In the mid- to late 1990s, Buechner attained a great popularity within the hardcore music scene as the frontman of Earth Crisis due to their outspoken advocacy for the straight edge and vegan lifestyles.
[7] In his early teens, Buechner got into punk rock through his cousin and skateboarding, becoming a fan of bands such as the Dead Kennedys and Subhumans, as well as having traveled to other cities to participate in skate competitions.
[9][13][14] The first vocalist of Earth Crisis, DJ Rose, states that he and Buechner traveled to Albany where they met Dave Stein and Steve Reddy, who also taught them about animal rights before they established the group in 1989.
[15] Subsequently, Buechner became a volunteer at the Syracuse Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where he witnessed animals that were doused with gasoline and tortured in different ways, leaving "quite an impression on" him and which he attributes to the anger expressed in their early records.
[11] He attended college to become a history teacher with the intention of supporting a career in music or sports, but left it after two years when Earth Crisis was signed by Victory Records.
They were named for the Norse goddess of fertility and their lyrics took inspiration from history, mythology and more personal issues, without addressing veganism or straight edge directly because not all members follow the lifestyles.