John Alexander O'Neill - Drums

Ok, here it is, a short Biog...

Started playing drums in my mid teens in 1974... yep it's that long ago!

I spent a few years playing on the Scottish music scene including a spell with Chou Pahrot with whom I did one album and a UK tour and a German tour. They were a pretty wild band and the audiences were even wilder. After I left the 'parrots' I formed a fusion band known as 'The Thirteenth Guest' and we played a mix of original music as well as Mahavishnu Orchestra covers.

In '82 I did four months in Johanesburg playing in an Elvis Showband before I had enough of that and left for London. I soon got into the West End Theatre gig scene and spent more years than I should have playing theatre shows.

In addition to playing in theatre I also did some TV and radio sessions including 'The Tube' and 'Pebble Mill' as well as doing Jazz and pop sessions for the BBC.

Theatre shows include:

• Jesus Christ Superstar - UK tour
• The Fantastics
• Alice - Leeds playhouse
• Song and Dance - 3 UK tours, London Shaftesbury Theatre, European tour
• The Sloane Ranger Revue - Dury Lane London, Theatre Royal Windsor
• The Snow Queen - York
• Blood Brothers - UK tour
• Wayne Sleep's 'bits and pieces'- UK tour
• Two Royal Gala performances for Princess Diana
• Blue Angel (Royal Shakespeare Company, London)
• Chess - UK tour, European tour
• Some like it hot - UK tour
• CATS - UK tour, Euro-tour -Switzerland, France, Italy, Vienna. Kuala-lumpur

I finally gave up playing shows in the late '90s and I disappeared into the Sussex countryside to teach hang-gliding for 3 years before going travelling round the Pacific taking photographs.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with many very talented people including :

Kiki Dee, Max Headroom (Matt Frewer), Marti Webb, Wayne Sleep, Trevor Nunn, Ned Sherrin, Bruce Payne, Wesley McGoogan (Hazel O'Connor, Billy Ocean), Gordon Hunt (Sade), Nigel Clark (Hue and Cry), Steve Topping (Alan Holdsworth) Gary Husband (Level 42), Aileen McLaughlin (Lisa Stansfield), and many others including Kevin Fitzsimmons who is without doubt the most talented pianist I've ever heard but that's another story....

I also had the pleasure of working in the mid '80s with founding Genesis member Anthony Phillips. I played drums in the world premiere of Anthony's theatre show 'Alice' which opened at Leeds Playhouse.

Links to information about this:
http://www.anthonyphillips.co.uk/archives/alice/cast.htm
http://www.anthonyphillips.co.uk/archives/alice/press2.htm

Around this time I got a call from Pete Vitesse, the keyboard player with Jethro Tull who said he had heard a recording of my playing and would I come and do some playing with them with a view to joining them. Of course I said no, I'm too busy.....

I had been a fan of their music since my schoodays and suddenly I was playing in the same room with them. They were looking at a few other guys at the time - Simon Phillips and Mel Gaynor were two other names on the short-list. Finally they went with an american guy called Doane Perry and he stayed with them for a long time after that.

Some people might remember a TV character in the mid '80s called Max Headroom. I came home one day and there was a phone message that said I had to call Max. Of course, I thought it was a joke so I didn't call it but next day, sure enough he called again. It actually was Max Headroom or at least the guy who played him (Matt Frewer). He needed a drummer for his band who were going to tour in the USA. I went along to a few rehearsals which were all done in a big dark room with lots of smoke machines and spinning lights. There was so much smoke and lights that nobody could see anbody else. After about 3 rehearsals I decided that this wasn't going to work and I packed up and left. They didn't even see me leaving as there was so much smoke and noise in the room.

So, now I'm doing the Los Endos gig. I like doing it because I grew up listening to the music of Genesis from the Gabriel era and it's nice to be able to go out and play it to people who also appreciate those songs. It's good to be playing with a great bunch of guys too!

For those who are interested , I use the following with Los Endos :

DRUMS

Six Aria concert toms 8.10,12,14,15,16
One Sonor 22x16 bass drum.
14x6 Beverley metal shell snare.

HEADS

Toms - Remo Pinstripe or Black spots
Snare - Evans Genera
Bass - Remo Pinstripe

CYMBALS

A mixed bag of - K-Zildjian, Avedis Zildian, Sabian, Paiste

My Los Endos set-up

Why do I use Aria toms? Well, it's not easy getting hold of a set of concert toms these days, they are about as rare as a truthful polititian. I found this set on Ebay and just couldn't say no.

The Arias sound as good as anything else anyway when you stick some mics on them. The concert tom set-up mimics the Collins set up and gives that barking sound that he gets from his kit. They seem to sound best with black spot CS heads although pin-stripes work pretty well on them too.

 

In other musical situations I also use:

DRUMS

Pearl BLX birch shell drums in Sequoia Red.
Toms - 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16
Bass - 22, with double pedals
Snare drums by Yamaha, Hayman, Beverley

or

Remo drums
10, 12, 14, 15, toms (acousticon shells)
20, bass drum
14x3 piccollo maple shell snare

or

Premier XPK drums
8, 10, 12, 14, 16 toms
22 bass
various snares

or

Remo Roto-toms
6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18
Sonor 22 Bass drum
various snare drums

I very, very occasionally dig out my old Sonorphonic kit but mostly it just sits there getting more and more vintage. I'll sell it one day and retire....

ELECTRONICS

DDrum 2
Akai S900 Sampler

GONGS

Paiste
Wuhan

My Remo Kit

My Roto-tom set up

My beloved Pearl BLX kit

Q... How come I've got so many drums?
A... I can't help it, I just love drums.