Vasoli has lately been focusing on his side project, known as Person L. Tom has been recording with his new band, Cheap Seats, with Matt as their manager. Mike also has a side project, called The Traded Series. The origins of the group that would become The Starting Line go back to 1999, via an AOL instant message from Churchville, Pennsylvania guitarist Matt Watts to vocalist/bassist Kenny Vasoli. It asked if the then fourteen-year-old Vasoli, who was at that time in a band called Smash Adams, was interested in "Jamming and shit", as the message title read.
Only a few weeks later, Vasoli found himself rehearsing with his future bandmates Watts, guitarist Mike Golla and drummer Tom Gryskewicz. Soon, the band started touring under the name Sunday Drive, selling out home-made merchandise and a self-recorded demo cassette that the guys titled 'Four Songs'. Their first official release was a three-way split with The Jimmy Tuesday Band and The Commercials contributing three songs each, the work released on KickStart Audio in 2000.
Sunday Drive was soon approached by We the People Records and asked to produce a recording session (the infamous We the People Records Sessions). Set for a release in December 2000, the twelve songs were initially planned to become the band's debut full-length With Hopes of Starting Over on We the People Records, but they ended up serving only as demos for tracks on future releases, as the band signed with Drive-Thru Records in April 2001. On Drive-Thru, they soon released their debut EP With Hopes of Starting Over. Yet, as the name Sunday Drive was already taken by a Christian rock band, they went on as The Starting Line.
On July 16, 2002, almost exactly one year after the release of their EP, the full-length Say It Like You Mean It followed. The songs ranged from energetic and fast-paced to melancholy and calm, dealing with performing on stage ("Given the Chance"), feeling homesick ("Left Coast Envy") and getting even with Vasoli's ex-girlfriend Karina ("Up & Go", "Hello Houston", among others). The hit single "The Best of Me" and its two music videos, as well as the second single "Leaving", received heavy radio and TV airplay, securing The Starting Line a spot on the Warped Tour.
Due to their desire to put out new material, the band decided to release an all-unplugged EP, recorded in three sessions over the following year. The first three songs (recorded in The Prize Fight's Bob Jones' bedroom in August 2002), the second session (recorded in Vasoli's basement in March 2003) and the last track (recorded on the band's touring bus in April 2003) became The Make Yourself at Home EP, released on November 25, 2003. The CD and the DVD version issued simultaneously, featuring an acoustic set performed live at Skate & Surf 2003 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, would be their last releases put out solely on Drive-Thru Records, as The Starting Line was signed by Geffen Records soon afterwards.
Their major label debut, Based on a True Story, came out in May 2005. Lyrically, the band dissociated themselves from the post-relationship formula that was predominant on their previous records. On this album, a lot of the songs (e.g. "Inspired By the $", "Autography" and "The B-List") were explicitly inspired by the band's disdain for their record label Geffen and its executives. The album was far more successful than the band's 2002 effort and sold 42,000 copies within its first week, as opposed to its predecessor's 11,000. The release was followed by the semi-headlining Nintendo Fusion Tour with Fall Out Boy, kicking off in September 2005. A few dates into the tour, The Starting Line were — at their request — released from their record deal with Geffen, and became free agents. In early January 2006, their signing with Virgin Records was announced.
On March 5, 2008 the band announced in an e-mail and on Absolutepunk.net they would be going on a break in order for Ken and Brian to explore Person L, Matt and Tom to explore The Seventy Six, and Mike to spend time with his two daughters and explore The Traded Series. The band had been playing with the idea of coming back in 2011, but in a chat with absolutepunk.net, Kenny Vasoli said, ""it's looking good, may even be earlier. I hung with Matt and Tom the other day, we all are still in love with one another.
On November 10, 2009, The Starting Line released their first-ever live concert CD, film and documentary DVD titled "Somebody's Gonna Miss Us" via Image Entertainment on a 2-disc set. Through intimate and honest interviews with the band, friends and family fans will get a glimpse into the inner workings of the group and a career that spanned nearly a decade, five releases, and thousands of shows.
On December 29, 2009, The Starting Line had a reunion concert at the Theater of Living Arts. Starting Line guitarist Matt Watts stated on the website AbsolutePunk that "this doesn't mean that TSL are back together....It simply means that we're taking a break from our break, and wanted to play a fun show in Philadelphia and continue to focus on our lives outside of TSL"
The Starting Line added a second holiday show on December 30, 2009 in Philadelphia at the Trocadero Theater. This was added due to the fact that the first holiday show scheduled for December 29, 2009 sold out in a little over an hour and the band would like to give their local fans a better chance to see them. Towards the end of their set, Kenny Vasoli announced the band's reunion. However, the group has only toured intermittently since then.
