The Lookouts
The Lookouts |
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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 Green Day.
History
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 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. It was during this 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 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 increased. 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 royalties. Not much is known about Kain Kong after The Lookouts but it has been confirmed that he is now a park ranger in California.
Discography
Full-Length Albums
- One Planet One People - Lookout! Records
- Spy Rock Road - Lookout! Records
EPs
- Mendocino Homeland - Lookout! Records
- IV - Lookout! Records
Compilations
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)