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
Hold On
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a proud shooting star into the night,
She crashed through the airwaves and ripped like a knife.
It was a bad disease; her searching was over, over.
Hold on to the light that guides you,
Hold on to the air that cools you,
Hold on, hold on to me
Her family stood by trying hard not to cry,
With patience and virtue, kept strong through the night, oh.
She never fell to her knees, her searching was over, over.
Hold on to the light that guides you,
Hold on to the air that cools you,
Hold on, hold on to me
Hold on to the light that guides you,
Hold on to the air that cools you,
Hold on, hold on to me
And then my eyes stretched out,
As I saw her hand slip away
Hold on to the light that guides you,
Hold on to the air that cools you,
Hold on, hold on to me
Hold on to the light that guides you,
Hold on to the air that cools you,
Hold on, hold on to me
The Starting Line's song Hold On is a poignant track that deals with the theme of loss and the emotional turmoil that often accompanies it. The song tells the story of a person who has lost someone close to them, someone who was stronger and braver than they ever were. The first verse describes this person's life as being more than the singer's own, and compares them to a shooting star that streaks across the night sky. However, despite their strength and courage, this person is taken by a "bad disease," and their search for something is over. In the chorus, the singer implores this person to hold on to the things that guided and cooled them, and to hold on to them as well.
The second verse speaks directly to the strength of the person who has passed away, noting that their mind was steadfast through time and their family stood by them even as they died. They did not fall to their knees, and their search was over. However, the chorus repeats again, as though the singer is attempting to hold on to the memory of this person through the things that they held dear. The final lines of the song are the most heart-wrenching, as the singer watches this person slip away, unable to do anything to stop it.
Overall, the message that The Starting Line is trying to convey in this song is one of comfort and resilience in the face of loss. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the death of someone close to them, but by holding on to the things that gave that person strength, they hope to keep their memory alive and to find their own strength in their absence.
Line by Line Meaning
Her life was more than mine,
The singer acknowledges that the person they are talking about had a significant and meaningful life compared to their own.
Like a proud shooting star into the night,
This person was shining and proud in their life, like a shooting star in the dark sky.
She crashed through the airwaves and ripped like a knife.
This person's presence and impact was felt strongly, like a knife cutting through the airwaves.
It was a bad disease; her searching was over, over.
The person suffered from a disease and their search for a cure or treatment was over, indicating their passing.
Hold on to the light that guides you,
The artist advises to hold on to whatever gives guidance or direction in life, possibly in memory of the person who has passed.
Hold on to the air that cools you,
The singer advises to hold on to anything that brings comfort or relief, like a cool breeze on a hot day.
Hold on, hold on to me
The singer offers support and comfort to the listener.
Her mind steadfast through time,
The person was strong and unwavering in their thinking and beliefs, even over time.
Her family stood by trying hard not to cry,
The person had a supportive family who were trying to be strong for her and each other in a difficult time.
With patience and virtue, kept strong through the night, oh.
The family used patience and virtue to stay strong together, even through the difficult and dark times.
She never fell to her knees, her searching was over, over.
The person never gave up or lost hope, but unfortunately, the search for a cure or treatment for her disease was ultimately over.
And then my eyes stretched out,
The artist's eyes widened in shock or disbelief at what was happening.
As I saw her hand slip away
The singer saw the person they were talking about pass away or leave their grasp.
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Inner city redneck
2019 I'm 35 years old about to be 36 and the song still gets me in the feels
Lil Snob
Same man
Envi Osiris
Joe Moak 28 over here but I relate entirely. Heard this song when the album dropped. Years later, it still hits home. Something about this song is so pure and ethereal. It’s a great escape from modern music, too.
MegaEvil001
my god.....i've been looking for this song forever. i love it, it brings back so many good memories.
Derek Brady
i remember when they released a cassette demo when kenny was in high school and this was on it, drama summer, left coast envy. and the demo versions are soooo much better than the label recordings.
Sunnie Ayech
I love this song!!
Antony
SOOOO many memories! i love this :)
Stefanía Mur
I can't believe how this master"shit"piece still doing on me the same good strong vibes and feelings just like when I was too many years younger.
Pati man
so beautiful !!!
Official Viper21
love me some old Starting Line...but then again, im aging with them