T.S.O.L. are an American punk band. T.S.O.L. is short for True Sounds of Li… Read Full Bio ↴T.S.O.L. are an American punk band. T.S.O.L. is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name. Although most commonly associated with the burgeoning West Coast hardcore punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, T.S.O.L. have released music in the styles of both punk and hard rock. Formed in 1979 and hailing from Long Beach, California, T.S.O.L. developed from earlier bands Johnny Coathanger & the Abortions and Vicious Circle.

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

Love Story
T.S.O.L. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Last night I lay awake
My eyes were dry with the pain
Sometimes I wish that I would just die
To save me from seeing you again
I knew you used me but I didn't care
I was happy just being together
Well sometimes I wonder if I should be with you
All you ever do is ignore me

You never talk when your friends are around
Too bitchen to see you with me
Won't call won't waste your time
Too busy to send your love to me
That time I held you so tight in my arms
Just wishing the night wasn't ending
That's when you said you couldn't see me
I thought our love was just beginning
Forever is just that but with you it ends
Though you're in mind as I lay here

Can't stand it no longer I've gotta give in
I call you again and again and again

Overall Meaning

T.S.O.L.'s Love Story is a melancholic love song that captures the essence of unrequited love. The singer seems to lay awake all night, haunted by the pain of loving someone who doesn't love him back. He wishes for death as a means of escape from the pain he feels every time he sees her. Despite the fact that he knows the woman is using him, he is happy just being with her. At times, he questions whether he should continue to love her since she never pays attention to him and often ignores him when her friends are around.

The singer remembers a time when he held her tight, wishing the night would never end, only for her to tell him afterward that she couldn't see him again. Although he thought their love was just beginning, it ended unexpectedly with no explanation, leaving him heartbroken. Even though he tries to resist, he finds himself calling her again and again, unable to let go of the feelings he has for her.

Love Story may convey a sense of desperation to listeners, but it is also relatable to anyone who has experienced unrequited love. The song captures the pain, and disappointment of a love that never came to fruition brilliantly. It's a haunting ballad that touches the core of the emotions associated with loving someone who just did not feel the same way.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night I lay awake
I couldn't sleep last night

My eyes were dry with the pain
I was sad and crying

Sometimes I wish that I would just die
I feel hopeless and wish I were dead

To save me from seeing you again
To avoid the pain of being around you

I knew you used me but I didn't care
I was aware of your exploitation, but I ignored it because I loved you

I was happy just being together
Being together with you was enough for me to be happy

Well sometimes I wonder if I should be with you
I question whether I should be with you

All you ever do is ignore me
You constantly ignore me

You never talk when your friends are around
You don't talk to me when you're with your friends

Too bitchen to see you with me
You're too cool to be seen with me

Won't call won't waste your time
You won't call me because you think it's a waste of time