Guyo is the artist persona, and fictional character created by the mind of Connor O’Leary: a solo musical artist from the Midwestern United States, blending musical styles from genres like Rock, Jazz, Folk, Pop, and Punk, to result in a sound that is cutting-edge, but Classically influenced. His Freshman album, Total Lunacy, immerses the listener in a story about a young man (Guyo) who has to make an impossible decision: to chase his dreams, or pursue a practical life of security. The album dives deep, considering the pros and cons of each path, and the moral complexity involved with trying to have it all. Deeply spiritual with a global perspective, the album considers the nature of existence, piety, and love, all while trying not to exclude any specific religious perspective or worldview. The album uses the vehicle of the Divine Feminine (the dark “Yin” counterpart to the masculine “Yang,” in a Taoist perspective), to generalize his (Guyo’s) own relationship with his significant-other-turned-ex-girlfriend. A story in 2 acts, Connor recommends taking an intermission somewhere around track 7 (“Goodbye, Heartland”) to break up the listening experience, giving the listener space to digest the full scope of the music effectively. In music, silence is equally as important as sound.

The album also deals with themes like struggling to fit in (both socially, and as an Indie artist in the Pop-cultural music scene), self-doubt/self-esteem as an entertainer, and of course, questioning one’s own sanity in the wake of heartbreak. Guyo goes through an emotional journey where he is asked to make uncomfortable compromises in order to feel validated as a lover, and to be taken seriously as a Rockstar. Feeling like nobody could ever understand, Guyo finds solace talking to the Moon, the embodiment of the Divine Feminine in an astrological perspective (juxtaposed by the masculine, ego-oriented, Sun). He becomes obsessed, driven to madness (open to interpretation), leaving his old life of lavish to pursue a new one of inward investigation. Feeling rejected by society, Guyo quarrels with the desire to be seen, and the social pressure to fit in to the world of Rock. Guyo is confronted by temptation, coming to him in the form of sex, drugs, and other worldly pleasure, never taking definitive action, but allowing the listener to decide for themselves what they would do in these situations. Connor asks the listener to have a meditative perspective when listening, especially in the later half of the album, asking that you sustain your judgements, and simply listen to the music the way you might listen to your thoughts while meditating - not judging them, but just noting them, and letting them be. Society will have you believe that Rock and Roll is “cool,” that sex is “cool,” that drugs are “cool,” but it is up to you to decided for yourself how those things fit into your own life. Connor/Guyo does not condone or encourage drug use, but simply notes that it exists, especially in the world of Rock and Roll.

Fun Fact: It is argued that the first art ever discovered by archeologists were vases depicting the form of early human female bodies. Total Lunacy is an ode to the Moon, representing the divine feminine in an astrological lens, embodied by the guitar in this traditional Rockband setup. While the instrumentation is not consistently a direct correlation, generally, the soprano parts represent Guyo’s Yin (inner thoughts), while the bass represents his Yang (outward expression). The interplay of the two creates the musical sound of Guyo, imbuing the listener with the Guyo experience. Connor/Guyo is currently in the production process of his Sophomore album, tentatively titled “Internal Reflections,” which will delve deeply into the juxtaposition between what we think and what we say, what we feel and what we do, and what we have the potential to be, and what we are.

Total Lunacy was written, recorded, and produced by Connor O’Leary, entirely independently, in his home-office, in the Summer of 2025. Instruments used include the electric guitar, electric bass, acoustic guitar, drum kit, piano, and a number of synthesized sounds, not to mention vocals. The associated audio files are comprised of exactly 5,612,108 points of inflection, or 2,806,054 individual sound waves, I counted (or, at least, a Python code I wrote did). Guyo’s main musical influences are Tame Impala, OK Go, Pink Floyd, Dick Dale, and Joseph Haydn. While Connor does not care to comment definitively on his own personal religious/worldview at this time, his message as Guyo is simple: Coexist ✌️

As an alternative thinker, Guyo believes in a global consciousness, and that Love is the fundamental substance of the universe. The name “Guyo” is an invention that resembles a masculine counterpart to the feminine idea of Gaia, the collective global consciousness. Considering the connection between the ideas of Atman and Brahman in the Hindu faith, Guyo represents what it means to be an individual in the cosmos, and hopes to make music that all individuals can relate to, regardless of faith, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or background.