While I am out dropping names......

Never heard so much as a note of their music
yet I am confident that it is loud, powerful, and full of energy
ooodles of energy

H2O

during my early years of college when I was not playing soccer I was usually out riding my skateboard
on campus there was little or no terrain to ride, which was a bummer as I skated more street than vert
in the local area there were a number of ramps to be skated
all were owned by some really cool kids
all were pretty much open for public for use
Dave Bean and Trevor each had some sick ramps, Dave Bean's being more friendly for just dropping in and skating than Trevor's
during those times I became friends with a number of the local kids, townies as the college frat boy dorks of a college without a greek system use to call them

in that long list of locals were a few that stood out
Rusty Pistachio, Todd Morris, and Toby Morris
sure other names come to mind, my now dead once room mate Damian, Rob was a great guy, John from the local gas station was cool after all he did coin the phrase, "what are you trying to say?" but these guys as far as I know did not become famous so there is little need to drop their names

during those times skating was a movement that went hand and hand with PUNK ROCK
the music scene was growing in all sorts of directions
DC was producing it quasi-intellectual music with the various bands on Discord Records while Baltimore had a different vibe and other areas had an even more unique thing going on....

For Rusty and Todd it was the ROADSIDE PETZ and then later THE OUTCROWD
they played a brand of music that was known to some as CRAB CORE for its Maryland Roots
their topics tended to be about the things that go through most adolescent minds
the music was good
they had an pretty original thing going on with two singers
and they had enough friends that they could pack the house
(eventually THE OUTCROWD took it to NYC and gave a shot of it there....I remember some friends in LUCY BROWN playing some shows with them)

one thing that stuck out in my mind was Todd's younger brother Toby
Toby had so much energy
he was bouncing off the walls and landing on his skateboard 24/7
ollies and kickflips all day long
so positive
so energetic
all he wanted to do was graduate high school and get out of the county (St. Mary's County)
the morris brothers had an older brother Tracy who lived in NY
Toby was a ballistic missle headed that way
sure enough
I don't know if he graduated from high school
but I know he went to NY
all that he every wanted was there for him

he hung with people and roadied for bands that I only know by name
till eventually he became a fixture in the scene
an icon in his own way
with Sick of it All he was a roadie with a song
before he knew it he was no longer a roadie
but he was the singer in a band with his brother and Rusty, this band H20

it is so much easier to answer the question, "what every happened to...." if they became famous
or for people like me
the answer can be told if they are geeky enough to have a BLOG

oh...look at this The History of H20

time to close up shop and head home
I hate spending 10 minutes to put on cold weather gear so that I can ride my bike for 20 minutes
yes somehow I do not feel much like riding any longer than that

Rusty's Jewelry

he looks as mellow and as cool now as he did then

other names not worth dropping but perhaps worth mentioning
the kids from swiz are graduating from high school this year

just kidding of course
as the kids from SWIZ are old like me (only a few years younger)

this does remind me that I have a wedding present and an old COKE bottle I found in the woods for Jason Farrel (of swiz, sweet belly freakdown, and not RETISONIC)
and what the f--k is Shawn Brown up to now? hope his tattoo artist dreams have become a reality!