The Original Onyx
Original Progressive Rock Fusion and Classic Rock and Blues covers.
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Jam One Jam One
The Original Onyx. James Latimer - Lead Guitar, & Vocals. Tony Wiese - Guitar, & Lead Vocals. Jack Mondlak - Keyboards. John Flannagan - Bass Guitar. Bob Holzner - Drums, & Percussion.
Onyx Onyx
The Original Onyx. James Latimer - Lead Guitar, & Vocals. Tony Wiese - Guitar, & Lead Vocals. Jack Mondlak - Keyboards. John Flannagan - Bass Guitar. Bob Holzner - Drums, & Percussion.
N.Y.B. N.Y.B.
The Original Onyx. James Latimer - Lead Guitar, & Vocals. Tony Wiese - Guitar, & Lead Vocals. Jack Mondlak - Keyboards. John Flannagan - Bass Guitar. Bob Holzner - Drums, & Percussion.
Flat Busted Flat Busted
The Original Onyx. James Latimer - Lead Guitar, & Vocals. Tony Wiese - Guitar, & Lead Vocals. Jack Mondlak - Keyboards. John Flannagan - Bass Guitar. Bob Holzner - Drums, & Percussion.
The Hammer The Hammer
The Original Onyx. James Latimer - Lead Guitar, & Vocals. Tony Wiese - Guitar, & Lead Vocals. Jack Mondlak - Keyboards. John Flannagan - Bass Guitar. Bob Holzner - Drums, & Percussion.
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This site is dedicated to the Original Onyx from 1977-1980.
James Latimer - Lead Guitar and Vocals.
Tony Wiese - Guitar and Vocals.
Jack Mondlak - Keyboards and Vocals (R.I.P.).
John Flannagan - Bass Guitar.
Bob Holzner - Drums and Percussion.
...and occasionally Fred Janus - Flute, & Saxophone.
We also had a violinist, Mike Olivo, in the band for a short time.
Original Guitarist - Glenn Spence.
Original Keyboardist - Bob Page (R.I.P.).Band/artist history
The band started out with the following members:
Glenn Spence - Guitar, & Vocals.
Bob Page - Keyboards.
John Flannagan - Bass Guitar.
I am not sure who the drummer was but I think Mike Caplow (R.I.P.) played drums with Glenn at one point.
I, Bob Holzner, joined the band in the summer of 1977 when Glenn heard me playing drums in a garage behind his apartment cottage where his band Great Lake Thunder practiced. I tried out for the band and made the audition. Bob Page played keyboard off and on but had problems that caused him to miss quite a few rehearsals so he was asked to leave the band. Most of the songs were written by Glenn. John also had a song or two too.
We were a basic Rock & Roll band with some blues and a touch of country, although, some songs had an air of the progressive rock feel to them.
It was about this same time that the band name was changed to Onyx and we registered the name with the county, and state. We played as a three piece for a short time.
We had a debut show at the Slowic (Slovic) Hall on Belmont and Milwaukee in Chicago. James Latimer was invited to be a guest guitarist to play a few songs with us. We did a number of songs together and there is a tape of this show someplace. James would play a huge part in the Onyx history later as the band developed.
Glenn invited his friend Tony Wiese to join the band as a second vocalist and rhythm guitarist and we played a couple gigs as a four piece band. Tony contributed his song "Same Side Of The Gate" to our large original song repertoire.
While in high school, hanging around in the band room, I heard this amazing guy, Jack Mondlak (R.I.P. 2/13/2014), playing piano. I asked him to try out for the band and he passed the audition with flying colors.
We were now a five piece band and played a few gigs including twice at Beginnings in Schaumburg, IL. We played a high school hall party at an off-site location that featured "all the beer you can drink" and had a great time.
We were set to play another high school hall party at the Danish American Athletic Association building on Pulaski Road right down the street from the police station. This proved not to be a brilliant idea. Too many tickets were sold and the place sold out. People were breaking in through the bathroom windows to get into the party.
Well the first band (Impact) played and we were getting ready to play when the owner called the police because the place was getting wrecked and the promoters had people upstairs in his office (this was only to be open to the spotlight tech). The police came and were going to shut down the party but we told them to let us play for 30 minutes to avoid creating a riot and they agreed.
