| Tara Jane O'Neil | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Date: | 22 November 1972 |
| Origin: | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Years Active: | 1992–present |
| Associated Acts: | Rodan, Drinking Woman, Retsin, The Sonora Pine, The King Cobra, The Naysayer, Sebadoh |
| Website: | http://tarajaneoneil.com/ |
Tara Jane O'Neil (born November 22, 1972) (surname sometimes written as "ONeil"; sometimes credited as TJO) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, audio recording engineer, and visual artist based out of Los Angeles, California, United States.
O'Neil is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, audio engineer and visual artist. She creates melodic and experimental music under her own name and in collaboration with friends. Her recordings and live performances range from solo singing to noise improvisations. TJO has composed and performed music and sound for films, theater, and dance performances, and written large and small ensemble experimental architectures.
O'Neil began her music career as the bass guitarist and vocalist for the influential Louisville, Kentucky post-rock group Rodan. After their breakup in 1994, she moved to New York, where she joined Retsin, Ida Retsin Family (a collaboration between Retsin and Ida), The Sonora Pine, and The Naysayer. She released her first solo record in 2000.
O'Neil is also a notable visual artist. Her work has been exhibited in New York City, Barcelona, Tokyo, Kyoto, Louisville, and Portland, among other places. Her artwork has appeared on her own solo record covers, on the record covers of many other groups (Retsin, Ida, The Naysayer, Castanets, etc.), in poetry books by Cynthia Nelson (Raven Days and The Kentucky Rules)[1] and Maggie Nelson (the cover of Something Bright, Then Holes),[2] in the magazines Punk Planet, Magnet, The Wire, Venus Zine, Copper Press, and various international publications. Who Takes a Feather, a book of her drawings and paintings, was published in 2004 by Tokyo-based Map Press. In 2007, Wings. Strings. Meridians. A Blighted Bestiary was published by Yeti Publications, including an album of live recordings, four-track demos, and outtakes.
O'Neil starred in the 1994 indie film Half-Cocked as herself, credited as "Rhonda" although her character has also been referred to as "Tara."