In the course of a few days Molly O’Leary went from bummed out to “super pumped.”
Last week the 26-year old songwriter was quarantined in their New Bedford home, beset with COVID-19, unable to work or perform. But it didn’t take long for their fortunes to reverse as some of their songs began appearing on Spotify playlists and getting grand reviews from a popular blog – something that led to a dose of admiration and support from one of her musical heroes.
When the Rock the Pigeon blog recently gave O’Leary praise for the song “XIII” (a track from her new album “Holding Space”), it caught the attention of Ryan Cassata, a songwriter and activist for LGBTQ+ rights, one of O’Leary’s favorite artists. Cassata reached out to O’Leary on Instagram, telling her how much he liked the song, leading to a cyber conversation between the two musicians.
“Ryan Cassata has always been a big inspiration for me, someone I admire very much,” O’Leary says.
The songs that have appeared on the Spotify playlists are “XIII,” “Karen Carpenter,” “Floating,” and “Go Rogue.” “Holding Space” can be accessed at mollyolearymusic.com, and you can follow her on social media @mollyolearymusic.
And O’Leary is on the verge of acquiring more admirers – they are booking a tour for the summer that will take them throughout the East Coast, including the Mid-Atlantic states and the Northeast, their first musical voyage outside of the region.
Sonic SouthCoast 