The lineup first consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgan, Jack Ladoga, Jim Woo and James DeLauge), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes, the band's first release was a harshly political eponymous T.S.O.L. EP featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love," "World War III" and "Abolish Government."
After their debut EP, they released Dance With Me, their first full-length record. A departure from the entirely political nature of the previous release, Dance With Me was far darker and more macabre, featuring such themes as necrophilia, and the song "Silent Scream," which is made up entirely of horror movie clichés. Their most popular release, both then and to this day, the album earned them the title of the "West Coast Misfits" (a reference to Glenn Danzig's band the Misfits on the East Coast), and has made the band a favorite amongst horror punk fans.
They later signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, for which they released the Weathered Statues 7" EP and the Beneath the Shadows album which featured, for the first time, keyboard player Greg Kuehn who added a new dimension to the band. Around this period their style had changed further, becoming highly experimental and varied, featuring art punk and psychedelic leanings, as well as their customary horror themes.
In 1983 amid personal turmoil, Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes left the band and were replaced by singer Joe Wood (who was Grisham's brother-in-law) and drummer Mitch Dean. This new line-up (with Joe Wood and Mitch Dean) released the album named Change Today? in 1984 on Enigma Records.
The group changed their sound entirely for their next release Revenge, adopting a punk metal sound. Their music was featured in the 1984 movie Suburbia, the 1985 version of popular horror movie Return of the Living Dead and Dangerously Close in 1986.
The band became friends with Guns N' Roses and T.S.O.L. t-shirts can be seen in the "Sweet Child o' Mine" video. They followed up with an album in a similar style, titled Hit and Run. Before it was released, original guitarist Ron Emory quit the band, leaving Mike Roche as the sole original member.
T.S.O.L. were joined briefly by guitarist Scotty Phillips, who quit before the band started recording the follow-up to Hit and Run. They eventually hired guitar player and actor Marshall Rohner. They released a blues-metal album titled Strange Love in 1990. Mike Roche quit shortly before the album release, leaving no original member in the band. A compilation album entitled Hell & Back Together: 1984-1990 was issued in 1992 with an emphasis on their metal era. Murphy Karges, later of Sugar Ray, briefly replaced Roche on bass as did Dave Mello.
Meanwhile, the original members had started playing shows featuring the band's early material under the name T.S.O.L., often playing the same cities, the same nights as the other T.S.O.L. Since Joe Wood and Mitch Dean now owned the rights to the name T.S.O.L., they threatened to sue the original members, who released a live album of their early material under the name "Grisham, Roche, Emory and Barnes" but stopped playing together soon after because of drug problems.
In 1996, most of the original members settled down and realized that they still had a passion for their music and that fans wanted them to reunite. In 1999, they fought with Wood for rights to the name and won before joining the Vans Warped Tour, playing for the first time in years under the name T.S.O.L.
Todd Barnes had died on December 6th, 1999 of a brain aneurysm at the age of 34. The remaining members recruited drummer Jay O'Brien and released the Anticop single and the Disappear and Divided We Stand albums on Nitro Records, the latter of which featured Greg Kuehn back on keyboards. The Original T.S.O.L. recorded two more full length albums. In September of 2007, Cider City Records released the posthumous live album Live From Long Beach, recorded in November 2006 on the weekend of the band's two "farewell" performances.
Their departure was short-lived, however, with a couple of local shows in late 2007. They also headlined the "F**k the Whales, Save a Chckn" benefit in February of 2008, held to help with cancer treatment bills for guitarist Craig "Chckn" Jewett of D.I.
They are an independent band under the Nitro Records banner, which was started by the Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland, for whom T.S.O.L. is cited as an influence.
In December 2008, the band, in cooperation with Hurley, entered the studio to record Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads which was, as the title suggests, made available as a free download through Hurley's website on January 8, 2009.
The late eighties T.S.O.L. version apparently are popular enough to invite bookings in Brazil & Argentina, where the Grisham led band hold no legal rights to prevent Wood from gigging as T.S.O.L. Since 1996, Wood has been joined by guitarists including Mike Martt and Drac Conley, drummers Steve "Sully" O’Sullivan and Mitch Dean and bassist Dave Mello, who joined the band near the end of its Enigma years run. Additionally, Wood has pursued musical work in Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones & Cisco Poison.
