62 VegNews Think. Eat. Thrive.™ September+October 2010

VegCulture

TOBY MORSE IS A LIVING, BREATHING hardcore punk powerhouse. He doesn’t do drugs, drink alcohol, or eat meat; instead he promotes positive thinking, compassion, and clean living—all while surrounded by committed friends, scads of rock stars, and, of course, vegan pizza.

Much like the fiercely kinetic genre he’s spent nearly half his life elevating, Morse is a musician with a message, transmitting his positive philosophy through intensely heartfelt and upbeat energy. As front man of legendary New York hardcore band H2O, he’s spent more than 15 years inspiring young people with melodic rhythms and motivating lyrics that preach basic punk credos: reject peer pressure, discover your own personal ethics, and live with purpose.

In 2008, after taking a seven-year hiatus from recording, H2O released its most acclaimed album to date, Nothing To Prove, filming a video for the title track with a star-studded, who’s-who mélange of the hardcore scene. The album’s last track, “What Happened?” features friend and fellow vegan Matt Skiba of punk rock band Alkaline Trio, who croons about a generation that doesn’t “remember what it feels like to be young.” This is not a problem for the self-proclaimed young-at-heart Morse, who speaks of his lifelong convictions—vegetarianism and straight-edge living—with the same exuberant, unwavering

confidence of a newly impassioned teenager.He credits the animal liberation anthem

“Cats and Dogs” by hardcore pioneers Gorilla Biscuits as the reason he ditched meat products more than 22 years ago, cites the 1982 Bad Brains song “Attitude” as the impetus for his positive mental attitude (PMA) philosophy, and says the Minor Threat classic “Straightedge” helped seal his lifetime pledge to clean living. During adolescence, it was this bond with music that prevented Morse from falling into the temptation to substance abuse. “Skateboarding and punk rock kept me away from peer pressure. Going to shows at a young age helped save me from that, ” he says.

On November 11, 1988, Morse got the first of his many tattoos: a gorilla wearing army pants and canvas vans with X’s—the universal straight-edge symbol—shaved into its fur. He says the image, which he calls his “Meat is Murder,” tattoo, honors his commitment to live a meat-free, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to the vegetarian education music afforded him, he also describes reading John Robbin’s bestselling Diet For a New America as a watershed life experience. “I don’t want to hurt the animals, that’s part of why I went vegetarian—for animal rights,” says Morse. “If you really, really love animals then don’t eat them. It’s simple [to be vegan] and people think it’s so hard.” When he’s home in Los Angeles, he loves eating plant-

H2O front man Toby Morse shares his

positive, plant-based, punk rock message

with the next generation. By Liz Miller

Morse’sCode

VN celebrates 10! vegnews.com VegNews 63

based meals with his wife, Moon, and son, Maximus, at veg-friendly restaurants including M Café, Veggie Grill, and zPizza.

After spending much of his youth bouncing around the East Coast, Morse moved to Manhattan in 1988 and quickly landed a roadie gig with one of his favorite hardcore bands, Sick of It All. In fact, it was at a Sick of It All show in 1991 that Morse first met Tal Ronnen, now a close friend and celebrity vegan chef, by gifting him a shirt from the merchandise table that Ronnen was too short on cash to buy. By 1995, Morse had formed H2O with four other New York City transplants living on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and within a years, the band released its first, self-titled record. The group quickly drew a dedicated global following, opening for Rancid and No Doubt and touring with Social Distortion, The Misfits, and Morse’s former crew from Sick of It All. Fans the world over connected with H2O’s action-packed live shows and spirited message, inking their enduring support with tattoo tributes and bringing Morse vegan cupcakes to tide him over while on tour. One of the most popular H2O fan tattoos borrows the title of one of the band’s seminal songs “One Life, One Chance” from the 1999 record FTTW. “We have hundreds of pictures of kids with that tattoo. You only get one life and one chance. I love that song,” he says.

In February, Morse got a call from a friend asking him to spread that very message to a new crowd. After seeing the empowering effect that H2O’s music had on his two children, music photographer Chris Roque invited Morse to share his positive, substance-free success with more than 900 schoolchildren at M. Clifford Miller Middle School in Kingston, NY. Despite his hectic schedule and reluctance to tackle the foreign landscape of motivational speaking, Morse agreed. On February 19, with an H2O concert to perform that evening three hours south of Kingston, he gave his first official “One Life, One Chance” presentation. “It was an overwhelming feeling. It was way more of a high than I’ve ever had with H2O because playing shows is like preaching to the converted,” says Morse, “Everything I’m

MoreMorseMorse’s friends look out for him like family. Here are what a few fellow herbivores have to say about him.

“[H2O] was a good inspiration for me growing up. Straight edge is the most important thing in my life. It’s gotten me everywhere. One Life, One Chance, that’s it.”Chad Gilbert, guitarist of New Found Glory

“I think it is imperative to live a drug-free lifestyle. I try to live a healthy lifestyle free of drugs, free of animal products. With One Life, One Chance I’ve got the best shot: a straight-edge lifestyle.”Davey Havok, lead singer of AFI

“I have great respect for Toby and his program One Life, One Chance, as he understands how important it is to stay drug-free. That’s the reason he’s such a positive influence; because he’s lived it.” John Joseph, lead singer of Cro-Mags, author Meat is for Pussies

“I felt lucky to go with Toby on his first school talk this year and witness the amazing positive energy he put forth to more than 800 kids. Not only did they learn about a drug-free lifestyle, they also saw that being straightedge and vegan was a cool and a positive way to live.”Tal Ronnen, celebrity vegan chef, author of The Conscious Cook

“H2O are like brothers to me. They are some of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I was honored to write and sing on [a song for] their latest album even though they forgot to credit me. They are forgiven, but only because Toby’s son Max is my favorite person on the planet.”Matt Skiba, lead singer of Alkaline Trio

talking to kids at schools about is the same thing H2O has been singing about for 15 years, except I’m taking things to a different level by talking to kids who know nothing about straight edge or hardcore music.”

The experience instantly motivated Morse to pursue more speaking opportunities, and several days later he spoke to kids at Channel View School for Research in Far Rockaway, Queens. After his talk ended, Morse and H2O band members performed a handful of their powerhouse songs for the kids, reinforcing their message through an engaging medium. On April 8, Morse’s birthday, he launched a website for his new “One Life, One Chance” program, and in the first two months it clocked more than 125,000 hits. Between sharing his

stories and playing sold out shows, 2010 also holds a tour of Japan to celebrate H2O’s 15th anniversary, which kicks off in September. Lets just call this business as usual for the magnanimous musician with a message.

Associate Editor Liz Miller and all her friends have nothing to prove, nothing to lose.

Captions about top 3 photos: Morse spreading the word.

Caption about bottom pic: Morse with his wife and son.