FYI (FAQ = Frequently asked questions)Ok.. I've been asked a lot of the same questions lately. I figured why not
answer most of those questions in one place -
(thank God for blogs)! Here are the most popular questions with answers below:UPDATED 5/6/09: Just hit 27,650 friends here. Whew! And its still ME thats maintaining my own page!
1.
a) How old are you? 44 - Birthday July 5, 1965 (yep, Cancer)
b) How tall are you? A short 6'3"
2.
Are you married? No - Divorced 7 years April 1
(what a day to have a divorce finalized) Ha!!!
(but I am married to my piano now)
3.
What do you do in your free time? Free time? Whats that? I'm a movie goer - theater or blockbuster video. When not doing that I cook, clean, do laundry, and am a DAD!
4.
Is this really you on myspace or a fan or staff worker? Its really me.. All me.
(Its extremely overwhelming at times to respond to every message/comment I receive on myspace, though, I try!!) At any point should I require a support team to run my page you will be informed. You have my word on that one! Too many times I hear people say they never get responses back from "stars" or they find out the replies they do get are not actually written by the artist but a staff person or their manager or a fan! I read every single message to me. I respond to all the ones I can get to.
5.
Did you always do music your entire life? No. I've aspired to do music my entire life but became a software engineer right out of high school. I walked off my "cushiony" corporate job of 19 years to do music full time 4 years ago. Leap of Faith? Oh YES!!!
6.
Why wont you add me to your top friends? My top friends are people that want and need promotions like myself. Mostly other artists or people in the entertainment industry. Trying to swap top friends around per everyones request would be a full-time job.
7.
Concert dates on my calendar: The entries that say "w/KEM" means I'm the keyboardist for KEM. I'm not opening up for KEM as a soloist. All concerts that I perform with MY band are marked as "Brian O'Neal @ venue name".
8.
Do you get nervous when playing on stage? Usually a few moments before I hit the stage I feel a few butterflies. Once I'm out there its all about having fun. The stage is my playground.
9.
Why do you wear hats/caps? A lot of people thought or think I'm balding. I'm not. I like hats. I'm a collector.
10.
Does your daughter play music? She has the same gift I have but doesnt care to pursue music. I'm behind her 100% at her current career choice (Bio Medical Engineering. One year left to go on her Masters degree- YES!!!)
11.
I noticed your dad isnt black. Are you bi-racial? Hmmmm. We're all mixed with something. I dont think there's a truely pure race (based on Adam and Eve / bible). At this stage in the earths evolution I dont think it really matters. I do know that music is UNIVERSAL --- not sure if I should have answered that one.. LOL
... Oh wait. I didnt answer ... Like how I eluded that question?
12.
Are you self taught in music? Yes and no. Took drum lessons as a kid but switched to piano last year of high school (self taught). After being embarrassed on stage once for not knowing the names of chords and scales on a gig I quickly taught myself how to read music also.
13.
I send you messages all the time but you never respond or you deny my posting (i dont see them listed on your page). I approve about 99% of the comments posted. Thats pretty much ALL OF THEM. I receive quite a few of them a day (hundreds) and entries are pushed further down the list pretty fast (but they're on there). Chain messages are not approved (ie: send this to 10 friends...) I still try to respond to as many as possible but its become quite overwhelming to get to them all. The hardest ones to respond to are "How are you today?", "Whats up man", "What instrument do you play?", "Where do you live?". Funny thing is I've responded to those before just to get another question similar right after it from the same person.. LOL --- too funny!!!! I think some people forget that myspace is designed for two things: Networking/marketing (for artist, musicians, film makers, business owners) and socializing. My purpose here is networking with "some" socializing. (operative word there is "SOME") ...Oh.. one more thing: Most dont notice I'm close to 20,000 friends now. That equates to tens of thousands of bulletins, birthdays, alerts, groups, blog requests, etc. There's no way I can keep track of all that. I used to think it was kinda funny that some people would curse me out for not responding to them and/or just deleting for not responding to their daily "hello's". Now I think its kinda sad. I apologize to all those that ever feel that way!
14.
Do you manage your fan site and music group thats on myspace? No. Its a fan that I met once and trust completely..
15.
What does BCO stand for? Brian Cardell O'Neal (Cardell comes from my uncles nickname.. dont ask why...
) My company is BCO Media, Inc.
16.
a) Why dont you accept graphics/html on your comments? I tried that in the past and ended up with pages and pages of comments that were all pre-fab banners and ads. No one typed a word to me.. Just dropped a picture in. I guess I'm weird like that. I try to type something to a person (making it personal). If I buy cards for people on special occasions I like to get the blank cards so I can write my OWN words or maybe append the existing message in a card.. I guess by me turning off my html option for comments is saying "talk to me" with your OWN words!
b)
Your page is sooooo plain and white. Why dont you have any colors or fancy layout? Readability. I prefer people to read/see my content and not be distracted by all the moving flashy colorful things some users put on their pages. Black text with white background is the easiest on the eyes. This keeps friends on my page longer. I decided this after trying to read a persons page that had moving parts, glitter, flashes, and an odd mix of colors. I got a headache from looking at the page and left right away.
17.
