WHO ARE THE HOOPS?
You already asked that question.

NOT IN SO MANY WORDS
Semantics.

LOOK, DO YOU WANT ME TO BOOK THE BAND OR NOT?
Suddenly I see things your way.
The Hoops are, in no particular order (and believe me, we’ve tried):

JAMIE FORBES, LEAD VOCALS AND RHYTHM GUITAR
Jamie works as an actor and has won awards for his writing which includes short stories, plays and scripts for film, television and radio. He recently completed his first novel and the screenplay for a major American motion picture. He played in various bands in Melbourne and the Bega Valley, including Burning Down The House and Yes Commissioner.  Aside from The Hoops he is the guitarist for The Jonathan Richman Experience and plays guitar, sings and writes for The Sugarants.

DAVID SPARROWHAWK (AKA SPARKS), LEAD GUITAR AND VOCALS

David Sparrowhawk first took up ukulele in 1975 and mastered Little Brown Jug in under an hour (it took Joseph Winner over two and a half hours to write it in 1869).  This musical triumph led young Hawk to convince his parents to buy him his first electric guitar.

After a disastrous musical career (The Lime Spiders, The Saints  et al) that spread across Australia and overseas David moved to the Far South Coast in 2007, hanging up the guitar and focusing on collecting garden gnomes.

Sparrowhawk knew one day the right musical unit would come calling, and he could once again inflict his love of eclectic stage wear and  tuneless comedic guitar playing with a controlled amount of reverb on a new audience.

Enter 2017 and THE HOOPS (were there any good bands before 2017 anyway?).

ERIK RIJNBERG, BASS AND VOCALS

Erik is a renowned guitarist and pianist who began his career in the Netherlands and worked in a variety of bands, cabaret, and as a session musician. Arriving in Sydney in 1981, he played and recorded with The Bystanders, The Identities, The Tumbling Dice, The Happening, jazz/funk outfit Groove Artery, The Nighthawks, The Groove Brothers, funky instrumentalists The Pesco Brothers and Lilly Pillys. Outside of The Sugarants he plays with The Hoops and The Jonathan Richman Experience.

JONATHAN ‘TRAPPER’ TREVENA, DRUMS AND VOCALS

Trapper excels as a player of drums and percussion in jazz, blues, funk, latino, rock and country. He has worked in studio sessions, live radio and television, live theatre, Performing Arts for Schools and live shows from local club and pub gigs to large stadium events, including many festivals both in Australia and overseas.

Trap started playing professionally at the age of 15 and has worked with artists such as Jimmy Little, Kevin Bennett (Flood), Graham Lowndes, Robyn Jolly, Sharon O’Neill, Rick Price, Noel McDonald, Jeff Robinson (Robinson Bros.), Sam McNally, Andrew Oh, Australian Smooth Jazz Orchestra, Phil Moyes (Air Supply), Yuk Harrison (Max Merrit), Ken Lending (Denmark), Molten Mike Dressell (USA), Tranexpress (France), Cirque du Solei (Canada), The Truck Brothers, Babalu & Babalito (Latino), Chris Wright, Dieter Kleeman, 60’s Stadium band Lotus, Marcia Hines and John Paul Young.

He is a veteran of over thirty albums, most recently Daniel Champagne’s last four albums recorded at Pirate Studios, three albums and ten years on the road with Pugsley Buzzard, Wateringcan, Rebecca Moore andPaul Dion.

Trapper currently lives on the Far South Coast of NSW and plays with local artists The Radars, Don’t Come Mondays, The Paul Dion Trio, Jazz Pack, Frog in the Well. … and now with The Hoops .

Trapper Playes Yamaha Drums, Sabian cymbals, LP percussion.

OK, I’M CONVINCED! HOW DO I BOOK THE HOOPS TO PLAY AT MY VENUE?
I was beginning to think you’d never ask. The Hoops can be booked (for a very reasonable price, ONO) by calling Jamie on 0402 972 338, by e-mail at feasiblejerome@gmail.com or fill in the form on the Contact Us page.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

THE HOOPS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU’RE NOT HAVING THE HOOPS …

The Sugarants are four chaps that are also often in The Hoops. They are Jamie Forbes (guitar, vocals), Erik Rijnberg (guitar, vocals), Dennis Milsom (keys, vocals) and Trap on drums. They play originals and covers from the 50s through to yesterday tea time by artists including Talking Heads, John Lennon, The Violent Femmes, Models, The Proclaimers, Buddy Holly and David Bowie.

Erik is a renowned guitarist and pianist who began his career in the Netherlands and worked in a variety of bands, cabaret, and as a session musician. Arriving in Sydney in 1981, he played and recorded with The Bystanders, The Identities, The Tumbling Dice, The Happening, jazz/funk outfit Groove Artery, The Nighthawks, The Groove Brothers, funky instrumentalists The Pesco Brothers and Lilly Pillys. Outside of The Sugarants he plays with The Hoops and The Jonathan Richman Experience.

Dennis has been playing professionally since the mid to late 80s in Canberra, Goulburn, Jindabyne and along the South Coast, in bands, duos and simply solo. He also plays with Shadoogie, and jazz band, ElixR.

Last year The Sugarants wrote and recorded Let’s Do This! for the award winning film The Reel Adventures of Mrs Mitty and are currently working on tracks for that film’s sequel, due to be released later this year.

WHAT IS/AND/OR ARE THE HOOPS?
The Hoops is and or are  a four piece band from The Far South Coast of New South Wales specializing in authentic 1950’s Rock’n’Roll. The band faithfully covers songs by such all time favourites as Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry to name but a few. All four members of The Hoops have had years of professional musical experience and offer an electrifying night of nostalgia that will fill any dance floor and knock your bobby sox off. Grease up your pompadours, give ‘em a call and let’s party like it’s 1959!

WHY “THE HOOPS”?
Because it sounds cool and twee and 50s and fun, just like the band. And “Buddy Holly and The Crickets” was already taken. (Boy, did we find this out the hard way.)

YES, BUT WHY THE HOOPS?
Jeepers, you are one nosy cat. Fine. Jamie Forbes, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the band (also known as “The Cute Hoop”), recently returned to the Bega Valley after twenty years in Melbourne where he acted in various films and TV shows before deciding to become a writer for various films and TV shows. During this time he also played in bands. The most successful of these bands was the Buddy Holly Tribute Band The Crikets (spelled like it sounds like it’s spelled) for which Jamie dyed his hair and bought special glasses and a suit. The original idea of The Crikets came from the question “what would it be like to just go round the corner to the local pub and see Buddy Holly?” From this concept came many gigs throughout inner and outer Melbourne, a tour of Tasmania and New South Wales, a cruise ship engagement and a stint in Singapore. When Jamie decided to move back to the BV he was very keen on forming a 50s band back where he had first started to play in bands. This time, he decided, the band would not just play Buddy Holly, but a variety of the Bud’s peers as well. Jamie had seen how audiences of all ages had reacted to the music – in  a very good way! — and decided that it was time to bring it all home.
Thus The Hoops were born.

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