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Steve Msarsa
(Guitar/Bass/Vocals)
Steve grew up on the south side of Knoxville, Tennessee. Every weekend, his dad Maurice would fire up the console stereo in the living room, pumping out everything from Elvis to Dean Martin to Tom Jones.
On the weekdays, he spent time on the farm with his grandfather, where the Bakelite radio on the kitchen table would resound with everyone from Patsy Cline to Jim Reeves, George Jones and Marty Robbins.
Riding to and from school with his mom was filled with music too, 60s AM radio playing the hits of the day, from the British Invasion to The Carpenters, Three Dog Night and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Once Steve was almost to his teenage years, he took over the console stereo in the den. His first album purchase in 1972 was the second release from Texas-based band Bloodrock. From there, he dove into everything from the most popular bands of the day. In 1975, Steve saw Kiss on the Midnight Special, and his direction was set. He asked for and received a bass and small amp for his 15th birthday. Thus began a life-long pursuit of music, with Steve playing in a variety of bands of various styles over the years from New York to Nashville.
Steve relocated to Raleigh, NC in 1994 and continued to play in bands in and around the Triangle area. He had "an itch to to do something different" around 2018, and started writing the music that would evolve into the Hoots eclectic "y'allternative" style. He spent the next few years trying to find like-minded musicians around Raleigh who could also write, sing and create in a more roots-oriented style. He met with Roland and Will for the first time in the late Summer of 2021. Earl and Howard joined later that year, in October and December respectively. In early 2022, The Hoots were hatched.
Roland Stader
(Drums/Percussion)
Hi, I'm Roland Stader. I was born and raised in Maryland. The drumming itch started at the age of 9 while watching Ringo, who was a big influence, on the Ed Sullivan show. I knew at that moment that was what I wanted to do. I purchased his first drum kit, a red sparkle Pearl set at age 14. At the age of 18 I played my first paid gig. Getting paid to do what you love .... doesn't get any better. Played many years with many different musicians in the Baltimore/Annapolis area. Playing rock, R+B, blues, funk, country, alt-rock, alt-country. 50 years later I am still fortunate enough to be doing what I love. Moved to NC in 2016 where I have met and played with some talented players. Eventually I settled in with "The Hoots ".
Howard Longino
(Guitar/Vocals)
Music was a constant in the Longino family, dating back to the Roman Empire when Longinus, the centurion, was renowned for his skills singing and playing the Roman flourish, an ancient stringed instrument resembling a Sitar. Musical ability survived the immigration to the New World in the early 1700's and continued so many generations later with all of the Longino family...except for Howard. Howard is a dolt, but he is nice...so we let him play in The Hoots. Frankly, we just needed any warm body with 7 (no fewer than 5) body openings and a pulse.
Earl Schreyer
(Guitar/Bass/Vocals)
Earl was born in Bethesda, MD. Being the youngest of 5 kids and growing up in the 70’s, classic rock was just part of our upbringing. Influenced by that classic rock, Earl started playing guitar and bass guitar at the early age of 11. Playing in bands through junior high, high school, and as a young adult. During his time at ASU, Earl continued to play in bands and work with audio electronics. The combination of music, electronics design, and hand-built amplifiers is Earl’s true passion. Earl acquired an aspiration for slide guitar in 2018 and has studied/practiced those techniques for hours on end. Earl moved to Raleigh, NC in December of 2020, and has had the pleasure of meeting some true soulmates, about one year later, The Hoots band was formed.
Will Marin
(Guitar/Keys/Bass/Vocals)
Will Marin was born and raised on Long Island and started his musical journey at the age of 7 when his big sister gave him a guitar for Christmas. Infected with the bug, he’d go on to learn piano, saxophone, and bass guitar, the latter of which landed him a gig with a local up-and-coming band Liquid Children, garnering success with strong local radio presence and sales on their self titled indie album release.
Will enjoyed a long career as a Long Island musician, playing with several different bands, both cover and original, all the while maturing and developing his own musical style and voice.
A migration to the great state of NC found Will contemplating his lost musical connections and the possibility of hanging up his hat as a performer when the stars aligned and he met Steve Msarsa through a local music board. The musical chemistry was apparent from the start and the “Hoots” were soon born. “I’m in the best musical place of my life.” Says Will, “I’m doing things I’ve never done before with some of the best musical family I’ve ever had and I am extremely lucky and grateful to be here!”