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Bridge Nine has been a staple in the Boston area for 22 years but before we settled in Massachusetts, the label split its time in Vermont, where I attended college, and Connecticut, where I spent my formative years going to hardcore shows.

Each of my friends seemed to be doing something in the scene: some were in bands, some printed fanzines, some had their own backpack distro, and some even did all three! I would help friends make buttons and demo tape covers and I was a part of this subculture, but hadn't yet found my own way to contribute. As an art student in the Spring of '95, I drew a Connecticut vanity license plate repping the CT straight edge, and the first thing I made in the hardcore/punk scene was a short printing of crack and peel stickers.

I loved the Connecticut scene. The early-mid 90's had so many bands and venues, friends and I would hit up 2-3 shows on the weekends, driving all over: to New Britain (Sports Palace, Boiler Room, the occasional bigger show at The Sting); New Haven (mostly the Tune Inn, but a few shows at that cinderblock garage); the New Milford Teen Center; Studio 158 in North Windham; the El 'n' Gee in New London. Needless to say, it was easy to distribute the stickers to others in the scene. Later, my friend Andy (who'd later help design Bridge Nine's first 7" cover) worked at a screen print shop and helped me create a few runs of license plate shirts. I sold them out of my backpack at shows and gave them to some out of town bands that played Connecticut venues, including one to Karl from Earth Crisis (pictured below).

The address of my childhood home in Connecticut was on Bridge Nine's early releases, but by 1998 most of my hometown friends ended up in Boston. I, too, soon joined them in the Mission Hill neighborhood and began the label's next chapter. Bridge Nine has since called the Boston area home, but to commemorate those early days in Connecticut, we have made a small quantity of enamel pins that are available now:

These are limited to just 100 pins! This blue and white enamel pin measures 1.5" wide x .75" tall and is double posted with rubber backings.

It's wild that this was something I made so many years ago, but I'm psyched to give it the re-issue treatment. Thank you for checking it out!
- Chris Wrenn
B9

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