Music

RDIO PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK: Toby Morse from H20

by Sam Sutherland

Back in early April, veteran New York hardcore band H20 announced an upcoming record of classic punk covers, Don’t Forget Your Roots. Then in July, the final tracklist was announced via a YouTube video announced by actor Michael Rapaport, a longtime friend of the band and probably the lone actor to appear on Friends with a P.M.A. hand tattoo. The record features songs by the Ramones, Madball, Bad Brains, and more, and clearly defines the roots and influences of one of the ’90s most popular hardcore bands.

H20 formed in New York City in the mid ’90s. Toby Morse, the band’s vocalist, got his start as a roadie for Sick of it All, and hit the ground running when he finally kick-started his own project. H20 moved quickly from Blackout Records to Epitaph and on to major label M.C.A., breaking for a few years before returning in 2008 with Nothing to Prove, backed by the hardcore heavyweights at Bridge 9 Records.

In the interim, Morse began touring as a motivational speaker, creating the One Life One Chance project and speaking to students about his drug free, vegetarian lifestyle, and the advantages of keeping the Positive Mental Attitude espoused by the Bad Brains in their hardcore classic, “Attitude.” The opposite of condescending D.A.R.E. and “Just Say No” campaigns, Morse uses his decades of experience in punk and hardcore to talk honestly with kids about the power of positive thinking, and the ability to take control of your life. It’s an outlook informed by the classics featured on H20’s Don’t Forget Your Roots, which made Morse’s playlist choices a simple fit – these are all the songs covered on the band’s album, a primer in American hardcore and vintage punk.