Photo by Estelle Silberman
Nikki O'Neill Biography
Nikki O'Neill is a singer, lead guitar player and songwriter in LA. Her music and stage persona appeals to fans of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Susan Tedeschi, Joan Osborne and Shelby Lynn.
What sets her apart is how she blends Memphis soul with classic British rock... especially The Beatles and the mellower side of Led Zeppelin. These influences echo through her use of color chords and unexpected changes that drive the feel of her songs.
"Starting Over", "It's Simple (But It's Not Easy)", and "Some Day", feature Nikki on vocals and all the guitars - including lead guitar. She co-produced the songs with Dapo Torimiro, recent keyboard player for Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder. Since Nikki was looking for an earthy, soulful 70's feel, the collaboration was a perfect starting point, leading to her band forming in October of 2007.
Nikki's band features drummer Rich Lackowski and bass player Josh "Cartier" Cutsinger, who both hail from Chicago. Rich is the author of best-selling drum-instruction book "On the Beaten Path" (Alfred Publishing), and Josh is a Grammy-nominated producer-engineer.
They kicked off 2008 by playing at the winter NAMM show in Anaheim. Right now, they're auditioning Hammond players for their 2008 CA tour and Chicago festival dates.In 2007, Nikki was featured on The Today Show, performing "Starting Over" in a women-in-rock segment with Bonnie Raitt and Daisy Rock Guitars.
Coming from Santa Monica, by way of Sweden, Poland and New York City, Nikki is a cosmopolitan in the truest sense of the word. Daughter of a Polish mother and a war veteran father, who left the family with few clues about his past or nationality, Nikki moved to Stockholm, Sweden, when she was seven. During one summer, she also lived in Poland. "Everyone in my family has moved around the world a lot", she says. "I used to be really drawn to gypsies as a kid."
She's taught the only university-level class in the U.S. in "Women's Contemporary Rock Guitar" at The New School in NYC, focusing on rock and blues players like Joan Jett, PJ Harvey and Bonnie Raitt. She's written articles on guitar gear for Rockrgrl Magazine, and interviewed Warren Haynes and other guitar heroes for Scandinavia's premiere guitar magazine, Fuzz.
In 2006, Nikki was even flown in to Sweden to be a guest teacher at an all-women's rock music college program on the medieval island of Gotland, where the famous film director Ingmar Bergman lived. At the end of her stay, she taught a 5-hour seminar on the history of women in rock.
Back in 2003, Nikki auditioned as the lead guitarist for Courtney Love by submitting a video to the international casting call. A few weeks later, she got a call from Courtney in the middle of the night, saying she really loved her playing and writing, but suggesting an image change to look more "Goth/Williamsburg." "I'm a really bad actor - I only know how to be myself and if I fake it, my playing suffers too", Nikki says. "But that was a fun moment."
Nikki is endorsed by Daisy Rock Guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, and Kustom Amps. She's a recipient of The Martin Guitar Scholarship.
"Nikki's songwriting is a breath of fresh air. She breaks the mold without moving outside the boundaries of popular music. Her songs are infectious and satisfying and her solos are tasty and melodic. I always feel better after hearing her play."
- Ron Manus, Executive Vice President, Alfred Publishing.