Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) carved a lane all their own when they blended the sound of hard rock with the nostalgia of Christmas through their famous hit, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.” But the band has a long legacy outside of the holiday classic.
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TSO was formed in 1996 by Paul O’Neill, longtime producer of the heavy metal band, Savatage. The supergroup is comprised of more than 30 musicians, including current guitarist Al Pitrelli, who’s played with Megadeth and Alice Cooper’s band; violinist Asha Melvana, who’s performed with Alanis Morissette, the Jonas Brothers and more; and storytellers Phillip Brandon and Bryan Hicks.
O’Neill came up with the concept in 1993 when he was approached by Atlantic Records, the label Savatage was signed to at the time, about starting his own band. The concept serves as an homage to the rock greats that came before him, including Lynyrd Skynyrd. “I was like, ‘Okay, but I wanna do something completely different,’” O’Neill recalled to The Aquarian about the idea for TSO. “They’re like, ‘What does that mean? A full prog rock band, a full hard rock band; so like four keyboard players, four guitar players like Skynyrd and The Outlaws and 24 lead singers.’ They’re like, ‘Why?’ and I’m like, ‘Because this way there would be no limits to where the band could go.’”
As for how he came up with the name, O’Neill says it was inspired by his trip to Russia in the 1980s. He was particularly moved by the Russian province of Siberia, known for its freezing cold climate. One of its most distinctive features is the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is the longest railroad in the world that connects western Russia to the eastern part of Russia which touches Northeast Asia.
“If anyone has ever seen Siberia, it is incredibly beautiful but incredibly harsh and unforgiving as well. The one thing that everyone who lives there has in common that runs across it . . . is the Trans-Siberian Railway,” O’Neill allegedly told Citizen’s Voice in 2011, using the railway as a metaphor for how music connects people across the world. “Life, too, can be incredibly beautiful but also incredibly harsh and unforgiving, and the one thing that we all have in common that runs across it . . . is music. It was a little bit overly philosophical, but it sounded different, and I like the initials, TSO.”
More than just a Christmas band, TSO has released six studio albums, their latest being Letters from the Labyrinth in 2015. They’re also known for their elaborate live shows that consist of light displays synchronized to the music, pyrotechnics, rising platforms and more.
O’Neill tragically died in 2017 after an unexpected reaction to medication he was taking as a result of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, hypertension and complications from spinal fusion surgery. Former TSO guitarist Dave Z also passed away in 2017.
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