The Kootz: 'Rock 'N Roll With Fiber'

During this time of year, nothing says "summer" quite like spending the afternoon lounging around the pool, ocean, or lake, or spending an evening enjoying a great rock-and-roll concert.

On Thursday, Wyckoff residents were treated to both in one day.

After a busy day at Spring Lake, the Wyckoff Family YMCA extended the fun with a nighttime lakefront concert by The Kootz, a rock-and-roll cover band whose specialties includes classic rock, pop, blues and funk. 

As the second band to perform in the Y's summer-long concert series, The Kootz, whose members hail from all over New Jersey, thoroughly enjoyed being in Wyckoff.

"When they said Spring Lake, we thought they meant down the Shore," lead guitarist and vocalist Glenn Taylor joked with the crowd after a few songs. "But believe me, this is just as good!" 

All in all, The Kootz managed to attract a substantial crowd.

"I think this was a pretty good deal tonight," said Ron Zier, YMCA Board of Directors president. "I think people had a really good time."

Of course, the term "good time" could very well be seen as an understatement. As The Kootz performed a 1½-hour set of classic tunes which included "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan, "American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, and a rousing block of Beatles hits, the effect the music had on people was quite obvious.

Wherever you looked in the crowd—which was made up mostly of baby boomers like the band itself—people were tapping their feet, clapping their hands and even singing along. In front of the lake-house where the band was set up, there were even several couples who spent a good part of the evening dancing on the sand. One older couple was having so much fun that after the wife tumbled over into the sand, they burst out laughing as her husband helped her back up—and then they simply continued to dance.

The Kootz itself is a unique band. Their name is a funky play on words that makes fun of their baby boomer status.

"We're old coots," Glenn Taylor said. "(That's why) our motto is 'Rock and Roll with Fiber.' "

The way they perform also is unique: having a roster of more than 10 members in all, the lineup rotates after every few concerts, so fans have to attend more than one show to get the full effect. Thursday's performance at Spring Lake featured Taylor, who is from Caldwell; Chris Roselle from Union; Pete Bremy from West Milford; and guest drummer Dave Hirschberg from Oradell.

"We're never going to retire," Taylor said. "We're never going to put down our instruments. We love to play music; it's what we do."

As an added bonus, The Kootz had CDs and T-shirts on sale during the performance. The CDs—which featured both live and acoustic versions of classic hits as well as some original songs—were a bargain at only $5.

"Don't hesitate to take a little Kootz home with you," Taylor encouraged the crowd. 

For more information on The Kootz, check out their website at http://www.thekootz.com, or their Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/thekootzband.