Meet Brian O’neil

We were lucky to catch up with Brian O’neil recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

In terms of songwriting, it can be as simple as listening to a new album/artist or just reading something interesting. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be related to music – just learning more about the world can inspire new ideas that can be worked into music somehow. And the best part is that you don’t really know how that’s going to happen, experiences sort of bury themselves in our minds and come out when they’re needed.

In terms of performance, it helps to look at those who are at the peak of their instrument/skill, and learn how they got there. We all started as beginners, and tracing the progress of those at the top shows that it’s always possible to improve. It also helps to take influences from other genres and see how players from different backgrounds approach their instruments.

It’s also good to surround yourself with diverse influences. In my band Eroica, Ardem (drums) and Dylan (lead guitar) are jazz musicians in the LA scene. I’ve had a lifelong interest in classical music and composition, and Mars (bass) has his roots in DIY and punk rock that go back to his highschool days with Ardem. The four of us, all with very different musical backgrounds, each bring new ideas to the table based on our respective musical experiences.

And of course, collaboration with other artists is vital for fostering creativity. I’ve had great experiences working with other people in my music scene with bands like Siam Jem, Humbug, Microplastics, Suspended in Cobwebs, and countless others. It’s great when you meet someone you work well with – someone who’s spent as much time thinking about and obsessing over music as you have. Two people can generate ideas neither of them could have imagined if they were working alone. In Fünderguns especially, me and my bandmate Ethan have great songwriting chemistry. We can write 3 or 4 new songs in a single afternoon, all spawning from inside jokes or conversations we’ve had earlier in the day. It’s all about finding the right people.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Brian O’Neil, I’m a musician and songwriter in the LA scene. I’m currently in two bands – Eroica, which is a four-piece post-rock/alternative group, and Fünderguns and the Monkey king, which is a two-piece alternative comedy band. We released the first Eroica EP, Alienism in 2023 and the single Bat Wings in 2024, and we’re currently working on the first full-length Eroica record.

I’ve been making music practically my whole life, and its wonderful to share that passion with others. I’ve loved playing shows in the area and reaching out to other like-minded musicians. It’s also been wonderful to see how both group’s live sets have evolved over the last year as we play more shows and pieces begin to fall into place arrangement-wise. I’m lucky to have such talented bandmates in both groups, and I’m excited to show our music to whoever’s willing to listen.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three most important aspects of being a musician, to me at least, are practice, communication, and open-mindedness. Practice can mean many different things depending on your field/role in a band, but it doesn’t necessarily mean spending 8 hours a day doing scales (though that isn’t a bad place to start!) The important thing about practice is that you make yourself a routine and stick to it. Even something like a 30 minute drill every day can make a huge difference over time.

Communication is vital, especially when you’re playing in a group with others. I’ve read about the sort of psychology behind teamwork, and how it played into human evolution. Hunter gatherer type stuff. We live in an age where those skills don’t get much exercise anymore, but they can come out in things like music. Getting to know your bandmates to a point where you can reason out their next move and adapt accordingly is psychologically rewarding. It’s like how being a Neanderthal and taking down a wooly mammoth with your boys would’ve felt back in the day. Those instincts aren’t obsolete, they’re channeled into other pursuits. And of course, listening to what your bandmates are playing is vital. All band members should be listening to what each other are playing, and need to work off of each other to ensure a great performance.

Open mindedness is key for creativity. All forms of art and music have something to offer, so exposure to vast amounts of other works can make writing and performing music much easier, and constant exposure to new things puts you in a good headspace to create.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I think about this a lot. I’m at the point where I think being well rounded is the best asset someone could have, as it gives you multiple wells of skill and knowledge to pull from. Healthy eating, exercise, and good sleep habits are all things that can be individually worked on, but all three at once are essential for good health. Similarly, in music, having a solid knowledge of multiple aspects (writing, performing, producing, etc) will give you a huge initial base to draw from. While working on the upcoming Eroica album, I’ve realized how much I’ve learned over the last few years, especially production-wise. I worked at a recording studio last year, and I’ve learned a great deal about how to run an effective recording session and how to maintain artistic integrity throughout the production process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eroica_band and https://www.instagram.com/fa_monkey_king/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Eroica117
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fuenderguns-and-the-monkey-king
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CBI97E6d08Tyiq2kvkxVD?si=Nmx4nOJuR6KFgcuNt9ncGg
  https://open.spotify.com/artist/54kULKat0Q2dF7cukH1VpI?si=6iIvCoHIQH2rovEQtABQfw

Image Credits

Taylor Woolstenhulme
Will David