ZACH TUGGLE/THE LANTERNJim Hutter, Rex Siebold, ‘Sparky’ and T.J. Hecker of The Moops perform Wednesday in Bernie’s on High Street.Who are the Moops? The Moops are a Columbus-born rock ‘n’ roll band currently touring around the city, performing at underground music venues to promote their recent album, “Smells Like the Moops.”
Their tour around Columbus included their recent short-but-sweet concert at Bernie’s last Wednesday. Performing songs with such titles as “Book Learnin'” and “Football & Liquor,” the Moops had feet tapping and heads bobbing within minutes of playing.
The Moops’ in-your-face, fun-loving style quickly creates a laid-back atmosphere, allowing them to easily connect with their audience. This reduces any shock and tension that may result from any of the Moops randomly running through the audience mid-song, which happens more often than you’d think.
The Moops’ music is very unique in that it isn’t defined by a specific sub-genre of rock. Their unadulterated music is described as “adjective-free rock ‘n’ roll,” a phrase coined by the band itself.
Fans of any genre of rock can easily find something to like about the Moops.
The Moops formed in 2001, and have since experienced a series of band member changes. Currently, the Moops’ consist of longtime front man T.J. Hecker (guitar and vocals), “Sparky” (guitar and vocals), Jim Hutter (bass) and Rex Siebold (drums).
“This is a band of a bunch of friends coming together and rocking for the sake of rock,” “Sparky” said.
The Moops are continuing their tour around Columbus, and plan to perform at The Thirsty Ear in Grandview at 9 p.m. on Feb. 19. For more information, visit the Moops’ Web site at moopscrap.com.
Click here to visit their MySpace page!
Ian Bostick can be reached at [email protected].
