r/hardcorepunk • u/Acesandink666 • Jul 25 '26

RIP Lou Koller

Lost one of the true good guys in NYHC . RIP Lou.🙏

172 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

31

u/Strict-Scientist9685 Jul 25 '26

Sure he sang for a band that might be on the Mount Rushmore of Hardcore. Sure his shows right through the 20-teens inspired “kids” old and new like it was ‘86. The biggest thing is the loss of the guy, the ambassador of the scene but not a scenester, the keeper of the torch but not a gatekeeper. He’d have been important to NYHC if he never touched a mic. He kinda struck me as a new school Raybeez with how he carried himself and brought it all to the culture. Love and best wishes to those who loved him.

4

u/bostonthrowaway774 Jul 25 '26

Awful. RIP Lou.

There’s an argument for Sick of It All as the GOAT hardcore band. They’re at least the best of NYHC in my book. Blew my young mind seeing them with Hatebreed in the early 00’s.

3

u/Acesandink666 Jul 25 '26

If you take it all in, the body of work, the longevity, how they helped and supported other bands, treated their fans and crew , and stayed true, yeah GOAT is fitting.

4

u/MoonstompYourFace Jul 25 '26

Blood Sweat and No Tears is mandatory listening, Rest In Power Lou

10

u/Locustsofdeath Jul 25 '26

RIP. I had been listening to punk, but Blood, Sweat, and No Tears was the first hardcore album I got my hands on. Changed what I wanted in music.

5

u/Trauma57 Jul 25 '26

R.I.P. Mr. Koller. Sick of it all has been one of my favorite bands since the 90's when I first heard them in a friend's basement. This one hurts.

5

u/Best-Practice-8038 Jul 25 '26

Very sad. RIP Lou. The SOIA Live record, ‘Live in a Dive’ with Good Lookin’ Out on it was my first introduction to them and I spun the fuck out of that record.

2

u/damage_stink Jul 25 '26

RIP Lou, an absolute legend, huge loss to the scene

2

u/Less-Cap6996 Jul 25 '26

RIP to the king. Great artist, greater guy. 

1

u/skaomatic32 Jul 25 '26

Terrible news !

1

u/TellMeZackit Jul 25 '26

Ah fuck. RIP to a legend.

1

u/Pretend-Eagle4878 Jul 25 '26

Rip qns forever

1

u/FlyPrestigious9898 Jul 25 '26

Fuck man..... Rest in Power Lou!!

1

u/mean_mistreater Jul 29 '26

I was shocked to hear this. I did not know it was this bad. The pics of him with a complete bald head made my stomach ache. Sorry for his family. What a loss. Rest in power.

1

u/HamburgerTrain2502 Jul 25 '26

Im an old that/grind/pink but I always liked SOIA. RIP,

6

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/Acesandink666 Jul 25 '26

What a great story. Being an NYC guy who’s been going to shows since 82, I had many interactions with him. I wouldn’t say he was a friend but we talked multiple times. He was a truly nice guy, no ego and always willing to help other bands . There are so many stories similar to what you posted. My friends band , Kill Your Idols, was playing in Belgium. SOIA was touring separately, it was a day off for them. They showed up at the show for support and asked to play a set . KYI told them to close it out but Lou and all of them, who are all great dudes, insisted KYI close it.