MOOK

mook (m__k)
n. Slang
1. An insignificant or contemptible person.

Sound:
Mook’s approach to music relies on seamless dichotomies of musical arrangement. Each song juxtaposes a number of influences in a natural and modest way. This allows for greater accessibility and application of the proper hooks. Mook’s lyrical output is that of the persona of the band itself, musically serious yet artistically playful.

The band offers no consensus on an artist or series of artists with which they’d compare their sound. However, they do find themselves in agreement on the following: Michael Jackson, The Wu-Tang Clan, Earth Wind & Fire, and the word “lips.”

Show History:
With a number of gigs under their belt, Mook has planted its seed on a variety of stages. From the olfactory turbulence of Northern Jersey (Hamilton St. Cafe), the wintry nature of Boston: (Harpers Ferry) and Northern Massachusetts (Williams College) – not to mention the New York city haunts (Sin-e, The Baggot Inn, Arlene’s Grocery) the band calls home, Mook has proven itself a hardy and fertile road warrior up and down the east coast.


Band Members:

Rob Bruce: Bass
-Age: 25
-Function: Ensures band objective: “Keeping Rock Alive” as rhythmical bedrock.
-Occupation: Beard Growth Analyst, Part-time Vagrant
-Limit: Small feet
-Influence: Mike Patton
-Background: Self proclaimed as the son of a pirate-hooker, Rob earned the nick-name “Mr. Hands” through a freak accident involving a baseball glove, a pair of mittens and a Ouija board. His belief in the chicken before the egg is an unshakable truth.

Paul Dano: Guitar, Vocals
-Age: 22
-Function: Ensures all Mook products are lactose free.
-Occupation: Student (The New School, NYC), major motion picture stunt double.
-Limit: Dairy Foods, Artichokes
-Influence: Rainer Maria Rilke
-Background: A firm believer in the chicken before the egg, Paul suffers from acute post-song anxiety and may often be found wearing flannel, tapered sweat-pants or a combination of both.


Dan Kreiger: Piano, and The Various Forms Thereof
-Age: 22
-Function: Ensures all Mook products are kosher.
-Occupation: Student (New York University, N.Y.C.), Piano Teacher
-Limit: Restricted to 7 words of live, non-lyrical, audience/band communication
-Influence: Glenn Gould
-Background: Choosing music over life in the circus, Dan plays piano with greater genius than Dr. Frankenstein’s manipulation of the organ. He believes the egg pre-dated the chicken.

Gus Johnson: Drums, Percussion
-Age: 21
-Function: Ensures all Mook products are given the appropriate level of Soul.
-Occupation: Student (Western C.T. State University), Drum Instructor
-Limit: Not Applicable
-Influence: James Brown
-Background: Gus exudes a disposition similar to that of the 1950’s drummers; all smiles, great hair and white teeth. His contemporary approach to percussion has deep roots in the traditional style. Shrouded in what can only be described as ‘cheerful mystery,' he believes the question is not “the chicken or the egg” but rather – “where did that nest come from?”

-by Kevin Smallwood