In My (Letter) Eyes-tro

So something happened in 1995, 1996 -- hell even 1997 and 1998. Hardcore was BACK, man. I mean, sure -- we all always had it in our hearts, and there was always a SOIA record or a Lost and Found CD release of a classic '88 record or some shit -- but there just was too much "whoot-whoot chug-chug-chug bleh" happening in the scene for most of the mid-nineties. All talk, all monch, and pomp.

I mean, a true edgeman can only take so much of the political rhetoric of white middle-class suburbia being tossed around like so-much confetti once had been. "PC" was an understatement, and there were just a couple of small groups of kids doing things "right." I remember the first time someone handed me this demo -- it was a cassette (obv), and I was simply told "ex-members of Ten Yard Fight" -- and I was kinda taken aback: I mean, TYF had only been around for a little bit, and they've already got an "ex-members of" band going? WTF? It didn't take long to learn it was Pops with CRUCIAL DUDE Sweet Pete on vocals. I remember thinking Pete was an elder statesman of the edge, even then -- and wondering why he had never been in a band up until then . . . especially once I took the demo for a spin.

My reaction: "HOLY SHIT."

Exactly.

And I can't think of anyone else who didn't think the same. It was the youth of today, doing YOUTH OF TODAY as good as Porcell and Cappo once had themselves! All the Edge and urgency and none of the religion and guilty consciousness! Fuck, yeah! My friend Juan (RIP) said simply "you have to hear this band," as he handed me the cassette a few months later -- and I was like, "NO SHIT!"

It wasn't much later that we heard IME got swooped up by Revelation Records, and it was if the prophecy was coming true. It really was the second coming. EVR had FLOORPUNCH and TYF, Rev was pushing out IME and promised more of the same, and we were as happy as pigs in shit.



So the LP finally dropped, and we were convinced this is how things should be, and might ALWAYS BE. The Difference Between contained a bunch of the demo songs, but wait a second -- everything sounded, um, different. And the voices. Not only Sweet Pete's -- but what happened to the GANG VOCALS? Oh, man.

All in all a great record, and a sure sign of things to come (and that were), TDB stands up today to me as the record that said Straightedge Hardcore was a major force again in independent music.




PS: for a follow up, In My Eyes released Nothing To Hide -- a great LP that really stands on its own. I'm sure at least half of the members of RIGHT IDEA would prefer that record to the demo and/or The Difference Between, and I can't say I fault them. Go here to download alternate takes of a select few songs from NTH with POPS on vocals. You can prolly go to iTunes to download the LPs.

Word!