The Blood and the Sweat: The Story of Sick of It All's Koller Brothers

by Lou Koller, Pete Koller, Howie Abrams

When it comes to New York City hardcore, its community proudly boasts Lou and Pete Koller—brothers who have dominated the scene worldwide since 1986 with the aurally devastating Sick of It All as their vehicle.

“One the best books ever written about hardcore, period…” — Decibel Magazine

For Flushing, Queens natives Lou and Pete Koller, hardcore has become a lifestyle as well as an unlikely career. From the moment these siblings began applying their abilities to punk’s angrier, grimier sub-genre, they quickly became fifty percent of one of the most intense and compelling quartets to ever claim the movement—the legendary New York hardcore band, Sick of it All. Contrary to popular belief, Lou and Pete are proof positive that you don’t need to have lived a street life, or come from a fractured, chaotic home in order to produce world-class hardcore. If Agnostic Front are the godfathers of New York hardcore, then vocalist Lou and guitarist Pete are its grand masters.

The Blood and the Sweat is the no-holds-barred autobiography of two brothers who have never wavered, as well as an unrelenting depiction of the American dream, and the drive and determination required to live it—regardless of whatever obstacles appear before you. Featuring commentary from family, friends, bandmates past and present, and their peers, including Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer), Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), and more…

Genres: Music, Punk, Biography

336 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2020

Reviews

[Jason Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book in the mail on 7/6 and finished it on 7/7! Not to sound cliche’ but I could NOT put this book down. It is a MUST read!
Much like Sick of it All’s live shows, this book does not disappoint.
Lou, Pete, and Howie did an awesome job putting all the stories together.
SOIA has always been one of my favorite bands, and this book just may have made me like them even more- if that was possible!!!
Great read, if you claim to like NYHC, punk rock, or music in general you have to read this book!
Thank you Koller brothers for all your music has done for me for the last 30+ years and thank you for taking the time and doing this book!
One last thing.
Read. This. Book!

[Jesse Havoc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I'm going to give this 5 stars.
Lots of "you should have been there" stories,
but relatable enough that I felt like I was there.
The last chapter about family sealed the deal for me.
Whether by blood, marriage or music their love of family is so strong.
So glad I dropped $2 on a SOIA cassette, almost 30 years ago
and now I'm the proud owner of their book.

[Tim Adank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read for me. What's cool about it is that the guys are not portraying to be all tough and what not, and at the same time not trying to go overboard on the 'being complete bonkers', such as e.g. NOFX (read 'The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories'). Seems like they're just supernice guys trying to make a decent living out of doing what they love most. That said, there are a lot of repetitive statements in this book regarding their frustrations about playing in front of disappointingly small crowds and discussions about labels (in more ways than won). One would think that, after having spent more than 25 years in this scene at this level of success, they would be past all that now.
Anyway, this is a cool trip down NYHC memory lane, with some very cool anekdotes and a bit of a checklist of bands to check out - if you hadn't already - from Discharge to Bad Brains to the Cro-Mags to AFI. Check it out!

[Kerem Onan · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you Sick Of It All got giving everything you've got to your fans, throughout the years, without quitting. people are still talking about that one legendary show you gave us in İstanbul years ago... now that's being said, everyone into hardcore/punk music must read this book because these guys are damm good storytellers too. i hope we will find the chance to read more from Armand and Craig on the next one.

[Mark R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Blood and the Sweat," an oral history of the Koller brothers, from the great Sick Of It All, is a fantastic page-turner of a book, filled with humor and entertainment. It's a book written specifically for fans of the band and hardcore punk. I'll admit I get some enjoyment out of the fact that names are dropped throughout, without any clarification; if you don't know who John Joseph is, the book isn't going to assist with a [parentheses Cro-Mags]. The authors figure if you're reading this book, you're already somewhat familiar with the main players of New York Hardcore.