Members
* Jack Grisham - vocals
* Ron Emory - guitar
* Mike Roche - bass
* Antonio Val Hernandez - Drums
* Greg Kuehn - piano, synthesizers
Former members
* Todd Barnes - drums
* Murphy Karges (born Matthew Murphy Karges) - bass
* Dave Mello - bass
* Joe Wood - vocals, guitar
* Mitch Dean - drums
* Marshall Rohner - guitars
* Jay O'Brien - drums
* Travis Johnson - drums
* Billy Blaze - drums
* Frank Agnew - guitar
* Scotty Phillips - guitar
* Tiny Bubbz - Drums
Hit And Run
T.S.O.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I do too much smoke
You say I drink too much
I do too much coke, that's a joke
When you say I get to London
I get too loud, I'm proud
If you don't like it
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm hit and run I might die today
I'm hit and run all the way
'Cause I'm hit and run
We're gonna die today
Well now you better move
You don't slow down
Pedal to the metal
You never touch the ground
Running all the red lights
Too much speed, I need
Breaking all the rules
I hear the devil scream
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm hit and run I might die today
I'm hit and run all the way
'Cause I'm hit and run
We're gonna die today
I don't know
Why do we wonder
When you see the rain
And hear the thunder
Better open your eyes
Now open your eyes
Better open your eyes
'Cause everybody's gonna die
You might die today
Ok, ok
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm hit and run I might die today
I'm hit and run all the way
'Cause I'm hit and run
We're gonna die today
The lyrics of T.S.O.L.'s song "Hit and Run" strongly hint at reckless living, self-destructive behavior, and a disregard for consequences. The opening lines portray the singer's substance abuse problems and shows how they do not take criticism or advice from others seriously. It is clear that the singer is wild and aggressive as they mention how they get loud when they visit London. The singer challenges anyone who does not like their behavior to leave instead of trying to change it.
As the song progresses, the singer implies that they are living life like there's no tomorrow, hence the chorus "I'm hit and run all the way, I'm hit and run, I might die today." The verse mentions how they have a love for speed and enjoy driving recklessly, which may cause them to reach their demise earlier than anticipated. The lyrics are a cautionary tale that living life without care may have fatal consequences, similar to the sound of the instruments used in the song, which make it quite unpleasant to listen to.
In the final verse, the singer calls on the listener to be aware of their surroundings and to live life with their eyes open as everyone will eventually die. The song's message is to try and live a life that is not self-destructive to minimize the chances of meeting an untimely end.
Line by Line Meaning
You say I drink too much
You're judging my lifestyle
I do too much smoke
I smoke excessively
You say I drink too much
You're judging my lifestyle
I do too much coke, that's a joke
The accusation of excessive cocaine use is unfounded
When you say I get to London
When you speak of me being in London
I get too loud, I'm proud
I become boisterous and unapologetic
If you don't like it
If my behavior offends you
Don't hang around, no
Leave if you can't handle it
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
I'm hit and run I might die today
My behavior could lead to my death
I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
'Cause I'm hit and run
I have a pattern of reckless behavior
We're gonna die today
Our risky behavior could lead to our deaths
Well now you better move
You need to get out of my way
You don't slow down
You don't reduce your speed
Pedal to the metal
Accelerating at maximum speed
You never touch the ground
Moving so quickly it seems like you're flying
Running all the red lights
Disregarding traffic signals
Too much speed, I need
I have an addiction to speed and danger
Breaking all the rules
Disregarding societal norms and laws
I hear the devil scream
My actions are met with disapproval from others
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
I'm hit and run I might die today
My behavior could lead to my death
I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
'Cause I'm hit and run
I have a pattern of reckless behavior
We're gonna die today
Our risky behavior could lead to our deaths
I don't know
Uncertainty and confusion
Why do we wonder
Questioning the unknown
When you see the rain
Observing a natural phenomenon
And hear the thunder
Hearing the accompanying sound
Better open your eyes
Pay attention
Now open your eyes
This is important
Better open your eyes
Pay attention
'Cause everybody's gonna die
Mortality is inevitable
You might die today
Death can come unexpectedly
Ok, ok
Acknowledgment of the message
'Cause I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
I'm hit and run I might die today
My behavior could lead to my death
I'm hit and run all the way
I'm reckless and don't stick around
'Cause I'm hit and run
I have a pattern of reckless behavior
We're gonna die today
Our risky behavior could lead to our deaths
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ronald Lewis Emory, Mitchell Dean Margolin, Michael Paul Roche, Joseph Lee Wood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deon reed
I remember seeing them after this album was released and there were only 25 people in the crowd.
HareKrishna777
I remember this song and at least a couple songs from this album being in the surf video back in the late 80s… It was how I remember this song and it was phenomenal! Nowadays the drums and the guitar and everything would be much heavier with a better recording… It could be good!
Tandem Surf Productions (Tandem Surf and Sport TV)
Never gets old..
Carl Gantz
Thank U for posting this..
TSOL is on of the 1st NON-MAINSTREAM Rock bands that I ever listened to, And it probably changed my life lol (for the better)
This band along with the likes of the Slaves and VERY OLD INXS Were on the soundtrack of the very 1st SurfFlicks I ever watched (hence why it changed my life) Because Surfing has been a part of me and my life ever since. That's going on 40 years now.
Colin Connolly
I'll pretend that this is another band
John Fabian
Great album, but then EVERY TSOL album is. Especially the new one!
Kory Kloth
Their downfall was not enough promotion for this album. I never saw even a display ad in a rock magazine for this album, no radio airplay, no t-shirts in the rock stores. Whoever worked for them didn't do a good job with promotion.
brite boy
@Kory Kloth most people that still know this band would probably not be into these albums.
51 - 73
@Kory Kloth plenty bands do songs from different periods with different vocalists. Try drowning pool, killswitch engage, three days grace etc literally every band. The reason why tsol don't is because this music isn't the tsol image that people want which is why they should have made a separate band
Kory Kloth
@51 - 73 I would expect them to play this era of them now. Not when they have their first singer back, who didn't sing this hard rock stuff, and had a much different voice.