"Pete [Koller] wrote a song on the road, I wrote some lyrics, and for a goof I sang 'My Love Is Real' during one of their encores." The crowd reaction was so strong that Toby's charismatic onstage appearances became a welcome and expected addition to SOIA shows. It was soon apparent that Toby was a much better frontman than he was a roadie, and that realization led Toby to put together his own band.

He began by enlisting the help of his childhood friend Rusty Pistachio on guitar. After recruiting bassist Eric Rice and drummer Max Capshaw, H2O played its first show in December 1994, making an immediate and lasting impression on the New York masses. When the demand for their demo tape exceeded all expectations, the band recorded a 7-inch for Equal Vision Records. With their unique ability to fuse searing hardcore riffs with catchy melodic punk, it wasnt long before H2O was touring up and down the East Coast.

In the summer of 1995, after a seven-week European tour with SOIA and Civ, the band parted ways with Max. They were joined by former Outcrowd members Todd Friend on drums and Todd Morse (Toby's brother) on guitar. H2O quickly thrived as a five-piece, bringing a stronger and richer sound to the hardcore community. Soon H2O was playing with bands such as Rancid, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and No Doubt. It was with this lineup that H2O released its self-titled debut album on Blackout! Records, an album that has since received acclaim from all sides. As CHORD magazine put it: "H2O are here and they've dropped a bomb on the scene in the form of one of the best hardcore/punk albums to come out in the last five years. This album is so amazing that I listened to it four times straight in a row when I got it. I didn't think about the review or what I was gonna say because I was too busy dancing around my room..."

Now H2O is set for the release of its first full-length effort on Epitaph, titled Thicker Than Water. Lyrically, the band emphasizes topics like positivity, loyalty, and personal responsibility in such blistering songs as "Wake Up," 'Everready," and the title song "Thicker Than Water." Sonically, H2O has never sounded better on record.

Yet it is impossible to fully appreciate H2O until you have seen them perform live. Toby's unstoppable onstage energy and personality, coupled with the band's solid musicianship, always lends itself to a hard-hitting, unforgettable show. And with the recent addition of bassist Adam Blake (formerly of Shelter), H2O has been invited to tour the United States and Canada with the likes of Murphy's Law, the Misfits, and Social Distortion, and has sold out countless headlining shows all over the East Coast.

For H2O, it's all about bringing the music to as many listeners as they can. Says Toby: "Hardcore is not about what you eat, drink, or wear. It is a way of life, the music and the message."