"The Blood and Sweat" is written by Lou and Pete Koller, and told in a conversational format, compiled by NY writer (and head of In Effect Records) Howie Abrams. It's split into chapters which focus on the brothers' early years, touring, European adventures, and record releases, told in a mostly chronological manner. The tour stories may be the most entertaining sections, and Abrams breaks them up, so that you get some tour antics followed by, say, another chapter about the records, followed by one about the brothers' families, and then back to some more tour antics. Makes for a very fast-paced and never boring read.

The book does a great job of getting into the personalities of Pete and Lou. And we get to hear their thoughts on various albums. I like that in a rock bio; too many of them gloss over the records in favor of a more general overview, with emphasis on tour stories. "The Blood and the Sweat" offers thoughts on the makings, and final results, of each record in the band's thirty-five-year history. It even comes with an afterword listing each of their favorite records, front men, guitarists, etc (Pete's includes a list of his least favorite airports, as well).

If you're a fan of Sick Of It All's music then you already understand why the band is so highly regarded in the hardcore and punk scenes. And after reading the book, you'll realize why they're so popular as human beings. Far from being the scary, intimidating folks you might imagine from records like "Scratch the Surface" and "Death to Tyrants," you get the impression neither one of these guys would be at all unapproachable if you were to run into them on the street.

My only complaint with this book is technical: some paragraphs are mistakenly pushed together, and lines that should be in bold are not; that kind of thing is not going to take away from a five-star rating, however. One of the most entertaining and all-around enjoyable books I've read so far in 2020

[Gabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could listen to the Koller brothers tell stories for days! Full review coming soon, but definitely pick this up if you have any interest in NYHC or want to know what keeps a working band going for decades in this business.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying I really love Sick of it All and Howie Abrams, and what they’ve both done for music. The book has really great stories but it felt like the timeline of everything was hard to follow. There would be a discussion of a tour or recording an album and then all of the sudden it would be about something that happened years earlier or later. There’s also all of these really great pictures with no captions of who’s in them and aren’t necessarily placed in a part of the book where it’s relevant. It could just be organized a little better.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: although I really dig a lot of their fellow NYHC cohorts – I just could never get into SOIA.

That said: this book (which I received as a gift) is really entertaining. It’s a rambling, very loosey-goosey oral history of Sick of It All from the brothers (as well as their families and band members) starting in Queens in the 80’s to releasing twelve albums and still doing their thing thirty-plus years later.

It feels like they were being interviewed for a local fanzine over a few beers and no one decided to ever edit down the tape and just transcribe the whole thing (the not-so-great drawings as well as the typos and formatting goofs laced throughout the book also make it feel like a fanzine as well). Their tales bring me back to "the olden days" because I, too, remember some of their very specific memories - like the lunatic that used to go to CBGB's shows with a hammer hidden in the back of his jeans. (Oh yeah, it was that insane back in the day.)

Harley Flanagan’s autobio still ranks #1 for all things NYHC.
Roger Miret’s book makes the Top 5.
Sick of It All’s book is hovering just below the Top 10.

“Punk started in Queens… the Ramones were the first punk band!”

“I want to write an album that’s going to make me want to f-ing smash a cop car window!”

“Music has given me everything and IS everything to me.”

“Squat gruel was like a big pot of boiled rice and boiled vegetables, sort of like chili.”
“[T]o make perfect squat gruel, you have to throw an old dirty boot in it too.”

[Clöde Rutishauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I saw Sick of It All at a festival with the age of 15 I am in love with their music and a big fan of them. As they say in their book im a younger fan who got to know them from the century media records (first one: based on a true story). I love all their albums so it was very intresting to read how they travelled the world for their tours, record their albums, personal stuff and struggles (nazis, busdrivers, etc). Especially the early years and the beginning of the band were very fascinating. I didnt know much about that time because im way to young to know about this time. It was intressting to see the relationship with other classic NY-Hardcorebands.
A must for every Sick of It All- fan.

