As a fan of local music, it comes with the territory that some, or maybe even many, of the bands that I’m exposed to won’t touch my sensibilities, shake me, make me stare with fascination and awe. Simply, few bands make my feet thrash around the room. But that’s what one looks for, right? A band that inspires, leaves a grin on your face, summons up more adrenaline than a baseball fan seeing Luis Gonzalez hit a single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth of the 2007 World Series to beat the Yankees in 7 games—the home crowd and all of baseball nation going totally ape shit! Luckily, for me, I was in the right spot at the right time to experience such a moment as The Hoot Hoots became the Yankee killers (suck it Jake, Mr. Managing Editor).

Seeing The Hoot Hoots live for the first time at the KSUB Garden Party, Seattle University’s student-run radio station celebration, was magic. Rocking the Floodlights under a clear black sky, adorned in colorful hand-made owl costumes, the ambiance itself built enough hype to give a rush. From the gate, their blend of poppy rock songs referencing spaceships, insane nightmares and pokeman put a smile on my face and moved a group of us to run around in circles dancing and, well, hooting. The people were moving, everyone was smiling, and what was happening in front of me was everything I could hope for as an audience member and musician. They were connecting with us. Their music has that sense of playfulness that allows the listener to feel like being silly is okay, that going a little crazy is alright for the sake of the moment. It also helps that The Hoot Hoots are a tight, skilled rock band with a clever lyrical presence that makes, “Island yo yo, fire stick, super nova, asterisk, and a bola and a horse hide and a bat and spiky kicks” sound cool (from their song “Startropics”).

Is this the next Pearl Jam, probably not—how impossible it seems to create anything that manifested such fanatic passion these days. But they’re one of those bands in the Seattle scene right now busting their asses to engage you, to offer a quirky sense of fun and jaw-sinkingly good music. 

A new EP by The Hoot Hoots is scheduled for release later in the year, but for now check out their 2011 release, “Appetite for Distraction”. It’s 11 songs of easily-digestible indie pop; notable tracks include: “Nightmares”, “Startropics”, and “No More Sad Songs” (Album Rating: “RAW”)*.

See the Hoot Hoots for yourself at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard on June 7^th. Or check their tunes on our music player (Nightmares, Skully).

*Rating based on a “R – RAWKD” scale.

–Dominic Cortese, Music Writer, The Monarch Review