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
Surprise
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I been thinking those thoughts
that must have slipped my mind
that time that I left you there that night."
I replied, "Let me remind you of the guy
you failed to mention all along.
'Cause your actions have consequences and these are them."
I'll be your friend in hell, until then I despise you.
And I probably always will.
I can't afford to make another mistake like this,
'Cause this is more than I can take.
I don't mean to leave angry, this is by your own devise.
I'm sure this comes as no surprise.
Hey there babe, don't mean to cut you off,
but I've heard enough lies and you're dying to get caught.
I'll let you go call all your friends.
"Oh my god! Let me describe to you this guy,
his name is Ken, he's in this band that writes such,
awful songs about me all the time."
You're goddamn right!
[Chorus]
Fine, just let me lie here for a while,
'Cause I'll be staying up, yeah hanging up all night.
Oh, I'm spent with all intentions (of your bit?).
To a hopeless case, to a sharp headache, to a choice you make
To the reason why I, to the reason why I say.
[Chorus:]
I'll be your friend in hell, until then I despise you.
And I probably always will.
I can't afford to make another mistake like you.
I'm sure this comes as no surprise.
I'm sure this comes as no surprise.
Surprise, surprise.
The lyrics of The Starting Line's "Surprise, Surprise" tell the story of a tumultuous relationship between two people. The singer addresses their partner, whom they haven't spoken to in a while, trying to catch up with them. The singer is clearly upset and resentful, as they tell their partner they have been thinking about the things they've done wrong, referring to leaving them alone one night. The partner responds with lies, which the singer is quick to call out, mentioning that they failed to mention someone before. The singer's frustration becomes more evident as they declare that they despise the partner and that they can't afford to make another mistake in the relationship.
The partner seems to be caught in a web of lies, hoping to woo their friends with stories of a guy who writes "awful songs" about them. In the chorus, the singer admits to being the partner's friend in hell, but that they can't tolerate the behavior anymore. They urge their partner to call their friends to describe the "terrible" situation they are in; however, it is clear that the singer is not interested in hearing more lies. They declare that they would rather lie in bed than spend their night thinking about this toxic relationship. The song ends where it began, with the singer repeating that they despise their partner and that they are not surprised at the ongoing conflict.
Overall, "Surprise, Surprise" tells a story of a relationship that can't seem to shake its issues. The lyrics are written in a conversational tone that feels authentic, as if the listener is hearing two people having a heated conversation. The song's chorus is memorable, standing in contrast to its softer verses, a testament to The Starting Line's songwriting skills.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there love, let's get to catching up.
The singer wants to talk with the person and catch up on what has been happening in their lives.
'Cause I been thinking those thoughts that must have slipped my mind that time that I left you there that night.
The singer has been thinking about something they forgot to mention the last time they saw the person.
I replied, 'Let me remind you of the guy you failed to mention all along. 'Cause your actions have consequences and these are them.'
The person being spoken to failed to mention a guy, which has caused the singer to have negative consequences now.
I'll be your friend in hell, until then I despise you. And I probably always will. I can't afford to make another mistake like this, 'Cause this is more than I can take. I don't mean to leave angry, this is by your own devise. I'm sure this comes as no surprise.
The artist feels betrayed and hurt by the person, but will still care for them in tough times. They cannot handle this type of mistake again and will remember this feeling. They do not want to fight and leave angry with the person. They expected this to happen.
Hey there babe, don't mean to cut you off, but I've heard enough lies and you're dying to get caught. I'll let you go call all your friends. 'Oh my god! Let me describe to you this guy, his name is Ken, he's in this band that writes such, awful songs about me all the time.' You're goddamn right!
The artist has had enough of the person's lies and knows they will eventually get caught. They allow the person to go talk to their friends and describe how they have been wronged, but the artist agrees with what will be said.
Fine, just let me lie here for a while, 'Cause I'll be staying up, yeah hanging up all night. Oh, I'm spent with all intentions (of your bit?). To a hopeless case, to a sharp headache, to a choice you make To the reason why I, to the reason why I say.
The singer is tired and frustrated with the situation. They will stay up all night thinking about what happened. They feel hopeless and the situation has given them a headache. The singer will use this experience as a reason for why they will say certain things and make certain choices in the future.
I'll be your friend in hell, until then I despise you. And I probably always will. I can't afford to make another mistake like you. I'm sure this comes as no surprise. I'm sure this comes as no surprise. Surprise, surprise.
The chorus repeats, with the singer feeling angry and betrayed by the person, but still caring enough to be there for them in tough times. They cannot risk making the same mistake again and this situation has not surprised them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GOLLA, GRYSKIEWICZ, VASOLI, WATTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Given the Chance
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