Eastern Kentucky Raw DIY Punk Rock – Looks So Sick are slamming it out on their own.
San Francisco, Camden Town, New York, Berlin, Los Angeles. These are some of the places thought of as homes to punk rock. London, Kentucky (or Kentucky in general) is not one of these places. The small town home of The World’s Largest Skillet and a chicken festival that honors Col. Sanders of KFC is not what anyone would consider a punk haven. But… Punk Rock finds a way. Like for many that grew up at in the same time frame, video games and skate videos with Punk and Alternative Rock soundtracks were making their way into the homes and hearts of kids all over the world. At least for Jon-Jon Mackowiak, vocalist of Looks So Sick, this is how he was introduced to the world of Punk Rock. While the local scene is mostly metal, “playing in Eastern Kentucky is the weirdest and fucking coolest place to play music,” says Jon-Jon. The community knows punk, but isn’t set in any direct style. The metal scene has also given influence to the Looks So Sick sound and writing. They all listen to and channel from classic punk, hardcore, metal, and of course, Motörhead.
“Realistically we're all over the place. A lot of metal influence, a lot of classic punk.”
Look So Sick has gone through some lineup changes in its few years active, as well as instrument changes within the lineup. The backbone of Looks So Sick’s current lineup Stephen Jones on drums, but formerly guitar, has recruited all of the newer members. The original band all quit and moved on to other projects leaving band founder Jon-Jon without a band. After filling in on drums, later making it a permanent position, Stephen brought in guitarist and childhood friend Nate “Raw Dog” Bennett. “He was instantly a blast to play with. If he couldn’t play a damn instrument, I’d give him a cowbell just to keep him around,” states Jon-Jon. “Fun fucking dude and we couldn’t do it without him.” Originally brought in as a second guitarist, but styles conflicted, so Jon-Jon handed over his bass to Brett Williams. Brett also brought in a dose of wild stage banter and antics, upping the overall personality of the live shows. Jon-Jon then shifted focused to just vocals since he self-admittedly wasn’t all that great at bass to begin with, and could now elevate the vocal force and give it more grit and attention.
For writing, the band all comes together in person and bounces ideas off each other. Everyone brings something to the table. They typically will meet up at their local bar and go over ideas that will make their way into the garage jam and beer sessions. The lyrics typically come first, with one liners getting tossed into previous ideas, or an idea thrown out that is now the base of a song. “We really do write a lot just jamming as well,” explains Jon-Jon. “One of those things where Stephen and Nate start jamming and I say “Wait do that again, but faster. I think I have some lyrics for that.'” The first song this line up put together was “Cut It Out”. The simple progression and heavy push gets both the band on stage, and the crowd in attendance moving and thrashing around. Not every song written makes the cut though. Sometimes a chord progression just doesn’t make sense, or the lyrics are too heavy for the mids focused music that happened to get written.
Looks So Sick also tries to keep the live set fresh and new. Of course there are standards on the set list, “Cut It Out” and “Friend Of Mine” are almost constant. Everyone has a shining moment on “Friend Of Mine”, either with a fill, or solo part, so it is a live show mainstay. To fill the show, fun covers are always welcomed. Some are common, “Halloween” by the Misfits for a Halloween show, and others for the tongue in cheek use of a Clash song in “London’s Burning”. One of their favorite covers is “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Playing the intro as normal and just kicking it into a whole other gear with speed and a punching delivery. And as Jon-Jon tells it, “Fortunate Son is punk as fuck and you can’t tell me otherwise.” The Looks So Sick live show has already influenced a younger generation of local kids getting into punk rock. Kids who only know the major music video and radio bands like Green Day, have now had their eyes opened to vastness that is underground punk. That’s something the band is holding onto and running with.
“Fortunate Son is punk as fuck and you can't tell me otherwise.”
Looks So Sick is and has always been about DIY. Starting in a garage, and still hopping onto existing shows vise touring, they are relying on word of mouth and the always used social media to gain an audience. Prior to their friend Dave (Thanks Dave!) getting them involved with his screen printing business, Looks So Sick was spray painting t-shirts and hand drawing patches. They would use dress shirts purchased at the local thrift store and call over friends to hang out and slap “Looks So Sick” on as many pieces of cloth the shirt would allow. The first release was all done by the band. The recording and production (or lack there of) was all completed themselves. While the recording is rough, the heart is still there. Some of those early songs are still apart of the live set, and have been re-recorded for the EP Revenge (A Dish Best Served). To record that EP, the band was approached after a Halloween show by Wes of Ready Go Entertainment. While discussing the terms of recording the EP, Wes was covered in monster makeup, a trench coat, and only spoke with an electronic voice box. But, two months later, in the middle of a heavy, cold, rainstorm Looks So Sick recorded the Revenge (A Dish Best Served) EP. They recorded it in a studio made out of a renovated enclosed horse trailer. Jon-Jon had no room to do the vocals while the band also played, so for the instrumentation, he lead the band like a conductor, to give cues and signals for switching parts(he would record vocals later). While the new EP is only a few months old, new material is always being worked on. When steady live shows can return, the band plans to come out swinging with new material and a new live set. Or, as Jon-Jon puts it, “we’ll just break up since we released one EP. The future is unwritten.”
“An extra large dress shirt from a thrift can make you about fifteen to twenty patches at about three dollars.”
Revenge (A Dish Best Served) has a stronghold on the basics of punk rock, but with some gritty rock & roll thrown in. The bass, Brett rocking a Danelectro 59dc, really kicks its way to the front of the mix, making the bottom end an attention grabbing force. The vocals have an old-school gravel to them, and deliver lyrics that are to the point and don’t hide behind theatrics and over production. The drums, much like drummer Stephen, are a true backbone to each song. Solid rhythm that doesn’t overcrowd everything else going on. The guitar, Nate using his vintage Strat running through an Orange head into an old Peavy cab, has excellent, fuzzy, rock & roll tone. It punches through with the right amount of crunch, but the lead parts (check out “Friend of Mine”) are bluesy and smooth.
Looks So Sick may be from somewhere most punks would shy away from, but they are doing what they want, and doing it their way. Breaking out of the local heavy metal scene with fresh, amped up punk rock. While still keeping a traditional punk rock sound, it has definitely been beefed up and bastardized with fuzzy, heavy rock & roll. This is very obviously a product of their hometown scene and their own musical tastes. Looks So Sick is a band to watch, a band to follow, and a band staying true to the ethos of DIY. Check out Revenge (A Dish Best Served) on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you may stream music, as well as Bandcamp for digital download.
