Artist Profile: The Starting Line

Today's Artist Profile is on my favorite pop-punk band and the one that got me through high school, The Starting Line. The Starting Line were formed in Churchville, PA in 1999 and the band consists of Kenny Vasoli on bass and lead vocals, Matt Watts on guitar, Mike Golla on guitar and backup vocals, and Tom Gryskiewicz on drums. The band initially went under the name Sunday Drive, and started selling homemade merchandise and released a demo tape titled Four Songs. The demo attracted the attention of people at We The People Records, and was asked to produce a recording session set for release at the end of 2000, but instead served as a demo for songs on their future releases. The name Sunday Drive was already taken by a Christian band so eventually they settled on the name The Starting Line because it was the only name that they could agree on. The band signed with Drive Thru Records in April 2001, and immediately began work on their debut EP With Hopes of Starting Over, which served as demos of songs that would be included on their full length debut release, Say It Like You Mean It, which saw the light of day in 2002. The album was a immediate success, selling 300,000 copies to date nearing gold certification on the strength of classic tracks like "Up & Go", "The Best of Me", "Leaving", and my personal favorite "Cheek To Cheek". The band embarked on a healthy touring regimen on tours such as the Vans Warped Tour and immediately attracted a strong legion of fans as well in the process.

The band released an all unplugged EP Make Yourself at Home in 2003, which contained powerful songs like "Playing Favorites", the incredible "Lasting Impressions", and an acoustic rendering of "The Best of Me". The band was signed by Geffen Records in 2004 and immediately went to work on their follow up effort, Based On A True Story. The production of the album was a tumultuous one, as the album took almost a year and a half to record as the label was unsatisfied with the finished product that was put forth by the band, stressing out the members of the band in the process. When the album was finally released in 2005, the album had a much darker tone than their previous one reflecting the stress that had taken their toll on the band, and had resonating tracks like "Bedroom Talk", "The World", "Inspired By The $", and "Ready". The album wasn't as successful as its predecessor, mostly due to the failure of Geffen Records in promoting it, but the band did embark on a heavy tour schedule that drew large crowds.

The band later asked to be released from the contract at Geffen, and signed with Virgin Records in 2007 and commenced production on their latest album Direction. This effort had much more positive lyrical content than their previous effort, and the incredible production allowed the songs to jump out at you from the speakers. The album contained tracks such as the amazing "Island (Float Away)", "Direction", "21", and "Something Left To Give". Shortly after the album's release, Virgin Records was bought out by Terra Firma and the albums success was hindered greatly by that acquisition, so the band announced in 2008 that they were going on an indefinite hiatus and would return when the time is right. Kenny focused on his side project Person L during the downtime, while the other members of the band pursued other musical endeavours and spent time with their loved ones. The band officially ended their hiatus earlier this year, and announced that they would be hitting the road this summer with All Time Low for 4 dates and they are currently working on new material for a brand new studio album as well. I can't even begin to put into words how much this band has meant to me. This band has been there from my high school years right up until now, and I feel that I've grown along with the members as well. Say It Like You Mean It is the album I put on whenever I go out for my summer drives or when I just need some alone time, and I've had the honor and privilege of meeting Kenny Vasoli in person three years ago and was amazed at what a humble and down to earth guy he is, and I've met him plenty of more times since then and even more amazed that he remembered me from our previous meetings! Believe it or not, this summer will be my first time seeing The Starting Line and I can't wait to revisit the glory days of my youth once again!