TSOL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| TSOL |
|---|
TSOL was a hardcore punk band formed during 1979 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty, but they are only rarely referred to by their full name. They recently broke up after almost 30 years of working together [1].
Some persons who were active in the hardcore scene in Orange County during TSOL's early days recall that the name of the band was actually the "True Sons of Liberty", which was intended as a reference to a musical group known as the "Sons of Liberty" that performed on the Orange County-based PTL Club television program.
Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, TSOL's music varies on each release. They have also released music in the styles of deathrock, art punk, glam metal and others.
Contents |
[edit] History
Formed in 1979, hailing from Huntington Beach, California. TSOL originated as a hardcore punk band, developing from earlier bands Johnny Coathanger and the Abortions and Vicious Circle.
Featuring the lineup of vocalist Jack Grisham, guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes, the band released a very political eponymous EP featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love", "World War III" and "Abolish Government".
[edit] Evolved sound
After that, they released "Dance With Me", their first full-length record. It featured songs about necrophilia and about being a secret agent with a guilty conscience. The period between the TSOL extended play and "Dance With Me" saw the rise of deathrock (led by the then-new Christian Death and 45 Grave), which inspired TSOL to follow a more "deathrock" flavored punk styles.
TSOL was linked in the minds of many OC hardcore fans to the Cuckoo's Nest, a nightclub in Costa Mesa that shared a parking lot with an "urban cowboy" club during that feather-hat cowboy pop culture craze. They later signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, for which they released the "Weathered Statues" 7" extended play and the "Beneath the Shadows" album which featured, for the first time, Greg Kuehn who added a new dimension to the band, playing keyboard. Around this period their style had switched further, experimenting with art punk leanings. Fans of the time backlashed tremendously against this change, and when on tour, the band was harshly heckled for their change in music. Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes were so disgusted with the reaction that they eventually left the band. Today "Beneath the Shadows" is acclaimed by fans and critics as an achievement in art punk and new wave experimentation, and while "Dance With Me" remains the favourite of most people, it is "Beneath the Shadows" that makes TSOL more than another hardcore band inspired by the Misfits.
TSOL featured in Penelope Spheeris' Suburbia movie but, during the same period members changes occured, Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes left the band to be replaced by singer Joe Wood (who was Grisham's brother-in-law) and drummer Mitch Dean. This new line-up released an album named "Change Today?" in 1984 on Enigma Records.
[edit] Glam metal experimentation
The group changed their sound entirely for their next release "Revenge", gaining a glam metal sound. The band became friends with Guns N' Roses and TSOL t-shirts can be seen in the massively successful "Sweet Child O' Mine" video. They followed up with an album in a similar style, titled; "Hit and Run". Before it was released, original guitarist Ron Emory quit the band. Leaving Mike Roche as the sole original member.
TSOL were joined briefly by guitarist Scotty Phillips, who quit before the band started recording the follow-up to "Hit and Run", they eventually hired guitar player and actor Marshall Rohner. They released "Strange Love" in 1990, Mike Roche quit shortly before the album release, leaving no original member in the band. A compilation album was issued in 1992 with an emphasis on their glam metal era.
[edit] Original TSOL reform
Meanwhile, the original members had started playing shows featuring the bands's early material under the name TSOL, often playing the same cities, the same nights as the other TSOL. Since Joe Wood and Mitch Dean now owned the rights to the name TSOL, they threatened to sue the original members, who released a live album of their early material under the name Grisham, Roche, Emory, Barnes but stopped playing together soon after because of drug problems.
In 1996, most of the original members settled down and realized that they still had a passion for their music and that fans wanted them to reunite. In 1999, they fought with Wood for rights to the name and won before joining the Vans Warped Tour, playing for the first time in years under the name TSOL. Barnes had passed away in the time away from the band, but the remaining members recruited drummer Jay O'Brien and released the "Anticop" single and the "Disappear" and "Divided We Stand" albums on Nitro Records, the latter of which featured Greg Kuehn back on keyboards. The Original TSOL recorded two more full length albums. Recently, TSOL has booked their final two shows at The Vault, in Long Beach.
[edit] Influence
Their music is featured in the 1984 movie "Suburbia", the 1985 version of popular horror movie "Return of the Living Dead" and "Dangerously Close" in 1986. They are an independent band under the Nitro Records banner, which ironically was started by Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland, whom TSOL influenced. Their influence is also felt in the works of bands like Alkaline Trio and AFI. Jack Grisham also participated in a few side projects including The Joykiller and Tender Fury. He recently ran for the Governor of California's position.
[edit] Members
- Jack Grisham - vocals
- Ron Emory - guitar
- Mike Roche - bass
- Tiny Bubbz - Drums
- Greg Kuehn - piano, synthesizers
[edit] Former members
- Todd Barnes - drums
- Joe Wood - vocals, guitar
- Mitch Dean - drums
- Marshall Rohner - guitars
- Jay O'Brien - drums
- Travis Johnson - drums
- Billy Blaze - drums
[edit] Trivia
- Todd Barnes died from a brain anurysm on December 6, 1999. After spending many days in the hospital, from a drug overdose, his family found it best to pull the plug.
- Marshall Rohner was also an actor and played in two movies, "Road House" and "Voyage of the Rock Aliens" before dying from complications from AIDS.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- "Dance With Me" - (1981)
- "Weathered Statues" - (1982)
- "Beneath The Shadows" - (1982)
- "Change Today?" - (1984)
- "Revenge" - (1986)
- "Hit and Run" - (1987)
- "Strange Love" - (1990)
- "Live 91" - (1991)
- "Disappear" - (2001)
- "Divided We Stand" - (2003)
- "Who's Screwin' Who?" - (2005)
[edit] EP
- "1980 DEMO" - (1980) (http://www.truesoundsofliberty.com/discography.htm)
- "TSOL" - (1981)
[edit] Single
[edit] Compilation
- Thoughts of Yesterday 1981-1982 - (1988)
[edit] Filmography
- Live In Hawaii (DVD) - (2004)
