In the first couple of years after I moved to Baltimore in 1994, there were two bands who were the kings of the hardcore scene. Next Step Up were the old heads, tied in with CCS and continuing the lineage of tough street level HC. The young bucks were Torn Apart, who drew inspiration from contemporaries like Turmoil, Integrity, and Earth Crisis. And unlike NSU, who seemed like full-blown adults in comparison to us, and thus elevated, Torn Apart was us. Kids from places like Reisterstown and Perry Hall who you had college classes with, hung out with at shows, worked in a bookstore with. This was the first time I'd been aroujnd dudes my own age who could tour outside a 50-mile radius; it was the aspirational made real.
"Nothing Is Permanent..." was Torn Apart's second release for Life Sentence Records in Utah, and their first full-length. It felt like a monumental release; our very own "In This Defiance". That summer of '97, it was a rare record that everyone in my suburban circles could agree on. The punks, the skins, the moshers, the crusties, the headbangers...everybody dug it hard. There was a fair amount of cackling at the hidden track prank call between Brett and LSR owner Dan. "Torn Apart? More like rip a fart." Classic.
Torn Apart is getting back together for their first show in...20 years?...Sunday night, serving as first support at End It's record release show in Baltimore. It's been a long time since there was a show happening back home that I would travel for, but this one fits the bill. The opportunity to fake like I'm 19 again, to clear a dance floor with a floorpunch and a spin kick once more...it's all too much to pass up.
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