Conor O’Brien is an extremely engaging performer who brings a great deal of energy to his live performances! His music is original, thoughtful and his songs truly bring the listener on a majestic emotional journey. His band, "Big Blue World" which formed in 2011, is based in Boston MA and is a unique mix of world, rock, Latin and African influences.
In the last few years, Conor has been busy in the recording studio and has released 3 CD’s. Two with his band Big Blue World and the 3rd called “Five” with Dave Gerard (Truffle) and Bill Payne (Little Feat, Doobie Brothers). Both the “Big Blue World” and “Five” CD’s received extremely positive reviews (http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150416/entertainmentlife/150419555). “Conor O’Brien is the heart and soul behind his band …and proves to be a talented singer, guitarist and songsmith. His vocal prowess sets him apart… marvelously crafted songs… superb playing. Exquisite!” - Metronome Magazine Nov 2016.
To help promote “Five”, Conor went on tour with Gerard’s band in the Virgin Islands in 2015. Playing at venues throughout the islands at night in the tropics is one of Conor’s favorite things to do, big surprise! As he comes from a line of Irish storytellers his genuine character is clearly present in his work. His songwriting is filled with deep personal experiences from a life lived on the road less traveled.
An example of one such chapter in Conor’s life is after he graduated college he left New England to live alone in Waimanu valley on the NE side of the Island of Hawaii. For 6 months he went on a spirit quest and lived completely alone as a hermit, meditating and doing Hatha yoga, hunting his own food and living off the land in a hut of his own making while writing music, pursuing photography and field recording. Experiences like this, have given him a unique worldview, which you can hear in his music. It is very rare that people liken Conor to other performers as he has cultivated his own style, which is hard to categorize but is still very familiar.
As a singer/ songwriter he has over 200 songs to his name but he also adeptly plays guitar, mandolin, doumbek, and Native American flute. He began to craft his songwriting while performing with his first professional groups during the early 90's. In those years he was known to play over 250 gigs a year with rock, funk and blues influenced groups as well as performing solo. Currently Conor plays live with Big Blue World throughout New England.
2016 Big Blue World
2013 Almost Live
2010 No Ordinary Day
2001 Her Eyes
1998 Looking for Sleep
Dave Gerard’s Discography with Conor O’Brien:
2015 Five
2009 Zoom Trail
2004 Dreams of Kings
1999 Losing the Boy
1996 Memory Hill
Conor has performed and recorded with some outstanding musicians including Michito Sanchez, Kristen Miller, Bill Payne (Little Feat, Doobie Brothers), Rob Duquette, Chris Chitouras, Keith Foley, Balla Kouyate, and Mark Paquin (The Pretty Reckless) to name a few.