[Jim Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this.

I've been a Sick Of It All fan for something like 30 years now. Love the band and find myself loving it more and more the older I get. Their energy, their intensity, their willingness to get out there and keep doing it year after year... I have nothing but respect for them and am thrilled any time I get the chance to see them live, any time a new album comes out.

I came across this book in the local barbershop, read snippets of it, told my son about it, and ended up getting a copy for Father's Day.

This is done interview style, mostly just direct quotes from Lou and Pete (the Koller brothers, half of the band) with other quotes (wives, parents, kids, band mates, promoters, friends) thrown in to go a little deeper here and there.

The book is funny, upbeat, and pretty detailed. Gives a thorough picture of where they came from, where they are now. And it made me like the band more. I've always thought of them as decent guys based on my limited experiences with them at shows and bits of interviews I've stumbled across. This confirmed that.

If you're a fan of the band or of hardcore in general, this is a great book. Super grateful to my 15 year old for getting it for me.

[Mark Tolch · Rating 5 out of 5]

By making this an oral history, the story of Sick of it All is told courtesy of snippets from Lou and Pete Koller, as well as some of the other players and people surrounding the scene. We get a wonderful sense of the family life that the Kollers grew up in, which contrasts some of the other hardcore bands that grew up in the streets of the Lower East Side.

If you've heard Lou or Pete in interviews, you know that you're going to get a lot of fun stuff with plenty of laughs, and this book delivers that in full. Some of the heartbreak and challenges they've experienced on the way help to round things out, but this is mostly just a fun, fast read that feels like an in-person hangout with the Kollers.

[Edu Baro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting! And finally a band who's talking not only about their silly shenanigans but also gets (a bit) into the songwriting, recording process and music in general. Because music is what I expect and enjoy from bands not their adventours, although they help entertain at some point... and yes, I get it: being on the road is terribly boring.
SOIA is a honest and hard-working band and they make good albums. The book lacks a timeline and in the end they rush to finish. Also their kids contribution although cute totally avoidable. All in all, I had so much fun reading this biography and if I dug their music, specially live now I became a real fan.

[Billy D’s Colt 45 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dope book. Really dug into the early history of SOIA and the things following up to it. With some of these Autobiography type books from prominent figures in HC in particular, you never know if you’re gonna get just one big ass ramble leading to nowhere or if it gets straight down to brass tacks. The former was not an issue with this particular book. Just wish they’d dive a little more deeper into details about other alley way crew bands (I’m a Rest In Pieces mark so there is bias with this “critique”) but understandably this is a book about the Koller brothers and their lives. Great read highly recommend.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a very exciting and fast read. It was really insightful to understand the band at a deeper level and understand the challenges, roadblocks, highs and lows the band has gone through over the years. They come across as really positive and nice guys, extremely passionate about what they do and not afraid of being themselves. Really good read that made listen to their discography again after all these years.

[Valzebub · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of the band, but figured this would be a fun listen. Read by the brothers with many guest appearances. They left in some mistakes, which are a good reflection of their attitudes and keep it light. They also go off on some tangents that add to the story. Just reading the book, you probably miss out on a lot. I assume the last chapter is much shorter than the hour and a half it takes in audio book form!

[Anthony Henson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book rules!!!! I was able to tour the punk rock museum with Pete Koller and hear some of these stories in person. These guys are the real deal and put so much heart and soul into everything they do. This is a must read for any hardcore fan!

[Tim Vanderhaeghen · Rating 4 out of 5]

🇺🇲🗽🎸🎤🤘🖤

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

very nice book wherein the Koller brothers reminisce on their thirty year in Sick of it all. Very funny and you can see where all the passion they exhibit on stage is coming from.

[Jesse Favelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good until the end where they complained about everything

[Madis Matsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book.

[Pete Judge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy to read book about a great band. They can come off arrogant somewhat at times but it nicely tells you the story of the band, and covers things in a lot of depth