Well someone got cocky and supposedly tried to push a cop down the stairs and when he was being arrested his girlfriend supposedly pulled a knife on the cop and the place was shut down and many people hauled off the the police station. We never got to play but got paid before we went on and kept the money, lol. I later wrote some lyrics about this night and called the song Flat Busted. This song soon became a new Onyx original song.
We played one more high school hall party but with a cash bar at the Golden Tiara on Cicero Avenue. It was way more controlled and had different promoters. The band Frenzy backed us up and we ended up playing three of four long sets. This was a very exciting show.
Leading up to the show Glenn and I were not hitting it off too well any more and I was trying to push the band into a more progressive rock feel. We had played a Gentle Giant song (I Bet You Thought We Couldn't Do It) in the past and played a Genesis song (Your Own Special Way) at this hall party. These were progressive rock songs and the band's music type was now showing signs of going more in the progressive rock direction.
I turned John onto King Crimson and he started writing some progressive rock parts and I worked with Jack in created a progressive rock song called Broken Toys. This song would later morph into a four song compilation hyper progressive rock medley. Glenn wasn't really happy with the new direction the band was taking and with us not getting along he decided to leave the band.
After Glenn left we invited James Latimer into the band and worked with him for a short time. He ended up leaving the band and we were once again a four piece band but without a lead guitarist.
We continued writing more originals but our new focus was in the progressive rock type. Jack wrote a number of progressive rock songs during this time and became the lead instrumentalist for solos. John also wrote the epic progressive rock song called A Letter To A Dear Brother. We eventually just called the song A Letter. You can hear it on the music page.
After a few months of practicing as a four piece, and writing new songs, John hooked up with a producer and we received an opportunity to get a possible record contract. We were invited into the studio to play for a number of record company related personnel. We were critiqued and there were some positive and negative things said. We were instructed to practice some more, and I think were asked to come up with some more songs. We felt we could improve the band with a lead guitarist and lead vocalist.
We asked James Latimer back to be our lead guitarist. With the record deal prospect as leverage, we convinced James to re-join the band. We immediately started working on new music and searching for the elusive lead vocalist. We also had to move out of Jack's basement for our practice place so our priority was to find a new practice spot.
Tony Wiese came through big time for us on the practice spot. He was currently running the boiler at the north side theater, The Granada Theatre (Spanish Baroque architectural type).
"The Granada Theatre, 6427-41 North Sheridan Road (in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago) was a movie theater constructed for the Marks Brothers, who, in 1926, were major theatre operators in Chicago. Edward E. Eichenbaum was the principal designer for the architectural firm of Levy & Klein. Eichenbaum also designed the Marbro, Regal, and Century theatres.
The Marks Brothers operated the theatre until 1934, when Balaban and Katz purchased the theatre. That firm and its successorsUnited Paramount Theatres, ABC Great States Theatres and Plitt Theatresoperated the theatre until about 1978. From then until the mid-eighties, it was used sporadically for rock concerts and played the Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight for several years.
Despite all attempts to save it, the theatre was purchased by Senior Life Stiles Corporation, who demolished the building in 1989-90 for a planned apartment/commercial structure." (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
During the period during 1978 to mid 1980, the theater was only used for sporadically for rock concerts and an occasional rock type movie. The theater was also going through renovations at the time. This proved to be a God-send for the band as Tony got permission for us to practice in the theater. We were able to set up right on stage and leave our equipment set up for the most part. We had to take our stuff down for concerts, movies, or if they had to work in that area. This was an awesome time for the band. Playing in that theater was awesome. It was also pretty impressive auditioning singers and auditioning to play gigs.
We never did find that elusive lead vocalist. We also took too much time practicing, learning new songs, and looking for a new singer. When John reconnected with the producer, the record deal opportunity was rescinded from us as we didn't get back to them soon enough.
We continued to play gigs and write new material.
Eventually, we lost the ability to use the Granada Theatre as our practice place, and we went through a number of different practice places. We moved into a warehouse near downtown and got robbed soon afterwards. It turns out it was suspected to be an inside job by one of our own new additions to the band. We ended up using a friends basement that we had to set-up and tear-down our equipment each practice. That did not last long. We agreed to find another practice place but by hat time we were going through too many road blocks and never found that new practice place. The band just ceased to be. This was either late 1979 or early 1980. John Flannagan moved to Tennessee around this time as well.
