Misplaced Pages

#639360

51-458: Following the departure of co-founder Larry Livermore in 1997, the label departed from its "East Bay sound" and proved unable to match early success. In 2005 the label ran into financial difficulties after several high-profile artists rescinded the rights to their Lookout Records material. After a period of rapid contraction the label slowly expired, terminating operations and removing its music from online distribution channels early in 2012. During

102-500: A 2015 memoir, Livermore recalled that Even when it came to music we both liked, we found things to disagree about. [David Hayes] didn't want to hear me speculate about bands becoming popular even on an underground — let alone a mainstream — level. It almost felt as if he thought it was our job to stop that from happening, or at least delay it as much as possible... This confused me. I saw no logical reason why some of our bands shouldn't sell hundreds of thousands, even millions of records. I

153-439: A Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records , in 2015. Ska-punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk ) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. Ska punk tends to feature brass instruments , especially horns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones, making the genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is closely tied to third wave ska which reached its zenith in

204-495: A band, drafting a 12-year-old neighbor to play drums — given the punk rock name " Tré Cool " by Livermore. Cool would later gain fame as the drummer of Green Day . After a few ill-attended shows in 1985 Livermore took his band, The Lookouts , into a local recording studio to record their songs, with a 26-song demo tape resulting. He also began living part-time in the San Francisco Bay Area , splitting his time between

255-477: A cutting edge local label for the Berkeley punk scene. The "Gilman bands" began to form friendships amongst themselves and to play out together at other venues on the road. One important contact was made in the person of 14-year-old Christopher "Chris" Appelgren , a resident of the small town of Garberville, California who worked as a volunteer at community radio station KMUD and who had learned of The Lookouts and

306-435: A job." With a quiet determination, Hayes declared that his departure would take effect on January 1, 1990, adding "I don't want anything more to do with Lookout, and I don't want anything more from Lookout." The speechless Livermore was left with full ownership and control of the label on the very eve of its commercial success. David Hayes would go on to start his own label, Very Small Records , releasing dozens of records over

357-421: A leading member of Rancid . Before long Appelgren would be traveling to Livermore's Laytonville home to help with the stuffing of 7-inch vinyl into sleeves and packaging records for mailorder, becoming the label's first paid employee. Livermore and Hayes began to become estranged from one another, and the label's projects began to be bifurcated between the two principals — "Larry's bands" and "David's bands," with

408-565: A major financial loss that would effect the label's royalty payouts in the following years. The label also switched its long time distribution affiliation with Mordam to RED Distribution. In 1998, the label signed Palo Alto-based band The Donnas and would release 3 albums from the band between 1998 and 2001 as well as reissue their debut album. With decent sales and heavy coverage of the band from mainstream media outlets, The Donnas would depart for Atlantic Records in 2002. Other veteran acts such as The Queers, Pansy Division and Avail would depart in

459-459: A new label of his own for the purpose, to be known as Sprocket Records, with a view to a first release for the band Corrupted Morals . Livermore, a columnist for Maximum Rocknroll (MRR) who knew Hayes as a so-called "shitworker" for the publication, convinced the latter that a partnership was in order to advance their common goal. As Livermore's release had an independently controlled label name, Lookout Records, while Hayes's debut release borrowed

510-635: A scene report column on East Bay's punk zine Absolutely Zippo . He was also a contributor to the Anderson Valley Advertiser , Janelle Hessig's zine Tales of Blarg , and the seminal queercore zine Homocore . In 2008, quarterly periodical Verbicide Magazine began publishing his column, titled "Beneath the BQE". Livermore's first column for Verbicide appears in issue 23. Livermore released his first book, Spy Rock Memories , on Don Giovanni Records in 2013. He released his second book, How to Ru(i)n

561-508: A significant international following online and releasing several albums. BrooklynVegan has written, "You can't talk about the renewed interest in ska without talking Jeremy Hunter". Buck-O-Nine released a new album titled: "Fundaymental" in 2019. Other artists that continue to tour or put out music on a regular basis include: Kill Lincoln, Omnigone, Catbite, Big D and the Kids Table , Streetlight Manifesto (and by extension Bandits of

