TAMPA, Fla. — By day he is a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Tampa, and by night he is a rock 'n' roll drummer for the local band Jack Jagger.
Nick Cedela quickly and quietly packs up the hook and ladder in preparation, the fire alarm could go off any second inside Tampa Fire Rescue Station 19. He’s part of the Marine Division.
“Water rescue, any kind of marine fires, boat fires, we respond to it all,” said Cedela.
But when Cedela isn’t fighting fires, he’s pounding the drums, with his band.
“It’s a great stress relief especially the way I play,” said Cedela.
Cedela and bandmate Lani Daniels just finished their newest song, “Chemicals,” when the pandemic hit.
“You know there are obstacles in this world that you need to overcome right now in this current situation, but this is our heart and we want to express ourselves,” said Daniels.
So instead of debuting “Chemicals” at a concert, they decided to make a safe, socially distant, music video.
“We just wanted to do something during quarantine because live shows weren’t happening and we wanted to put out some really good content for everyone to see and we had this song written,” said Cedela.
He said whether it’s a rescue in a boat or a riff on stage, both jobs will make you sweat.
“Anytime you go on stage in front of a crowd full of people it takes a little bit of guts and anytime you do the things we do it takes a little bit of guts and self-checking,” said Cedela.
He said as a first responder you’re always helping others escape danger, but sometimes it’s the responder who needs their own escape.
“Writing original music and putting out records is something I love to do,” said Cedela.
To watch the “Chemicals” music video go to www.jackjaggermusic.com.
