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The Lookouts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Lookouts | |
|---|---|
 The Lookouts, 1985. From left to right: Tré Cool, Kain Kong, and Lawrence Livemore(picture by L. Livermore) |
|
| Origin | Iron Peak, California |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 1985–1990 |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Punk rock |
| Labels | Lookout! Records (1985-1990) |
The Lookouts were an American punk rock band that existed from 1985 to 1990 on Iron Peak, a remote rural mountain community outside of Laytonville, California. The members were Lawrence Livermore (more commonly known as Larry Livermore) on guitar and vocals, Kain Kong on bass and vocals and Tré Cool on drums and vocals. All three have contributed on songwriting. The band is most famous for being Tré Cool's first band before joining punk rock stars Green Day[citation needed].
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Looking to start a punk band, Livermore had trouble finding members, citing the majority of the local musicians being hippies and "completely uninterested in the music we wanted to make"[citation needed]. Eventually, Livermore recruited a 12 year old neighbor, Frank Edwin Wright III to play drums and 14 year old Kain Kong On Bass. Although he had never played drums before, young Frank showed an instant affinity for them, possibly because, as Livermore said, "he loved making a lot of noise and getting everyone to look at him." Claiming that the members needed "punk rock names," Livermore began calling him "Tré Cool," a play on the French word "très," or "very."
The Lookouts recorded two LPs, One Planet One People and Spy Rock Road, and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland and IV which Billie Joe From Green Day played on, all released on Livermore's own label, Lookout! Records. One Planet One People was actually the first release in the label's history.
In mid-1990, The Lookouts went into a period of inactivity, with the members living and studying in different locations, and it was during that time that fellow Berkeley band Green Day asked Tré to join them, following the departure of their original drummer John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante). This effectively meant the end of the Lookouts.
While Tré Cool has continued as Green Day's drummer, Larry focused on Lookout! Records and eventually sold the label to business partner Chris Appelgren in the mid-1990s when Green Day's popularity exploded and albums sales increaced. In August, 2005, Green Day removed their pre-1993 catalogue from Lookout! Records, including 1992's Kerplunk, which was Tré's debut with Green Day, due to apparently unpaid royalites. Not much is known about Kain Kong after The Lookouts but it has been comfirmed that he is now a park ranger in California.
- One Planet One People - Lookout! Records (1987, out of print)
- Spy Rock Road - Lookout! Records (1989, out of print)
- Mendocino Homeland - Lookout! Records (1985, out of print)
- IV - Lookout! Records (1991, out of print)
The Lookouts have appeared on many compilations, some of which were:
- More Songs about Plants and Trees - Allied Recordings (1990, out of print)
- Can of Pork Kick Me In The Head - Lookout! Records (1992)
- The Thing that Ate Floyd Outside - Lookout! Records (2002)