“Great lyrics, very clever… he has a lovely voice” – Steve Lillywhite, Grammy Award-winning producer (U2, the Rolling Stones)
“I would dream of having a voice like that” – Owen Paul
Anthony O’Neill’s introduction was a true baptism of fire. After recording a Johnny Cash tribute EP with the Baby Snakes in 1991 – long before Cash regained his rightful standing under the auspices of Rick Rubin – he was invited to join Johnny onstage for a song during his UK tour.
Of course, at the time he didn’t realise just how big a deal that was, but he was emboldened by Johnny’s opening words to the band: “Ah’m so honoured you boys are doing my music”.
With that injection of neat country and western straight into the veins, it became an interest and a passion for him from that moment onwards.
Born in Scotland but now living in London, he has played and recorded with many artists over the years, live, in the studio and for sessions – but he is now striking out on his own.
Why Anthony O’Neill and the Murder? The collective noun for crows seemed to fit the bill as various musicians come and go. But with the option of live dates later in the year, he is now looking for musicians to join him for some gigs.
Anthony’s EP “All That’s Left To Rust” contains five tracks, all recorded during the latter part of 2023. Although Anthony played the majority of instruments on the recording, he augmented the recordings with a few other musicians including guitar virtuoso Nick Clifford, multi-talented violinist Liz Menezes, and expert keyboard player Ruslan Gatash.
He is already working on a new set of tracks, with a view to having an album out by the end of the year.
Hot on the heels of being named finalists at the 2024 UK Country Music Awards for UK Country Artist of the Year and UK Country Group of the Year, Anthony O’Neill and the Murder have gone a bit retro and released a double A-side – The L&N Don’t Stop Here c/w Muddy Waters.
The L&N Don’t Stop Here is a ferocious callback to the old, old days of stripped-down recordings. Taken at an unsafe speed, The L&N Don’t Stop Here is a tale of loss, poverty and austerity – subjects that, despite the song’s retro feel, are highly relevant today.
The track is released on 5 August 2024 and, in keeping with the old-school approach, it is only available in mono. “There is a stereo mix,” says Anthony, “but it’s only being played on a select few radio stations… so if you want a copy of that, tune in and bootleg it!”
Mud and silt: two terrible nemeses for farmers. Even today – perhaps even more so today – a legacy of generations can be wiped out overnight. And that’s the theme for Muddy Water, the latest track from Anthony O’Neill and the Murder – a dark and moody meditation on what you do when you lose – well, everything. “We haven’t ruled out doing a fun, upbeat song at some point,” says Anthony. “But today is not that day.”
