Oswald
What is a real rock band? Some would argue that it’s become all smoke and mirrors, plug-ins and effects. True in certain cases, but not at all for Oswald. At the heart of every great rock band lie four essential elements: bass, drums, guitars and vocals. That, in essence, is Oswald.
Four years ago, securing a recording deal was just a dream for Tom McCreery. Having written songs since he was teenager, Tom craved to leave his day job as a graphic designer and form a full time band. Enlisting the help of his brother Ants, the two searched Glasgow for a drummer to complete the three-piece. Their original choice failed to inspire the brothers or the business team that was beginning to take an interest in the band. A new drummer had to be found. Tom and Ants auditioned Heinrich Kruse and instantly recognised that his style would add a whole new dimension to the band.
“As soon as we met Heinrich we pretty much clicked instantly. We’d been auditioning all day by the time Heinrich stepped into the room. Two songs into playing with us, Ants and I looked at each other and thought ‘This is it!’. The next step was to come up with a name. We decided on ‘Oswald’ after Oswald Street in Glasgow,” explains Tom.
It was only after a chance meeting between Ants, who worked at a bank as David Ritchie’s business manager (founder of R&R Music) that the band started to get more serious. “I was talking to David when he came in for a meeting and I mentioned that I was in a band and he asked to hear a CD. I passed him a demo we’d made and he really liked it. The next thing we knew, former EMI Chairman Eric Nicoli flew up to Glasgow to see us play live. It was quite surreal,” recalls Ants.
Tom continues, “Our music and fans have always come to the forefront before we made any decision about talking to labels, so for us R & R came at the right time because we were very much thinking along the lines of, ‘We could do this on our own. But it would have taken longer and been more difficult. When R&R came into the picture, the attraction for us was that we’d be able to get our fans involved in choosing which singles they wanted us to release and as a band this was key to our final decision.”
With industry attention quickly surrounding the newly formed band, Oswald signed to R&R. Not the usual record deal of advances and royalties, but a 360 degree arrangement based on the formation of a company, R&R Music Oswald limited, which the band own 50%. Within days of signing to R&R Music, the man who signed U2 to Island Records, Nick Stewart, agreed to mentor and A&R the band, “Oswald may turn out to be the real deal . They write great songs and can really play,” says Nick.
“Having a deal with R&R is great because it gives us creative freedom as artists,” says Tom. “We have a direct relationship with our fans and they can vote for the songs they want us to release as singles on our website. I think it really encourages fans to get involved in the story of our band. Digital releases have saved the single. People power means that they pick and choose exactly what they want to listen to and create their own playlists.”
With the future of music becoming more artist-centric, Oswald find themselves in a unique position. They have full control over their music and a mutual relationship with a label that understands where the band is coming from. Influenced by artists including David Bowie, Simple Minds and Muse, Oswald are indeed comparable to the likes of U2 and Coldplay with anthemic melodies and catchy indie pop lyrics, songs such as ‘Home’ and ‘Flying To The Ground’ are firm favourites.
Ant adds, “We love writing songs and playing live. I’d like to think that our music is like social a commentary for the guy who walks down the street.”
‘Little Soul’ is also a stand out track, written by Tom after his wife suffered a miscarriage.
“I wrote ‘Little Soul’ hours after my wife and I lost our baby. Music is an escape for me and I just wanted to get my feelings out. Writing ‘Little Soul’ was like a release valve in order to cope with the pain and our tragic loss.”
To raise the awareness of this often-taboo subject, Tom and R&R Music have donated ‘Little Soul’ to charities that support child loss, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the charity.
“We’ve had a lot of attention from the song as anyone who has lost a child can relate to. Charities like Child, Sands and Baby Lifeline are so important and we’re big supporters of them,” Tom continues.
The future is looking bright for Oswald. With the fans in charge, expect the unexpected.
25.10.2009 / 20.00 Oswald @ Captain's Rest, 185 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
30.10.2009 / 23.30 Oswald @ Mad Hatters, 67 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1ES