Rocking & Swing - New music from The Hooters!

Excited to have some new music from the 'local boys that made good' - The Hooters... And just in time for summer!

A quick history lesson here kids; The Hooters started out back in the early 1980s playing the Philadelphia club scene with their distinctive blend of rock & roll, reggae and ska that defined their sound. They began by playing in high schools at first and quickly moved onto the Cabaret circuit that used to surround our area, before moving on to bigger city venues. They soon became a huge success along the East Coast & beyond while appearing on local television shows and radio stations like WMMR - With gigs like opening the Philly portion of Live Aid & performing with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters near the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall, the quickly made a name for themselves nationally and internationally.

So, to mark this 40ish Anniversary of their beginning - & provide a 'twist' worthy of another local boy made good (M. Night Shyamalan), the band has decided to make Rocking & Swing a throwback to The Hooters’ early 80s sound. It is an upbeat, party record with 8 new tracks (plus a live bonus track of one of those early classics, recorded at The Keswick Theatre in November 2022). The track list on the record is nicely sequenced here to start & end with instrumentals & have a third one right smack dab in the middle - But I guess only a Hoot-nerd like me would realize/appreciate a thing like that!

The album features its first single, the insanely catchy “Why Won’t You Call Me Back,” as well as several new takes on previously released recordings. A few of the songs may also sound familiar to the band’s first fans as they were originally played live back in the early 80s club scene where the group got its start. A lot of the record has a sound that is reminiscent of those old releases by classic ska bands like The Specials - heavy on the reverb with some infectious drum bits. The addition of a three-piece horn section, aptly named ‘Men In The Street’ (an homage to the Skatalites’ classic track) adds another dimension to the proceedings.

For those of you who discovered the band's music in the 1990s or the 2000s; This may not you mother's Hooters music... Oh wait - It's EXACTLY what your Mom was experiencing back then whether she was hanging out at the Ambler or Chestnut Cabarets or even down there at the 23 East or at the Jersey Shore!

Of course, the BEST way to experience this music is to hear it performed LIVE - & there will be plenty of chances to see the band perform music from Rocking & Swing over the next few months. They will spend most of June & July in Germany (& Sweden) playing about two dozen gigs at festivals, arenas & the like before returning to the U S of A in August as part of the I Want My 80's tour with the likes of Rick Springfield, Paul Young & Tommy Tutone slated to roll through Atlantic City at Hard Rock's Etess Arena on August 12th - They also have solo shows planned in nearby Quakertown on August 25th, followed by two nights at Cape May Convention Hall on August 26 & 27th.

In the meantime, here's a taste from Rocking & Swing: