In the 1980’s no band personified the pop rock genre better than The Hooters. With hits like And We Danced, All You Zombies and Day By Day, The Hooters were in regular rotation on the radio and MTV. Laying down the backbeat was David Uosikkinen, who sat at the right side of the stage up front with his fellow musicians. Sitting behind a bright yellow drum set, Uosikkinen’s hard-hitting style helped to personify the band’s unique sound.
In 1980, Uosikkinen joined a group of Philadelphia musicians to create The Hooters. The band was fresh compared to their contemporaries and combined multiple genres, reggae, ska, and rock and roll. After releasing six albums, The Hooters obtained a large following of loyal fans throughout the 1980s and 1990s. This led to headlining successful European summer tours in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2010, Uosikkinen began his own project, In The Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia creating a fund raising campaign for the Settlement Music School.
Dave shared his excitement with Off Beat: “I’m thrilled to be talking drums at this point in my life. ITP has a show planned promoting, “The Philly Special” and The Hooters are gearing up for a busy fall. We will tour Europe in 2022. Our long awaited 40th anniversary tour will now be our 42nd anniversary. I feel lucky to be back at it again!”
On September 25th, Uosikkinen’s vision will be celebrating their latest release. Press Release follows:
ARDMORE, PA – (August 27, 2021) – David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket will celebrate the release of their new album, The Philly Special on Saturday, September 25th at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Ave; 610-649-8389). Doors open at 8:00pm. Showtime is 9:00pm. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day of show. There are a limited number of VIP tickets (preferred seating) available. Tickets can be purchased at ardmoremusic.com.
The 11 song vinyl and digital release is a celebration of some of Philly’s special songs, that David recorded between 2014 and 2021, with the help of members of The Hooters, The A’s, Tommy Conwell, The Dead Milkmen, Soul Survivors, Patty Smyth, Beru Revue and more! These are the songs that have impacted Uosikkinen while growing up in Philadelphia, a city rich with musical history. Join David and his band of all-stars as they cover some of Philly’s very special songs!
David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket will premiere the latest track, Young American’s at Ardmore Music Hall, along with a video documentary of the making of the song, by Steve Acito of BlueWire Media. The Young Americans music video can be viewed here. The Philly Special on vinyl will be available for purchase at the Ardmore Music Hall on September 25th. It can also be pre-ordered now at songsinthepocket.org, and can be downloaded on Apple Music, Amazon and streamed on all of your favorite streaming platforms.
Visit Dave at his official website at: https://www.daveudrums.com/.
Off Beat with Michael Aubrecht 