We did do one more reunion show and once again made an appearance at the Burback's block party in 1980. This was the third straight year we played their block party and was our last full show. We do have that show's recording preserved. Not our best show but epic nonetheless.
I moved out of Chicago around 1982 and moved to Ringgold, Georgia for a few months then up to Louisville, Kentucky. I stayed a year or two then came back to Chicago for three months but was asked to come back to Louisville by some of the guys I jammed with there. So I moved back down south till the winter of 1988.
Sometime during my time living down south, Jack Mondlak moved to Arizona.
After I came back in 1988, I get into a band with James again with James in Mike Caplow's band. After a brief spell, James and the keyboard player would leave the band. This band broke up after the singer also left the band.
I would play in a number of bands with James off an on after that. We would do jam sessions or I would sit in at some of James' band gigs.
James, Tony and I jammed live at a jam session in 2009. John also came up that year to visit for a jam session with James and I. Tony was unable to make it that night. We even asked Jack to come. That would have been a full Onyx reunion. Sadly that reunion never happened and now never will.
On February 13, 2014 our keyboard player, Jack Mondlak, passed away. We will miss you brother. RIP Jack.
Written by Bob Holzner.Have you performed in front of an audience?Not this band anymore.
I, Bob Holzner, still jam with James Latimer on occasion.
James Latimer, Tony Wiese and myself (Bob Holzner) recently jammed together on stage. This was the first time all three of jammed together on stage in 29 years.
We have scheduled an Onyx reunion for Friday night August 7, 2009. John Flannagan will travel from Tennessee to jam with James, Tony and myself. Jack Mondlak was also invited to the reunion. He is presently living in Phoenix.
February 13, 2014. Sadly I must report that our keyboard player, Jack Mondlak, has passed away due to an apparent heart attack. We will miss you brother. RIP Jack Mondlak.
Check out my Soundclick page at http://www.soundclick.com/bobholzner for other Onyx and other band recordings including some of the recent jams I had with James Latimer (Coming soon).
Your musical influences
James Latimer influences -
My mother and father, the Lord Jesus Christ, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Reggie Amerson, Mike Caplow, Mike Struck, Sagovia, Hank Sr, everyone I've ever known and everyone I've ever listened to.
Jack Mondlak influences -
My parents, Scott Joplin, Ragtime, Classical Music, Blues, Deep Purple, Jon Lord, Yes, Rick Wakeman, Kansas, Jan Hammer.
Tony Wiese influences -
Beatles, Stones, The Who (Pete Townsend), Simon & Garfunkle, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page), Yes (Steve Howe), Genesis.
John Flannagan influences -
Beatles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, UFO, King Crimson (John Wetton & Tony Levin), Yes, (Chris Squire), Peter Gabriel (Tony Levin), ELP, Frank Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty (Ralph Armstrong).
Bob Holzner influences -
The Holy Trinity, My parents (R.I.P.) and family, King Crimson & Yes (Bill Bruford), Genesis, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd, Mahavishnu Orchestra (Billy Cobham), Captain Beyond, Queen, Grand Funk Railroad (Don Brewer), Alice Cooper (Neal Smith), Led Zeppelin (John Bonham), Black Sabbath (Bill Ward), Gentle Giant (Malcolm Mortimer, John P. Weathers, and Martin Smith), ELP (Carl Palmer), Mike Caplow, Mark Walker, Andy Krueger, Mark Abbinanti, and a host of other bands, musicians and friends too numerous to mention; did I mention Gentle Giant? Oh yea, and Gentle Giant.What equipment do you use?
James Latimer Gear-
Yamaha SG 2000 guitar, Crybaby Wah, Electric Mistress Flanger, Marshall 2x12 combo amp.
Tony Wiese Gear -
'72 Gibson SG, '79 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Ampeg V4, 50 Watt Marshall 2x12 combo amp.
Jack Mondlak Gear -
Farfisa VIP 370; Roland VP550 (Vocal & Ensemble Keyboard).
John Flannagan Gear -
Rickenbacker Bass Guitar, Fender Precision Bass guitar, Soundtronics Amp, Acoustic Amp.
Bob Holzner Gear -
Ludwig Sparkling Pink-Champagne Acoustic Drums (1967 and 1977 mixed), Zidjian and Paiste cymbals, Paiste 24" Gong, Roto Toms, Temple Blocks, Vibraflex, Triangle, and Mark Chimes.Anything else?
LOL, yea, right.Contact
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