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
The B-List
The Starting Line Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And curse yourself forever watching it
I'm looking to have to see it to the end
'cause the fastest rat is always gonna win
You've gotta know to hustle to make it in this town
'cause competition stiffens every night
Take another hundred and put 'em in your hand
You've got a certain spar
You've got to show it off
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting you
I've got the brightest spar
So nothing blow it out
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting your call
She walks on red carpet all the time
In my eyes
Others will stop at her clothes
Coming up they will talk, let 'em talk
Because you've given them just what they want
Harder than a drama
Softer than a porn
Oh come and fill the purse a little more
You've got something special
Put it on the air
Humiliation pays well by the chair
You've got a certain spar
You've got to show it off
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting you
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting your call
She walks on red carpet all the time
In my eyes
Others will stop at her clothes
Coming up they will talk, let 'em talk
Because she's given them just what they want
Given them just what they want
Yeah, you've given them just what they want
He'll do most anything
You'll do most anything for the camera
A meal for a wedding ring
A bow for embarrassing yourself
Keep that camera rolling, baby
What are you waiting for?
'cause we've been waiting for you
Oh, what are you waiting for?
They've been expecting your call
She walks on red carpet all the time
In my eyes, in my eyes
Others will stop at her clothes
Coming up they will talk, let 'em talk
Because you've given them just what they want
In "The B-List," The Starting Line exposes the harsh reality of making it in show business. The song begins with the idea of endless lists, which may seem like a tedious task, but in the entertainment industry, it's the game of luck and numbers. The singer is waiting to see if she makes it to the end, giving it her all to beat others in the rat race to success. Everyone is a potential competitor, and the city's aura only stiffens with every night.
The second verse emphasizes that everyone has a particular spark, but not everyone can showcase it. One must hustle to make it to the top, but it's not the presentation of the gift that matters, it's the prize that people notice. The singer has something unique, but it's not their talents but the humiliation that pays well.
The chorus talks about a talented woman who walks on the red carpet all the time. On her way, she's the talk of the town. She's given them what they want by showing off her clothes and presenting herself the way they want her to. The bridge exemplifies that people will do anything for the camera and fame, even if it means embarrassing themselves.
Overall, "The B-List" conveys the message that the entertainment industry is a harsh place where people will do anything to attain fame, and success is often dependent on pure luck and numbers.
Line by Line Meaning
Take another hundred names and put 'em on a list
And curse yourself forever watching it
Add more people to your list and watch as your obsession with fame takes over your life.
I'm looking to have to see it to the end
'cause the fastest rat is always gonna win
I feel like I need to see this through to the end, even if it means sacrificing everything. The person who can stay ahead in this rat race will always come out on top.
You've gotta know to hustle to make it in this town
'cause competition stiffens every night
Take another hundred and put 'em in your hand
Present the prize and not the ambulance
To succeed in this town, you need to hustle hard and stay ahead of the competition. Keep adding more people to your list and present the winners as the prize, not the people who fall behind or get hurt in the process.
You've got a certain spar
You've got to show it off
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting you
I've got the brightest spar
So nothing blow it out
What are you waiting for?
They've been expecting your call
You have a special talent or ability that you need to show off to the world. Don't wait any longer, people are expecting you to make your move. My talent is even brighter, so I can't afford to let anything dim my shine. They're waiting for you to call the shots.
She walks on red carpet all the time
In my eyes
Others will stop at her clothes
Coming up they will talk, let 'em talk
Because you've given them just what they want
She's always in the limelight, and although others may criticize her clothing choices, it's what the public wants. So let them talk all they want because she's giving them what they demand.
Harder than a drama
Softer than a porn
Oh come and fill the purse a little more
You've got something special
Put it on the air
Humiliation pays well by the chair
It's a fine line to walk between creating drama and being too vulgar, but it's necessary to increase your profile and your paycheck. You have something special to offer, so why not put it on display? Even if it means humbling yourself, there's good money to be made in being publicly shamed.
He'll do most anything
You'll do most anything for the camera
A meal for a wedding ring
A bow for embarrassing yourself
Keep that camera rolling, baby
What are you waiting for?
'cause we've been waiting for you
Oh, what are you waiting for?
They've been expecting your call
He's willing to do almost anything to get ahead, and you're not far behind. Whether it's trading a meal for a wedding ring or humiliating yourself for attention, don't stop now. Keep that camera rolling and give the people what they want. We've been waiting for you to call the shots.
She walks on red carpet all the time
In my eyes, in my eyes
Others will stop at her clothes
Coming up they will talk, let 'em talk
Because you've given them just what they want
Given them just what they want
Yeah, you've given them just what they want
She loves the attention and the spotlight, and although others may judge her based on what she's wearing, that's exactly what the public wants. Let them talk all they want because she has given them exactly what they crave and demand.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Given the Chance
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