Mouthpiece Tour 1995

Yeah, I may have started collecting vinyl late in the game, but I've got to tell you, there is nothing more satisfying as when I pick up one of those records that I ignored the first time around. Feeling as strong as I do about this kind of music, it is hard not romanticize the experience...it's like these are records that I'm supposed to own...they belong in my collection, and finally acquiring them all these years later is like reuniting long lost friends.

In 1995, Mouthpiece released their Face Tomorrow 7 inch on New Age Records. It was a strange time for me, as I was still heavily into bands like Shift and Christie Front Drive, plus I was digging on Endpoint's last record with the slide guitar...yet, under the surface bands were starting to make a more straight forward, traditional Hardcore sound. Bands like Fastbreak, Floorpunch, and Ten Yard Fight were starting to make some noise, and reminding me that music didn't have to be uptight and pretentious all the time...it didn't always have to be an ultra-serious experience. Right there in the middle of this revival was Mouthpiece. They had stuck it out through some of Hardcore's darkest days, and they survived to release their strongest record with Face Tomorrow.

I don't believe that there are countless special pressings for the Mouthpiece records, therefore I haven't been too tempted to really make a run at collecting their vinyl. Where was the challenge?

Prices seem to have come down for Mouthpiece vinyl, as popsike shows that a few years ago this record went for $85, then last year one went for $40...in 2012 one went for $28, and then I picked up mine for under $20. Seemed like a good time to pick one up.