The Kootz Band Goes Acoustic at Library

To help usher in the month of October, three members of a talented local band called The Kootz performed at the Franklin Lakes Library on Sunday afternoon. Al Egizi, Keith Theall, and Joe Alexander sang and played guitar on a set of eighteen popular classic rock, pop, R & B and Motown songs to a small but enthusiastic crowd in the library’s Community Room.

Although The Kootz has performed in libraries all over New Jersey, this was their performance in the Franklin Lakes facility.

The Kootz is a unique band in the fact that it has more than 20 members in total, so the lineup of performers changes with every venue – which means audiences definitely have to see the band five or six times to experience the full effect of the band’s talents. This also gives the band the ability to be in two places at once, like today: while Egizi, Theall, and Alexander were in Franklin Lakes, founding member Glenn Taylor and three other band members did a performance at the street fair in Caldwell.

In Franklin Lakes, the vocals of Egizi, Theall, and Alexander blended beautifully with their various guitars. Opening with a rendition of the Otis Redding classic “Sittin’ on the dock of the bay,” the band covered material from the ‘50s to the ‘70s; everything from The Beatles and the Everly Brothers to Marvin Gaye and Roy Orbison was cheerfully done for the eager audience.

And since performing in this smaller venue gave it a cozier feel, there was plenty of banter between the band and the audience members.

During their rendition of “Daydream” by the Lovin’ Spoonful, Egizi joked about the combined whistling efforts of Theall and Alexander. “Double whistling – like twin engines on a boat,” he said, which drew laughter from the audience.

And after performing “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles, Theall spontaneously announced he wanted to “buck the system” and perform a second Beatles song, “Two of Us,” that had not originally been in the playlist.  

The audience was obviously pleased with the show. One woman was even overheard saying that she’d love to book the band for her town’s senior center.

Kootz CDs were available for sale after the show. Both CDs, “Koot-leg: Tales From the Endless Bus Tour of New Jersey” (featuring 11 original songs and 5 popular covers) and “Koot-Leg,” (all covers), are also available on The Kootz website, which also offers a selection of t-shirts, hats, and other merchandise. To find out where The Kootz is playing next, check out their tour schedule.