Johnny O'Neil , a third album "Brand New Day".
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Now a solopreneur in private practice as a forensic psychologist, O'Neil conducts Independent Psychological Evaluations (IPEs) of claimants involved in workers' comp and personal injury cases, and provides courtroom testimony as an expert witness – a fascinating occupation to be sure. In fact, he found himself interviewing dozens of Minneapolis police officers who filed disability claims due to PTSD in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Not surprisingly, for O'Neil, playing music is an invaluable form of therapy and expressing his emotions. "I don't have a choice, I have to play music," he says. "It's how I'm wired and how I preserve my sanity. It's therapy for me. I'll be performing until my last gasp."
O'Neil fell in love with music at the age of five, begging his parents to buy him a guitar after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which they finally did when he turned eight years old. The stars aligned when his future Dare Force bandmate, Brian Bart, moved in across the street when he was nine. "We had a tussle over something silly in the front yard, then my mom invited us in for a piece of cake; we've been thick as thieves ever since," O'Neil says.
O'Neil and Bart immediately bonded over their mutual love of music (including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Steppenwolf, and Creedence Clearwater Revival), and quickly formed a band together. One of their first gigs was at Sunny Hollow Elementary School in 6th grade, where Bob Dylan's younger brother, David Zimmerman, was their music teacher and introduced their band to an audience of 500-some fellow classmates.
Infusing his songwriting with his personal values of tolerance, compassion and empathy throughout his career, O'Neil believes that an important part of an artist's job is to not only reflect what's going on in the world, but also to comment on it and influence it. To this end, O'Neil's driving rock tunes go beyond being simply upbeat, feel-good rock 'n roll, to songs that really have something to say to the world.
DARE FORCE: (Johnny O'Neil's previous band Dare Force)
Dare Force was a legendary hard rock/heavy metal band based in Minneapolis that was initially founded by Johnny and Brian Bart when they were 18 years old. Dare Force released three albums in the 1980s and performed in concert with numerous national acts such as KISS, Ted Nugent, Triumph, Kansas, UFO, the Joe Perry Project, and Ratt, as well as headlining in venues throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Dare Force also had several songs that received heavy airplay on rock radio stations throughout the midwestern US in the 1980s. Dare Force released its third album, "Firepower," with a reformed version of the band in 1989. The original lineup performed occasional reunion gigs after the long run of the original band ended in 1987, but the original version of Dare Force stopped performing live altogether after their last reunion show in 2002. Dare Force reformed yet again with a return to a four-piece lineup in 2017, and released its fourth album, "Callin' Your Name," in 2018.
1. BRAND NEW DAY (J. O'Neil)
2. TAKE ME DOWN (J. O'Neil, J. Funk)
3. MY MONA (J. O'Neil, J. Funk)
4. IT'S TOO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE (R. Hogan)*
5. WHEN JANIE MOVED INTO TOWN (J. O'Neil)
6. IN SEARCH OF (J. O'Neil)
7. COMIN' DOWN LIKE A MOUNTAIN (J. O'Neil)
8. HANDS UP (J. O'Neil, J. Funk)
9. DON'T BELIEVE A WORD (P. Lynott)**
10. TELL ME YOUR STORY (J. O'Neil)
Band Members:
JOHNNY O'NEIL: All Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitars
SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS:
JASON PETERSON DELAIRE
Saxophone on "My Mona"
Piano & Organ on "My Mona,"
"Hands Up" & "Tell Me Your Story"
BRIANNA JORGENSEN
Backing Vocals on
"Brand New Day" & "My Mona"
JASON WOLFE
Violin on "Tell Me Your Story"
RECORDED AT:
Pachyderm Studios
Cannon Falls, MN
Assistant Engineer:
Nick Tveitbakk
Winterland Studios
Minneapolis, mn
Assistant Engineer:
Todd Fitzgerald
Logic Recording
Minnetonka, MN
Engineer: Brian Bart
String Arrangement on
"Tell Me Your Story"
by Johnny O'Neil & Brian Bart
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Johnny O'Neil
PRODUCED BY:
The Blood Brothers –
Johnny O'Neil & Brian Bart
RECORDED, ENGINEERED,
MIXED & MASTERED BY:
Brian Bart