Ten Years Ago

I thought about this some and realized 10 years ago we were all caught up in a band from New Jersey who just came out with a CD called "Time 2 Shine". I remember Bushy getting us a ride to the Pipeline in October of 97 for the record release of Time 2 Shine (yet we had the CD already, in fact we bought it in July off of Rick). Now people will go into detail to talk about the "beef" with Rick and E Town, but at that time it was just starting up. They opened with Shaydee, even though Rick was there the whole show with his minimart distro table. In fact that show in particular I can remember Rick having the sound guy play "Strength Through Unity" over the PA between bands on almost a constant loop. I am sure the band was already upset with Rick by that point because it wasn't much later when I heard about a riff between the two parties over Tshirt printing and what not. Before the internet, Rick used to be the guy who could get you pretty much anything from the smaller labels to the bands who weren't on a label. Case in Point- E Town Concrete, which Rick carried both their demos , the split 7" which was on his label (featuring Second To None on the Bside) and whatever shirts he had of theirs at the time. Which was really cool because even thought you could travel to see Rick every weekend, you might have a chance a shirt by a band that played alot less frequently or close to you. I only mailordered clothing from big labels like Victory and EVR at the time, so Rick was my go to guy for alot of my hardcore shirts.

Back to the Record/topic at hand. I can remember seeing E Town at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) with a ton of bands. Something happened onstage with the band internally there was a bit of a fracas on stage and that was about it. Aside from that time, I think I'd only seen them in Browns Mills and at the Top Of The Roc in Reading previously. It seemed like 97 was going to be E Town's year. First seeing them at the Superbowl of Hardcore at the StonePony in Asbury Park, NJ and thinking how much they'd improved since then, I really made an effort to travel out to a show if I saw E Town on it. I don't remember if it was their raw lyrics or the reaction from the crowd that they got at the time but something clicked with E Town and my group of friends and its funny that 10 years later I still can't help loving them. Time 2 Shine was really one of the better produced soon to be car ride staple of that time. I think we rocked it two times up and back on the way to the Vision " the Kids .." Record Release party. Thats just how it was. We were grimey kids who really didn't have much and most of the lyrical content wasn't wigger garbage to us, but anthems for our late teen angst. I never really heard a band say the kind of things I think aloud before....

Learn to live with pain and you won't complain.

That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

That which doesn't kill you, only makes you wanna kill.

Now I'm getting mine by taking yours, Time 2 Shine.

All my life I hated those who had more.

But now I'm getting mine by taking yours, Time 2 Shine.

Please excuse my fucked up attitude, but I don't give a fuck about you.

If that don't reach the dirty rough end of town youth in you, nothing else will.

I guess over time they got a bit bigger and as their band grew, their talents musically and lyrically became something that our lil bubble world of hardcore couldn't contain. For me they will always be a huge fuck you type of band worthy of our support. Sure I'd go see bands like Floorpunch or H20, Vision or Shelter.. But you could see look in the pretentious guys' faces when you wore an E Town shirt (if they were even clued in enough to know what it was).

Its kind of sad now that every douche bag over privileged hardcore kid cross references current hip hop lyrics & style into their own hodge podge subculture identity, never really knowing what it really means to be a part of an underground or thugged out or whatever else they're going for in their teen rebellion. Their love of E Town and bands like it have nothing to do with the primal connection that we had then.

I should really give a strong mention to all the mid to late 90's bands that tried and failed miserably to do what E Town did. I think the worst example was 7th Rail Crew from the New England area. There were plenty others out there, but 7th Rail Crew was possibly the worst example ever. At least there were crazy dudes and nasty brawls at E Town's local shows, I think I heard something like 7th Rail Crew was dispised everywhere and never really got a fanbase, though I swear to go they had to have played Sea Sea's in Moosic, PA more then half a dozen times.

Maybe I will set up some time and really explore this matter further and post my inquiries into the worst of the worst mid to late 90's rap wannabe core bands. That would take a monumental amount of effort, but nothing ventured-nothing gained.

Thanks to E Town Concrete, not just for Time 2 Shine or any of their other records, but for being there when I was 17 and needed to lash out and be angry and scream along to angry street anthems..

"Some get a little, and some get none, some catch a bad one" yo, that was my anthem.

17 long hard years of blood tears, nigga you were never there,

Nigga you would never care,

fuck the word cause the world fucked me,

You could take me outta' hard times, but you can't hard times outta' me.