John O — affectionately known as the human clock — has been behind the kit for a loooooong time, and it shows. His love of rhythm kicked off at school where he cut his teeth in a marching band, building rock‑solid foundations with paradiddles, flams, rolls and all the good stuff that turns a kid with sticks into a genuine drummer. Since then he’s held down the groove for several local bands and shared stages with iconic Australian acts including Mental As Anything and Daryl Braithwaite. Around here we call him “Jay Oh” (that’s J.O., not Joe), and he’s the heartbeat of 3 Days Reign — steady, tasteful, and completely unflappable. John’s pride and joy is his Sonor Signature Series bubinga kit, lovingly imported from Germany back in the 80s. And because one ridiculous drum setup isn’t enough, he also owns what is possibly the coolest digital kit in Australia: an acoustic turquoise‑sparkle Chaos kit converted to digital, running through two Roland modules and an SPD sampler, all MIDI’d together in ways we pretend to understand. Whatever wizardry is happening in there, it sounds phenomenal. But great gear doesn’t make a great drummer — the player does. And John is not only a killer drummer, he’s a top‑shelf human. He never chases the spotlight, which is exactly why we enjoy shining plenty of it on him so you can watch the magic happen. He might love his heavy rock, but he’s versatile enough to cover the full 3 Days Reign catalogue with style, finesse, and that unmistakable Jay Oh groove.
