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
The Triangle
T.S.O.L. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a walk down by the river side
Trigger finger itching to see some action
He would tell me what I'd need to know
On a mission sent by the high command
Proceed with caution, this man's dangerous
Double agent works for the other side
Reached for his lugger but I drew mine first
You're a better man than I
Were his last words
You're a better man than I
Were his last words
You're a better man than I
Were his last words was I really?
I thought about it on my way home
Dingy room in a rundown hotel
Thought about who I really was
Where I'm from, where I'm heading to
It never really bothered me this way
I guess I got the secret agent blues
All this killing's really got me down
I got the secret agent blues
I give in, just can't stand it no more
I resign, here's my badge and gun
But you can't quit like that with us
You're a traitor and must be disposed of
Reached for their weapons but
I drew mine first others will come for you
Were their last words
Others will come for you
Were their last words
Others will come for you
Were their last words i will be waiting
I'm hit up once or twice a week
Always different places and faces
Getting so tired I can't even sleep
Will they ever come for me again?
So tired of all this running around
Getting edgy playing hide and seek
Can't take it got to get away
But there's no way out but death
T.S.O.L.'s The Triangle is a story-based song that reflects on the toll that espionage and killings can take on a secret agent. The singer recalls an incident in which he was tasked with eliminating a double agent. The agent tried to reach for his lugger, but the singer was faster and shot him. The agent's last words were, "You're a better man than I." Feeling remorseful, the singer resigns from his job, but his superiors reject it and brand him a traitor. The song ends with the singer's reflection on his life choices and the constant fear of death as a consequence of his work.
The lyrics portray the mental torture a person may go through because of the weight of their job's responsibility. Though they may enjoy the perks of the job or the thrill of completing a mission, the lives taken eventually take a toll on their conscience, making them question their life choices. Moreover, the song emphasizes the irony of the situation, where a person who takes multiple lives, sees himself as weaker than the person he was tasked to eliminate. The Triangle highlights the dark side of secret service and the internal strife that arises due to job responsibility, mental health concerns, and workplace politics.
Line by Line Meaning
We met two men from other sides
We encountered two individuals representing opposing groups
On a walk down by the river side
While strolling along the riverbank
Trigger finger itching to see some action
Eager to engage in a violent confrontation
He would tell me what I'd need to know
He was willing to provide me with necessary information
On a mission sent by the high command
Sent on an important objective from a superior authority
Proceed with caution, this man's dangerous
Be careful, this individual poses a significant threat
Double agent works for the other side
An individual serving as a spy for opposing forces
Get what you can then terminate his life
Acquire useful information before executing the individual
Reached for his lugger but I drew mine first
He attempted to use his firearm, but I acted faster
You're a better man than I
You have exhibited greater strength of character than me
Were his last words
Those were the final words spoken before his death
I thought about it on my way home
I contemplated his statement while leaving the area
Dingy room in a rundown hotel
A poorly maintained hotel room
Thought about who I really was
I reflected on my true identity
Where I'm from, where I'm heading to
My place of origin and my future destination were on my mind
It never really bothered me this way
I had not previously been perturbed by my situation
I guess I got the secret agent blues
Perhaps I am experiencing a form of mental anguish consistent with that of a secret agent
All this killing's really got me down
Taking so many lives has begun to affect my mood negatively
I give in, just can't stand it no more
I surrender, I can no longer endure this
I resign, here's my badge and gun
I am quitting and returning my credentials
But you can't quit like that with us
You cannot leave this line of work so easily
You're a traitor and must be disposed of
You have acted against us and must be eliminated
Reached for their weapons but
They attempted to grab their guns, but
I drew mine first others will come for you
I acted faster and warned them that others will seek revenge
Were their last words
Those were the final words spoken before their deaths
I'm hit up once or twice a week
I am attacked on a regular basis
Always different places and faces
The locations and enemies are constantly changing
Getting so tired I can't even sleep
I am too exhausted to even rest
Will they ever come for me again?
I wonder if I will continue to be targeted
So tired of all this running around
I am sick of constantly being on the move
Getting edgy playing hide and seek
I am becoming anxious with this endless pursuit
Can't take it got to get away
I can no longer endure this existence and must escape
But there's no way out but death
The only means of escape from this life is through death
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: JACK LOYD GRISHAM, MICHAEL PAUL ROCHE, RONALD LEWIS EMORY, TODD BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saulsics
We met two men from other sides, on a walk down by the river side
Trigger finger itching to see some action, he would tell me what I'd need to know
On a mission sent by the high command, proceed with caution this man's dangerous
Double agent works for the other side, get what you can then terminate his life
Reached for his lugger but I drew mine first
You're a better man than I were his last words
You're a better man than I were his last words
You're a better man than I were his last words
Was I really?
I thought about it on my way home, dingy room in a rundown hotel
Thought about who I really was, where I am from, where I'm heading to
It never really bothered me this way, I guess I got the secret agent blues
All this killing's really got me down, I got the secret agent blues
I give in just can't stand it no more, I resign
Here's my badge and gun
But you can't quit like that with us, you're a traitor and must be disposed of
They've reached for their weapons but I drew mine first
Others will come for you were their last words
Others will come for you were their last words
Others will come for you were their last words
I will be waiting
I'm hit up once or twice a week, always different places and faces
Getting so tired I can't even sleep, will they ever come for me again
So tired of all this running around, getting edgy playing hide and seek
Can't take it got to get away but there's no way out but death
@jellofan1578
I love the guitar tone- the "spy" sound is so iconic and works great in punk.
@roxannestorm2616
TSOL Dance with me is one of the most epic hardcore, death rock albums in punk rock history.
@42belvedere
Turn back the clock to about 1982. I went to see TSOL at The On Broadway punk club in North Beach. Was still "learning how to be punk rock", as it were. There weren't a lot of people at the show, but I figured I practice my fledgling stage-dive. Got up on stage, did a little skanking move, jumped out towards some folks near the stage and...they all moved. Landed with a sickening thud on the polished cement floor. Lesson learned.
@J-BiRTH
Haha XD
@tomogburn2462
Norfies.
Smh
@PnxNdd420
Sooo what!? Try again
@factsevidenceagainstmarxis4474
@@PnxNdd420 😂👍🏼
@geraldponce8336
My big sister had this album in her collection back in the early mid 80s. Borrowed it a few times. Lol
@MrCURBSIDE
in the top 5 of best punk bands ever......
@bryan72562
Best live band of all time.