Arts & Entertainment
Classic Rock Band Makes Noise with Paramus Public Library Concert
The Kootz holds concert at Paramus Library
Even though they were in a library The Kootz made some noise.
Glenn Taylor, Ron Weinstein and Keith Theall, members of the Jersey-based rock-and-roll band The Kootz, were the featured entertainment Sunday afternoon for a free concert from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Paramus Public Library. Held inside the Emily Howland meeting room on a first-come-first-served basis, the room quickly filled to capacity with about 50 people of all ages who came out to hear the band.
A line of people formed outside the meeting room to secure seats more than a half-hour before the show was set to begin. While the band set up Theall came out to thank the people for waiting.
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“We’ll have the police barricades down in a minute,” he joked.
The Kootz is a unique entity featuring 13 core members whose lineup alternates with every venue.
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“You’ve got to see us four or five times in order to get the full effect,” said founding member Taylor.
Since Sunday’s performance was in a library, Taylor, Theall and Weinstein performed an acoustic set with three guitars but no drums or piano.
“Who needs drums?” joked Weinstein after one song. “We’ve got guitars!”
The band performed a mix of classic rock and roll tunes that included a rendition of the Bruce Springsteen song “My Hometown,” featuring Weinstein on vocals.
“Every Kootz concert is like a travelogue,” Taylor told the crowd, who heard The Kootz put their stamp on songs like “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp and “Celluloid Heroes” by The Kinks.
In the audience, people's heads swayed to the music; their hands clapped to the beat. Between songs the band talked and joked with the crowd.
Theall earned a laugh when he told the story of an inebriated fan who jumped onstage at the band's Point Pleasant performance on Saturday night.
"She waited 'til my back was turned and [then] jumped up and stole my mic!" Theall said.
Taylor encouraged audience participation by offering a Kootz bumper sticker to anyone who could correctly answer a question about one of the songs in their set.
After the performance, fans were invited to purchase Kootz CDs, hats, and T-shirts, all available for $5 each. There were also packs of Kootz gum and free “Kootz Pops."
“They were very good,” Judy Booth said of the performers. Booth, a Nutley resident, heard The Kootz for the very first time.
“Glenn’s guitar playing was amazing,” she added. “I can’t wait to hear them again.”
To find out where The Kootz will be performing next, visit their website.