Adrian Oxaal
| Adrian Oxaal | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 20, 1965 (age 52) California, United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock, experimental rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, cello, bass, keyboards |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | Oysterband, James, Sharkboy, Goat |
Adrian Oxaal (born March 20, 1965) is an American-born English musician and music educator, best known for being the lead guitarist in James 1997-2002 and 2015-. He has also played with the bands Sharkboy, Oysterband and Goat.
Adrian Oxaal was born in California of mixed Norwegian-American and Guyanan ancestry, however, he grew up in Hull, England where he learned guitar and cello and befriended his future James colleague Saul Davies when both were members of the City of Hull Youth Symphony Orchestra. Oxaal went on to study music at the University of Sussex in Brighton, where he settled permanently.
Oxaal's heart wasn't in the world of classical music, and after leaving university he chose to play in bar bands - a process which led to him being asked to play on a demo for a band named Goat (not the Swedish band of the same name) whose music Oxaal would later describe as being "a kind of melodic hard rock." Goat went to sign a deal with Beggars Banquet, although he admitted that it didn't really amount to much apart from some studio experience.
Oxaal was then recruited by singer-songwriter Avy to her band Sharkboy, in which he predominantly played guitar and cello. Somewhat different to - and more experimental than - the usual Britpop acts of the time, Sharkboy were nonetheless signed to Nude and went on to support Suede (whose frontman Brett Anderson was a fan) on their first big UK tour. Sharkboy recorded two albums (Matinee and The Valentine Tapes) which were critically well received but sold poorly, and the band folded circa 1995.
At around the same time the band James were having personnel problems, as lead guitarist Larry Gott had announced his departure. Oxaal's friend Saul Davies had been in James since 1989 (playing rhythm guitar, violin and percussion) and suggested Oxaal as a possible replacement for Gott. Oxaal was given an introduction to James that he regards as "bizarre", in which he was only given a drum loop and a vocal track and was asked to just "do something". The remaining members of James were impressed with his guitar skills and gave him the job immediately, relieved that they didn't have to go through the long audition process which they had already experienced with the search for previous members.
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