ION INDIE MAGAZINE August 2014, Volume 3 | Page 45

FINNEAS O’CONNELL (“Oh Ye of Crimson Locks”) is 17 and is the singer, songwriter and
rhythm guitarist for The Slightlys. He also proudly professes his allegiance to the Didgeridoo
(an Australian instrument) and is a card-carrying Vegan. Finneas describes himself as
“Different”. Who’d have thunk?
DARIUS DUDLEY II is 18 and is the bassist, violinist and backup vocalist for The Slightlys. He
lists his hobbies as “Pajama Enthusiast” and when asked to describe himself, of course, the
word “Nintendo” springs to his jammy-clad mind. I just report the news, people.
DAVID MARINELLI is 17 and plays the drums for The Slightlys. David has retired from his stint as
a pro “Halo 3” player but still prides himself on his “Street Cred” as brother to worldrenowned DJ VINCENZO. He selects the word “Bombastic” to represent his personality. Well,
with a brother named “DJ Vincenzo”…what else would he be?
ROBBY FITZPATRICK is 17 and serves as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and
backup vocalist for The Slightlys. His credits include that he is an Olympicqualifying “Clash of Clans” strategist (the Russian judges give him a
“10”) and he additionally proclaims himself as a lover of
“Adorableness”. When asked to sum himself up in one word, that word is
the obvious “Mellon-Colly”. I do love me a wordsmith!
These tenacious teens are currently working on their first album with O’Connell serving as Producer. This past March,
The Slightlys original song “Is There Anybody There?” was featured on an episode of the ABC family show “Switched
at Birth”. Yes indeedy, others have their eyes on The Slightlys…including a certain fairy.
And so I sat down with the fabulous Finneas O’Connell to get the lowdown on these young guns from LA and what
makes them “tick”. And here is what ensued…
FRM: Tell me about yourself…
Finneas: I grew up (or, I guess, I’m growing up) in Los Angeles with two artists as parents. My Mom is an actor and a
songwriter—among other things—and my Dad is an actor and a musician. They both make a living doing what they
love. I think that’s probably the most important thing they ever taught me. I’ve been writing music and playing guitar
since I was about 12 years old and I’ve been singing since I was born. At least in a punk’s eyes. When I was younger
my Dad would make mix CDs of tons of different artists and we’d listen to them in the car. Living
in LA, you drive a LOT. We would listen to everything from DAFT PUNK to CAT STEVENS. It was a
great exposure at a young age to tons of different genres and artists. Probably my biggest
songwriting influence would be THE BEATLES. The way they handled melody was so beautiful
and unforgettable. And they have some of the best hooks of all time, in my opinion.
FRM: I know there is a backstory to the name of your band—The Slightlys, please share!
Finneas: The name The Slightlys is a reference to “The Lost Boys” in “Peter Pan”. “Slightly”
is the one in the fox costume, I think. He plays some music in the book too I’ve always loved
Peter Pan (who doesn’t?) and I really liked the idea of our name being a reference to one of
“The Lost Boys” who never grow up. Everyone in our band is quite young, and I think there’s
a real appeal to the idea of never having to grow up.