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
Drama Summer
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or give me a look so cold
It gives me chills
And ends the summer war
My eyes roll around
And over and again
Falling down, dizzy with sunstroke
Try to look through the
Gray skies in your eyes
And pick up everything you left behind
Cross your fingers and pray for winter
I'll be there painting the town your
Favorite Color
I guess I'll call or see you around
I guess I'll call or see you around
The Starting Line's song The Drama Summer is a melodic, emotionally-charged track that reflects on a turbulent relationship that has ended during the summer months. The opening lines "We can wait for the wind to blow or give me a look so cold, it gives me chills and ends the summer war" convey an air of resignation and acceptance that the relationship has come to an end. The singer seems to accept the end of the relationship, but not without expressing how much pain it has caused him. The following line "My eyes roll around and over and again, falling down dizzy with sunstroke" hints at the dizzying and confusing emotions he is experiencing.
In the chorus, the singer promises to try and identify with his former partner and understand their perspective. He wants to pick up everything they left behind and move forward. However, the line "Cross your fingers and pray for winter" suggests that he knows getting over the relationship won't be easy. He plans to paint the town their favorite color, a way to hold onto the memories of their time together. The final lines of the song, "I guess I'll call or see you around," are both wistful and hopeful. The relationship may have ended, but he still values their connection.
Line by Line Meaning
We can wait for the wind to blow
We can wait and hope a change will naturally occur
Or give me a look so cold
Or you can give me a cold, hard look that stops everything
It gives me chills
It makes me feel cold and scared
And ends the summer war
And puts an end to the conflict we're experiencing
My eyes roll around
I'm feeling disoriented and confused
And over and again
This feeling keeps happening
Falling down, dizzy with sunstroke
I feel like I'm falling down due to heat exhaustion
I'll be there and I'll try to identify
I'll be around and try to understand what you're going through
Try to look through the
I'll make an effort to see things from your perspective
Gray skies in your eyes
Despite your lack of emotion, I can see your sadness
And pick up everything you left behind
I'll help you pick up the pieces you've left in your wake
Cross your fingers and pray for winter
Hope for change and better times are in the future
I'll be there painting the town your favorite color
I'll be around, trying to make things better by doing things you like
I guess I'll call or see you around
I'll keep in touch and we'll see each other again
I guess I'll call or see you around
I'll keep in touch and we'll see each other again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: VASOLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sowy23
this is by far one of the best songs ever.. love them..
Rozwell Jones
I can't stop listening to it, I'm addicted!
Jonathan Fernandez
i saw them live when i was 15 back in 2002 at the bottom of the hill in San Francisco. they opened their set with this song, ill never forget that concert.
James Farrell
This song, and album, brings back some incredible memories!
Soundtrack to my formative years!
Ellecia Sieber
my science teacher is in a band (dodging August) and he sang this to us on the last day of school, he's an amazing singer.
Noah Rhinehart
vibes are so great - love this song here in 2020
Adam Barker
easily one of the best songs I have ever heard <3
Demetrius holanda
nostálgico...saudades disso.
Catalina2016
i met them in walgreens last week, lol. now i love their music!
TheShroomyOwl
God... So many memories to this song. Growing up sux... =(