Like Jonas Brothers, Oswalds succeed with clean

The singer steps up to the microphone and looks out to the huddled mass of fans.

"Are you guys ready to rock out with Jesus?" he yells as he directs the band to play.

Within minutes, dozens of middle-school students begin to jump, clap and sing as the band performs under swirling, multicolored lights at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Norcross.

The Oswald Brothers might not be well-known yet, but the four musicians are making a name for themselves with concerts around Gwinnett County — and beyond.

Meet Zach, 17, Jacob, 15, Nich, 13, and friend Zack Bennett, 16, a Duluth-based Christian pop/rock group seeking stardom with its faith-based music.

"Our main job when playing is to try to talk about what we believe in ... and make sure we're doing this for God," said Zach, the lead singer and songwriter who also plays the guitar and piano.

And now that the music-making teens are set to release their first CD in January, they can take that message to the masses — and, they hope, follow in the famous footsteps of the Jonas Brothers.

"They're definitely an inspiration," Zach said of the Grammy-nominated trio.

Like the Jonas Brothers, the Oswalds project a wholesome image, cling to strong Christian values and come from a home-schooled environment. "I've heard ... they started an awful lot like us, and it's really cool to see how far they've gotten," Zach said.

Pots, pans and piano

The Oswalds fell in love with music as children, beating on pots, pans and anything else they could get their hands on before their parents turned them on to piano.

Zach took lessons from renowned pianist Piotr Folkert of Alpharetta for about eight years. During that time, Zach's love of music grew and he began writing songs, said his mother, Pam Oswald.

"The music would flow right out of out of him," Oswald said. "It started off as classical, and he pretty much just 'popped up' everything."

Then several years ago, Zach learned music theory from his church's music minister, and he shared those lessons with his younger brothers. Soon after, Jacob started learning the guitar, and Nich took to the beat of the drums.

Battle of the Bands

The Oswalds first performed in October 2007, when their father, David Oswald, signed up the siblings for the last spot in a Battle of the Bands contest at a Norcross church.

When David Oswald shared the news with his young sons, "we were like 'What?' because we weren't very good and we hadn't been practicing," Zach said.

But it proved to be a smart move when the band placed second, Pam Oswald said. "They really rocked the house," she said.

More shows followed, with the band working up to seven performances a week at churches, schools and youth groups. The brothers took the show on the road in April 2008, playing in Texas, Tennessee, Florida and throughout Georgia.

Their biggest venue was in Winder in October. The band was a headline act at Faith Fest, which drew nearly 2,000 people.

An album in the making

At first, the Oswald Brothers tried to produce an album on their own last Christmas.

"We had a computer, and we were trying to record ourselves," Jacob said. "The guy who now records us heard us and was impressed with us. Now we record with him."

That guy is Nate Robinson with Music Life Studios in Norcross, where the Oswalds take lessons.

In addition to producing the group's record, Robinson is working with the band on its showmanship. "I'm teaching them about the stage and how to perform."

Robinson is producing the album through Trinity Records, an independent label. The 13-song album — 12 of which were written by the band — will be distributed initially in the Southeast, he said.

"The ultimate hope is we can move enough units and make enough noise independently to attract some of the major labels," he said.

The band's broad appeal

Although young girls flock to the Oswald Brothers, their music has a broad fan base.

"We pretty much appeal to everybody," Jacob said. "We don't play screamo music, where adults in the room won't be able to hear afterward."

Zack Bennett, who joined the group in September and plays bass guitar, said what's important is that the band "not give out all the secular messages that are going around today ... just the positive, uplifting messages for not leading teens astray."

Astray by what kind of songs?

"I Kissed a Girl and I Liked it," Bennett responded, referring to the song by Katy Perry.

Jacob chimed in. "We were listening to this song the other day, and it was just a good-feeling song, and they just threw in bad words and they didn't even need to."

Zach emphasized that not all secular songs are bad, but he is alarmed by those with messages of booze and sex.

For musical inspiration, the group turns to Billy Joel, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and, of course, God.

Balancing school, music

The brothers have little downtime, with a full schedule of practicing, performing and putting the finishing touches on their album. Every night, the group records from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

And then there's school.

Zach is taking three courses at Georgia Perimeter College, and Jacob and Nich are both home-schooled.

"We used to do school from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon," Pam Oswald said. "When music came into our lives, everything kind of shifted."

For the Oswalds, that means a more flexible home-school schedule, with some days more rigorous than others and occasional weekend work, Pam Oswald said.

In addition, the brothers have operated a lawn-mowing business for the past five years to buy band equipment. But like other things outside music, the business, which last year had 25 customers a week, has been scaled back.

"There's really not enough time ... but we still mow," Zach said.

The irony between lawn work and stage work doesn't escape Zach. "Here we are mowing everybody's yards and picking up weeds, and then we go to concerts and people are screaming," Zach said. "It's really humbling."

And the fans say ...

Samantha Bennett, 14, watched the Oswald Brothers perform recently at her school, Cornerstone Christian Academy.

The eighth-grader, who is no relation to Zack Bennett, said the band resonates with young people with its upbeat, Christian message.

And what about the comparison to the Jonas Brothers? "Me personally, I don't like the Jonas Brothers," she said. "I think the Oswalds are more of a big family. They open up everyone's hearts."

SONG SAMPLE
"Generation Next," written by Zach Oswald

We go around every day
People say we can't change this place
They don't know, They can't see
Who we are, that's
You and Me

It's time to stand
And take our Place
What's gonna save
This human race

Well I don't know what it's gonna take
But, I know there's gotta be a better way
It's time to show who we are
It's time for us,
It's time for us

Let's rock this place inside out,
Let's be the generation they talk about.
Come on everybody let's
scream and shout

Let everyone know we are
The Revolution
It's not the time to take a seat

Just sit around and watch TV
It's time to change
It's up to us
Let's have some fun
But, get it done

I don't know the answers
I don't know how
I don't know where I'm heading
But it's up to us
It's up to us

Let's rock this place inside out,
Let's be the generation they talk about.
Come on everybody let's
scream and shout
Let everyone know we are
The Revolution