenever I find myself in these spaces I feel like i’ve ‘made it’.
We love your new EP Jodie, what more can you tell us about it?
Jodie is a bit of a concept E.P. The idea came to me when driving home in a very rural part of Ireland. I kept meeting a man on a bike and one evening he was out in the middle of the road when I came around a bad bend and we both nearly ended up in the ditch. I decided to write a song about the man while I drove home which is around a 1.45 hr drive. By the time I got home I had the song written. The E.P. deals with themes of rural isolation and loneliness. I recorded the 4 songs live with musicians friends of mine and I’m delighted with how it turned out.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I am planning a headline show in Dublin early summer aswell as a collaborative gig with some friends of mine June 5th in Carrick On Shannon at the Dock Theatre. Hopefully there will be some summer festival appearances too!
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
The neighbour’s dog always lands at the window whenever I’m playing music at home so I’m gonna go with Luna the dog.