SECTION 10

#1732876311640

612-545: A start to a career. Lookout became famous for releasing albums that featured a very distinctive "Ramonescore" pop punk sound including bands such as Screeching Weasel, The Mr T Experience, The Queers, Crimpshrine, Green Day, Sweet Baby, Squirtgun, The Wanna-Bes and others. In the spring of 1994 Lookout principal Larry Livermore made a very public break with Tim Yohannan and his Maximum Rocknroll, for which Livermore had written since 1987. With punk exploding in popularity and various tangential musical forms attaching themselves to

663-853: Is an American singer, musician, record producer, and author, best known as the co-founder of Lookout Records . In 1977, Hayes began to attend punk rock shows in the San Francisco bay area. He soon adopted the "punk rock name" Larry Livermore, an allusion to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , a nuclear research and development facility in Livermore, California , run by the University of California . In 1984, he founded Lookout magazine, based in Laytonville , California, and continued to publish it until 1995. In 1985, he formed

714-897: The Mainstream Top 40 chart, and number 17 on the Adult Pop Songs chart. Also, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' song " The Rascal King " peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' album Let's Face It , which was released in March 1997, was certified platinum by the RIAA in September 1997. In 2000, Billboard wrote that according to Nielsen SoundScan, Let's Face It sold 1,700,000 copies. Ska and reggae influenced rock music retreated to niche status by

765-687: The Interrupters scored a minor hit with their song "She's Kerosene", that peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and No. 1 on the RPM Canadian rock/alternative chart . Detroit ska punk outfit the Suicide Machines released a new album titled "Revolution Spring", released in March 2020 on Fat Wreck Chords . The Planet Smashers released "Too Much Information" on Stomp Records in 2019 and continue to play shows in

816-586: The Lookouts , a punk-rock band whose 12-year-old drummer, Tre Cool , later went on to play for Green Day . The Lookouts recorded two LPs, One Planet One People and Spy Rock Road , and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland and IV , between 1985 and 1990, with Livermore playing guitar and singing. In 1987, with his friend David Hayes (no relation), he co-founded Lookout Records , which released gold and platinum-selling albums by Operation Ivy and Green Day , as well as scores of releases from other artists. Many of

867-452: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones , Sublime , Less Than Jake , and more. Ska punk had significant mainstream success in the middle-to-late 1990s, with many bands topping pop and rock music charts. The best-selling ska punk record of the era was No Doubt 's Tragic Kingdom , which was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1999 and was certified diamond by Music Canada in 1997. By the early 2000s, many of

918-542: The Porkers , Sublime, Citizen Fish , the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Suicide Machines , MU330 and Dance Hall Crashers. Ska punk broke into the mainstream in the mid-1990s with bands such as Sublime, No Doubt, Goldfinger , the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake and Rancid all achieving mainstream success. Sublime's song " Date Rape " became a hit on major California alternative rock radio stations. However, Sublime did not reach its peak of popularity until 1996 with

969-551: The Potatomen, a pop band that has released two albums, Now and Iceland , two EPs, On the Avenue and All My Yesterdays , and a split EP, The Beautiful and Damned/The Day I Said Goodbye , with the Canadian band Cub . From 1987 until 1994, Livermore was a columnist for Maximum Rocknroll magazine, and from 1994 to 2007 wrote a monthly column for Punk Planet magazine. Livermore had

1020-612: The Specials , the Beat and Madness . With both films like the 1981 documentary film Dance Craze and supportive radio stations like Los Angeles, California's KROQ , ska crossed the Atlantic . During the 1980s, ska punk was underground. However, Fishbone , one of the earliest ska punk bands, achieved moderate success. Other ska punk bands from the 1980s and early 1990s include Operation Ivy , The Toasters , Culture Shock , Voodoo Glow Skulls ,

