The Cooters: Hattiesburg American review

Hattiesburg apathy has struck again as the Hub City hosted yet another superb rock show that only around 20 people were there to witness.

The Cooters came from Oxford to the Thirsty Hippo Saturday night just to shred the place with some of the most intense metal riffs I've heard in a while. This was real metal. Not nu metal, rap metal, or European black metal, but riding around on a Friday night in 10th grade while throwing glass bottles at road signs metal.

I realize that a lot of Hattiesburg is too cool for school, but surely some of you would have loved to relive those rockin' times. I can be just as guilty of this as the next, but try to move our of your comfort zone, people. There is no telling what you might stumble into.

For instance, I was pleasantly surpassed by Eddie Bo of Atomic Jefferson fame opening the show with a medley of Black Sabbath songs played on a banjo. See, its the little things like that in life and not the bit money and the other fabulous prizes that really make it worth living.

I guess the Cooters have decided everyone had fooled around long enough and opened their set with a cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." Whew! If that doesn't let you know where you're at, then what does?

And those dang Cooters just kept going like a buzzsaw all night with pure old school sounding metal with bits of punk and hardcore tossed in to keep things white hot. I personally, had to be doused with a fire extinguisher at least three times. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

As their set progressed, the razor sharp guitar took me back to the days of the Young Jeremy Alexander Chronicles of nearly a decade ago. I remembered Metalheard Michael Green, Doug Everett and I tearing up the roads in Doug's truck as tunes like this blasted from the stereo. Moo ha, ha!

I had actually seen the Cooters several times before at the old Triple 777 club in Meridian in fall of 1995. I told Newt Cooter this when they were taking a break in their set and we talked about those times.

"You guys used to cover 'Breakin the Law' by Judas Priest," I said, "do you still play it?"

"We will toinght," he replied.

And sure enough, in the middle of the next set, Newt said, "This is for old school Meridian," and they blazed through it picture perfect.

Though I'm very happy with things in my life now, it was great to be transformed into an invincible, skinny, stupid teenager again, if only for one night.

Thanks Cooters and do come back soon.