Punk USA: The Rise and Fall of Lookout Records (Microcosm, 159) - Softcover

Prested, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1621066126 ISBN 13: 9781621066125

Verlag: Microcosm Publishing, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

Through hundreds of exclusive and original interviews, Punk USA documents an empire that was built overnight as Lookout sold millions of records and rode the wave of the second coming of punk rock until it all came crashing down. In 1987, Lawrence Livermore founded independent punk label Lookout Records to release records by his band The Lookouts. Forming a partnership with David Hayes, the label released some of the most influential recordings from California’s East Bay punk scene, including a then-teenaged Green Day. Originally operating out of a bedroom, Lookout created "The East Bay Punk sound,” with bands such as Crimpshrine, Operation Ivy, The Mr. T Experience, and many more. The label helped to pave the way for future punk upstarts and as Lookout grew, young punk entrepreneurs used the label as a blueprint to try their hand at record pressing. As punk broke nationally in the mid 90s the label went from indie outfit to having more money than it knew how to manage.

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Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Kevin Prested is a music journalist, an archivist, and a musician. He wrote for the official Lookout! Records blog and website.

Kevin Prested is a music journalist, an archivist, and a musician. He wrote for the official Lookout! Records blog and website.

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Punk USA

The Rise and Fall of Lookout Records

By Kevin Prested, Joe Biel, Tim Wheeler, Lauren Hage

Microcosm Publishing

Copyright © 2014 Kevin Prested
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62106-612-5

CHAPTER 1

LOOKOUTS ON SPY ROCK ROAD

With a population of under 1,500 people, Laytonville California — located in Mendocino County — is an elevated town founded in 1874 by one F.B Layton, who built the first house where the town is now located. A little over 100 years after Laytonville's founding, a new resident by the name of Lawrence Livermore arrived. Lawrence — or Larry — was born in Detroit on October 28 1947, and the 36-year-old hippie movement supporter made the jump to a new life in the country with his then-girlfriend Anne.

The summer of 1984 marked both a time of discontent and an important first step in what would become an unexpected journey for Livermore. With finances low and a growing, messy situation that would ultimately end his four-year relationship, he hatched the idea for Lookout Magazine. By October of 1984, he primed a crudely assembled issue number one, its pages filled with vocal opinions from a disgruntled perspective. A photocopied run of 50 copies was created, and in little time, through his screeds — a trade learned in the 1960s writing for the underground press — Larry accumulated a swell of outrage among locals, including the "like-minded" hippie community. Local issues were covered in the free Lookout Magazine, naming actual incidents or events in the surrounding Laytonville, which led to a boycott of Livermore and his newly beloved publication, including instances of locals destroying it on sight. With local threats forthcoming, Lookout Magazine began to widen its horizons and focus on subjects aside from the Laytonville pot harvest, including punk rock.

Although Livermore's interest in the punk scene stemmed from the 70s, the birth of the radio program Maximum Rocknroll reignited interest for the newly impassioned editor. The new radio show influenced Livermore to the point of creating music and his new band was formed — taking the namesake of his magazine, The Lookouts. During the bleak breakup of his relationship, Livermore salvaged the drum kit left behind by his ex-girlfriend and now ex-drummer. Sue Rhine met Larry at the gay club The Stud in San Francisco, and after sharing some dance floor moves, they reconvened outside to get better acquainted.

Sue Rhine: "Behind his smile, I sensed that Larry was an interesting and complex character. When he suggested that I ought to consider being the drummer for his punk band, I laughed out loud. I had never even thought about playing drums before. Was this a joke or maybe a very strange pickup line? He insisted that he was indeed quite serious about this and explained that, based on my dancing, he could detect some sort of natural rhythm. He told me that he had a drum set, a rehearsal space, and that he could easily show me what to play. Key elements already in place, I figured, why not give it a try?"

Getting together to play their only gig at a small venue Lawrence had booked himself, Sue became immediately concerned with the idea that they had already graduated to headlining status.

