My previous post posed an admittedly vague question concerning Tooth & Nail Records. Specifically, what has happened to them in recent days. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but hey, I was tired and I guess not thinking straight. So let me climb my way out of this hole I’ve dug for myself.
Let me start by saying that growing up, I was one of Tooth and Nail’s biggest fans. I remember meeting Brandon Ebel the first year I went to Cornerstone, and being that starstruck little kid that had all these things he’d always planned on saying when he met his hero, and then forgetting them all in one brief moment. I think all I actually got out was “thank you.” No joke. It was pretty awkward.
I grew up listening to bands like Stavesacre, MxPx, Further Seems Forever, OC Supertones, Slick Shoes, Dogwood, The Juliana Theory, Calibretto 13 (Gimme a high five!), Ace Troubleshooter, twothirtyeight, Too Bad Eugene, Watashia Wa, Bleach, Holland, Hangnail, Mae… all the classics. All the Tooth and Nail bands that occupied the label during their best years.
I’m fixing to be 20 (REAL old, right?), and I’m sure that other Tooth and Nail fans that are in their twenties now probably share similar sentiments. It’s not really that I’m attacking my favorite label growing up, not at all! It’s just…things are different now. You look at the roster of bands on their lineup, and, YES, there are standout bands for sure, but a lot of it just…I don’t know.
But I’ve gotta look at it from both viewpoints, because if I was a 14..15..16 year old that was pumped about the music scene… I’d bet good money that I’d be a lot more excited about a lot more of the bands on the current roster than I am now. That’s a fact.
So maybe it is just that you get older, and sometimes you grow out of certain genres. Admittedly, I’m more into chill stuff as I head out of my teenage years. Ryan Adams, AA Bondy, Anathallo, Wilco… And I just picked up that Derek Webb/Sandra McCracken “Ampersand EP” and I’m digging it a lot! So maybe it’s just me. It just kind of seems like back when I was just heading into my teenage years, Tooth and Nail was the alternative. Now, they’re the norm. Is that neccessarily a bad thing? Absolutely not. It’s just not how I remember it. And that’s my own preogative.
So anyways, that’s what I meant by “What happened to Tooth and Nail?” Agree? Disagree? Let’s have a discussion about it. And a special thanks to The Watcher for having my back during my last post. Blessings to you kind sir.
Til next time!
-Josh