Oleh Kaniuka began to play guitar at the age of 7. His father had been singing with a Barbershop Style Ukrainian vocal quartet, which rehearsed at his house regularly. Oleh was mesmerized by the guitar player, Bohdan Kriak, who switched between a Martin acoustic, and a Gibson ES-355, and was able to introduce a lot of harmonic complexity to a musical style that, for the time, was not typically complex. Mr. Kriak had a very clean and lightning fast playing technique.

After taking lessons for a short while, Oleh began listening to artists such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Yes, Genesis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Rush, and quickly developed the ability to learn the music directly from the album “by ear” after only a few listenings (although initially, learning the solos, admittedly, took a bit more effort.) Oleh regularly played along with entire album sides, and soon became involved in various “basement bands”.

In his mid teens, Oleh developed an interest in Jazz Fusion, listening to and learning the music of artists such as Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, Brand X, and Weather Report. His search for greater variability in harmonic color naturally made his interests gravitate towards artists such as Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Horace Silver, and thus began his love affair with the Bebop style of Jazz.

After spending 3 years studying Chemical Engineering, Oleh decided to abandon the concept, and audition for a Music Conservatory to earn a degree in Jazz Performance. He auditioned for and was accepted to the Mason Gross School of the Arts (MGSA), where he studied with Jazz Greats such as Ted Dunbar, Kevin Eubanks, Kenny Baron, Sahib Shihab, Bill Fielder, and Larry Ridley, all of whom had quite illustrious careers during the golden era when Bebop was King, and continued to perform regularly while they taught at the conservatory. Mason Gross also regularly invited world class jazz musicians to teach master classes, and to perform with the Big Band, giving Oleh multiple opportunities to perform with artists such as Jimmy Heath, Curtis Fuller, Dave Brubeck, and Benny Carter. Oleh earned his B.Mus. in 1988.

Oleh taught lessons and performed with various ensembles during this time, with styles ranging from Top 40, to Big Band, to Bebop, and he even played weddings on a regular basis. At some point, Oleh left the music industry to work on a Masters Degree in Business, but decided to return to performing on a part time basis after completing his degree. He became involved with a group called “King Baboon” that played alternative rock, such as Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.

Oleh’s association with The World Famous Gashouse Gang came accidentally one evening when both bands were performing at the same venue. Gashouse’s guitar player suddenly took ill, and was not able to perform. Danny Mecca asked Oleh if he would be able to sit in with the group, in real time, with no prior rehearsal. The performance went off extremely well, and both parties, as well as the audience, walked away greatly satisfied. A year later, Danny called Oleh indicating that he was in need of a guitar player- Oleh immediately expressed his interest and the deal was sealed. Oleh has been with Gashouse since February 2008.

Oleh plays Gibson guitars (The Les Paul, ES-335, ES-175, SG, L7) through Marshall amplification.