The Lookouts

Lore & Background

Larry Livermore sought to start a punk band but had difficulty finding members, as most local musicians were hippies and uninterested in the music he wanted to make. He eventually recruited 14-year-old Kain Hanschke on bass and 12-year-old Frank Edwin "Tré" Wright III on drums. Although Tré had never played drums before, he showed an instant affinity for them, likely because, as Livermore said, "he loved making a lot of noise and getting everyone to look at him."

Claiming the members needed "punk rock names," Livermore gave them new last names: Hanschke became Kong, and Wright became Cool. It has often been claimed that Livermore was the person to dub Cool with "Tré," though his family had long before given him the nickname, a play on the word "tres" (three), because he was the third Frank Edwin in his family.

The Lookouts recorded three albums—Lookout! It's the Lookouts, One Planet One People, and Spy Rock Road—and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland and IV. On July 10, 1990, the band recorded nine songs at The Art Of Ears studio in San Francisco, six of which were released as IV, then played what would be their last show in Oakland. Livermore later noted he was not strong on lead or rhythm guitar, so he asked a friend named Billie Joe to play on the recordings.

Reader's Guide

The Lookouts hold significance primarily as the launching point for Tré Cool, who went on to become the drummer for Green Day after that band was left in a lurch by their first drummer. The band also played a role in the early history of Lookout Records, as Livermore went on to run the label; One Planet One People was the first release in the label's history. Livermore eventually sold Lookout Records to business partner Chris Appelgren in the mid-1990s. After the band's dissolution, Kong became a National Park Service park ranger. In 2015, Don Giovanni Records released Spy Rock Road and Other Stories, a compilation featuring all tracks from Spy Rock Road, Mendocino Homeland, and IV, plus a few compilation tracks and one from their demo, marking the first time the band's recordings were released on CD aside from a couple of compilation appearances. The Lookouts' legacy is thus tied to both the early punk scene in Northern California and the rise of one of punk's most famous drummers.

Did You Know?

• Tré Cool was only 12 years old when he joined The Lookouts and had never played drums before.
• The band's name was used for Larry Livermore's record label, Lookout Records, which released One Planet One People as its first release.
• Kain Kong later became a National Park Service park ranger after the band ended.
• The Lookouts' final show was played in Oakland on July 10, 1990, after recording at The Art Of Ears studio.