Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2016

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T here aren’t many occasions
I’ll depart the comfy cocoon of Mount
Pleasant on a Sunday evening and drive
downtown to a dive bar decked out
in twinkling lights, sticky floors and
Miller High Life cans. But a live rock
‘n’ roll show featuring local stars Hey-
rocco is one of them. Yes, I’m writing this on a Monday, a bit
tired, I’ll admit. But it was totally
worth it to watch Tanner Cooper,
Nathan Merli and Chris Cool take the stage.
Tanner, Nathan and Chris – or, as they’re called in
performance, Taco, Natedog and Cool – have known each
other for a number of years now. They “all played in a jazz
band at school,” according to Taco, who grew up in East
Cooper and attended the Charleston County School of the
Arts. As youngsters, the trio first strummed notes together
at A Dough Re Mi in Mount Pleasant, then decided to
start practicing regularly in Cool’s garage. Their first official
show as Heyrocco was in 2009, at R Pub in West Ashley.
“It was hot outside, so maybe it was summer,” Taco remem-
bered. “We opened for The Cool – yes, [Chris] Cool’s ma and
pa. That show was so much fun. We were like, 15 years old.
We just wanted to play as loud and tight as we could.”
Today, Heyrocco is pretty much on the rock map,
along with their first album, “Teenage Movie Soundtrack,”
released in 2015. Songs such as “Mom Jeans” and “Santa
Fe” are whimsical but rockin’, perhaps reminiscent of 1990s
grunge with a bit of pop mixed in. Another collection of
songs is coming soon, according to the guys. Meanwhile,
they’re playing live shows and beckoning the muses.
“I never stop creating,” remarked Natedog, who said
he gets inspiration from driving around in his “2005 Ford
Focus with the manual transmission.” His soundtrack is
mostly Heyrocco songs, with other favorites mixed in.
“I like reggae and beach surf music,” Natedog said.
Heyrocco
Living the Rock
‘n’ Roll Lifestyle
Tanner cooper, left, also known as Taco, and Nathan Merli, who goes
by his stage name of Natedog, have known each other since they and
chris cool (cool) played in a jazz band in school.
Photo by Denise K. James.
by DeNise K. JaMes