Ryan is the lead singer and principal songwriter of McKenna.  He attended Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario where he pursued a Major in Theatre Arts and Minor in Missiology.  He has many stage credits as a result. [Lead roles in A Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, Pirates of Penzance, Peer Gynt, Stranger in the Land, Here Lies Jeremy Troy and An Inspector Calls.]  Ryan also spent much time leading church worship services.  He found his voice and taste for rock performance in the band Rashasha~*ahh.  (Not a typo.)  Years later, he returned to his alma mater as the Music Director for Raymond Louter's Home In Alfalfa.  Ryan wrote the score and some lyrics for the production.  He left Redeemer after his penultimate year to follow the dream of music by playing with his brother Joel in the award-winning Christian band Father's Property which culminated in the release of the CD, Give the Man A Hand.  Striking out on their own, Ryan and Joel formed McKenna. 

As a duo, they have played consistently for years in bars and pubs all across Ontario.  It was there that Ryan honed his remarkable skills as a frontman, winning over crowd after crowd of new faces who had not initially come intending to see he and Joel perform.  During that time, they also toured intermittently for over a year with Ontario's only professional touring theatre for seniors, Smile Theatre as the Irish music themed presentation, Into The Parlour.  Having previously directed Ryan at Redeemer, Tom Carson was the General and Artistic manager of the company at the time.  Ryan joined him for a year long stint as the bass vocalist in the a capella quartet, Elvis Badly (since renamed Fine Grind.).  Additionally, in early 2009, Ryan and Joel travelled to New Orleans to perform as the Pyrates McKenna for NOLA Pyrate Week.  Ryan and Joel still appear occasionally as the Pyrates McKenna at special events such as The Pirate Festival in Milton.

Although sometimes co-writing, Ryan has himself written several albums worth of material that could only be fleshed out with the help of the fantastic musicians he has had the pleasure of working with. When asked if he plays guitar, Ryan responds, "Yes, to songwrite.  But not in public."  He continues to write, record and perform with Joel constantly, Danno and the Fullness weekly and others when able.

Joel is the guitarist, background vocalist, songwriter for and producer of McKenna.  A multi-instrumentalist, he devoted himself exclusively to music immediately after high school, giving lessons on his most prized instrument, the acoustic guitar.  Besides being a prolific writer of music and poetry, Joel has applied his skills in the studio both as a guest instrumentalist and as an independent record producer.  Joel has produced albums for a number of artists including H.K. Abell and Tim Lucas.  For McKenna, he has produced many short, stand-alone recordings as well as the full length albums, Withdrawal, Make Love and most recently, Harlots & Savages.  His incredible talent with manipulating sound in the studio may be more obvious when you consider that Harlots & Savages was recorded in bathrooms using Cubasis VST 2.0, a program that was released in 1999.

As a teenager, Joel began the award-winning Christian band, Father’s Property with Pete Steinman and Will Thompson.  The band evolved in membership to include, at various times, Ryan McKenna, Rich Mikolajczuk, Clarke Dixon, Dr. James Whyte (FKA Jimmy), and Steve Weibe.  In time, Joel and Ryan struck out on their own as McKenna, playing in bars and pubs on a constant basis for many years.  At the centre of every incarnation has been Joel's love of Celtic rhythms, before the rest of us knew what that even meant, and his passion for the acoustic guitar.  

Joel not only takes charge in the studio, but he is in control of the sound in virtually every live situation that you can see McKenna in. He tweaks things to deliver a rock and roll vibe, often at close to 120 decibels even with a duo.  His playing is not only percussive sonically, but he's always in motion, singing harmonies at pitches unreasonably high for a baritone vocalist and squeezing every bit of soul out of Nikki, his guitar.  Nikki is a Taylor Grand Symphony acoustic guitar with the exclusive Expression System internally.  Her maple body is perfect for picking up Joel's subtle articulation, gentler moments and insistent attacks.  In Joel's words, "She's a beautiful blonde who does exactly what I tell her." 

Joel continues to write, record, produce and perform original work, with Ryan, Danno, the Fullness, et al, all the time.

