Watch some unearthed '90s-era sets from Jimmy Eat World, Jawbreaker, Converge, and more
New Jersey was a hotbed of punk, emo, and hardcore upstarts in the ‘90s, which saw the state’s basements and VFW halls flooded with local and touring bands that would go on to leave a lasting mark on the genres. If you were one of the lucky locals in those tiny, passionate pits, we are jealous. If you weren’t, we have some good news: A YouTube channel has been uploading a number of shows from the era featuring bands like Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker, Piebald, Converge, and The Promise Ring.
As Brooklyn Vegan relays, the shows were shot by the late Tim Morris, a fixture of the New Jersey scene, and digitized by Chris Haug, who’s also overseeing the channel. Dozens of concerts have been uploaded over the past three months, all of them gritty, intimate portraits of young bands with unvarnished sounds that dwarf the DIY venues. Most shows unfold in New Jersey houses and venues, but there’s also a killer collection of sets from Michigan’s 1997 Mind Over Matter Fest, which featured Jimmy Eat World, Mineral, and The Promise Ring.
Scroll further and you’ll see house shows from Orchid, Deadguy, Earth Crisis, AVAIL, and Snapcase, as well as rare early looks at noise rock titans like The Locust and Lightning Bolt.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
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