Jank legitimately changed my life but I can’t tell anyone that

turns out the drummer for JANK is actually the new(ish) drummer for remo drive. small world.

After Jank broke up, I was worried that no band would ever match up or even be similar to Janks mathy poppy style and lou's vocals, but then I discovered Origami Angel. I really feel like they are a true successor to Jank in terms of sound.

Its crazy how big they got. Me and Sam Becht were in a band together throughout high-school and when he left they formed JANK and blew up. He's always been such a genuine guy and still a great friend. Nice documentary man! I love videos like these

Closest you could get to a joke band without being a joke ban? *This guy obviously hasn’t heard Ween*

Because everybody is recommending bands similar to jank, I'd really recommend a band called "Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly". They recently released a new ep and I think a lot of people would enjoy their stuff, very nice people too! Awesome video btw:)

Sam becht is drumming for remo drive atm, he absolutely killed it when I saw them in December, stole the show

I hate everything that went down with jank because their music is so incredibly vibrant and fantastic, I still listen to both albums to death but I cant bring myself to support lou, it just sucks to see the fall of something that could have been a fantastic run in diy.

I listen to "panucci's pizza" and "fail better, heal faster" without ever realizing that they were tied to JANK. I had a feeling FB,HF sounded like JANK Edit: typo

I appreciate you for not only making these explainers to band controversy but for also trying to be fair to all the parties. Your research is always extensive so I can get all the information their is to soak up and speculate on each point from each view point. Great work mate

Jank is either my favorite or second favorite band and everything Lou made was genius music. Its so hard to talk abt them tho cuz people just wont hear it :,/ Ive been following all of this stuff for years now so to have it all neatly organized into one video is great. You really did an amazing job thank you

This past summer I recently discovered Jank and here recently I’ve been curious as to why they have no social media accounts or any new music I found this video and was shocked. I don’t think I’ll be able to ever listen to a song by them without thinking about this video. Such a great band turned to dust

I really like the way you covered the rise and fall of Jank, have you thought of making this a series? There's a serious problem with predators in the diy community (Pwr Bttm, Grlwood) and I think it would be important to cover similar stories in the educated and understanding way you do it.

the diy scene is filled with this sort of stuff and it hurts so bad to see. there are so many amazingly talented bands that are flooded with hate and abuse and terrible misconduct. the diy scene has helped me get through so much and i just think its interesting seeing the traumatic repercussions people's actions can have. anyways... stan riot grrrl.

Damn Jank was my all time favorite throughout high school, I remember when their music got taken off everything except youtube. Raw talent.. it sucks that he had to throw it all away.

this is the one band I've found where I never get tired of their songs. Disappointed but still bumpin tf out of awkward pop songs

It’s probably best that I was late to the party hearing about Jank. Man, I can only imagine how betrayed some hardcore fans felt.

hey nate, you should really shine some love on Sam Becht’s new band, OOLONG. they’re a great sort of mathy DIY band that deserves some love!!

all this just to get to the damn hat store

If you made a video about the Cardboard Swords that would be, very neat. ((:

Thank you for making this video. I remember when I first heard about these allegations I asked people to tell me about them, but people often get really passive aggressive with that and just tell you to Google it, but then there's never a good source that really explains everything. So thanks for making such an informative video! It's a shame to see what could have been such a great band get ruined by someone hurting others.

I saw Reuben from Jank at a Remo drive and sorority noise show in philly and my sister asked him for a cigarette, and I remember losing my shit from fanboy hype

I miss Jank.

The things you never hear when you're not in the scene. I went to UARTS in 2015, and was probably in the same program as Lou for a stretch of time in the Winter semester. I remember hearing about and seeing the Jank logo on stickers and flyers a few times around campus, but at that time I was working on the final project and wasn't in Philly's DIY scene yet. By the time 2016 rolled around I already graduated. I'm still friends with Sam on Facebook, and I didn't realize what kind of impact the band had, as well as what kind of awful situation actually occurred. I can only be thankful Sam's still making incredible music. Edit: Towards the end of the video, there was another person who showed up that I graduated from UARTS with. Philly really is a small world.

The drummer sam is the homie! He drums for remo drive now!

I take a a TON of musical inspiration from JANK because they changed my entire perception of music but that's about as far as I go as a "fan" I wouldn't use the word fan just...I've been inspired by them a lot.