1071-642: The U.S. and Canada. The duo 100 gecs incorporated ska punk elements into their 2019 song "Stupid Horse" from their album 1000 Gecs , as well as throughout their album 10,000 Gecs , released in 2023. Ann Arbor, Michigan–based ska punk band We Are the Union released "Self Care" in 2018 and tour frequently. Their trombone player, Jeremy Hunter, runs the YouTube channel called Skatune Network , where they post ska and ska punk covers of video game soundtracks , cartoon themes, pop punk , and other genres, garnering

SECTION 20

#1732876311640

1122-462: The Warped Tour and CMJ. By 2004, the label had closed its retail store on University Avenue in Berkeley. On August 1, 2005, Green Day followed Avail, Blatz, Filth, Operation Ivy, Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, Lillingtons and Enemy You in announcing they had rescinded the master rights for their Lookout Records material. They cited continuing breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties. This led to

1173-749: The bands in ska punk had broken up, and the genre lost mainstream appeal, though it continued to have underground popularity and featured a revival in the late 2010s with bands like the Interrupters returning to chart success, when their song "She's Kerosene" reached the top 5 on alternative and rock music charts in Canada and the US, as well as in the early 2020s with hyperpop duo 100 gecs album 10,000 gecs incorporating elements of ska punk to critical acclaim. Ska punk combines ska music with punk rock music. Ska punk often features wind instruments, especially horns such as saxophones, trombones and trumpets, making

1224-408: The bands on Lookout were associated with 924 Gilman Street , a nonprofit, volunteer-run punk-rock club based in Berkeley, California. David Hayes left the label at the end of 1989 to establish a label of his own, Very Small Records . Larry Livermore continued as president and principal owner of Lookout Records until he retired in 1997. In 1992, Livermore, Chris Appelgren , and Patrick Hynes formed

1275-475: The breakup of Operation Ivy, some of the members formed Rancid. They released their debut EP, Rancid , in 1992 with Lookout Records. Screeching Weasel released their third and fifth to seventh albums, My Brain Hurts (1991), Wiggle (1993), Anthem for a New Tomorrow (1993), and How to Make Enemies and Irritate People (1994). Many other Bay area punk bands were getting signed by Lookout Records, giving them

1326-475: The burgeoning East Bay punk rock scene through the pages of Lookout magazine, which was distributed in the area. Appelgren attended a show held at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California played by Lookout Records bands Operation Ivy, Crimpshrine, Isocracy, and The Lookouts and was wowed by what he saw, meeting Livermore for the first time and making the acquaintance of Tim "Lint" Armstrong of Op Ivy — later

1377-491: The city and his home in the mountains of Mendocino County . The Lookouts began playing out more in San Francisco and Berkeley and began to develop a fan following and to make the acquaintance of other local bands, including a melodically friendly group called The Mr. T Experience . A vibrant local scene began to congeal, based around the Gilman Street Project , an all-ages venue inspired, bankrolled, and coordinated by

1428-508: The coming decade that ran the gamut of punk styles, maintaining fidelity to his artistic and ethical vision — while the label that he exited would go on to become a multimillion-dollar commercial enterprise. Many different punk rock bands, such as Green Day, were signed to Lookout in this time. Green Day released their debut EP, 1,000 Hours , in 1989. Green Day also released 39/Smooth (1990), Slappy (1990), Sweet Children (1990), and, with their new drummer, Kerplunk! (1992). After

1479-503: The controversial local topics upon which Livermore opined and so he turned to the theme punk rock , a form of music he had followed in the late 1970s. Livermore began to reacquaint himself with the ongoing punk music scene by listening to the Maximum Rocknroll (MRR) radio show, broadcast weekly from Berkeley and featuring prominent scenester and future fanzine publisher Tim Yohannan and his cohorts. Livermore also decided to start

1530-551: The early 2000s citing poor promotion and the label's increasing attention and spending on new acts. By 2002, Lookout began to shift focus from its East Bay pop punk roots to a more diverse sound by releasing albums from bands such as Pretty Girls Make Graves , Ted Leo And The Pharmacists , The Oranges Band and Neuman's own band Bratmobile. The shift in direction and new releases from veteran acts like The Smugglers and The Mr. T Experience could not offset declining album sales and financial mismanagement including unprofitable showcases at

