25 July 2026 (Special Edition) - Sick of it All - Beef Between Vegans / Bull's Anthem

So, it's kind of a funny song title.

It came from Sick of it All's 2018 album Wake The Sleeping Dragon.  It was a comeback of sorts, and it was met with universal critical acclaim.  

Pretty impressive for a hardcore band that was formed in 1986 by Lou and Pete Koller to still be making music that aggressive and that poignant more than 30 years later.  And that's what Sick of it All's music is - aggressive, poignant, and in your face.

But you all see that Special Edition label.  You know I ain't here with good news. 

Lou Koller, primary vocalist for the band, had been suffering with esophageal cancer.  Yesterday, the band announced his passing.  Now, at this point, I always say "he will be missed" and that's true but this is different.

You see, Lou knew he was one of the elder statesmen of hardcore, and he took that seriously.  He famously mentored and befriended other up-and-coming musicians.  There are hardcore bands that exist and thrived largely because Lou was their mentor and partner. Lou was one of the good guys in a rough industry. 

So yeah, I feature a song with a funny title.  

They kept releasing singles from the album through 2020.  This video, which might not exist if not for the pandemic, featured videos of the band's fans, singing the song.

The band loved and respected their fans, and that started and ended with Lou.  

Now, normally, I wouldn't be talking up so much a band in a genre of music I'm not generally all that into.  It's not generally for me.  

Sick of it All were talented enough and nice enough and resonated enough that I did like them.  In fact, I was fortunate enough to see them live in 1995, on the first Warped Tour.  I saw them at the Northampton Airport in Massachusetts, but the show I'm posting here is literally from two days before that. 

Lou opened that show the same way he opened ours: by inviting fans closer and telling them to "watch out for each other and respect each other."

So today, when I say he'll be missed, it ain't a platitude.  It's that a true pioneer and a nice person has passed, and he WILL be actively missed.