Consider the incongruous world of the Philadelphia-bred rock band, the Hooters. They are such huge stars in their hometown, that when a local radio station contest featured the group, the station reportedly received more than 20 million entries.
Throughout the Northeast club and college circuit, fanatic followings make it impossible for the band to travel peacefully.
In Europe, the Hooters also are a burgeoning phenomenon, their fame increasing rapidly these past few months with the release of a spirited second album, One Way Home.
But elsewhere, the Hooters are not big stars. The group’s latest LP is hovering near the bottom of Billboard’s album chart (it’s No. 165 after 19 weeks), a fact that certainly doesn’t tell the whole story, but one that could indicate that the Hooters have not yet completely cracked the mainstream.
Tonight in concert at the Button South, the Hooters are expected to unleash an offbeat brand of rock flavored with cerebral lyrics and European folk and American mountain-style arrangements. The band’s unusual sound comes mostly from such odd instruments as the mandolin and the Melodica, also called a “hooter.”
Despite an impressive debut on Columbia Records last year (Nervous Night) and several moderate hits off both albums, such as Johnny B and Satellite, the Hooters are still most often spoken of as the band that backed Cyndi Lauper’s debut, and now is attempting to make it on its own.
“The people who know us, really know us,” says Andy King, bassist for the group. “We knew our new album might not get the airplay because, from a commercial standpoint, the music may not be appealing, but that’s OK with us.”
The band is renowned for its long, hard jam sessions, good humor and improvisation. The first half of the Hooters’ show is dominated by original material, and the final sets consist mostly of good-time covers. “We love the off-the-cuff stuff,” King says. “We make it different every night. Sometimes it’s the classics like Wipe Out, or Who Do Ya Love? Sometimes it’s whatever the audience calls out. If we don’t know all the lyrics, we make ’em up.”
The band revels in the zest and earnestness infused by its co-founders, keyboardist Rob Hyman and lead guitarist Eric Bazilian, who met 12 years ago while students at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1978, they formed their first group, Baby Grand, and signed with Arista Records soon after. But the group flopped fast, and Hyman and Bazilian found themselves starting over.
Later, they teamed with current Hooters’ drummer Dave Uosikkinen to form another band that eventually dissolved, too.
In 1983, a classmate who had become a record producer in Philadelphia contacted Hyman and Bazilian for a studio job that would entail backing up an unknown singer. They agreed, and the result was Lauper’s 4 million-seller, She’s So Unusual. The LP included several huge hits, including Time After Time, which Hyman co-wrote.
“The experience made the industry take notice of just how good Rob was at crafting an album,” King says.
Although Lauper had asked them to continue with her, Hyman and Bazilian wanted their own identity. So they re-formed the Hooters with Uosikkinen, added King and guitarist John Lilley, and set out to capture a wider audience.
Hyman often has said he is proud of the Lauper collaboration but, “It’s just a footnote in our biography — not the whole story.”
Later this year, the band will tour in Europe and then return to the studio by summer for another album.
— The Hooters appear tonight in concert with opening act The Royal Court of China at the Button South in Hallandale. Tickets are $13 from BASS, or $15 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. For more information, call 454-0001.