Sue Rhine: "There was some relief in that the audience was quite small. I was relieved that we made it through our set without any major fuck-ups, as if anybody would've noticed anyway. Still, I felt inadequate about my wimpy drumming and lack of stamina. My insecurities had gotten the best of me. I was done. I don't remember how I left the band, probably over the phone. Soon thereafter, I moved away to Maui not knowing whether Larry continued with his vision for a band or not."

The vision was indeed followed through, and would come to fruition upon meeting two teenage boys in their local area of Iron Peak, located off non-county Spy Rock Road. Coaxing twelve-year-old Frank Edwin Wright to come and join his new punk band on drums, Livermore also recruited another youngster — fourteen-year-old Kain Hanschke on bass guitar. German-born Wright also had no prior knowledge behind a drum kit, which raised some voicing of opinions from Kain, who was concerned with not being taken seriously, especially with the age difference of the pre-teen Wright. Hanschke was swayed after several get-togethers, in which young Wright proved his natural rhythm abilities. With Wright's obvious natural talent, an impressed Livermore was quick to re-christen the twelve-year-old with "Tré Cool" — or "Very Cool" in French. Kain Hanschke was duly renamed Kain Kong and the three piece team of Tré, Kain, and Livermore were on their way to springboarding one the most important and influential scenes in American punk music in the 1990s.

The Lookouts fought through the spring of 1985 rehearsing, with further unsuccessful local live appearances. While Livermore continued building the circulation of Lookout Magazine, The Lookouts recorded for the first time, creating Lookout! It's The Lookouts, their 26-track demo tape featuring a good helping of oldies and 70s rock covers. Following the distribution of the demo via mail order, The Lookouts began playing further afield in the Bay Area. Spending more time between San Francisco and Laytonville over the next year, Lawrence became immersed within the punk community and the live scene.

Kamala Parks (Kamala & The Karnivores): "I used to book gigs at various places with Victor Hayden, and we were looking for a permanent place to have gigs when we found 924 Gilman and a very accommodating landlord. It was a bit trying at first because we didn't have money saved up. Timmy Yohannan of MRR was looking for a place to have shows in San Francisco, but wasn't finding anything. So, Victor convinced him to look at Gilman. Tim saw the place, met with the landlord and decided that it would work. But, he had a different idea for running the place ... Victor and I had wanted it to be our jobs to run the place, whereas Tim wanted to run it like MRR, as a collective, volunteer-run place. Nonetheless, I stayed involved with Gilman but Victor dropped out. I regularly went to shows, volunteered, and booked some shows."

Paul Curran (Crimpshrine, Monsula, Go Sailor): "In 1987, when the Gilman Street Project opened, it felt as if punk had reinvented itself. All of a sudden going to shows was A: possible if you were underage, B: fun, C: welcoming, and D: safe. It has been hashed over many times, but it's true that skinhead violence was a regular part of Bay Area shows in the mid-80s and scrawny little kids like myself were easy targets for getting pummeled in the pit and jumped on the street."

With the new venue in place, the stage was set for an upcoming renaissance in the East Bay punk scene. Countless emerging bands would find their feet in the premises of 924 Gilman Street. Along with this musical revolution came a new set of ethics, politics, and rules: No drinking, drugs, racism, sexism, homophobia, or violence; yet it was still rock and roll with an anything goes attitude.

Kamala Parks (Kamala & The Karnivores): "I remember Operation Ivy's first show, more in retrospect than anything. Jesse Michaels held his gut the whole time, but they were obviously a great band, even from the beginning. Isocracy always put on quite a show. One involved a guy named 'Slither' throwing out bags and bags of cat litter during their set. We all had respiratory problems afterwards. Blatz would sometimes throw out very questionable...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Microcosm Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1621066126
• ISBN 13: 9781621066125
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Goodfellas S.r.l.; http://www.goodfellas.it; ; Via Rubaconte Da Mandello, 11; Firenze; 50126; Italien