RIP Lou Koller
- Fred
- 6m
- 2 min read
I've very depressed tonight, Sick of it All's lead singer Lou Koller died earlier today at age 59.
Here are some profession eulogies:
But mine will be simpler and more personal.
If you go to the Dictionary and look up the term NEW YORK HARDCORE, there are no words simply this:
Back in 1997, my friend Aaron loaned me a copy of Sick of it All's Built to Last. It was awesome, and I quickly went out and bought the CD for myself.
That summer, Sick of it All came to Minneapolis as part of the Van's Warped Tour and I was POSITIVE that hardcore, specifically SOIA, was going to be the next big thing! (They weren't.)
I was in the front row of Sick of it All's set and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to. High energy and loud, the music hit me in the face like a punch. All members were on top of their games and SOIA's show was the high water mark for the day.
But 1997 taught me a valuable lesson. A great band like SOIA was right on the cusp of mainstream success, but they didn't quite break through. Sometimes you need some luck that they didn't have. Now don't get me wrong, the band was active until 2025, but I got the impression that they had been struggling over the past decade.
Editor's Note: I also watched Limp BIzkit that day at Warped Tour and told Aaron "this band sucks. They are going nowhere." (Again, very wrong.)
Aaron and I both loved the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones set, but agreed that ska was just a short-lived fad. (Actually right for once.)
But from that day, almost 30 years ago, until today, SOIA has had the same lineup. By all accounts they were all good guys dedicated to their band. I rarely read anything gossipy about Sick of it All, only that they were on the road promoting one of their 12 albums.
In 2024, Lou Koller was diagnosed with cancer, and he suffered a lot. It saddened me that the most press the band ever got was Koller's Cancer Battle.
A fan created this cartoon to help raise awareness to raise money for Koller's medical bills:
But I keep wondering why, on a day when the Drudge Report posted this article: The Secrets of the Rock Stars still Performing into their 80s, my heroes keep dying young.
I didn't need the YouTube video, I was there, it's still pretty crisp in my mind.