Larry Livermore
Encyclopedia
Lawrence "Larry" Hayes (born October 28, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan
), best known by the pseudonym
Larry Livermore, is an American musician
, record producer
, and music journalist. He is best known as the co-founder of Lookout! Records
.
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
.
He founded Lookout magazine, based in Laytonville
, California
, and continued to publish it until 1995. In 1985 he formed the Lookouts
, a punk-rock band whose 12-year-old drummer, Tré 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 cofounded Lookout! Records, which has released records by Operation Ivy
, Green Day
, Screeching Weasel
, The Queers
, and scores of other artists. Many of 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, Too Many Records. Larry Livermore continued as president and principal owner of Lookout! Records until he retired in 1997.
In 1992, Livermore and Patrick Hynes formed 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. He was also a contributor to 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.
He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
), best known by the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Larry Livermore, is an American musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and music journalist. He is best known as the co-founder of Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
.
Biography
In 1977 Hayes began to attend punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s 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
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
, a nuclear research and development facility in Livermore, California
Livermore, California
Livermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
, run by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
.
He founded Lookout magazine, based in Laytonville
Laytonville, California
Laytonville is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. Laytonville, is located north-northwest of Willits, at an elevation of 1670 feet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and continued to publish it until 1995. In 1985 he formed the Lookouts
The Lookouts
The Lookouts were an American punk rock band that existed from 1985 to 1990 on Iron Peak, a remote rural mountain community outside of Laytonville, CA. The members were Lawrence Livermore on guitar and vocals, Kain Kong on bass and vocals and Tre Cool on drums and vocals. All three have...
, a punk-rock band whose 12-year-old drummer, Tré Cool
Tre Cool
Frank Edwin Wright III, a.k.a. Tré Cool, is an American drummer, best known as the drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. He replaced the group's former drummer John Kiffmeyer in 1990...
, later went on to play for Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
. The Lookouts recorded two LPs, One Planet One People
One Planet One People
One Planet One People is the debut album by the American punk rock band The Lookouts. It was released in 1987 through Lookout! Records and was the first ever release on Lookout!. One Planet One People is the first recording featuring Tré Cool of Green Day...
and Spy Rock Road
Spy Rock Road
Spy Rock Road is the second and final studio album by the American punk rock band The Lookouts. It was released in 1989 through Lookout! Records-Track listing:#"That Girl's from Outer Space" - 2:29#"Wild" - 3:37#"Alienation" - 4:35...
, and two EPs, Mendocino Homeland
Mendocino Homeland
Mendocino Homeland is an extended play by the American punk rock band The Lookouts. It was released in 1989 through vocalist/guitarist Larry Livermore's label Lookout! Records...
and IV
IV (The Lookouts album)
IV was the final EP by the American punk rock band The Lookouts. It was released in 1990 through Lookout! Records. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day played lead guitar on "Story", "Agape" and "Out My Door" and sang backup vocals on "Story" and "Out My Door."-Tracklisting:All songs written by Larry...
, between 1985 and 1990, with Livermore playing guitar and singing.
In 1987, with his friend David Hayes (no relation), he cofounded Lookout! Records, which has released records by Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)
Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead.Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have broken up and reformed numerous times with numerous line-up changes. Ben Weasel has been the only constant...
, The Queers
The Queers
The Queers are a punk band formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King . The band originally broke up in 1984, but reformed with Joe Queer and a new line-up in 1986. In 1990, the band signed with Shakin' Street Records and released their first album Grow Up...
, and scores of other artists. Many of the bands on Lookout were associated with 924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San...
, 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, Too Many Records. Larry Livermore continued as president and principal owner of Lookout! Records until he retired in 1997.
In 1992, Livermore and Patrick Hynes formed 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
Cub (band)
Cub was an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk that was dubbed "cuddlecore" by some music critics...
.
From 1987 until 1994, Livermore was a columnist for Maximum Rocknroll
Maximum RocknRoll
Maximum rocknroll is a widely distributed, monthly not-for-profit fanzine based in San Francisco, USA. It features interviews, columns, and reviews from international contributors...
magazine, and from 1994 to 2007 wrote a monthly column for Punk Planet
Punk Planet
Punk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide...
magazine. He was also a contributor to the seminal queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
zine Homocore
Homocore (zine)
Homocore is an American anarcho-punk zine created by Tom Jennings and Deke Nihilson, and published in San Francisco from 1988 to 1991. One of the first queer zines, Homocore was directed toward the hardcore punk youth of the gay underground...
. In 2008, quarterly periodical Verbicide magazine
Verbicide Magazine
Verbicide is an independent entertainment website based jointly out of Las Vegas, Nevada and Brooklyn, New York. It is co-published via Scissor Press by founding editor Jackson Ellis and creative director Nathaniel Pollard....
began publishing his column, titled "Beneath the BQE." Livermore's first column for Verbicide appears in issue 23.
He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.