The Starting Line
| The Starting Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Churchville, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Pop punk |
| Years active | 1999–2008, 2009–12, 2015–present |
| Labels | Drive-Thru, Geffen, Virgin, Downtown |
| Associated acts | Person L, Vacationer, |
| Website | www |
| Members |
Kenny Vasoli Matt Watts Mike Golla Tom Gryskewicz Brian Schmutz |
The Starting Line is an American pop punk band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1999.
In 1999, the band that would become The Starting Line was initiated in Churchville, Pennsylvania via an e-mail from guitarist Matt Watts to vocalist/bassist Kenny Vasoli. It asked if the then 14-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 band-mates 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 titled Four Songs. Their first official release was a three-way split with The Jimmy Tuesday Band and The Commercials contributing three songs each, released on KickStart Audio in 2000.
Sunday Drive was soon approached by We the People Records and asked to produce a recording session (the 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. They later found out that the name Sunday Drive was already taken by a Christian rock band, so they changed their band name to The Starting Line. The band has said there is no significance behind the name, it was the only name they all could agree upon.
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"- "I can't wait to hit the stage/and say hello/To Jersey"), vacation ("Left Coast Envy"- "Vacation's everything we need/Can I sell this sunrise/In return for a sunset?") and getting even with Vasoli's ex-girlfriend Karina ("Up & Go", "Hello Houston", "Cheek to Cheek", among others). The single "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. A clip of "Up & Go" was played during an episode of the short-lived television series from Fox, John Doe. The episode aired December 13, 2002, and was entitled 'The Mourner.' "Up & Go" was also included in the full-length trailer for the movie She's The Man, which starred Amanda Bynes.
...
Wikipedia