oleary&lalli
reviews
"John O'Leary and
Vic Lalli are not your usual folk duo...quirky, eclectic,
post-electric, quasi-neo-suburban...They
even encourage their audience to
make chicken sounds."
- The Tab
"O'Leary and Lalli's
beautiful harmony and comical lyrics blend together,
creating music that is really fun to
listen to."
- The Simmons News
Recently, music critic
Bic Schaefer caught up with the boys to talk about their new CD and other matters.
BS: How long has oleary&lalli been together?
VL: We’ve known
each other for fifteen years, and we used to jam together a lot, but we just
started playing out as a duo a few years ago on the New England folk circuit.
JO:
One day I told Vic, "Stick with me and before long it will be winter."
Bu t the turning point came about a year ago when we started to rehearse.
VL:
It's made a big difference. We've learned how to start and end songs at the
same time.
JO:
At least we understand the concept.
BS: But you've each played in lots of bands in the past, right?
JO:
Yep. I've performed in rock, blues, boogie, and country bands as a piano player
and drummer.
VL:
I played in funk bands as a trumpeter and percussionist, touring throughout
the US. I've played a lot of piano and trombone too. But now John and I are
mostly playing acoustic guitar and singing. Go figure.
JO:
Vic is quite a harmony singer. I remember an outdoor concert we did when he
hit some notes the audience couldn't hear, but the neighborhood dogs rushed
the stage.
BS: Are you a classically-trained musician, Vic?
VL:
Yes. On trumpet. And now I give music lessons on brass, piano, and guitar. And
I lead interactive music seminars for children, called, "Music Together."
BS: John, you put out records a long time ago, right?
JO:
I put out a single in 1980, which sold in triple digits. Those old vinyl copies
still come in handy as coasters for drinks. I also had a record out in 1976
.
VL:
You're dating yourself again.
JO:
I know, but I save a hundred bucks a week that way.
BS: Vic, you give music classes AND you're also a house-husband?
VL:
Yes, I take care of our 4 kids when my wife works.
BS: Is it true, John, that you actually ran for Governor of the state of Connecticut?
JO:
Yes. But I have to be honest with you, Bic. I didn't win. But a lot of my fans
in the Connecticut bars to this day don't know that. I did finish a VERY strong
fourth though.
BS: Out of how many candidates?
JO:
At least four.
BS: As 40-something performers you guys must have an interesting perspective
on the music scene. What do you think has changed since the 1970s?
VL:
In the old days a lot of musicians I knew spent their money on drugs. Now it's
on baby-sitting.
BS: Do you feel there are particular values you express in your music?
VL: I think our songs reflect what's best about America.
JO:
Yes - hope, optimism, codependency, addiction, denial. You know, family values.
BS: It seems you've developed a cult following over the years.
JO:
Occult following? You mean, like, secret, invisible? That would explain who's
been sitting in all those seats every night. I wish they'd pay though.
BS: You've recorded your first CD independently, How did you pull that off?
VL:
We got a team of financial backers to help us out, and we're very grateful for
their contribution.
JO:
They're extremely likeable folks with learning disabilities in math.
VL:
Then we had to figure out what to call ourselves for the record.
BS: How did you come up with oleary&lalli?
JO:
Well, it turned out that those were our names. That simplified the process somewhat.
BS: What does oleary&lalli hope to accomplish with your new CD?
VL:
To start performing in towns that appear on maps.
BS: And the CD includes that crowd favorite, "Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow?"
JO:
Yes - a song I've been doing for 20 years. If the CD sells well, We'll follow
it up with a cookbook.
BS: 20 years? Is it difficult to sing a song for that long?
JO:
No, I take meal breaks.
VL:
That's only one of John's poultry tunes. We hope to record the others in the
future °V "I'm a Turkey from Albuquerque" and "Holy Rollers
and Duckpin Bowlers."
BS: I've actually heard audiences cluck along with "Chicken Today."
JO:
Yes, the tonal frequencies of the song access an ancient, pre-lingual por tion
of the brain, so audience members spontaneously emit barnyard sounds as they
re-discover their animal nature. But don't laugh °V it's a tremendously
bonding experience for them.
VL:
The place can really smell afterwards though.
BS: What's the song "Top-Down World" about?
JO:
It's about growing up in the 1950's - based entirely on library research of
course. It's all there in the song - convertibles, car hops, a world of unlimited
resources, nothing to fear but communists in the closets, and the Big Mac in
the Senate.
BS: How do you get your ideas for your songs, John? Do you deliberately sit
down to write a song?
JO:
No, I'm just a channel for the vibrations. The words and music just flow through
me. I'm just the vehicle.
VL:
That way he's not responsible for the content. But seriously, he sometimes channels
ESPN.
JO:
People told me the other night I was chanting hockey scores.
BS: How did you come up with that live song on the CD?
JO:
One night, when I was living in Connecticut, I had this beautiful dream about
an island paradise not far off the coast, where the air was clean and people
walked barefoot, where children bathed in the rivers and everyone lived a quiet,
simple life. When I woke up, the song was all there, like it had already been
written. It expressed a universal yearning: "I Long to Live on Long Island."
BS: Maybe you tapped into an archetypal memory.
JO:
Yes, exactly. A song from our collective unconscious - something all of humanity
shared. I felt it belonged to all of us. I was so inspired I copyrighted it
right away.
BS: Well, I appreciate how open you're been in discussing these songs.
VL:
We believe in being totally honest with you.
JO:
Our public has a right to know everything.
BS: One last thing. I'd like to ask you about the more serious songs on the
CD. They're a little more disturbing. What's the story on them?
JO: Gee, time's up. We'll catch you later.
VL:
Gotta pick up the babysitter. It's been fun chatting with you, Bic.
In addition,
these testimonials have been gathered from audience members at
recent oleary&lalli
live performances during the past year.....
"Hard to describe."
"Let me get back to you on that."
"I loved the food."
"It's, like, a cross between John O'Leary and Vic Lalli."
"Every song was really fast or really slow or in-between."
"Unforgettable, sort of."
"They make the best chicken noises of any group I've heard."
"Partially awesome."
"I liked how they could sing and play at the same time."