Where did your nickname "Bean" come from? Two places. The first being from when I was 16 yrs old. I came home 2 min. late (after my 9pm curfew) and my dad had made a pot of pinto beans. For being late my punishment was to eat the entire pot of beans. I attempted to (took a few hours). After that I HATED ALL BEANS. To this day you couldnt PAY me to eat a bean..
Second reason comes from a vocalist in a pop band I played keyboards for. I also sang at the time and she announced me to the mic to sing "Word Up" by Cameo. She had been drinking and decided to announce me as String Bean (as a joke). The crowd laughed but after the band got real funky on the song they started chanting "Go bean, go bean, go bean).. IT STUCK..
18.
Did you know your song "Mesmerized" is mispelled (Mesmorized)? Yes. I'm aware of this typo (my fault). When I uploaded "Mesmerized" to myspace early last year I mistyped the song title. I really wasnt into myspace that much and really just wanted it posted so I can go back into the studio. I had about 25 friends at the time. A week later I had only a few hits to that song. A few months later there was about 5000 plays to that song. Whoa!!! So, I decided to go in to change the spelling and realized once you edit an exsisting song the COUNT (number of plays) is reset to 0. Didnt want that because the charting and scaling system on myspace is based on number of plays. Plus, record labels and radio stations view these numbers. The correct spelling is "Mesmerized" and is reflected everywhere the song is (cd, radio, posters, etc) except for MYSPACE! :-( Oooops..
(update: myspace fixed this error for me)19.
The rings on my index fingers. I was once married years ago. Always hated jewelry on my hands (obstructive to my piano playing). Wore the wedding ring regardless. After divorcing I was very used to having a ring so I purchased the first silver ring for my index finger on my left hand. A few years later an old girlfriend got another ring for me (to replace the current one). I didnt want a replacement so I put it on the right hand.
Another statement I hear often goes something like this:
".. tell me more about Brian - the man, and not Brian - the famous musician. Or I wanna know about the real Brian" Hmmmm... To know my music is to know ME! I am my music. There is no dual façade. One man, one mission, one personality. What you see/hear is what you get! (simply put: I'm the same guy as a person and as a musician - famous or not!!!)
-Brian
More info (
Music Bio) by Ehsence & Kelly Adolph:
As an artist who has flourished in the comfort of Jazz, the Top 40s, R&B, and Pop, pianist Brian O'Neal exudes the versatility of a uniquely upbeat, smooth style that compliments today's "New Jazz". He brings an exciting and uninhibited sound to the world of jazz, making it a creative challenge for many to categorize his music. O'Neal attracts an eager following and commands the respect of his listeners domestically and abroad. "I don't listen to the radio often out of respect for my craft. I don't want to taint my vision of music with that of which we hear everyday. By shutting myself out of the listening audience, I'm not apt to emulate any sound you've heard before." O'Neal says to WFSK 88.1FM's DJ Sharon Kay.
O'Neal was born July 5, 1965, in Detroit, MI. He first discovered his passion for music at the age of six when he took his first drum lesson. Although Brian (known to his friends as "Bean") learned to play many instruments, including the saxophone, bass, and trombone; he aspired to be a professional drummer. That is until his junior year in high school, when he was asked by his band teacher to fill in on the piano for the band's performance. Brian instantly became mesmerized with the idea of mastering such a magnificent and gentle instrument. His grandmother, "Daisy O'Neal", noticed how excited he was about playing, then bought him his first piano. O'Neal's passion for the ivories increased as he experimented with various melodies and chords; resulting in the rapid maturing of his skill. As a self taught Pianist, he later received a full musical scholarship to Alcorn State University.
Brian's talents then soared into the world of jingles, working with companies such as the McDonald's Corporation®. His love for movies and children inspired him to compose film scores for youthful audiences around the country. In the (early/mid 80's), as he explored his musical talent, Brian began touring with several Rock & Top 40 Bands, the Atlanta-based jazz band "Take Notes" and several Contemporary Jazz/R&B artists; some of which he served as their Assistant Music Director. O'Neal's love for music led him to share his talent by mentoring other aspiring artists, such as Universal/Motown® recording artist Kem, who has become a national Jazz/R&B sensation.
O'Neal has shared the stage with many great musicians over the past two decades including: Will Downing, Morris Day and the Time, India Arie, Ledisi, Fantasia, Angela Bofill, Stevie Wonder, Maze (featuring Frankie Beverly), Alex Bugnon, George Duke, Pieces of a Dream, Chaka Kahn, Najee, Kindred the Family Soul, and Jeff Lorber. He has also composed and produced music for several artists abroad; including UNV, Kathy Avalon, Eddie Oliver and a host of other upcoming talents.
Several of O'Neal's accolades include being a Detroit Music Awards "Most Outstanding Composition" nominee, Mesmerized© won best song on OurStage.com, he has hailed the 1 spot on My Space charts for several months and most recently, two of his songs were selected for the play on the National Weather Channel. O'Neal's musical influences include such legends as Herbie Hancock, Pat Matheny, Prince and the great Stevie Wonder. These celebrated artists helped mold and guide his desire to pursue a career as a professional musician. As a writer, producer, composer and performer, he has a gentle and natural mastery for creating a musical oasis for his listeners.
Brian O'Neal is truly a talented (and humble) musician. He stimulates your inner appetite with melodic rhythms, and soothes your emotions with the vibrations of each instrument.
In a word … Genius.