Brothers score hits as piano duo

November 17, 2004 SPIANO1117

Christina Preiss

The piano was a staple in the O'Neill household in New Prague from the beginning.

"It was the first piece of furniture we bought," said Kathy O'Neill, mother of the O'Neill Brothers.

All five of the O'Neill children took lessons. The youngest, red-headed brothers Tim and Ryan, have grown up to be collaborative musicians and business partners. They have sold more than a million CDs of their easy-listening piano music.

Tim, 32, a resident of Minneapolis, and Ryan, 29, a resident of Lakeville, play a mix of original work, classical tunes, holiday music and more.

They also run a successful record label, Shamrock-n-Roll.

All the children in the O'Neill family -- Dan, Mary Amundsen, Thom, Tim and Ryan -- took piano lessons.

Tim started taking lessons at age 5 and Ryan at age 6.

Tim and Ryan kept their musical skills polished while attending New Prague High School and Notre Dame. By that point, they were writing their own music in addition to playing the piano.

At Notre Dame, Tim sang in the glee club and both brothers performed at the annual "Keenan Revue." That performance sparked an idea for the brothers to play two pianos to the same song.

After Tim graduated from the university with a marketing degree, he moved back to New Prague.

He taught music lessons, played at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church on Mainstreet and decided to produce 1,000 cassette tapes to sell with hopes of getting his music out to the public.

"My mom gave some of the tapes to her bridge club," Tim said.

In 1996, he struck a deal with Schmitt Music and J.C. Penney. He programmed player pianos from Schmitt Music to play his music in J.C. Penney stores. The inception started small, in local J.C. Penney stores such as those at Burnsville Center and Ridgedale Center. But before long, Chicago-area J.C. Penney stores were calling.

By that time, Ryan had graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in German and had followed in Tim's footsteps of traveling to stores to play music and promote CDs.

The brothers also began going to craft shows and wholesale shows across the country to sell their music.

"You don't know sometimes who's listening to the music," Tim said. "It's been pretty inspiring, seeing how it's affected people and the stories connected with this."

In 1997, Tim turned the company into a corporation, creating Shamrock-n-Roll records. Their mom came up with the idea for the name based on the family's Irish heritage. Shamrock-n-Roll has been headquartered in New Prague since 1999.

Things turned somewhat somber in 2000 when corporate issues led J.C. Penney to end the in-store selling.

"I'm a big believer in whatever happens happens for a reason," Tim said.

Weeks later Tim and Ryan were at a craft show in upstate New York when a man approached the booth. The man, Dan Lieberstein, HBO's "Sex and the City" musical director, was looking for easy-listening music for an upcoming episode.

Two days later, the entertainment lawyer for HBO contacted the brothers. Their music appeared in four "Sex and the City" episodes.

Among other career highlights: The brothers played for former president George H.W. Bush at a banquet in New York and on a public announcement for Notre Dame featuring talk-show host Regis Philbin.

More recently the brothers got a boost after playing on QVCTV. Their most successful appearance on QVC was "Christmas in July" on July 25, when they sold 25,000 of their three-disk "Holiday CD Collection."

That appearance launched them into the Billboard Top 100, placing "Holiday CD Collection" at No. 95 - just ahead of Britney Spears' "In the Zone." The brothers also sold their 1 millionth CD during that show.

In celebration and in thanks to the public for the support, the brothers have decided to host a Bahamas cruise in January.

In the coming months, they plan on more QVC performances as well as appearances at craft and wholesale shows.

In 2005, the May Department Stores Corp. will give the O'Neill Brothers' "A Day to Remember" wedding CD to all couples with a bridal registry at their stores, which include Marshall Fields and Filene's Basement.

They've come a long way since the early days in New Prague.

"I think every parent hopes that their children are successful in something they want to do," their mother said. "We knew something would evolve."

Christina Preiss is at cpreiss@startribune.com