Danno O’Shea has been playing drums professionally for 11 years. Having toured the better of 30 states, and each coast of Canada, Danno is excited with the projects that he is lucky enough to play behind.

Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Danno is a relentless performer. He Does over 250 shows a year and retains a busy schedule of studio and teaching work.

Having shared the stage with major label acts like Theory of a Deadman, Sarah Slean, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Tea Party, Ill Scarlett, Down with Webster, Shad K, Econoline Crush, High Holy Days, Strung Out, Moneen, Finger Eleven, I Mother Earth, Sloan, etc. Danno has found a happy home playing original music and performing other people’s compositions.

He lives in St. Catharines, Ontario with his wife Holly and his Great Dane Ben.

Please visit the official Danno O’Shea website:  www.dannodrums.com
Danno's hot new project! An 11-piece monster:  www.myspace.com/mysonthehurricane

Danno O’Shea…regarding McKenna:

It’s funny to think that anyone would care about a two guys and a guitar. It’s the most clichéd musical duo setup and has been done to the death. I was very surprised one night when I ventured out for a quiet night at the pub to find throngs of kids and adults going ballistic to these two skinny Irish guys. Upon further listening I was really impressed by their ability to not only perform well but to court the audience members to feel like they were truly part of the show. There was no posturing or facades…it was honest…which is novel these days…to say the least. Upon meeting with the boys we discovered a mutual love for traditional Irish music and after many…many drinks (for proof…see “The Honky Tonk Man”), we decided to record Harlots and Savages together…which is to this day the most epic recording I’ve ever done (and the only one I’ve ever recorded in a women’s washroom…not kidding). Years later I’ve performed with the band almost 200 times. It’s been fun to see the evolution of these songs and how they’ve grown with our fans. Being such a jobber musician you rarely become friends with your employers. However in this case Ryan and Joel are like my brothers, we laugh, we argue, we curse each others names, then we drink and forget and do it again the next night…I’ve been lucky to be on both sides of the stage. I’m not so quick to dismiss the power of the duo anymore.

Nelson “The Fullness” Beattie (Alto, Baritone Sax).  A dynamic onstage personality Nelson Beattie has performed with legendary musicians from bands like Steely Dan, Stone Temple Pilots, James Brown, Ray Charles, Big Sugar and touring with Fingerstyle guitar champion Dale Willis. His compositions are as exciting as his playing, being the main composer for 11 piece brass phenomenon “My Son the Hurricane” who have recently recorded with Paul Riemens at the legendary Grant Avenue Studio (U2, Daniel Lanois, Ani Difranco).

Nelson’s playing in McKenna has brought the dynamic to a new level, adding a new melody to the two brothers already harmonious mix. Having studied at both Humber and Mohawk College, Nelson prides himself not only on his composition and harmony skills but on his ability to bring them to the stage with dynamic stage presence and improvisation. His early music upbringing courtesy of his family outside of Collingwood has led him to pursue his B.A. at the London Music School.

Nelson's hot new project! An 11-piece monster: www.myspace.com/mysonthehurricane

Tom Nemes played the Bass on Harlots & Savages and has played live with McKenna at their original shows.  Tom is best known as the bassist for the 6-piece funk jamband the Marantz Project. Tom's musical tastes are quite diverse (From Metallica, to the New Deal, Motorhead to Louis Armstrong.)  Tom is also well known for his shark-like grin, his love of Welland and his fine fish soup.

Danielle Oegema’s interest in the violin led her to take lessons at age 11. From there, her interest in violin and music in general developed greatly. She has since gone on to complete a Bachelor of Music Degree at Brock University. Danielle now teaches both private and group violin lessons across the Niagara Region, using the Suzuki Method and other traditional teaching methods. Danielle also performs regularly at band concerts, dinner theatres, restaurants, weddings, recitals and other such events. Another musical venture that keeps Danielle busy is the recording industry. She played violin on Harlots & Savages and has appeared on stage with McKenna. Danielle records violin tracks for many local musical artists, and has also recently completed an original project with her sister under the name Zusters. 

Please visit Danielle Oegema’s website:  www.myspace.com/danielleoogie
Danielle's latest original project is here..:  www.zusters.ca