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
Nights And Weekends
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I haven't seen such red since I've seen you
I'm upset, but I'm fine
I'm just surprised you're so unemotional
She said, in reply,
"and I did some drinking and it's got me thinking of you"
I've saved some words I'd like to give to you
And it read in bold type -
"I won't be surprised if you're unemotional"
You're burnt red, I'm pale white
Inspired, depressed, and still unimpressed
Well I could read you're lips, but they don't make sense
They both scream kiss when your eyes don't yet
They don't yet, they don't yet
And I've said...
I've been thinking a lot about you (and I said, "the phone hasn't rang 'til today")
Is it true, do you hate me? (and the nights and the weekends fray)
'Cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (but I know that you're time isn't cheap)
Is it true, do you hate me?" (on the nights and the weekends)
Well I could read you're lips, but they don't make sense
They both scream kiss when your eyes don't yet
Well I could read you're lips, but they don't make sense
They both scream kiss when your eyes don't yet
They don't yet, they don't yet
I've been thinking a lot about you (I said, "the phone hasn't rang 'til today")
Is it true, do you hate me? (and the nights and the weekends fray)
'Cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (but I know that you're time isn't cheap)
Is it true, do you hate me?" (on the nights and the weekends)
At 5 A.M. I came out of the blue
And I raised my voice as high as I could to you
You said, "Please Ken, let's not fight"
I'm just surprised I've stayed on the phone this long
And I said, in reply, "it's easy to lie when you're so unemotional"
When so unemotional, oh
'Cause I've been thinking a lot about you (and I said, "the phone hasn't rang 'til today")
Is it true, do you hate me? (and the nights and the weekends fray)
'Cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (but I know that you're time isn't cheap)
Is it true, do you hate me?" (on the nights and the weekends)
Oh yeah, 'cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (and I said, "the phone hasn't rang 'til today")
Is it true, do you hate me?" (and the nights and the weekends fray)
Oh yeah, 'cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (but I know that you're time isn't cheap)
Is it true, do you hate me?" (on the nights and the weekends)
(the nights and the weekends)
The Starting Line's "Nights And Weekends" is a song about a complicated relationship between two people who are distant and unemotional towards each other. The lyrics suggest that the two people have a history together, with lines such as "I haven't seen such red since I've seen you" and "I'm upset, but I'm fine." However, the way they interact with each other seems detached, particularly with the line "I'm just surprised you're so unemotional."
The song’s chorus hints at a potential miscommunication between the two, with both parties wondering if the other hates them. The lyrics "Is it true, do you hate me?" suggest feelings of uncertainty and confusion. The line "I could read your lips, but they don't make sense" highlights the difficulty in understanding each other, as the actions don't match up with the words.
Overall, the song captures the complexity of a relationship that is struggling to make sense of emotions and communication difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
At 4 A.M. she came out of the blue
She contacted me unexpectedly at 4 in the morning
I haven't seen such red since I've seen you
Her behavior reminded me of a time when you behaved similarly
I'm upset, but I'm fine
I am emotional, but I am able to handle my emotions
I'm just surprised you're so unemotional
I am surprised at how little emotion you show in this situation
She said, in reply, "and I did some drinking and it's got me thinking of you"
She explained that she was drinking and it made her think of me
I've saved some words I'd like to give to you
I have some things I want to say to you
They flew behind the plane for all to view
I made a gesture to express my feelings for you
And it read in bold type - "I won't be surprised if you're unemotional"
The message I expressed was that I would not be surprised if you are unemotional
You're burnt red, I'm pale white
You are flushed with emotion, while I am not visibly affected
Inspired, depressed, and still unimpressed
Although I am experiencing a range of emotions, I am not impressed with the situation
Well I could read you're lips, but they don't make sense
I can see the words you're saying, but they don't seem to align with your true feelings
They both scream kiss when your eyes don't yet
Although your words suggest otherwise, your eyes reveal a desire to be intimate
I've been thinking a lot about you (and I said, "the phone hasn't rang 'til today")
I have been thinking about you frequently and noticed that you haven't contacted me until now
Is it true, do you hate me? (and the nights and the weekends fray)
I am wondering if you hold negative feelings towards me and it is causing tension during our free time
'Cause she said, "I've been thinking a lot about you (but I know that you're time isn't cheap)
She also admitted to thinking about me often, but acknowledged that my time is valuable
"It's easy to lie when you're so unemotional"
It is easy for you to hide the truth when you display little emotion
At 5 A.M. I came out of the blue
I contacted her unexpectedly at 5 in the morning
And I raised my voice as high as I could to you
I spoke with a heightened level of intensity and emotion
"Please Ken, let's not fight"
She asked me to avoid arguing with her
I'm just surprised I've stayed on the phone this long
I am surprised that the conversation has lasted as long as it has
(the nights and the weekends)
The tension is specifically affecting our free time
Contributed by Molly H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NeenzYo
Such a great TSL song, should have been on the real cd and not just Japanese release
Josh Lucas
@James Patel This is awesome man! Where'd you get all these b-sides and demos?
Al Rossi
Wooow in the end of 2020 this song is still awesome
Snake Pliskin
How am I just now hearing this song for the first time 🤔🤗
Timmy Bean
Major blunder by label this wasn’t released SO GOOD
Coty LastDemmons
TSL 4EVER
Sneh Patel
bullshit you've heard all 60 (90 all together, not counting demos) some odd of their songs. the one's i've posted are just either unreleased or demo tracks.
Coty LastDemmons
@diddy1963 hi.
Lisa Bree
tried liking this band because of kyle gallner but they suck so hardcore. >.>