Jim
Carbone ~ Keyboards, Guitar
Fred
Cooper ~ Drums, Vocals
Dave
Mathew ~ Bass, Vocals
Mike
"Onz" O'Neill ~ Guitar, Vocals
Pat Maloney ~ Manager
The Montells formed in 1964 when they were all attending Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon. The name is based on the area of Portland that Dave and Mike grew up in Montevilla. Lots of bands were forming in the area at the time, but back-to-back hits by The Beatles was the catalyst that made them plunk down hard-earned allowance money for Danelectro guitars and Sears Silvertone amps. Throughout their three years of existence, they specialized in tight harmonies and polished vocals, covering lots of Beatles' tunes as well as those by Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Rolling Stones, The Hollies and NW groups like The Sonics and The Wailers. They earned a reputation for energetic performances and excellent audience rapport at many local high school dances, teen clubs (The Crystal Ballroom,The Wooden Shoe, The Lighthouse, The In Crowd, Olin Clark's "The Headless Horseman"), State Fairs and Teen Fairs.
Their final performance was at a gigantic Battle of the Bands competition involving 27 other regional groups at the Teenage Fair in Jantzen Beach Park at the end of the summer of 1967. They placed second in the competition. First place went to "The Rock 'n' Stompers" (a great group managed by Bud Foley) who all celebrated by jumping off the high dive, fully dressed. (Where are they now??)
Following the Summer of Love, the boys went their separate ways, career-wise, but still remain good friends and keep in touch regularly.
Pat Maloney, August 2001
The Montells in 1993Dave Mathew:"After the Montells Dave joined a college band named United Travel Service with whom he recorded "Mister Your a Better Man Than I" with a fake British accent. He never went on to the priesthood but instead married lovely Marg and fathered lovely Betsey and Lucy. Dave has worked as a recording engineer, record producer and film sound mixer, charting a single, receiving an Emmy and establishing himself as the local champ in neighborhood "Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon" competitions. He currently inhabits a cubicle in Beaverton, but his imaginary life is very full, and includes a half-written screenplay, a number of half-written pop songs and a golf score of less than 120 strokes. Dave believes that although we are all demonstrably idiots and have pretty much screwed the world up with our greed and cruelty, there is great hope for our redemption."
Onz (Mike O'Neill): "How I've Wasted My Life Since The Montells Broke Up:
'67-'70 Gonzaga U., Spokane : lived on campus, missed most of my classes, gigged as much as possible (The Jugs, Thee Ark, Grundoon, Cannon, Sideshow, Red Hotz and the Hot Snotz). By '71 came out of the closet as full-time musician & eventually, band-leader of The Big Owens Review and Second Wind (the trio that I moved to Seattle with - ex-Montells "Portland Fred" Cooper on drums, Ron Kinkaid, [ex-Hot Snotz, later Lance Romance lead singer] on Bass, all sang). September '74 moved to Seattle searching for greener pastures. Had the good fortune to meet and work with several of my childhood heroes (Lance Romance, Junior Cadillac (with Ned Neltner and Buck Ormsby), Sweet Talkin' Jones (with Chris Blaine, Barry Curtis of The Kingsmen (that's his cardigan now behind glass at the Experience Music Project in Seattle) and Greg Beck).
Somewhere along in there I was involved in the first Bordersong L.P. "Morning" recorded at Kaye-Smith studios. It was a very homogenous group of musicians including Chris Castaneda (an EXCELLENT guitarist now living in Minneapolis) and Tim Gorman (keyboards - later did tours with The Who and The Rolling Stones). When we needed some female voices for one of the softer numbers (It's Time Again), Chris Blaine called up his buddies Ann and Nancy Wilson who had just released their first "Heart" L.P., and they came over and did the vocals. About a year later, we recorded in Kaye-Smith again. This was a demo for RCA, produced by Bordersong's "manager" at the time, Jerry Dennon. We had our biggest successes doing live shows, backing up singer-songwriter, crazyman Jeffrey Commanor, and opening for people like Elvin Bishop.
After Bordersong broke up, I worked for Epiphone for awhile, started working solo and eventually moved to Germany in April '81. My bands over here have been: Blowup, High Life (fairly successful recording group - lots of TV and Radio), Low Life (for a time, Tony Sheridan's backing band - Just call me "Beatle Mike"), Die Hexer, The Washboard Band, Lambretta Gang, Hall of Fame, and the Roadhouse Band.
At the moment I'm playing regularly in three different bands, still doing solo gigs occasionally and wishing I had time to start work on my third CD.
Mike "Onz" O'Neill, September 2001
Jim Carbone Post 1967
One year at Portland State University as a Geology major. Going nowhere so I joined the Navy, influenced by my boyhood idol, Dave Mathew, who had joined earlier. Spent some time in Tennessee at a training base. Spent even more time in San Diego (North Island) repairing radar systems on airplanes. Spent a few months floating around the South Pacific on an aircraft carrier. Back to civilian life in early 1972. Moved to Corvallis to go to school at Oregon State University (Go Beavers). Graduated in 1976 with a degree in Forest Management and a Masters in Business Administration. Married Linda Clarke in 1975. We moved to Fossil, Oregon in 1977 when I took a job as a Forester there. In early 1979 we moved to Salem. I became a lobbyist for industrial forest landowners in Oregon. In 1983, went out on my own as a consultant for about a year. Then hired on with the State of Oregon where I have been working since.
I guess I'm now what you might call a career bureaucrat. However, I really do enjoy my job as Manager of Financial Services. My group is responsible for putting together budgets for review by the Governor and Legislature and also providing financial planning services for managers in the Department of Administrative Services. And to think, I got my start keeping financial records for the Montells.
Linda and I have three children.
Jim Carbone, September 2001
Fred Cooper After high school I went to the University of Oregon. Played drums in club bands. Graduated in '71. Moved to Spokane, WA. and played in various bands with Mike O'Neill. We both moved to Seattle, WA. and continued to play music together. Played with club bands after Mike and I went our separate ways. Met founding members of Goosecreek Symphony and ended up playing drums in a re-formed version of that band. Moved to Nashville in 1980. Played in club bands and back-up bands for country artists and singer/songwriters. Four years of touring with country recording artist Joe Sun. Three years touring with country recording artist Bobby Bare. Started working part time as a grip in the film industry in Nashville in 1985. Turned into a full time career. Now a dolly grip for feature films in Los Angeles ("Enough" starring Jennifer Lopez, "Bubble Boy", "Galaxy Quest", "That Darn Cat", "Now and Then" and more) and commercials and music videos for most of the country stars in Nashville. Still have and play my original set of 1966 Ludwig drums {black oyster pearl). Looking for the matching snare drum I traded many years ago. Probably at Portland Music in downtown Portland, OR.
Fred Cooper, September 2001
Listen to an old sound clip of the Montells
Last
Update: 30 October 2011
Credits:
Pat Maloney, Fred Cooper, Jim Carbone, Mike "Onz" O'Neill