“Truth or Dare” is the blazing new solo debut from guitarist Johnny O’Neil, co-founder and mainstay of the Minnesota legendary hard rock band, Dare Force. It’s muscular, guitar-driven rock with a powerful foundation supplied by drummer Joachim Baecker, as well as a guest appearance by UFO’s original keyboardist, Danny Peyronel. Both O’Neil and Baecker are no strangers to the Midwest music scene, and have finally joined forces to lay down a new set of refreshing rock & roll. Engineer and co-producer Brian Bart (a Midwest legend in his own right, and co-founder of Dare Force along with O’Neil) has delivered a crisp, clean recording that fully captures O’Neil’s blistering guitar work. “Truth or Dare” features nine songs, including the first single from the album, “Snake in the Grass,” the symphonic rocker “Temple,” the driving instrumental “World Run Amuck,” and a rollicking remake of The Beatles’ classic, “Revolution.”
Dare Force were a legendary hard rock/heavy metal band based in Minneapolis that was initially founded by Johnny and Brian Bart when they were 18 years old. Dare Force released three albums in the 1980s, and performed in concert with numerous national acts such as KISS, Ted Nugent, Triumph, Kansas, UFO, the Joe Perry Project, and Ratt, as well as headlining in venues throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Dare Force also had several songs that received heavy airplay on rock radio stations throughout the midwestern US in the 1980s. Dare Force released its third album, “Firepower,” with a reformed version of the band in 1989. The original lineup performed occasional reunion gigs after the long run of the original band ended in 1987, but the original version of Dare Force stopped performing live altogether after their last reunion show in 2002. Dare Force reformed yet again with a return to a four-piece lineup in 2017, and released its fourth album, “Callin’ Your Name,” in 2018.
Band Line-Up:
JOHNNY O’NEIL: All Lead and Harmony Vocals, All Guitars(Lead, Slide, Acoustic, Bass)
JOACHIM BAECKER: Drums and Percussion
Guest Artists:
DANNY PEYRONEL: Hammond B-3 Organ and Piano (“Down and Round,” Temple,” “Revo-lution”)
MARK MILLER: Drums (“Tell Me What You Think You Know”)
Read our review here.
