 Just fourteen years ago, an avid punk and hardcore music fan named Chris Wrenn started putting out 7" records by some of his favorite local bands. "The label started out pretty slowly", said Wrenn. "I talked with some of my friends who were in bands and they said they'd be down to put out a 7". Over the next couple of years, I did whatever I could to try and raise money to continue to put out records. I designed shirts, stickers, and patches that I sold at shows to earn money to offset the printing costs and not much has changed today." Having grown up in Connecticut in the 90's, which was a hotspot for hardcore, Wrenn had his finger on the pulse of the underground music scene. In 1994, Wrenn moved to Vermont and wanted something to keep him music-motivated while in college and decided to put out a split 7" record, the first official Bridge Nine release. One of the bands on it, Tenfold, became the foundation for In My Eyes and Fastbreak, both of which became really well-known in Connecticut and Boston hardcore scenes as well as nationally. Bridge Nine continued to grow, eventually releasing defining releases for American Nightmare (later Give Up The Ghost), Terror, and Champion. Today, Bridge Nine is a recognized brand worldwide as the best in hardcore with a roster boasting over a dozen full-time, active bands. 100+ releases and thirteen years later, Bridge Nine's back catalog boasts some of the biggest and best names in underground music and it continues to get stronger. 2008 alone saw defining and surprising releases from bands like New Found Glory and H2O, Have Heart, Crime In Stereo, Verse, Cruel Hand, Energy, Ruiner and Ceremony. |
