Chicago singer-songwriter Nikki O'Neill talks about new album, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends," ahead of album release show in Chicago

Renee Castro/Sepia Studio. Photography: Justina Lee Photography. Mural art: PERU143

By ERIC SCHELKOPF

 

Although singer-songwriter and guitar player Nikki O'Neill has only lived in Chicago since 2020, she has already fully immersed herself in the Chicago music scene.

O'Neill is an instructor at the esteemed Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, which is the largest non-profit community arts school in the country. She started as an instructor there in August 2021.

She was born in Los Angeles, but grew up mostly in Stockholm, Sweden with a Russian grandmother and Polish mother.

On March 14, O'Neill released her third solo album, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends," an album that blends soul with Americana, rock, gospel and blues. The majority of the album was recorded live in the studio.

To celebrate the release of "Stories I Only Tell My Friends," O'Neill and her band (she is married to drummer Rich Lackowski, who co-produced the album with O'Neill), will perform a show at 6:30 p.m. April 1 at Colvin House, 5940 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago.

More information is at Colvin House's website, colvinhouseevents.com.

I had the chance to talk to O'Neill about the album and her career.

 

Q –  Great talking to you today. Coincidentally enough, I interviewed Sue Foley last year ahead of her April 17 show at SPACE in Evanston and you opened for her.

I've known Sue for several years. She's had this ongoing project called Guitar Woman, it's a book that she's writing. She's interviewed hundreds of guitar players over I'd say a span of 20 years or something.

At some point, she interviewed me and that's how we got to know each other. And then we stayed in touch.

That show was the first time we got to play a show together. That was a lot of fun.

Q – Of course, your new album, “Stories I Only Tell My Friends,” was released on March 14 and you will have an album release show April 1 at Colvin House in Chicago. What kind of reception have you been getting to the new album?

 

It's been really, really good. I keep getting glowing reviews from American and European music press.

It's almost a little overwhelming to keep track of the response that's been coming in. The guys in the band have also received appreciation. Without them, the album wouldn't sound the way it does.

 

It captures the energy of people playing off each other. That's what I think is exciting.

 

 

We arranged the songs together. They are a huge part of the sound of the record and all the little cool parts and arrangements.

I'm super happy about it.

I think people appreciate that, especially since there are so many overproduced albums out there. To hear something live and fresh like that, that is exciting for the listener.

 

Q – You were one of the Illinois Arts Council’s Creative Catalyst Grant recipients for 2025. Was that a great help in making the album? 

Absolutely. An artist friend told me about it last year, and then I missed the window for applying by a day.

I applied this year. That grant was incredibly helpful in financing the making of the record.

Q – The album deals with many personal stories. Would you say the album is your most personal album to date?

Yeah, I would say so. Because this time, I was the only writer.

I made the point I was going to write all the lyrics. I've always written all the music.

This is my third record. Previously, I wrote some of the lyrics, but I also collaborated a lot with another lyric writer.

And I wouldn't mind doing it again, but I decided for this record that I wouldn't, because I wanted to write about certain things that are really hard for somebody else to write about. 

Like the song "Newcomer Blues." I could tell somebody, 'Yeah, could you write about someone who is an immigrant and who goes from L.A. to Sweden to Poland and how they are treated and write it from the view of a 7-year-old.' 

I'm probably the most suitable one to write that story. Another reason I did it is because with some of the songs that I've recorded in the past, I noticed that I started to have a littler harder time performing them live because I couldn't connect with them.

Q – What would you like listeners to get out of a song like “Live Like You’ve Just Begun”? What inspired you to write the song?

There's a songwriter named Steve Dawson who is in Chicago. He's a fantastic singer-songwriter.

And he suggested that I write a happy breakup song. And that's an interesting angle.

I love classic soul music and I just wanted to try to do that kind of tune, to put that story to that type of music. I'm a lifelong soul fan.

I've loved Al Green since I was a kid. Our other guitarist, Chris Corsale, he's also a huge soul fan. 

It's not always common to find that among guitar players. We have really similar tastes when it comes to guitar.

Q – You wrote the album in 2023-2024, three years after you relocated to Chicago from Los Angeles. What do you like about the Chicago music scene?

I like that it isn't so super focused on the presentation and the image, that people appreciate substance.

I feel like people don't care that much about that stuff and that they care about really good music. 

And it seems like for the most part that musicians in the Chicago area really support each other. 

Yeah, that's been my experience, too. I love being here in Chicago. I think it's great.

Q – You were talking about the workshop at Old Town taught by Steve Dawson that you participated in. What made you want to participate in the workshop?

I took the workshop after having taken a break in writing. It was a good way to get back into it, because I wanted the camaraderie of other writers.

Steve is a really great writer himself, so I respect his opinion and his feedback. We basically had to write a song every week, a complete song, and play it for everyone else.

It just helped me bring songwriting to the front burner after spending some time just trying to settle into this town. Lyrically, he helped me try different approaches.

Q – You wrote the book "Women's Road to Rock Guitar,” where you provide tips for women who want to learn different guitar techniques and you also interview different female guitarists, including Sue Foley. 

 

That book came out in 2014 and it wasn't meant to be just for women, originally. It was the publishing company that said I should have a specific angle because there were so many guitar books out there.

 

I just wanted to do a book that kind of helped people get less intimidated. 

 

Justina Lee Photography

 

There's nothing different about learning how to play for a guy versus a girl. And I know some guys who have picked up the book.

It was just fun for me to give back and try to be an encouraging, helping hand. 

 

Q – How would you describe your style of guitar playing?

It's a mix between rock and soul. I have always put much more energy into my songwriting than my lead guitar playing, because I felt like I was better at that.

It's a little Carlos Santana, a little Jimi Hendrix and a little Prince. It's the classic kind of rock with soul and some blues flavor.

That's me. That's my lane.

Q – Have you heard from anybody who has read the book about how it has helped them?

 

Yeah, I've gotten some nice feedback, some nice comments. I also did a lesson channel on TrueFire, which is like a hub for guitar lessons.