When I was growing up as a Christian teen there were two kinds of people: those who loved Tooth and Nail Records and those who hated them. The people who loved them told me that the person in question appreciated edgy music with a quirky edge. The person who didn't like them was just going to be your average Joe who only listened to pop or country or rap and enjoying anything their radio station of choice shoved down their throat.

As I've grown older and my taste for music has expanded, my feelings on Tooth and Nail have become less black and white and much more muddled. I still remember the thrill at the age of 15 when I discovered hardcore and metal through one of the Tooth and Nail sampler cds. I also get a punch in the gut each time I see a new Tooth and Nail release on store shelves, only instead of it being something new and edgy, it's just some Creed or Staind rip-off.

Unlike any other label I've known, Tooth and Nail somehow has a supernatural aura around it. A person can't just "not care" about Tooth and Nail. They either love the label to death or they hate its very existence. But they still care. Lovers create top ten lists on message boards. Haters moan and groan about each and every release. But they still care. It's as if even the people who can't stand the label still keep and eye and an ear on what's happening with it because "you just never know."

Tooth and Nail was started by Brandon Ebel in 1993. He signed bands that had Christian band members, although was never entirely comfortable with the Contemporary Christian Music tag. His label soon gained a reputation for releasing cutting edge music that varied from indie rock to hardcore and metal. Remember, in 1993 it was not cool or sucessful to be an indie rock or hardcore band. Nor was it profitable to be releasing those kind of records. Especially not with the mainstream ignoring him as being "too Christian" and the CCM industry uncomfortable with the edge to the music and the lack of "Jesus" in the lyrics.

However, the underground took notice. Teens growing up in Christian homes finally had access to bands that had quality releases that their parents could approve of because no one was swearing or praising boobs and trippy drug experiences.

After a couple of years Tooth and Nail created a sub-label, Solid State Records. Solid State is home to Tooth and Nail's hardcore and metal bands. Later, BEC (the Brandon Ebel Company) joined in the forces to give a home to more radio-friendly groups. And to round out the Tooth and Nail empire there is Uprok Records for the rap side of things.