Chops (aka Gary A. MacConnie) was born and grew up Connecticut's greater New Haven area. An avid follower of music and subculture, it was an eventuality that he settled down in the Elm City, a hub for underground music. No stranger to strings, he plays mandolin, tenor banjo, Irish bouzouki, guitar, tenor guitar, bass, and cümbüş.
Past and present musical endeavors have included Roadkill, Epitaph, Molybdenum, Kill Ratio, Toxic Elvis, D-FY, Boiling Man, Broken Bottles, Disaster Party, Boot Riot, Barleywine, Maistín, No Image and Collins & MacConnie (both The Dammy Bhoys and The Rabble Rousers.)
His current musical ventures are an Irish/Americana folk group called The Alehounds, a seisiún/performance group called Brannigan's Corner and a spin-off duo with a member of Brannigan's Corner called Two In The Boot, and his solo act The One And Only Chops. He has shared the stage, played events with or sat in with such artists and groups as...
Murphy's Law, The Business, Below The Gaff, The Misfits, Velvetone, The Tossers, The Anti-Heroes, Ray Kelly & The Mickey Finns, Warzone, The Swaggerin' Growlers, Liz McNicholl, Hatebreed, The Pist, Government Issue, Darkbuster, Nasty Disaster, Drago, Flogging Molly, The Bloodshot Hooligans, Lion Of Judah, North Sea Gas, Cause For Alarm, The Kerry Boys, The Highland Rovers, John Whelan, The Baltimore Footstompers, Padraig Allen & The Whole Shebang & The McLean Avenue Band, Oxymoron, Darren Maloney, The Stratford Mercenaries, SFA, Mighty Ploughboys, Retching Red, Broken, Joe Gerhard, The Dropkick Murphys, De Drangdüwels, Showcase Showdown, 595, Pio & Donie Ryan, The Ducky Boys, Jessica Semins, The Spoilers, Balzac, Assrash, The Unseen, Allen Gogarty, Peter & The Test Tube Babies, The Cobra-Matics, Citizen Fish, Sean McCabe, Bob Log III, Neglect, Dave Barckow & Vonnie Quinn, Los Crudos, Sasquatch & The Sickabillies, Archaic Pax, Isaac Alderson, Two Man Advantage, The Young Dubliners, and countless others.
Past and present musical endeavors have included Roadkill, Epitaph, Molybdenum, Kill Ratio, Toxic Elvis, D-FY, Boiling Man, Broken Bottles, Disaster Party, Boot Riot, Barleywine, Maistín, No Image and Collins & MacConnie (both The Dammy Bhoys and The Rabble Rousers.)
His current musical ventures are an Irish/Americana folk group called The Alehounds, a seisiún/performance group called Brannigan's Corner and a spin-off duo with a member of Brannigan's Corner called Two In The Boot, and his solo act The One And Only Chops. He has shared the stage, played events with or sat in with such artists and groups as...
Murphy's Law, The Business, Below The Gaff, The Misfits, Velvetone, The Tossers, The Anti-Heroes, Ray Kelly & The Mickey Finns, Warzone, The Swaggerin' Growlers, Liz McNicholl, Hatebreed, The Pist, Government Issue, Darkbuster, Nasty Disaster, Drago, Flogging Molly, The Bloodshot Hooligans, Lion Of Judah, North Sea Gas, Cause For Alarm, The Kerry Boys, The Highland Rovers, John Whelan, The Baltimore Footstompers, Padraig Allen & The Whole Shebang & The McLean Avenue Band, Oxymoron, Darren Maloney, The Stratford Mercenaries, SFA, Mighty Ploughboys, Retching Red, Broken, Joe Gerhard, The Dropkick Murphys, De Drangdüwels, Showcase Showdown, 595, Pio & Donie Ryan, The Ducky Boys, Jessica Semins, The Spoilers, Balzac, Assrash, The Unseen, Allen Gogarty, Peter & The Test Tube Babies, The Cobra-Matics, Citizen Fish, Sean McCabe, Bob Log III, Neglect, Dave Barckow & Vonnie Quinn, Los Crudos, Sasquatch & The Sickabillies, Archaic Pax, Isaac Alderson, Two Man Advantage, The Young Dubliners, and countless others.