MEET LOOKSY

MEET LOOKSY

Daniel Ingram, John Laing, Kyle Posten, and Rob Keating have been playing together in bands long before they became the boys of Looksy.
After a successful new album release titled ‘The Guest House’, a growing social media fan base, and quickly becoming one of West Alabama’s most favorite band, Rob and John open up about their personal journeys, what the future holds for the band, and the funniest moments they’ve shared as a group.
“[Looksy] is a combination of all the music we enjoy and like to listen to. When we came together, we decided to play a variation of different things that represent what we are into in that very moment.” Keating, vocalist and guitarist, said.
The band’s sound is hard to classify under just one specific style, with its combination of blues, rock n’ roll, indie, and incorporations of southern elements, Keating and Laing both agree that they are a mixture of My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, and Jack White.
After a year of commuting back and forth to Birmingham, where they recorded their entire new album, scheduling in practices and gigs to their already busy schedules that include full time employment and going to school at The University of Alabama, one would assume that at times, being in a band can become extremely overwhelming, but for the guys, it is far from that.
“Music is everything.” Keating said, laughing. “I know it sounds cliche, but music is my sanity, regardless of anything I do in life, I can’t imagine at this point in my life not having a guitar just to pick up and play.”
Laing added, “Yeah I agree, it’s a drug for me, if i’m angry, I just go to my guitar, pick it up, and release all my tension.”
It is easy to note just how comfortable the guys are around one another. With friendships dating back to when they were in middle school, Rob and John reminisce about the fun moments they’ve shared together over the years.
“I’m trying to think of one that is good to write about,” Laing laughed. “So many funny moments have happened to us, especially because we have known each other for such a long time.”
Nothing is left unsaid when asked about their personal journeys involving music, relationships, and college careers. The honesty in which they speak about regrets and their experiences thus far in their lives is one more characteristics that makes the guys of Looksy stand out amongst the crowd. “I don’t believe in regrets,” Keating said. “I guess if it comes down to whether I should have started with music from the start, no school, yeah I [think about it] but ultimately, I like everything I’ve done in life so far and wouldn’t personally change it.”
As for Laing, who dropped out of college to focus solely on his music career, the thought of whether that was a good choice to make or not is still something he thinks about from time to time. Though, ultimately, he feels comfort in knowing that if one day he wants to go back to school, he can.
“I think it’s something I think about, yeah, but I don’t dwell on it.” Laing said. “I can always go back to school and graduate but music, for me, is happening now, and that’s what I’m working towards.”
There’s a sense of pride when it comes to being in a band that originates from the smallest towns of Alabama. Locally recognized as a band to “look and watch for in 2016” by AL.COM, the guys can’t help but imagine what the future holds for Looksy.
“We do everything. From marketing, to booking gigs, to our image and sound.” Keating said. “I think we’re ready now to branch out and look for a team to work with. It’s definitely something that we have thought about, especially recently.”
After touring for a short period of time to cities like Athens, Atlanta, Memphis, Huntsville, and Florence, the guys are looking to branch out and hopefully go on an East Coast tour this upcoming summer.
“We’re working out the details now,” Laing said. “Especially now with our album release, being on the road like that, it just makes everything even more real, sort of like “this is exactly what I am meant to be doing with my life””
Ultimately for the guys, playing live at different venues across town and the nation is all about introducing their music to people who may have not heard of it before and getting to build off that instant connection they make with the crowd while playing.
“I think that’s what’s fun and rewarding about [it],” Keating said. “Playing a good show while meeting new people. It’s definitely the most rewarding part.”
Make sure to catch Looksy at Druid City Brewing on March 5 and at Saturn in Birmingham on the 11th. To buy their album ‘The Guest House’ head on over to either Itunes, Amazon, Spotify, or Soundcloud.