1581-406: The eclectic Hayes next turning to releases by post punk band Plaid Retina and country punks Sewer Trout . In addition to differences in musical taste which became more apparent over time, the pair were temperamentally ill-suited, with Hayes understated and reserved and Livermore boisterous and gregarious. In addition, Hayes and Livermore differed greatly with respect to commercial motivation. In

Lookout Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-499: The fall of 1984 Larry Livermore (née Larry Hayes), a resident of the small town of Laytonville, California , of countercultural proclivities, felt the urge to opine about the problems of his community and the world in a small-circulation periodical . Thus in October of that year was launched a circulation magazine called Lookout, the first issue of which was typed and photocopied with a "press run" of just 50 copies. Opposition emerged to

1683-450: The first decade of the 2000s, with many major acts, such as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones taking an extended hiatus, and chart success eluded most bands of the genre. Some acts continued to produce such music through the decade, spearheaded by groups from Southern California (the home of ska-punk pioneers Sublime) such as Slightly Stoopid , Long Beach Shortbus , Long Beach Dub Allstars , and Tribal Seeds . Chart success returned in 2018 when

1734-553: The first time by local scenester David Hayes on a 17-song double 7-inch compilation entitled Turn It Around, released through Mordam Distribution on the Maximum Rocknroll Records label. The duo would soon join forces as co-founders of a permanent label. Both Lawrence Livermore (née Larry Hayes) and David Hayes (not related) were deeply inspired by the energetic East Bay punk rock scene and sought to further document its leading bands. David Hayes initially wanted to start

1785-435: The genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is similar to traditional Jamaican ska, but faster and heavier. Before ska punk started, many ska bands and punk rock bands performed on the same bills together and appealed to the same audiences. A ska revival occurred simultaneously around the beginning of British punk rock and the near-simultaneous rebirth of the late 1970s British mod and skinhead movements. During

1836-500: The label in 1997. After Livermore's departure, Chris Appelgren took over as the label's president while his wife Molly Neuman became vice president and label employee Cathy Bauer took over as general manager. Screeching Weasel resigned with the label in 1998 for their album Emo. As part of an agreement, Lookout also purchased Ben Weasel's label Panic Button Records and would release albums from Panic Button acts including The Eyeliners , Enemy You and The Lillingtons . The move would be

1887-739: The label laying off six of nine staff members. Appelgren told Punknews.org that the label would carry on in a scaled back form. Lookout Records turned 20 years old in 2008. In December 2009, the company entered a major financial reconstruction period. The label officially closed in January 2012. The label returned any remaining inventory, masters and artwork to the bands. Appelgren said he hoped bands would "... revisit their Lookout releases, with interesting and cool results." List of bands Lookout Records released at least one EP or full-length for: Larry Livermore Lawrence Hayes (born October 28, 1947), better known by his stage name Larry Livermore ,

1938-501: The label's direction growing, and his expressed desires of departure becoming more frequent. Hayes had gradually come to find working with Livermore to be insufferable and sought peace and artistic freedom through formation of his own record label. Believing that Hayes's participation in the Lookout project as bookkeeper and skilled mitigator of the demands of demanding bands was essential, the 16-year old Appelgren clearly not being ready for

1989-674: The late 1970s and early 1980s in United Kingdom, many punk rock bands mixed punk rock with ska influences. Pioneering punk rock band the Clash incorporated influences from ska alongside a range of other genres on their seminal 1979 post-punk album London Calling . Songs like 1978's "Kill the Hippies" by the Deadbeats prominently featured horns, although there are no ska elements. Other British bands that were influenced by both punk rock and ska included

2040-505: The mid-1990s. Before ska punk began, many ska bands and punk rock bands performed on the same bills. Some music groups from the late 1970s and early 1980s, such as the Clash , the Deadbeats, the Specials , the Beat , and Madness fused characteristics of punk rock and ska, but many of these were punk bands playing an occasional ska-flavored song or ska bands with punk influences. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, ska-punk enjoyed its greatest success, heralded by bands such as Fishbone ,

