History
The band was started by Frank Smarra (bass) and Harry Minas (drums) in Astoria, Queens, New York City. They were soon joined by Fred Mesk (guitar) and together wrote most of the material that would be on their early releases.
In early 1992, they recruited former Agnostic Front roadie Rick Healey who added the lyrics to all the songs. They adopted the name after it was suggested by Freddy Cricien from Madball that also helped by giving them guest appearances at the end of its sets. 25 ta Life played their first full show at Studio 1, New Jersey on May 10, 1993, supporting Obituary. After a few failed attempts to add a second guitar player, Steve Pettit (formally of Dmize) joined the band in late 1993. In January 1994, bassist and co-founding member Frank left the band due to family commitments and was replaced by Warren Lee from Out of Line Queens. Steve was later replaced by his partner in Dmize: Beto Rosario. The band continued to play a large number of shows in the tri-state area and up and down the East Coast. In early 1996, 25 ta Life travelled to Europe, playing in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Poland for the first time. By late 1996, co-founding member Harry left the band and was replaced by Seth Meyer from One 4 One.
25 ta Life opened for Agnostic Front's reunion show at the Wetlands in December 1996 and then played all of AF's East Coast dates along with Madball, Hatebreed and H2O in early 1997. They went to Japan in April 1997. Warren and Beto left in May 1997 after the West Coast tour. Mike H from One 4 One joined on bass in June 1997 and they went to Europe in July 1997. They recorded "Strength Through Unity..." in July 1997, writing half of it on the spot. "Loyal ta the Grave", featuring Freddy (Madball) and Lord Ezec (Crown of Thornz, Skarhead), was written and recorded in less than an hour. Mike left in August 1997 and was replaced by Dave Urban from Faction Zero. Later that month, they went to Puerto Rico and recorded two songs for the second "New York's Hardest" compilation. In October–November 1997, Biohazard took 25 ta Life on a short eight-show tour of the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to Boston. Seth left the band in February 1998 and was replaced by Rob Pallotta. The band recorded its first full-length album "Friendship, Loyalty, Commitment" in 1999. After years of touring, the band broke up in late 2000.
Rick reformed the band in 2002 with all new members. They released several albums with different lineups over the next few years. The band eventually stopped releasing new albums and playing shows as rumors of Rick's mental illness began to spread.
In 2017, Fred Mesk, Seth Meyer, Beto and Mike 141 reformed the band with Stikman from Fury of Five on vocals. They performed at This is Hardcore fest in Philadelphia on July 29, 2017. They also announced on their Facebook page that they are working on new material. In March 2018, 25 ta Life released three new songs (Hunting Season EP) online.[1] They also went on a short European tour which included headlining the sold out Superbowl of Hardcore in Rennes, France.
In 2018, Fred Mesk announced that he was leaving the band to go solo in a project called "Mista Bojangles", described as death metal meets Oi!. He stated that a full-length LP is due in the near future.
You Can Count On Me
25 Ta Life Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We still believe
People change
Feelings change
But for me and you the spirit remains
And what i said back then
I still believe 100 Percent
And you know that you can count on me
I can count on you
We both believe it's more than music
We stay true
This is my word until I die
And all the crews that keep it alive.
In the song "You can count on me" by 25 Ta Life, the lyrics convey a message of loyalty and commitment between friends. The opening lines "We still believe, We still believe" suggests that despite the passing of time, their friendship still endures. The following lines, "People change, Feelings change, But for me and you the spirit remains" implies that even though things may change in their lives, their friendship and love of music is constant.
The chorus emphasizes the strength of their bond by stating that they can count on each other no matter what happens. It highlights a sense of mutual trust and support, which is reinforced by the phrase, "We both believe it's more than music, We stay true." The fact that they strongly believe in the values they both uphold, elevates their friendship to a higher level than just a shared appreciation for music.
Line by Line Meaning
We still believe
Our belief in the spirit of hardcore music and the lifestyle that follows still remains unwavering
We still believe
No matter what changes, our love for hardcore music and its culture will remain consistent
People change
As time passes, people tend to change their outlook and perspectives
Feelings change
The emotions that we once held dear might lose their significance over time
But for me and you the spirit remains
Despite the changes, our enthusiasm for the spirit of hardcore music and its values stays strong
And what I said back then, I still believe 100 percent
My opinion regarding the hardcore music scene and its lifestyle that I shared years ago still holds true
And you know that you can count on me
You can always trust me, as I will follow through on my promises
I can count on you
I can always rely on you in times of need
We both believe it's more than music
For us, hardcore music represents more than just a genre, it's a way of life
We stay true
Our commitment to the hardcore music scene and its values remain unadulterated
This is my word until I die
I will stand by my beliefs and never waver from them for the rest of my life
And all the crews that keep it alive
I acknowledge and appreciate all the groups of people who work to keep the hardcore music scene alive
Contributed by Anna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.