Would you maybe be able to cover the weird story on Sorority Noise? There's something about an old founding member of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid To Die. God that's a lot to type. But something about them and Cameron which is speculated to be the reason Old Gray and Sorority Noise was put on indefinite hiatus. This video is making me want to do some more research about it though; this video is very articulate and it's definitely bringing me back to that time because god do I remember this drama so well.

I really like PUP, maybe you've heard of them. If not, definately go check them out. They're a great band with a really unique sound in my opinion. They recently released a new song as well! As I said, they're really cool and I hope you listen to their stuff. I would recommend starting with their debut album "PUP" and "The Dream Is Over". Really good video btw, enjoyed it a lot.

Damn bro I gotta say hands DOWN the best (and maybe the only) Jank history video on youtube. I can't believe you made a video of this band. They are so niche it's insane. I hate how things ended with this band but Jank has been such a huge part of my life for the past 2 years. I remember when my friend sent me 'Versace Summer' my life and musical preference was instantly changed. I used to play in a band and Jank was a huge inspiration for me that kept me motivated to make music. Lou diamond has such a unique way of playing the guitar. He is so skillful at switching between lead and rhythm while also singing I can't help but become jealous lol. That said though his alleged actions a reprehensible. I hate how things ended with this band. They had so much potential. It sucks that Lou did the things he did, but I still encourage anyone to listen to Jank or Fail Better Heal Faster just because the music is so incredible and skillfully crafted. If you can't listen to Jank because of Lou, at least listen to it because of Sam. That drummer is on a whole other level/plane of existence. I have never felt so connected to a sound before in my life and I will never stop listening to this band despite the fact they have released so little music. On the Channel 'Fallens Memes Dump' Lou posts quite often (though possibly through the surrogate alias as Hayden) I do believe he feels terrible for his actions and wants nothing more than to be forgiven by society and to heal from the damage he has caused others and himself. I cannot stand sexual assault (as it is something people close to me have dealt with) but I find myself questioning whether or not people like Lou should be forgiven if they feel truly bad about their actions and have changed/grown fundamentally as an individual. It's hard for me to tell since I don't know Lou personally and I have no idea if he is being genuine or not, but should he be forgiven? I'm not very religious, but to me not all sins are equal. Is the sexual assault of a minor a sin that can possibly be forgiven? I personally do not think so, but he is making a huge effort to show that he regrets his actions and really wants to show that he has change. I think that in time that can account for something. It's difficult to say and I really don't have the answers. Plenty of bands and artists have been accused of the same and worse. Think of Drake. So many people like Drake, yet there is video of him on stage fondling a 15 year old girl. He should not be forgiven, yet people consume his music daily. Just because he has much more of an audience, he should be given a pass? I don't think so. There is no apology or video of Drake saying he is sorry or regretful for this. He is just one example but I'm sure there's more. I wholeheartedly believe in separating the art from the artist. If you cannot listen to Jank or FBHF because of Lou, then so be it. I cannot change your opinion. But to me, this music has changed my life for the better and opened a subconscious dialogue about forgiveness that i never would have had if I didn't discover this music. Thanks Nate for covering this, I never thought I'd see you make a video on this band!

Honestly wasn’t expecting this one

okay guys jokes over when is adventures getting back together

Jank is amazing. I found out about them maybe 6 months after they broke up and they changed my life. Right after. I found out they were no longer together. I always tell people how Awkward Pop Songs is one of the most perfect albums I’ve ever listened to. Although I’m not aware (as I’m typing this as I start the video) it left a void in me knowing I will never hear anything as amazing

Jank was my life and blood, kept me rolling. Summer 2016 and 2017 lives forever

as much as i dislike lou's actions holy fuck i love every song he's involved with, didn't realise panucci's pizza, jank, fb:hf, etc etc etc were involved with him but i just liked the music

Im so glad you made this. When i discovered Jank and dove deeper only to wonder why there wasnt more content. I read snippet comments about the disbanding, but its nice to have things clear up

For real nate, you are such a good story teller. I dont even know jank but i am captivated the whole time.

Panucci's Pizza and Jank used to be some comfort music for me. Like I could sob to it and or cheer up it has such a strange effect.

I didn't even realize brock was in Panuccis I found them through riff wars insta and i knew they played in invalids

As for your final, personal question about Hayden associating with Lou. Every person is a human being, even murderers, rapists and abusers. We live in a society where we forcefully make decisions and create social codes to be able to make things black and white, to make it easy. But nothing is easy. As someone who has been abused, sexually and physically to the point where, I may not be able to have children anymore because of the mutilation performed on me, the person who did it is still human. They are still a creature on this plane of existence and for all the pain they caused me, they deserve a second chance. My hatred and Anger toward that person has little to do with that they did to me, it has everything to do with the fact that they refuse to apologize and they refuse to change. The same thing is true with Lou, my abuser and every person on this planet. The only thing that makes someone "Evil" is a refusal to change, a refusal to get help and make themselves better, which is why I still listen to Jank, because Lou actively sought to become better, to heal faster. His failures, mistakes, and evil deeds made him have legitimate regret and anguish and he forced himself to change for the better. That's also why his "confusing non-answer" was a legitimate answer, but not in the way the person wanted. Lou wanted to change, Lou actively tried and forcefully made himself change, but many people who live in a black and white world of good and evil villainized him with no thought or regard to the fundamental fact that humans are evolutionary creatures and can change. They hate him, his music and the people who listen to it on the principle of, "Bad is bad, and those who do bad are bad," instead of the principle of "We are all human and deserve life, liberty, justice, and happiness, no matter our mistakes or crimes" That principle is the reason we have rehabilitation programs for drug users and prisoners, the reason we have mental health clinics and therapists. Every person is a person, no matter what they have done wrong.

"And the only girls who give me the time of day Are far too young to realize the horrible mistake that they've made I'm the horrible mistake they've made" Lyrics to Sport Shorts

This band wrote incredible fucking songs man.

I've been waiting for someone to make something about lou and his bands. i know people despise him because of his actions but his music changed my whole perception of life. believe me if you want.

Can’t wait for your lostprophets and William Control vids bro

There’s gonna be a resurrection, trust me. We just gotta want it bad enough.

Thank you for bringing me all the history on all the bands I love. Another 5 star documentary. Keep it real - you're a true m8

You should make a video on Pwr Bttm

I hate how much I relate to the songs knowing what I know now. God why the fuck is it so hard for people to not be shit

Went to college with these guys and watched this band form, even helped film the Honest Face Sessions of a couple of their songs (footage in this doc), really wild to have seen this all first hand.

also this is one of the best renditions of the story i've ever heard. thank you

I appreciate this so much. Watching and experiencing the rise and fall of Jank was a massive part of my high school years. Good stuff dude.

I remember finding them on Bandcamp right when they released Awkward Pop Songs, I was sure they were gonna be huge. It's a shame what happened because they were THE next big thing

What weird timing. I just got into Jank and did this research the same day you post this vid lol.

The first scenario with the girl he spent 2 nights with doesn’t sound like abuse at all. It sounds like 2 young, drunk kids having bad sex with each other lol. That 2nd scenario though…if that 2nd scenario is true, then yeah, he deserved all the hate he received.

never knew that so many of the bands/projects that i liked involved Lou in them, hearing the music of these projects with no context of who the people making them were but knowing now honestly dosen't change anything for me, the whole story is actually very interesting and i give props to u for this amazing video keep up the good work man.

alligator is one of my favorite song of all time

Can you do a video on mccafferty i think it would be very interesting

i was a senior in high school during all this and remember the day i first heard about it so well. this is really well done video

I DM'd you 2 weeks ago asking for this not to be made, and told you nobody involved wanted it made.

will always be my favorite band

This one was hard to watch. I played their two records non stop for months and I was dying to hear what would come next and then... well, it's well-documented here. I still listen to them occasionally because at the end of the day the band wasn't just Lou, they had this amazing synergy together that I didn't find in similar, more recent bands like Origami Angel. Like you said, they didn't re-invent the genre but had their own way of doing things. Truly one of a kind. Allegations true or not, the whole Fail Better, Heal Faster project felt insincere as f*ck to me. It felt more empty than the joke songs on JANK's albums. It's nearly deserving of its own video given how ill-fated the whole thing is, but it really doesn't deserve any extra attention in my opinion. All the power to the other members of JANK with their other projects, but Lou is done to me. Sorry for the long comment, your content is truly amazing and in-depth - I always learn something new, even with bands I've listened to a lot. Take care mate!

damn dude this band jank

Dude your videos are fucking quality. You do so much for the scene just by making these.

Sexual assault is such an unfortunate phenomenon to exist in humanity. That being said, I think the DIY scene handles events like this drastically because they see the world in a very narrow perspective without critically thinking about their own views. Sexual abuse is a very complex phenomenon and it is unhealthy in the long run for yourself, the community and the rehabilitation of the accused to simply shun anyone you think fits your own description of an abuser. Lou made music. The music is fucking good. I think distancing yourself from his music is a drastic move to make yourself feel better about yourself without truly critically thinking about the situation. If one really wanted to distance themselves from artists who are sexual abusers, you would have to stop reading Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe, stop watching a great deal of Netflix and any Weinstein movie ever made, never watch Parks and Recreation or watch Aziz Anzari or Louis C.K. do stand up comedy. There is a sexual abuser at every corner of every art scene... and that's because even good people who love making art can make mistakes and abuse someone at some point in their lives and usually without knowing they were doing damage.... even good people like yourselves. Look at forgiveness and empathy. Understand where abuse comes from and how to rehabilitate. Not how to punish. P.S. She was 15 and that is statutory rape in the U.S. But I live in Scandinavia and the age of consent here is 15. Her being underage is a culturally subjective moral and the population here would consider her to be a woman ready to make sexual decisions herself. This shows things aren't black and white, there is a spectrum, and whether or not she was a female ready to be in a relationship is not determined by laws, it's determined by the individual and their ability to process and grow.

I remember I had to get myself to stop listening to Jank. I found them in 2018, after everything had come out, and felt like I missed a trend that I was sad to not have been apart of. 2 months later I found out about everything had to cycle out this catchy songs because I personally take shit like this on a very heavy level. It’s hard to disconnect from impactful music you relate to, but I find when it comes to large allegations like this it’s just for the best.

As far a s a non answer goes It sounds like he's saying "This echo chamber of people licking their wounds isn't helping anyone. We should stop doing that and this is my attempt at talking about upsetting things that the scene doesn't find marketable and wants to cancel people who try." Idk about you but that sounds like an answer?

This is the epitome of loving a bands music but despising what a member(s) has done

A video on the front bottoms would be cool

Uhhhh what? I absolutely stand with Lou. An abuser? That is such a stretch. There are people who are actually assaulted and stories like this slap those victims in the face. It sounds like this person cheated on the S/o and felt guilty afterwards so they had to pass the buck and make themselves a victim to save face. Despicable.

So the first instance ain’t shit IMO. If the way Lou described it is true that was a just a drunken college hookup. He didn’t abuse anyone there. But the shit with the 15 y/o is inexcusable. I find it interesting though because the college thing is what he was initially cancelled for. The shit with the 15 year old didn’t come out until way later. He shouldn’t have been cancelled for that first allegation. The shit with the 15 year old is a different thing entirely but that came out after the fact. If the college thing was an isolated incident, that would be nowhere near enough to justify ending this guys career (IMO). I really hate to our little SJW cancel culture generation man. Literally no legendary musicians in our history would have had careers by todays standards.

Absolutely wonderful- well done- love this a whole lot. Keep fighting the good fight , you’re not alone in holding folks accountable for their actions.

I love their music... it's a shame what happened and that it's become a taboo subject/guilty pleasure listening to them (for obvious reasons).

I just remembered Caitlyn and im heartbroken again

In the metal world we have these problems a lot. Most notably Varg Vikernes who burned some churches in Norway and also killed a man with a pocket knife. People still listen to his music

I genuinely appreciate you being one of the only nuanced heads in the youtube sphere of our scene, joining the likes of Finn McKenty imo. As someone who feels like they rest on that same nuanced, hearing everything out, deducing, and making my own opinion type of mentality, it's very refreshing. As much as I love the scene/era of music we gravitate to, it's met with alot of people with alot of passion and anger. They seem to want to make very strong and vigilant stances the second they disagree with anyone, and I think being a positive influence for approaching those things from a more level headed frame of view is super dope. Keep up the great work homie!

so glad someone did a video on this

Thank you so much! I’ve been craving a video like this since I started listening to jank, I’ve always wanted to know what happened to them, I knew sam played for remo and I asked him what happened to jank at the remo concert but he told me he didn’t know what happened to Lou :( anyways I’m subscribing cuz this popped up in my feed and I got excited. Well done friend

You stole one of these video clips from my Instagram LOL. Lemme tell ya, that was a trip - suddenly seeing my video 22 minutes in!

Fuck it. I still listen to Jank.

I feel like you could make a whole video on Driftwood Records, so many bands (Sinai Vessel, Self Defense Family, Meryl Streaker, Donavon Wolfington, Flowers Taped to Pens, Cassus, Panuccis Pizza, Nouns, etc) were impacted, its a real messy story

wow i’ve never heard of this band and they started like 30 minutes away from me

The video I didn’t know I needed. Thank you.

I knew this video would be a certified Jank post.

I have a lot of criticisms of this video, the situations described in it, and our general way of approaching issues like this. We have to understand that we have fallen into this culture that has such a black and white view of abuse, to a disappointing fault. We should ask ourselves why we feel like the allegations and lou’s sincerity are mutually exclusive. Do we believe sincere people are incapable of making horrible mistakes? Do we believe malicious people are incapable of being sincere? We discuss abuse like it’s so plain and simple, like we have the knowledge to just completely understand every nuance of every situation, and consequently the authority to “cancel” people based on our apparently all-permeating knowledge. I don’t know what really happened with Lou. I could never, because I was never physically in any of these situations. And even if I did, are people just the sum of their worst actions? or are we all complex, 3 dimensional beings, with complex histories? why do I feel pressured to make some sort of conclusive decision about Lou when i’ve never even spoken to them? I mean, why do we even feel like people owe us an in depth explanation of every mistake they’ve made with other people? I feel like maybe we’re afraid to admit that we don’t know everything. All we can control is how we conduct ourselves. But let’s be real. In our culture, if we were to acknowledge the undeniable complexity of reality and the human experience and accepted that we had no authority to decide if people “deserve a platform” and take such drastic actions, we wouldn’t look as righteous and would probably be called “apologists”. It’s really disappointing. I agree with so much of what Lou said in their “non answer”. These subcultures of people who present themselves as so righteous are just doing whatever makes them look better. Cancelling people and destroying their career doesn’t do anything to affect positive change. Real change takes hard work, constant conversation, support networks, resources, fucking empathy. Also, I’m skeptical of if this video is really to “empower people to draw their own conclusions” when I suffered through 3 ads watching it.

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A VIDEO LIKE THIS ON JANK FOR SO LONG

Jank was a gateway drug for me into other music.

A video I never knew I needed. Very well made

Emo/pop punk dudes love em young

Damn whenever you said panuchis pizza it reminded me of one of my close friends who had a sticker of that band on his macbook. Never listned to them before.

I’m shocked if I’m being honest. I didn’t know about the underage girl situation. I kinda live under a rock. What he posted online after he released Fail Better made me feel like maybe he wasn’t the worst person and that he was telling the truth. I feel hurt. Which is weird. I’m glad I know this information so I can distance myself from Jank. This shit hurts man

Everyone in this scene needs to sack up

ive only ever listened to some jank stuff (mostly just caitlyn) and... huh. didn't know any of this.

The first story is absurd. " I didn't know I was drunk until I finished my drink!". The 2nd story , tho unconfirmed , is deeply troubling. A 15 yr old girl is wayy too young for a 20 yr old man.

i've never even heard of jank before now, but i've listened to pannuci's pizza like all the time

I’ve been waiting a long time for a jank history video to come out

guitar_emoji is also in a great band called Commander Salamander

I will say this, despite learning that all of it was in jest I legit think fail better heal faster is one of the best rock records ever.

Nate you gotta talk about real friends’ band history. I feel like they were a staple group in the scene and it’s unfortunate Dan had to leave the band. I know he is still making music with Joe and Ryan from knuckle puck but I think overall it raises a bigger question about dealing with mental health in the music industry.

Jank will always get me nostalgic for 2016.

It’s terrible what he did, but Panuccis Pizza and Jank will still be some of my favorite bands

I've followed Jank since I was in middle school (now in college). I have to say, this video about sums up the entire thing.