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
Pyro
T.S.O.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're gonna be dangerous
We're gonna set a house alight
And see you all
we're gonna go into town
We're gonna feel good again
We're gonna do the creepy crawl
all we are now is a life so ordinary
All we are now is a life so ordinary
I'm gonna bring the gasoline
We're gonna have a movie scene
We're gonna set the night ablaze
And see you all
we're gonna be real big
We're gonna torch everything
We're gonna do the creepy crawl
And see you all
all we are now is a life so ordinary
All we are now is a life so ordinary
The lyrics to T.S.O.L.'s "Pyro" depict a group of individuals who long for excitement and danger in their mundane lives. The song starts with a rebellious declaration, expressing a desire to go out and be dangerous by setting a house on fire. This action, while illegal and harmful, represents a need for something more than the monotony of everyday life. The second verse paints a picture of the group heading into town, ready to experience the thrill of the "creepy crawl" - a term used for a reckless pub crawl or night out.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "All we are now is a life so ordinary," highlighting the group's discontent with the ordinary life they lead. They long for something more, something that will make them feel alive and break the monotony of their existence. The third verse again depicts an illegal act, with the singer proclaiming that they will bring gasoline to the scene of their next adventure. They plan to make it a "movie scene," creating an atmosphere of danger and excitement. The final chorus once again reinforces the idea that they are stuck in an ordinary life and yearning for something more.
Overall, "Pyro" showcases the desire for rebellion and danger that can often arise when one's life becomes too mundane. However, it also highlights the dangerous consequences of such actions and serves as a warning against taking reckless risks that could harm oneself or others.
Line by Line Meaning
we're gonna go out tonight
We plan on leaving our homes this evening
We're gonna be dangerous
We intend to engage in risky behavior
We're gonna set a house alight
We plan to start a fire at a residence
And see you all
We hope to witness your reactions to these actions
we're gonna go into town
We plan to visit urban areas
We're gonna feel good again
We aim to regain a positive emotional state
We're gonna do the creepy crawl
We intend to perform a sneaky and unnerving maneuver
And see you all
We anticipate observing your responses to our behavior
all we are now is a life so ordinary
Our current existence is mundane and unremarkable
All we are now is a life so ordinary
Our present circumstances are unexceptional and unimpressive
I'm gonna bring the gasoline
I will provide the flammable liquid
We're gonna have a movie scene
Our actions will resemble a dramatic film sequence
We're gonna set the night ablaze
We plan to ignite fires during the nighttime hours
And see you all
We expect to witness your reactions to our behavior
we're gonna be real big
We hope to make a significant impact
We're gonna torch everything
We intend to set fire to all objects in our vicinity
We're gonna do the creepy crawl
We plan to execute a sneaky and unsettling maneuver
And see you all
We expect to observe your responses to our actions
all we are now is a life so ordinary
Our current existence is mundane and unremarkable
All we are now is a life so ordinary
Our present circumstances are unexceptional and unimpressive
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bedtimefordemocracy
Great song. This is one of the best off Disappear. This whole album is gem after gem. Best melodies, guitar riffs, and singing. I hope this band never ever stops.
Brewzerr
Disappear is definitely the best of all their post-reunion albums.
cjp371
I discovered them with Joe as the lead singer, and liked them and still do, but I'm glad Jack's back. True quality never goes out of style.
clockworkarmy
good tune,good band,good lads..i had the pleasure of playing along side them and many good bands on the Social Chaos tour a long time ago.
Juan Lozano
I fuckin' love TSOL!!!! Hell, and the mom in this video is hot!
Djoey Unchained
i bet that little girl playing with the matches is super famous now
theabominable
yeah haha that is jack i can tell by his voice and stuff.your right
muffins
Love jack
Michael Popez
Uhh...yeah, it is Jack. I met him.
Michael Popez
Uhh...that is Jack.