Rick Cua & the ah-koo-stiks

Rick Cua - Tony Hooper - Emedin Rivera

After several years of playing concerts, writing songs and combining their diverse musical styles, Rick Cua & the ah-koo-stiks have come up with a sound they describe as: aggressive, percussive, almost-acoustic, retro-beatnik pop! This energetic trio consists of Rick Cua (bass, vocals), Tony Hooper (guitar, piano, vocals) and Emedin Rivera (percussion kit, percussion, scatting).
The blending of Rick's Rock and Jazz roots with Tony's soulful R&B/gospel style and Emedin's eclectic Latin rhythms has definitely produced a sound that is fresh and melodic. Add to that Rick and Tony's rich vocal blend, inspirational lyrics and Emedin's unique approach to scatting and you have the ah-koo-stiks.
The group's first release, Rick's eleventh, "Like A Cool Drink", was recorded between the months of January and May 1997 in Red Bay, Alabama. The ah-koo-stiks "camped-out" at Tony Hooper's home studio and in that relaxed atmosphere developed and recorded their sound. The actual recording took seventeen days with minimal overdubs. After a brief separation from the project the band along with engineers jb, and Salvo mixed in Nashville bringing the record to completion.
"Like A Cool Drink" is comprised of 15 new tracks (10 songs and 5 interludes) and over 48 minutes of music. "What we wanted most with this record was to let the music live and breath. The "feel" was paramount. What we do in concert is what we wanted on the record. Tony played guitar in one bedroom, Emedin played percussion kit in another bedroom and I played bass in the hall", said Cua. "we made a record with no pre-conceived ideas. Our only agenda was to have fun and make the music we love."

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TRACKS

• Gimme An Inch
• Gotta Have Your Heart
• I Care For You
• Udu And The Barking Dog
• Bad Things Good People
• Hey Now! Hey Now!
• Cumbachero
• Gentle Love
• Ananias And Sapphira
• Jesus Changes Everything
• Healing
• Move on
• El Unique
• Set Me Free
• Funk Problems