" Dave Grohl is the obvious answer," Oswald said, referring to the former Nirvana drummer, considered one of rock 'n' roll's best, who now sings and plays guitar for the megasuccessful Grammy-winning Foo Fighters. Is there a drummer who has made the switch to center stage with pizazz, in Oswald's book? "I like to go out there and sell the sizzle," he said. Oswald has picked up a campy move or two from the Dolls. Think Sam Cooke meets David Johansen of the New York Dolls. Now regarded by local critics and fans as one of the area's most compelling lead singers, Oswald makes a buzz with his flashy moves and his gritty, soulful voice. "I felt I had to come out and come out swinging," Oswald said. James Brown must have really good knees."Īlso, Oswald said, he was pressuring himself harder than most to be a dynamic front person because he knew that those who knew him as a drummer were skeptical. "I wanted to move around like James Brown and drop down on my knees," he said, "but the first few times I tried that, it really hurt. The band's first shows, Oswald said, were not easy. "And they were into it." Their enthusiasm gave him the guts to start St. ![]() "My daughters were my first audience," said Oswald, who is divorced. I shake that and my (expletive), and I'm all set."Īfter writing a batch of tunes in 2003, Oswald presented them to daughters Chase and Caitlin, now 4 and 10. "Another reason," Oswald said, grinning, "is it's so much lighter now at shows. Oswald reasoned that if he wrote the songs and sang them, how could he go wrong? The musician said he had been daydreaming for years about singing for his own band, mostly because he knew exactly what he wanted his band to sound like. "No one ever saw what I wore behind a tom tom and all the cymbals," Oswald said last week over several cups of coffee. Oswald admits that now that he's at the front, he pays closer attention to gig clothes. For last year's Tropical Heatwave gig, Oswald sported specially trimmed abdominal fuzz in the shape of a heart, dyed bright red. Onstage, Oswald commands the crowd's attention with eye-catching outfits: fluffy hats or skullcaps, a midriff shirt with the words I Like Boys (although he really doesn't _ well, not in that way). Today most local music enthusiasts know Oswald, 31, as the flamboyant, soulful lead singer of St. It hired musicians from the local jazz community and the Florida Orchestra to teach him. ![]() Oswald first picked up the sticks at age 4, and in the 1980s he studied percussion at Gibbs High School with the Pinellas County Center for the Arts program, which had to develop its percussion program because of Oswald's enrollment. He also did time with national bands Down By Law and the Queers. Long regarded as one of the local scene's best drummers, Oswald played throughout the 1990s in the punk band the GoToHells. Harry Hayward, who plays drums for Ronny Elliott and the Nationals, causes a stir with his witty, uncompromising solo music when he performs acoustic guitar sets at the State Theater's In The Raw series and other venues.Ī drummer who made the switch with remarkable results is Hunter Oswald. ![]() Locally, too, drummers have come out from behind the kit. She played drums for New York band the Breakfast Club before realizing that her destiny was to conquer the planet. Lee even played me demo tapes of that short-lived outfit's lone hit, Get Naked, before the tune made it to MTV or radio.Īren't drummers supposed to remain shy and out of the spotlight? Not that Lee, in his projectile-platform-caged drum kit and leather loincloth, has ever been shy.Ĭan you imagine Madonna behind a drum set?īefore grabbing everyone's attention in the early 1980s with her signature torn denim skirts, black leggings, headbands and crucifixes _ not to mention her early hits Holiday, Borderline and Lucky Star _ the former Material Girl kept 4/4 time.
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