Bio
Sharon Casey (Shaz) –
vocalist, banjo, fiddle
Shaz was always in school choirs and had piano lessons as a child, but put most of that aside as a teenager because it wasn’t so cool. The happy accidents of life led her to Canberra in 1998 and working for the National Folk Festival and discovering the folk scene, and eventually she asked her colleague, super cool Artistic Director and superb multi-instrumentalist Dave O’Neill, for some mandolin lessons….that turned into fiddle lessons, that turned into banjo lessons, that turned into mentoring for the band. She has embraced her inner dag and now revels in being enthusiastic, passionate and totally uncool, and proselytises about it never being too late to start or re-start playing and singing.
Peter O’Brien –
vocalist, guitar
Pete “Springsteen” O’Brien picked up a guitar in 1966. Admittedly he was 1 years old and couldn’t play it then…but about 1200 lessons later he can. (We think he’s pretty good!) Pete keeps everything together for the band on and off the stage and plays a Cole Clark guitar.
Maria Wylks (Maz) –
vocalist, guitar, fiddle
Maria was born wearing a red beret and holding a violin. It’s made navigating a life in the public service a bit difficult, but made complete sense once she joined the band. Maria is always the first to suggest a session and loves nothing more than kicking back and learning some new tunes and playing old favourites.
Janine Foster –
fiddle
Janine is a beautiful singer, which is why we make her play violin and play in the back row. Like Maria, you can often find Janine playing in sessions and for bush dances in Canberra and the surrounding area.
Simon Fisher –
mandolin, bouzouki
Simon was happy plugging in and rocking out with garage bands until one day he realised he was listening to side 2 of Led Zeppelin III more than he was listening to side 1… Travels through Ireland, Scotland and England sealed the deal and when he returned to Australia he bought himself a mandolin and never looked back. Simon plays a mandolin made by Davy Stuart and a bouzouki he built himself
Dave O’Neill – http://www.daveoneillmusic.com
and this bloke ISN’T physically in the band….but his contribution as teacher, mentor, coach and inspiration is immeasurable…and very much appreciated. (If you are looking for a teacher on fiddle, guitar, mandolin etc – then we ALL highly recommend him).
We’ve got heaps of band photos here
O'Neill's Folly 