By Tiffany Razzano
Even before graduating in 1999, O'Connell, who originally grew up in Baldwin, was very involved in the local music scene, playing in local hardcore outfits such as the Posers and Stone's Point. "Music was my main thing," he said. "It was my main priority all the time."
Then, a week after graduating from high school, he was asked to join Taking Back Sunday as its new drummer. "In high school, I always wanted to do something with music," he said. "It was always a question of would I be able to? I needed to find the right people to do it with and be successful with it."
Since joining the group, after releasing a couple of self-released demo albums, the group has released three major label albums - 2002's Tell All Your Friends and 2004's Where You Want to Be, both on Victory Records, and this spring's Louder Now, released by Warner Bros. Records. It's been a steady road to success for the group, as both Victory albums were gold records, and their recent foray seems to be on the same path. Where You Want to Be hit #3 on the Billboard charts, with the group outdoing themself on Louder Now, which reached #2.
O'Connell said the group's sound has changed over the years, but that it's a gradual change that comes with age and experience. This change in sound, though, is not significant enough to alienate the group's fans; if anything, it just attracts more. "The production and the sound [on Louder Now] is way better than first two," he said. "But we're still the same band. We still write the same kind of music."
The group has also traveled all over the world, and has headlined Vans Warped Tour, but this summer saw them headlining their first national tour. They even made a stop at Nassau Coliseum. "We've moved up," O'Connell said. "We used to play small tiny little clubs all over the island, like Da Funky Phish [in Bay Shore,] the Massapequa Bowling Alley and even basement shows. It's a really good feeling to be able to [play at Nassau Coliseum now.]"
It hasn't been an entirely smooth road for the group, however. The group went through several line-up changes. They lost bassist Jesse Lacey, who went on to become the lead singer and guitarist for Long Island group Brand New, in 2001, and after replacing him, they also lost singer/guitarist John Nolan and Lacey's replacement, bassist Shaun Cooper, in 2003. The two went on to form Straylight Run. From there, there were many rumors of feuds between Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run and Brand New.
But it seems as though that's all over now, as the guys get older. In fact, O'Connell said that Cooper is one of his best friends, and even saw him recently. "We have no problem with anybody," he said. "We're very happy with everybody's success and hope they all get bigger. We've grown up. We're over all those problems."
Still, the group's future was in question when Nolan and Cooper left the group after the release of Tell All Your Friends. "It was a hit at first," O'Connell said. "It was an unexpected thing. But we regrouped, thought of what do and [found replacements.] Right away, we were very confident and knew we would be ok. We had our stuff together and knew we would be fine."
They quickly found replacements, guitarist/vocalist Fred Mascherino and bassist Matt Rubano, to make up what O'Connell says is the final line-up. "I don't think its possible to have another line-up," he said. "This has to be it." This version of the group has been together for nearly four years now and has been very successful.
Now, as they prepare for yet another fall world tour that will take them to Australia, Japan and all of Europe, the guys know not to let the fame and success go to their head. "It's totally unbelievable," O'Connell said. "No one expected what we have now. We were at the [Video Music Awards] the other day and crazy stuff like that. It's very surreal, but awesome.We don't take for granted at all."
After long stretches of touring, the group still loves coming home to Long Island, where their musical roots are deeply entrenched. O'Connell said he even keeps on
top of the scene and all the newer bands in it. "I still think of us as being part of the Long Island scene," he said. "We played those small shows for years and years, but I don't think we're out of there. [Those fans] still listen to us. They're still a big part of who we are, what we're about and what we will be in the future."
O'Connell added that while he grew up listening to punk rock music, which is very different from the average Rockville Centre native, he "love[s] living on Long Island."
"I'm happy I grew up in Rockville Centre," he said. "I worked at Gino's and Paradiso's. I'm a Rockville Centre kid. That's how I grew up."
