My darling wife before the hearth on our last day in The Israel Stevens House. After twenty years, we sold our Lawrenceville home and have moved on.
Parlor Guitar
An early Christmas present for my darling wife.
WINK Service at PCOL
Yesterday evening I provided the music for the first WINK service of the 2018-19 series.
Printer Not Liable for Errors
A bit of tongue-in-cheek humor from the mind of Sam Graff, former editor for the NY Daily News. Sam created this back in the 1980s for a Trent House fundraiser at which Carl Daugherty and I performed.
Note the disclaimer at the bottom of the bill: Printer Not Liable for Errors.
Bristol AOH
Egad time for a haircut!
Tir na nOg with Joe Kramer
Terhune Orchards
Dubliner on the Delaware
Tonight we played over in New Hope at Dubliner on the Delaware. We are booked to return in September, November, and monthly through the end of May.
Evergreen Forum Course
Greetings,
This fall I will teach an eight-session course entitled “Themes in Irish Folk Music”. Class will meet in “downtown” Lawrenceville at the Presbyterian church on Main Street.
Cheers,
Bill
Weeden Park with Joe Kramer
Art All Night Appearance Cancelled
Andrew and I were slated to be the last act on the indoor stage for Art All Night 2018. Sadly, a shooting incident cut short the festival, and the door to the stage area was marked off as a crime scene. This would have been our third annual appearance at the event, a community festival badly needed in an often troubled, fiscally depressed city. How troubled? Six of my former students (Benjamin Davilla, Sheree Davis, Jeri Lynn Dodson, Jermaine Johnson, Shamere Melvin, and Shakir Williams ) have been shot dead in the past few years. I would mention, as a Trenton-area native, that Trenton is no longer the city it was when I was a child. The decline began in earnest when James Earl Ray’s actions incited a riot in our city. Trenton has long been in need of federal intervention and has suffered from many years of poor leadership, underfunding, poor tax base, and suburban flight.
A former student from and (very) short-time fellow teacher at the high school in Trenton where I taught for many years, Jerrell Blakely, who was quite recently elected councilman-at-large, stated in this morning’s Trenton Times:
“There is a tendency when a tragic event occurs to pull back and retreat, but I think Trenton has to show the world that we won’t be frightened,” he said. “We can’t allow folks that mean us harm to change such a beautiful event.”
I disagree with Blakely’s naive remarks. The perpetrators are gangbanging criminals, not terrorists. In my opinion, this tragedy WILL have a frightening effect on would-be festival attendees. Art All Night’s reputation as a family-centered affair has been seriously and possibly irrevocably tarnished. The people of Trenton have a serious crime element embedded in their midst; this city of primarily respectable citizens needs to remove this surly element from their midst.
John
I am so very pleased with my oldest son, John O’Neal, who plays music in his adopted home of Monteverde, Costa Rica. Like his younger sister, he has a unique and beautiful voice which comes straight from his soul. By all indications my granddaughter, Elisabeth, will follow in his footsteps. God bless them.
It’s Over…
March madness ended last night. The Tir na nOg birthday celebration for Trenton mayoral candidate Reed Gusciora, the last of numerous March gigs, is now behind us. My sound equipment has returned to its garret home until May or June. It is my desire to spend Mid-March of 2019 in the north of Ireland, playing music with James McCarthy.
March is Nearly Over
Hi All,
It’s been a busy month. Many gigs. One more weekend of them to go.
Here’s a few pics.
All the Best,
Belmar Taylor Pavilion
A fun evening last night on Ocean Avenue in Belmar. We played a two-hour concert for the Belmar Public Library.
Happy March
Hi All. It’s been a busy one so far, even with all of the bad weather we’ve been seeing. The photo below is from this past Saturday at Bill’s Olde Tavern in Hamilton. Three awesome operatic singers out for a bit o’ fun! We’ll be back there on St. Patrick’s Day from Noon until 2pm so please stop in.
