KOOKED OUT

JOHN FIORE: VOCALS AND GUITAR
CHRIS LASKEY: DRUMS AND VOCALS
NICOLE NELSON: BACKUP VOCALS, SYNTH
GARY AIR: GUITAR, BACKUP VOCALS
YUNISH SHRESTHA: BASS

FOUNDED IN 2013 BY GUITARIST/SINGER JOHN FIORE, KOOKED OUT IS A BAND BORN OUT OF THE SMALL SUBURBAN TOWN OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS. EARLY ON, THE GROUP HAD MANY INCARNATIONS AND VARIOUS LINEUP CHANGES UNTIL DRUMMER CHRIS LASKEY JOINED THE BAND IN THE FALL OF 2014. SINCE THEN, THE TWO HAVE RELENTLESSLY TOURED UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST AS A DUO, TRIO, AND AS A FOUR-PIECE BAND IN THEIR COLORFUL HIPPIE BUS KNOWN AS, “THE KOOKY BUS.” THE SOUND OF THE BAND HAS EVOLVED NATURALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND DRAWS INFLUENCES FROM ALMOST EVERY GENRE AND DECADE OF MUSIC FROM THE 30S ONWARD. LEANING HEAVILY INTO THE MUSIC OF THE 50S, 60S, AND EARLY 2000S, THE UNIQUE BLEND OF STYLES AND SOUNDS SERVES AS THE BAND’S SIGNATURE. THEIR TOP INFLUENCES INCLUDE CHUCK BERRY, THE BEATLES, JIMI HENDRIX, DICK DALE, THE BLACK KEYS, AND BLINK-182. HOWEVER, THE BAND IS DIFFICULT TO PEG TO ONE SPECIFIC STYLE AND THAT IS QUITE APPARENT ON THEIR DEBUT RECORD, VIS VIVA. PLAYING AND WRITING ALL THE MATERIAL ON THE RECORD, FIORE AND LASKEY COVERED THE GAMUT OF SOUNDS AND STYLES WITH AN INTERESTING MIX OF SURF, ROCK, POP, PUNK, AND REGGAE. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SONG FOR EVERYONE ON THIS RECORD AND THEY’VE TOUCHED UPON MANY DIFFERENT THEMES, SUCH AS NOSTALGIA, MENTAL HEALTH, LOVE, ADDICTION, SPIRITUALITY, A LITTLE BIT OF ANGST, AND SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN.