Hanging With The Hard Lessons

For the members of The Hard Lessons, a band with Lansing roots that has received national acclaim, playing rock ’n’ roll is just like any other job.

“Being in a band is like owning a bakery,” says vocalist/keyboardist Ko Ko Louise. “It’s a small business. We’re entrepreneurs.”

However, the Hard Lessons are not strictly business. “We love this band. We love our fans. What more can you ask for?” says Louise. “When you love your job, it’s not really work.”

Both Louise and vocalist/guitarist Augie Visocchi are 2004 graduates of Michigan State University (MSU). They’re in one of the Lansing area’s most successful bands, and they’re also role models for members of other area bands.

Ryan Jurado, MSU student and drummer for local rock group the The Dastardlies, counts The Hard Lessons among his favorite musical acts.

“We are hoping to follow in The Hard Lessons’ footsteps,” he says of his band.

The Hard Lesson’s popularity among their hometown fans was evident at recent gigs at Lansing's Mac's Bar, and at The Small Planet in East Lansing, where they played to a packed house.

Lansing Community College (LCC) student and Williamston, Mich., resident Mike Craig was one of the ardent fans in attendance at The Small Planet. Craig has been a fan of The Hard Lessons since 2004 and has seen them live about 10 times.

“I like their live energy; they have a great stage presence,” Craig says. “I also really enjoy the dynamic between Augie’s raw rock and roll guitar work and Ko Ko’s strong and soulful vocals.”

A Lansing Education

The story of The Hard Lessons began eight years ago in East Lansing, when Louise and Visocchi met on the last day of their freshman year at MSU.

The two musicians soon began a romantic relationship, but played in separate bands until they founded The Hard Lessons in 2003 with drummer Christophe Zajac-Denek.

Their first single, “All Over This Town,” debuted that fall on MSU's campus radio station, The Impact 89 FM, and remained one of the stations most requested songs for more than a month. The trio went on to win MSU’s Battle of the Bands in spring 2004.

The group soon found themselves playing at local Lansing hot spots such as Mac’s and the (now defunct) Temple Club. They even had the opportunity to tour out-of-state during school breaks.

Louise and Visocchi both graduated in 2004, she with a degree in history and international studies, he with one in English and Italian. Louise went on to earn her master’s in education, but opted out of a teaching career in order to play music full time.

“I only teach onstage now,” she says.

Although they are currently based in Metro Detroit, The Hard Lessons play at local bars in the Lansing area at least a few times a year, including the occasional show on MSU’s campus.

They consider the city’s music scene to be on par with that of the Motor City‘s. “We were very lucky to come up musically in Lansing,” says Visocchi.

Mitten and Beyond

The Hard Lessons released their debut album Gasoline in 2005. They have since played in front of packed crowds all over Michigan, as well as toured across the country and globe. International tour stops have included Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin.

Visocchi says the band did not expect to tour at all when they started out. “Our expectations were low,” claims the Warren, Mich., native. “We let everything happen.”

Louise, who grew up in Brighton, Mich., agrees that fame and fortune was never their goal. “We do it because we love it.”

In November 2008, the Hard Lessons played a show at the Small Planet, the restaurant and bar that recently re-opened in East Lansing.

The Small Planet was a showcase for local talent in its downtown East Lansing location for more than 20 years until it closed in 2000. It reopened this past summer, and in its new incarnation, amid the college apartment complexes out on Chandler Rd., has already welcomed a multitude of local and national musical acts.

The Hard Lessons were excited to play at the new Small Planet, because they never had the opportunity to play at the original club, which hosted other Michigan rockers such as Kid Rock and the The Verve Pipe.

Joining Louise and Visocchi onstage that night was drummer Mark Dawson. Dawson met the couple through the Detroit music scene, which he has been a part of for more than a decade. He joined the Hard Lessons this past September, after Zajac-Denek departed in order to relocate to California.

As for Louise and Visocchi, they have no plans to leave Michigan. “We love the Mitten State,” they say. They find the state’s location convenient when it comes to touring.

 “In one day, we can drive to Chicago, St. Louise or Cleveland,” states Visocchi.

He offers further proof why Michigan rocks: “We’re shaped like a high-five.”

The Hard Lessons released their second album, B&G Sides, in July 2008. B&G, which stands for “Boy & Girl,” is actually a box set of four EPs. Key tracks include “See and Be Scene,” “Don’t Shake My Tree” and “I Like Your Hair Long.”

Louise and Visocchi have more than a new album to celebrate. After eight years of dating, the pair got married this past August.

“My wife, Mrs. Ko Ko Louise!” shouts Visocchi from the Small Planet stage as he introduces his bride. That evening, he wears a homemade T-shirt that reads “Mr. Ko Ko Louise.”

What’s next for the Hard Lessons? Their third album, Arms Forest, will be released this May.

“We like to write and record a lot of music. Get it out there and move on," says Visocchi.