Make Room for Poetry
Recording Session
Last Saturday night Kaitlin, Chris, Andrew, and I spent a few hours in the recording studio laying down audio tracks for the Comma Music, a Chicago-based music library company. It was fun. We recorded instrumental tunes—jigs, reels, & hornpipes. To learn more about Comma Music, visit their website.
http://commamusic.com/
Update March 2: The tunes we recorded for Comma Music Library are now loaded to their site. Go here and filter for Public Domain. We’re the selections directly above Mozart. If you click the top one, the rest will auto feed.
http://catalog.commamusic.com/
Joe Kramer and Bill
Photo taken by Fran Gentile in the 1970s on Riverside Drive near Blaugard Island/Log Basin.
Princeton Farmers’ Market
What a gorgeous November fall day for our two hour gig on Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton, NJ. We’ll be back to play in the spring.
Poetry in the Schools
Geraldine Dodge Poetry gave me a photo credit. The same photo also appeared in the 2016 & 2018 GR Dodge Poetry Festival Programs.
West Windsor Farmers’ Market
Belmar Public Library
The guitar on the lawn at the Belmar Library is a tribute to the E-Street Band, which in its early years used to practice down the street at David Sancious’ mother’s house at 1107 E Street
Butterfly Festival in Pennington
Lawrenceville Main Street Concert
Chris and Bill performing in Weeden Park, Lawrenceville on July 20th.
July Update
Greetings.
I retired from teaching at the start of this month. I will miss many things. I will miss guitar club. I will miss teaching Greek mythology, especially Homer. But teaching is not what I will most miss about teaching. I will most miss no longer being there to greet and speak to former students. That has always been my greatest joy.
By no means have I retired from writing and performing music. We’ve booked five or so gigs for both July and August at various venues. I will also continue on as a member of the leadership team of The National Writing Project at Rider University, and as recording secretary to the historic preservation advisory committee to the Lawrence Township planning board.
Mamma Rosa’s with Joe Kramer
Joe and I got back together for three sets of acoustic rock music on the patio at Momma Rosa’s in Hamilton, NJ. We had a great time. Here’s what one of the attendees had to say about the night:
“Bill O’Neal is famous for his Irish music but he is also great with contemporary music. What a phenomenal voice! He and Joe Kramer serenaded Bill and I tonight. Great time!” -Terri Purcell
Bill and Bill at Killarney’s
Session at Fergie’s in Philly
Killarney’s Publick House
Andrew and I hosting the open session on the Paddy-O at Killarney’s Publick House in Hamilton, NJ.
Updates
Greetings. This winter was a busy one for my music. In addition to the usual gigs, we played quite a few fundraisers, concerts, and parties. Photos from some of the events are seen in prior postings. I have migrated them to this, my new WordPress-based music site. Soon I will retire my former websire entirely. At the moment there is a lull in my performance schedule while I ready for retirement from my teaching career. It is my hope to use my free time to finish my current novel project over the summer and send it off to publishing, and to then visit friends in the Belfast area in the early fall.
Communiversity ArtsFest 2017
Palmer Square Stage in Princeton
Fundraiser at The Ivy Inn
Left to Right: Bill Felix, Andrew Koontz, Bill O’Neal, James McIlhinney
Robbinsville Parade
42 Degrees. Brrr…..Even Menelaus was freezing!
Photo by Michael Mancuso for The Times
St. Patrick’s Day
Killarney’s Session
Hamilton Parade Grand Marshall Luncheon
Temperance House Session
Temperance House Session
Trenton Irish Fest
Fiddlin’ on the Farm
Rocky Hill Library
Music in Weeden Park
The Temperance House Session
Princeton Battlefield
West Windsor Farmers’ Market
Madison Downtown Concert
Mitchell’s Session
Always a fun time at Harold Dunn’s Lambertville session. Always!
Ye Olde Anglesea Inn
The Temperance House Session
Art All Night 2016
Communiversity in Princeton
Photo by Michael Mancuso
1867 Sanctuary
Our performance raised a couple of thousand dollars for the sanctuary and was the best attended concert held to date in the former Ewing Church “Old House”.
1867 Sanctuary Open House
Andrew, Bill, and Wolf Hul perform for the open house at 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing, NJ.
Gala Fundraiser at the Madison Community House
Mercer Irish Fest
PicklePalooza 2015
Andrew & Chris relax before our performance at Island Beach State Park
Apparently I was in time out for the show. BTW this gig was a bigger disappointment for us than was “Araby” for Joyce. Total flop!
Ocean County Irish Fest
Mercer Irish Fest
Mercer Irish Fest