Remembering Lou Koller and Honoring His Hardcore Legacy
Recently, the world lost an important, amazing soul in that of Lou Koller. He passed away at age 59 after a battle with cancer. The hardcore frontman was more than that; he was a true friend to all. I’ve never heard anyone say one negative thing about him, which is rare these days. Sick of it All was more than just a band to most of their fans; they were influential and necessary.
Luckily, I had the honor of getting to interview Lou and photograph SOIA many times over the years. I’ve put a compilation of some live videos, photos and interviews here so we can all re-live experiences of this wonderful man.
I first met Lou just a few months after moving to Los Angeles. It was July of 2010, and my mom was in town visiting me, but she was down for the hardcore show at The Key Club so she came with me for this one. He was not only polite to me, but so respectful and sweet to my mom, Debbie. He would often ask how she was doing over the years, and he always remembered their encounter. I even went to a Sick of it All show while about seven months pregnant. Lou insisted on getting me a table at the venue (The Roxy) so I could sit comfortably during the show. I will never forget how nice he was to me during every encounter. As a female music journalist, it goes without saying that isn’t always the case when I have interactions with bands, but Lou was definitely not like most.
PWV was still in its toddler years when I did this Lou/ SOIA interview (linked above), so please don’t judge the shotty quality <3
PHOTOS: Sick of it All, Murphys Law and more
Photos: Sick of it All, Municipal Waste, Napalm Death, Take Offense @ Teragram Ballroom
Photos: Sick of it All 30th Anniversary Tour (w/ Bl’ast) @ The Roxy
If anyone else has good memories with Lou and would like to share them, please head over to the PWV IG or X page. Thank you <3
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About the Author
Denise Borders 41, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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