Dr. Feelgood

Sarasota's Five O'Clock Club is small and packed. Plumes of smoke rise and curl above the dim lighting. The crowd, dense and energetic, sways to the music – a magnetic combination of classic rock, funk, and Top 40. You snake your way toward the back, hoping to find a table, a nearly impossible task, and your journey stalls in front of the dance floor. You abandon your search momentarily and let the music engulf you. Peering beyond the writhing bodies to glimpse the band, you expect the usual flamboyant, eclectic mix of rock and rollers, but instead, you slowly realize that the man with the guitar is … could it be? Your dentist?

Dr. Feelgood is not your typical rock-and-roll band. Joe Draper, the drummer and vocalist, is an anesthesiologist; and Gordy Evans, who plays guitar and synthesizer, is a monitor tech in the open-heart surgery recovery unit. Both work at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida.

A third band member, guitarist John Russo, is a periodontist and traveling lecturer in bone grafting and implant surgery. Two other members also have ties to the medical profession: bass guitarist Bob Saracino, now a full-time housepainter, was once an army medic; while Phil Van Brandt, who does sound and light production, is a water company systems specialist and is married to Tammy, a registered nurse. Vocalist Anne Marie Bruno is the only member with no medical affiliation. She laughingly admits she was "born to rock but forced to work," and that she augments her bustling entertainment career with part-time work as a private housekeeper.

Dr. Feelgood is the brainchild of Draper and Russo. "We practiced for a year before we played anywhere professionally," explains Draper. The first real gig was at the Five O'Clock Club in January 1997.

"They thought it was a joke when I first asked them," says Draper. Requesting only a percentage of the door, the band assisted the nightclub's advertising with word of mouth, which spread quickly throughout the hospital. "The place was packed, even that first Sunday," beams Draper.

Sensing they had a successful act on their hands, the management moved Dr. Feelgood's show to Friday night. According to Evans, the very first Friday was a sellout, and many had to be turned away. "There was a line of people waiting up to an hour just to get in, and we still hold the all-time attendance record at the Five O'Clock Club." That first year, a local news station designated Dr. Feelgood "Most Unusual Band of 1999."

As their popularity grew, so did the need for bigger venues, and the band began to play at other Sarasota hot spots. Initially, Draper admits, he recognized the majority of his audience as friends and fellow medical workers. But now, he says, the band's appeal has broadened, and he finds himself recognizing fewer faces in the crowd.

"Making music is fun," says Draper, "but we also take it very seriously." Saracino agrees: "I've played over 5,000 nights in my life, in over 17 years on the road." His Dr. Feelgood bandmates are "as professional as any of the professionals I play with. They consider it a hobby, but I don't consider them hobbyists."

Dr. Feelgood performs about once every six weeks, and practices at least two or three times before every show. Draper's motivation for forming the band was twofold. "One of the main reasons I wanted to do this," he says, "is that you see a lot of medical people get so wrapped up in medicine, they lose their young, fun side." He believes it is important to strike a balance between one's professional and private lives.

We rarely socialize with each other outside of work," Draper continues, "unless it is doctors with doctors, nurses with nurses, et cetera. You really don't see doctors socializing with unit clerks, nurses, and med techs."

Therefore his second goal is to foster camaraderie within the medical community. "This 'us versus them' attitude is difficult to bridge. But music is a selling point, a universal language that everyone understands. When we play, there are housekeepers, nurses, dentists, accountants and attorneys in the audience. It's neat to see my fishing buddy chugging beer next to a surgeon. Everyone's relaxed, and absolutely everyone's having a great time."

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