2091-406: The movement and swamping MRR with promotional material, a tightening of musical focus was demanded by Yohannan — a move which led to the launch of the more eclectic rival publication Punk Planet . Livermore rebelled at the new line, charging that MRR had increasingly become "a lifestyle journal for retro-punks" who "think if they dress up in the same clothes they wore 15 years ago, if they drink

Lookout Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-534: The popular Maximum Rocknroll, launched the night of December 31, 1986. Early in 1987 Livermore decided that it was time for The Lookouts to release a record. Livermore chose to take the Do It Yourself route to create such an album, self-releasing the one-off LP under "Lookout Records." At the same time, the new bands emerging around the vibrant 924 Gilman Street venue, including Operation Ivy , Crimpshrine , Sewer Trout , Isocracy , and others were documented for

2193-478: The release of the band's 1996 self-titled album , which was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999. Because of Sublime's popularity, the band's album 40oz. to Freedom was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in 2005. Another ska punk band that achieved mainstream success during the mid-late 1990s was No Doubt. No Doubt's 1995 album Tragic Kingdom

2244-415: The right band at the right moment, with the release by the high energy local favorites selling through its first pressing of 1,000 copies within a month. In an effort to make a splash, four 7-inch vinyl records were released simultaneously, including also releases by popular 924 Gilman bands Crimpshrine (LK-04) and Isocracy (LK-05). This initial barrage of new releases went far in cementing Lookout's place as

2295-493: The role, Livermore tried a last-ditch effort to retain Hayes with the label, offering to take over all mundane operational tasks while leaving Hayes with "half the profits" as financial coordinator and public face of the organization. The anti-commercial Hayes flatly rejected this proposal with the declaration that "there's too much golden light around Lookout right now," adding that work on his label of love had come to feel "too much like

2346-406: The same beer and play the same guitar riffs, that somehow it'll be the glory days of punk all over again." Despite Yohannan's radical politics, Maximum had been revealed to be "simply another business," Livermore provocatively declared. In 1995, with the help of Green Day's "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours" and "Kerplunk", Lookout Records made $ 10 million in sales. Co-founder Larry Livermore left

2397-573: The well-known MRR moniker, the former name was decided upon as the label name for the releases of the duo moving forward. According to Livermore, the name "Lookout" was chosen for his magazine and band and thus the label from whence it sprung was selected in reference to the United States Forest Service fire watch tower on Iron Peak, the highest point in Livermore's rural Mendocino County neighborhood. The company's iconic "beady eyes" logo

2448-628: Was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1999 and was certified diamond by Music Canada in 1997. Tragic Kingdom sold at least 16,000,000 copies worldwide. Rancid's song " Time Bomb " peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and the band's 1994 album ...And Out Come the Wolves was certified platinum by the RIAA. Reel Big Fish's album Turn the Radio Off , which was released in August 1996,

2499-594: Was certified gold by the RIAA in November 1997. Reel Big Fish's song " Sell Out " peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. Goldfinger's song " Here in Your Bedroom " peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones achieved mainstream success in 1997; their song " The Impression That I Get " peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 19 on

2550-399: Was convinced, after all, that they were just as good as, if not better than, most bands who did. But the moment I said anything like that, i risked incurring the wrath of MRR, 'the punks,' and, most of all, my partner. Although the winds of change had begun to blow even in 1988, David Hayes would remain very active with Lookout through the summer of 1989, albeit with dissatisfaction regarding

2601-453: Was the early creation of David Hayes, who also handled much of the artwork for the label's early sleeves and LP jackets. With Hayes's Corrupted Morals project moving forward as LK-02, a 7-inch EP entitled Chet, Livermore and Hayes jointly worked to bring about a third release later in 1987. This would be yet another 7-inch EP, a record by raw-edged ska-punkers Operation Ivy called Hectic. This third release proved to be an aural document of

SECTION 50

#1732876311640
#639360