Ryan-O'Neil - "Brooklyn Bound"

[trillontop]

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ryan-O'Neil moved to Queens, NY in 1994 at the age of 10. He's currently a singer/songwriter and plays guitar with his band The Bandits. His music has been described as "a cool hybrid between the groove of Hendrix and the grit of Neil Young."


A fan of music from a young age, Ryan-O'Neil's high school years at the "Fame(d)" LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and The Performing Arts in NYC sparked his passion in music making. Performing in choral ensembles, and acapella doo wop groups in high school and college, gave Ryan much needed lessons in music theory, harmony, and song structure. Add this to his growing tendency towards rapping with his high school friends, Ryan-O'Neil was slowly putting together the tools he would need to become the songwriter he strives to be.

After graduating with a degree in Music from Hobart College, Ryan-O'Neil wrote and recorded 2 hip hop albums with DJ/Producer 100dBs. "The Adventures of The Slum Computer Wizard and The One Hand Bandit, (2007)" an admittedly long title was well received in the NYC indie hip hop scene. "The Adventures..." was written up on Okayplayer.com as well as the hip hop blog Nahright. The pair took a break and finally released "Tea & Spliffs" in 2012 through Independent hip hop label HipNott Records. In the meantime, Ryan-O'Neil recorded numerous single releases with Kats and Domer's Free Ice Cream label. He released his solo hip hop EP "Hyphenated & Apostrophed" also under their label.

In 2014 Ryan-O'Neil recorded and independently released his eponymous EP. A break from his previous hip hop, Ryan-O'Neil was a step in the direction of songwriting greats like Paul Simon, Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan. Although he was born missing his right hand from a congenital birth defect, Ryan-O'Neil has always been encouraged to push himself to be "like all the other kids." He has been practicing the guitar, even teaching the instrument to over 20 kids in NYC. He continues to work toward being the best musician he can possibly be.

Glad you decided to check us out, You can find Ryan performing in and around NYC, checking out other bands perform, or otherwise having a good old time. Join our mailing list if you want to be down!