Knowing Stu singer Tina Louise is fairly soft-spoken, almost shy, in person. At least that was the case the other day during an interview at Creative Loafing headquarters. But get the frontwoman on stage, and she's a siren, a 6-feet-high tower of power brimming with rock 'n' roll vigor.

The Clearwater resident can be seen at area venues sporting short, spiky hair; ribbed-white tank tops; ripped jeans; chunky boots; and thick, studded bracelets to match her wide belts. She stalks the stage like a hopped-up peacock, throwing air punches, hunching down low like James Brown and then preening a la Mick Jagger — or Tina Turner.

Knowing Stu is a modern-rock quartet boasting such catchy cuts as "Not My Fault," which finds Louise pleading innocence in a failed relationship. Her voice is gruff yet distinctly feminine as she sings self-penned lyrics about soured love and culpability. "You can't blame me, I won't take it/ [I'm] giving it back," she intones. The song, from Knowing Stu's debut EP Lost in Know-Where Land, has been played nearly 30,000 times on the band's MySpace page.

"I don't want to necessarily come out and say things," Louise says of her songwriting process. "I have my meaning but I want people to be able to bring their own experiences to the songs, as well. I want to be able to touch people [with my lyrics] in a positive way."

Knowing Stu's EP contains only three songs, but the band is in pre-production on a full-length of original material they plan to record next month in Atlanta with producer Jeff Tome (Melissa Etheridge, Matchbox 20). They'll then look to shop the project to record labels.

Meanwhile, Louise continues to prove that women can rock with all the sweaty intensity and bravado of their male counterparts. "Before I get on stage I definitely receive some negative feedback from people who haven't seen me before," she says. "I just kind of let it go in one ear and out the other.

"Usually by the time I get on stage I have won their respect," she continues. "For some reason, a lot of [male musicians in the hard rock genre] automatically are turned off by a frontwoman. A lot of times I'll have people say 'I don't like female singers but I like you.' Is that a compliment? I don't know."

Latest release: Lost in Know-Where Land

Key track: "Not My Fault"

More info: knowingstu.com

Music Issue 2007: Chicks Rock

Tampa Bay's top 10 women musicians — plus 100 must-have CDs by women artists