Rodney Owl (aka Mark McConville) is originally from Lurgan in Co. Armagh and has been living and playing music in Galway since 1996. Having grown up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, Mark found his way to music in his mid-teens after a successful career as an amateur boxer.
His new album ‘Truth Is Broken’, released in April 2023, showcases the singularly unique brilliance of McConville’s songwriting and musicianship, as produced by the renowned Alex Borwick and the Black Gate Label.
A collection of 12 remarkable songs, with influences as diverse as Aldous Harding, Lumen Drones, Velvet Underground, The Smiths and Sly & The Family Stone, ‘Truth Is Broken’ carves out a unique and compelling space for Rodney Owl in the Irish musical landscape. He defines his music as Electric Folk and it is in turn breathless, immersive, thought-provoking, quirky and whimsical– sometimes all at once.
Combining music venue, recording studio, record label and production house, The Black Gate is at the very heart of the Irish music industry and the cutting edge of Irish indie, folk and jazz music.
Established in Galway City in 2017 the venue has hosted some of the finest artists in the world, provided a platform for emerging acts and is an integral part of the Irish music scene, while a world-class recording studio above the venue has produced over twenty albums including Niamh Regan’s Hemet, the first release on the Black Gate Label and nominee for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year.
“Not of this time, Rodney Owl writes beautifully arranged and accomplished songs. Shades of Love, Lambchop, early REM.” – Cian Ó Cíobháin An Taobh Tuathail, RTÉ RnaG
“Elegant, folksy guitar picking, a sweet wisp of melody, reminiscent of acoustic legend Nick Drake” – Across the Line, BBC Radio Ulster
“’Truth Is Broken’ is richer and more luscious than anything it succeeds. Its twelve tracks dance between stripped back, reflective meditations and abstract, guitar-driven indie-rock.” – Cian O’Connell, The Connacht Tribune
‘Truth is Broken’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.
