In early spring 1989, on a Manhattan street corner, I ran into Bobby Sullivan, frontman for D.C. punk band Soulside. Bobby was engaging, personable, and brutally charismatic. He had great stage presence, even when not on stage. His band was on Dischord Records, giving him a direct link back to the magical first wave of American hardcore. I was a teenage fanzine nerd. I felt privileged to even know him. He told me Soulside had just gotten back from a U.S. tour and were preparing to leave for an imminent European tour. I distinctly remember thinking, I want THAT. I was practicing with the band that would become Born Against, and his lifestyle felt aspirational. But I hadn’t yet made the jump from zine person to frontman. I'd never performed with a band live.