H2O

Formed in 1994 by Sick of It All roadie Toby Morse, H2O was one of the more prominent bands in the second wave of straight-edge hardcore. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the band toured relentlessly, becoming synonymous with the East Coast hardcore sound that encapsulated the gritty attitude of New York City in melodic riffs, principled lyrics, and rushing tempos. The band had a brief dalliance with major label MCA, releasing 2001’s Go and 2002’s All We Want EP with the major before returning to their indie roots with 2008’s Nothing to Prove.

New York City hardcore band H2O began as a group of friends headed by Sick of It All roadie Toby Morse, who would perform a song called “My Love Is Real” at shows where there was no opening act. Crowd response encouraged the band to give music a serious try, and their initial membership featured Morse (vocals), Rusty Pistachio (guitar), Eric Rice (bass), and Max Capshaw (drums). H2O’s ceaseless touring quickly earned them a following along the East Coast, their fan base growing as the band opened bigger shows early in their career for acts like Rancid and No Doubt. After a European tour in 1995, Capshaw left the band, and ex-Outcrowd members Todd Morse (guitar; Toby’s brother) and Todd Friend (drums) joined. H2O opened for such bands as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Quicksand and CIV, and their self-titled debut was released in 1996. Their second album, Thicker Than Water, was issued by Epitaph in 1997; it featured new bassist Adam Blake (ex-Shelter). F.T.T.W., the band’s third album, was released in 1999. Two years later, the band signed to MCA and issued Go!, followed closely by the All We Want EP, which appeared in fall 2002. Around this time the band also turned some heads with their cover of Ice Cube‘s ubiquitous hit “It Was a Good Day.” Throughout the band’s tenure, touring and connecting with fans through live performance was one of the constants of their appeal. H2O’s iconic status in hardcore circles was owed largely to their willingness to bring their show to the fans, and they were early participants in different package tours like Warped Tour. They toured nonstop during their brief involvement with MCA, but didn’t release new music until 2008’s Nothing to Prove, which was put out by indie label Bridge 9 Records.

Released in 2011, the aptly named Don’t Forget Your Roots saw H2O covering some of the bands that influenced them over the years, while 2015’s Use Your Voice found them celebrating their 20th anniversary with an all new set of originals. Following the album’s release, more touring ensued, with Todd Morse leaving the band for a time but ultimately returning. Around 2017, an announcement was made that Use Your Voice would be the final studio album from H2O, but in what capacity the band would exist from that point on was unclear. Later that year, the band’s first demos from 1994 were widely released on Bridge 9 Records. The six songs had previously only been available as a self-released demo cassette in the band’s early days and on a two-song EP, but were remastered and released as The Don Fury Demo Session. Fury, still active in recording 20 some years later, remastered the archival demos himself. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Adolescents

• THE ADOLESCENTS • Adolescents are a punk band hailing from Fullerton, California, United States who formed in 1980. Since their debut they have become one of the most influential punk bands of their time, providing the blueprint for skate-punk and hardcore bands in their wake from Blink-182 to Pennywise. Formed by vocalist Tony Cadena and bass player Steve Soto in late 1979, the assorted line-ups of Adolescents have featured a veritable who’s who of players from the biggest names of the California punk scene. Soto himself cut his teeth performing in Agent Orange and in Adolescents’ very first line-up, their guitarist Frank Agnew was late of Social Distortion. Even though the band couldn’t quite keep a steady rhythm section throughout their first year, they still managed to sign to Posh Boy Records and release their debut single “Amoeba” later in 1980. Almost exactly a year after their debut, the band had recruited Agnew’s brother Rikk into the fold on Rhythm guitar, and fellow Social D veteran Casey Royer on the drums, and they were ready to go into the studio to record their first album. They signed with Frontier Records to release it, and the selftitled record was released was released in May after being recorded and mastered in four days flat. The album was hugely acclaimed and was for a time the biggest selling Californian punk album ever after “Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables” by The Dead Kennedys. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to keep the band together after more than a few months. Rikk Agnew was the first to go, and briefly the band replaced him with The Germs’ Pat Smear (who would later join the Foo Fighters), but he was unable to tour with the band. By August, the writing was on the wall and the Adolescents split up, each member either joining existing bands or starting new ones. While the story of the Adolescents was far from over, it wasn’t until the start of the 21st century that the band started finally getting their dues, even after reuniting for three years in 1986. Many bands who swore by their first two albums became enormous in the 1990’s, like Blink-182, The Offspring and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name but a few. This level of exposure meant that when the band reunited again in 2001, they did so to a far bigger audience than they’d ever had before, and they immediately began performing live at the biggest shows of their career. The band have released five acclaimed studio albums since reforming ◦ OC Confidential (2005) ◦ The Fastest Kid Alive (2011) ◦ Presumed Insolent (2013) ◦ La Vendetta… (2014) ◦ Manifest Density (2016) • and are a bigger live draw than ever before, as their heroic slot on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour show. Sadly in June of 2018 they lost one of their founding members: Steve Soto. Unsure how to move forward they play in his honor so the music he created, the friendships he built and the smile he always shared can be remembered and cherished forever.

The Jack Knives

The Jack Knives are an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2018. The band consists of British singer/songwriter Si Short (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Faris “Dragon” Muhtaseb (lead guitar, backing vocals), Bryan “Brooce” Lee (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Drew Baker (drums, percussion).​

Rooted in the punk rock sound, The Jack Knives write sincere, honest, and passionate songs about love, life, death, and romance. The band has stated its influences are wide and varied, and this can be heard in the music. Songs like “New York City” give lyrical nods to artists like The Beastie Boys, The Pogues, and Bob Dylan. Other songs give proud props to bands like The Gaslight Anthem and Social Distortion.