1993 and subsequent years after will always be a high water mark for what was later dubbed 'post hardcore.' Bands like Helmet, Jawbox, Orange 9mm, Seaweed, Into Another and Quicksand all had one of several things in common: The bands were made up of former members of well known hard core bands, like Gorilla Biscuits (Walter Schriefels) and Burn (Chaka). These bands were an example of what happens when the musicians grow up, move beyond Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Ride the Lighting and start listening to Speaking In Tongues by Talking Heads or VS by Mission of Burma.

Slip is the quintessential post hardcore album! A dozen songs of simple intensity with some of the most memorable lyrics such as, " to stand alone/To be without the glue, that keeps us glued together/And feeling so excrementable," from the song, Unfulfilled. It took Quicksand to elevate the cliche of their former bands past the level of quotable adolesence to a fracture point between being an older/wiser/better musician and gave hope to a slowly dying scene, a scene that gets continually kicked - the proverbial dead horse.

There isn't one great thing about Slip that sticks out singularly, its a packaged deal. Tom Capone, Sergio Vega, Alan Cage and the very esoteric Walter Schreifels forged a solid 12 songs that were heavy and meaningful and were'nt as self-involved as their counterparts tearing it up in plaid flannels on the other side of the country. There has always been a positive aspect associated with the early hardcore of the New York scene, from Walters old bands Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today that transferred well into Quicksand. Though in the world of the mainstream, one hit like "Dine Alone" wasn't enough to keep them afloat, even a tour with Anthrax and White Zombie couldn't garner new fans.

93 was a demarcation line, a year before Kurt Cobain swallowed a mouthfull of buck shot and Lollapalooza wasn't a corporate fuck fest. I saw Quicksand at Red Rocks with Anthrax and White Zombie, my first concert, I won tickets from Across the Trax in Denver and had my mom drop me and a friend off outside the gate. We both had krishna chokers, short buzzed hair and Youth of Today T's or Minor Threat T's, essentially we had our 'scene' certified uniforms on and we were the sorest thumbs in a sea of black leather, greasy hair and pot smoke, we were also the only ones who stood for the entire Quicksand set, singing along to every single song. If memory serves, Tom Capone noticed our staunch support and said thanks, looking directly at us. That was the first time I saw Quicksand.

Tthe last time I saw Quicksand was on a thrown together 'reunion' tour with the Deftones. the reaction of the crowd was the same, lukewarm, unexcited with lots of harrassment from the hessian Deftones-ex football playing assholes who turned the circle pit into the caricature of violence Limp Bizkit gets its jollies from today.

Slip isn't just a record! Its a time line that kickstarted my interest in music. Its the most reliable archive of my life during the gastly grunge era. IT marks a time when you could go to shows and people would move with the band and it didn't matter if the band came from outer space, the sense of community was intense (except for the the first and last time i saw quicksand, all times inbetween were beautiful) or maybe i've been in southern california too long, or maybe i'm just an old scenster that is painfully obvious in sentiment.

Or maybe Slip was a record I swallowed whole, something i keep next to my gut when i want to remind myself why I love music.