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-- Steve Sweigart --
Steve played drums and did
percussion arrangements.
Before the band:
Steve was born
and raised in Aurora, IL where he currently resides. He
was four years old when he received his first Mickey
Mouse paper drum set for Christmas, which was destroyed
within a week. Next came the Mouse Guitar, which he
still has with two original strings. The folks insisted
that he have music lessons, since in Europe the family
had been in the circuses and the arts were naturally in
the blood. He played cornet in grade school then
started drum lessons when he was ten and was in his
Junior High band on percussion. In high school Steve
got his first real drum set - Ludwig four-piece kit.
That kit was used during the first years of OM and the
Kitchen then replaced by a Premier four-piece kit.
Steve’s first
band in high school was a Dixieland band with members
from the high school band. Tuba, trumpet, trombone and
clarinet with drums were the instruments in that band.
Throughout high school he played in the school band and
continued with drum lessons. He studied with Bill
Drake, who was a jazz drummer and would keep him after
lessons to listen to the jazz masters like Cozy Cole,
Jake Hanna, Buddy Rich, etc. Influences on Steve’s
music were Big Bands, small jazz groups, the Ventures
and Sandy Nelson.
In Steve’s
sophomore year, the group “The Secrets” was born with
John Huddell on guitar, a rhythm guitar and bass. That
group played parties and Friday night sock hops at the
YMCA. Then he played with “The Zaviers”
replacing Dave Scafe on drums. That group consisted of
Tom McCabe on vocals, Jim Thompson on lead guitar, Greg
(Nazz) Schmizer on rhythm guitar and Rich Felts on bass
and trumpet. The Zaviers cut a demo 45.
Steve started
at Southern Illinois University in the summer of 1966
and formed the band “Hearts of Darkness” with his
roommate Rod on lead guitar. At the beginning of his
sophomore year a member of the group “OM” asked
him to play with them. After the first rehearsal, he
asked if he was in the band, “You’re our drummer” was
the reply.
After the band:
Steve, wife Carla (who he met in high
school), son Shawn, and daughter Gretchen returned to
San Francisco area and setup house in Fairfax, CA. He
started another group, “Woarmwood Star” featuring Peter
Tork of “The Monkeys” fame on guitar. He also met
up with Robbie and did some recording with Mickey Hart
and the “Rhythm Devils”.
Divorced in 1974, Steve left
California and returned to the Chicago area. He started
“Shawnee Percussion Studio”, which is still in
operation. Within a week he was playing in local bands.
Some of the bands he played with were “Raintree
County Band”, timpanist and percussionist for the “Fox
River Valley Symphony Orchestra”, percussionist with
the “Elgin Symphony Orchestra” and local rock,
country and jazz bands, "Freshwater", "Bill
Blough Combo" and "RWJJT Rangers".
He was a consultant with Sadler’s
Music Shop in Aurora and received a Bachelors and
Masters of Music Degree from Northern Illinois
University, studying percussion with G. Allen O’Connor
and Jeff Kowalski. Along with formal training, Steve
studied with percussion great Bobby Christian. He was
the percussion instructor for Waubonsee Community
College in Sugar Grove where he started, directed, and
arranged for the “Waubonsee Steel Drum Band”, the
first community college steel drum band in North
America.
A couple members of the Waubonsee
band wanted to start a smaller band and the group “Stainless
Steel Band” with Mark Pelczarski and Trish Glen was
born. They recorded two CDs that they sold at gigs; one
was “Pan Overboard”. Later Steve was asked to
form another steel band at Harper College in Palatine,
the “Harper College Steel Band”. Steve had all
of his steel band instruments built by Cliff Alexis, who
is still the director of Steel Bands at NIU. Steve
arranged “Cantina Band” which is published by “Panyard
Publishing” and is working on several other
arrangements for steel band.
Along with his professional projects,
Steve has been active in assisting local junior and high
schools with percussion activities. He served one term
as the Secretary for the Illinois Percussive Arts
Society. Steve is again active in the studio,
performing with “Jykes” band, and other local rock and
country bands. Some
links to Steve related sites:
More about:
Robbie
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