Main Website: http://www.startinglinerock.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thestartingline
Birds
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If that's the only thing that keeps you calm
Well one of these days you've gotta get up
And get out
There is a purpose for all of my sitting here
If you can't understand well you could
If you could just stretch your attention span
I hope that this is what you will want
Cause my throat will be the first thing to go
And I hope that some day I'll hear everyone say
[Chorus]
Is that all you've got
Turn it up keep it coming
Cause I've got the words
To keep the birds humming
Well there's gotta be something
There's gotta be something wrong
Well there's gotta be something
There's gotta be something wrong
Spend your life with a pen and a microphone
You wrote down everything that you could
In case someone gives them a second glance
Now for this long
I hope that this is what you will want
Cause my throat will be the first thing to go
And I hope I'll remember when everyone says
[Chorus]
Well there's gotta be something
There's gotta be something wrong
Well there's gotta be something
There's gotta be something wrong
With everyone
[Chorus]
Well there's gotta be something
Well there's gotta be something wrong
Well there's gotta be something
Well there's gotta be something wrong
[Chorus]
Well there's gotta be something
Well there's gotta be something wrong
Well there's gotta be something
Oh there's gotta be, there's gotta be
The Starting Line's "Birds" is a song that touches on themes of depression, anxiety, and the struggle to find purpose and meaning in life. The opening lines "Spend the day in your bed taking medicine, if that's the only thing that keeps you calm" suggest that the singer may be struggling with an illness, either physical or mental, that makes it difficult to function normally. The following line "Well one of these days you've gotta get up and get out" suggests that the singer is aware of the need to push through their struggles and continue living.
The second verse focuses more on the creative process, with the line "Spend your life with a pen and a microphone, you wrote down everything that you could, in case someone gives them a second glance." This could be interpreted as the singer's own struggles with finding purpose in their creative work, hoping that someday their efforts will be recognized and appreciated.
The chorus features the lyrics "Is that all you've got, turn it up keep it coming, cause I've got the words to keep the birds humming." Here, the singer seems to be finding motivation and inspiration in their own writing, using it as a means to keep themselves going and to keep others uplifted as well.
Overall, "Birds" is a song that speaks to the struggles of finding purpose and inspiration in life, especially during times of personal hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Spend the day in your bed taking medicine
Sometimes we need to take a break and rest to cope with the stress and anxiety.
If that's the only thing that keeps you calm
Everyone has their own way to cope and maintain their mental state.
Well one of these days you've gotta get up
At some point, we need to face our fears and challenges and step out of our comfort zone.
And get out
We need to leave our familiar surroundings and explore the world outside.
There is a purpose for all of my sitting here
Sometimes we need to take a moment to reflect and find meaning in our actions and thoughts.
If you can't understand well you could
If we open our minds and try to empathize, we can understand others' struggles and emotions better.
If you could just stretch your attention span
To understand something, we need to give it time and effort and pay attention to details.
Now, for this song
The songwriter is about to share their thoughts and feelings through this song.
I hope that this is what you will want
The songwriter hopes their message will resonate with the listener and make a positive impact.
Cause my throat will be the first thing to go
The songwriter sings these words with all their might, putting their voice and emotions on the line.
And I hope that some day I'll hear everyone say
The songwriter hopes to receive positive feedback and support from the audience one day.
Is that all you've got
The songwriter challenges the listener to engage with their message and share their insights.
Turn it up keep it coming
The songwriter wants the listener to turn up the volume and pay attention to their words, as they have a lot to say.
Cause I've got the words
The songwriter feels confident in their message and believes their words can make a difference in someone's life.
To keep the birds humming
The songwriter uses a metaphor of birds singing to represent happiness and positivity, which they hope their words can spread.
Spend your life with a pen and a microphone
The songwriter has dedicated their life to writing and singing, using their talent to express themselves and connect with others.
You wrote down everything that you could
The songwriter has poured their heart and soul into their lyrics, putting their thoughts and feelings into words.
In case someone gives them a second glance
The songwriter hopes that their lyrics will not go unnoticed and that someone will appreciate their message and meaning.
Now for this long
The songwriter is about to share a lengthy and meaningful message through their lyrics.
Well there's gotta be something
The songwriter acknowledges that there are issues and problems in the world and that we need to work together to solve them.
There's gotta be something wrong
The songwriter feels that there are underlying issues and conflicts that we need to address and fix.
With everyone
The songwriter believes that everyone has their own struggles and demons to face and that we need to support and understand each other.
Oh there's gotta be, there's gotta be
The songwriter feels strongly about these issues and hopes that others will take notice and join in the effort to make a change.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GOLLA, GRYSKIEWICZ, SCHMUTZ, VASOLI, WATTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Given the Chance
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