T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California.[1] Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.'s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathrock, art punk, horror punk, other varieties of punk music, and hard rock.
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T.S.O.L. | |
|---|---|
 Left to right: Roche, Biuso, Grisham and Emory in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
| Members | Jack Grisham Ron Emory Mike Roche Greg Kuehn Antonio Val Hernandez |
| Past members | T.S.O.L. § Former members |
History
1978–1983: Formation and first releases
Formed in 1978 in Long Beach, T.S.O.L. originated as a punk band.[2] While the band first used the name Vicious Circle, they eventually changed their name to T.S.O.L by September 1980.[3] The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgon, Jack Ladoga, Jack Delauge and Jack Loyd, among pseudonyms), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche and drummer Todd Barnes. According to legend, the band acquired their instruments by casing a local music shop, waiting until closing, and then performing a smash-and-grab robbery.
T.S.O.L.'s debut five-song EP, T.S.O.L., was released in spring 1981 by Posh Boy Records, featuring the reconvened original lineup. This first release was harshly political, featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love", "World War III" and "Abolish Government".
Their first full-length album, Dance with Me, was released later in 1981 on Frontier Records, and showcased a more gothic/deathrock sound. They then signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, releasing the Weathered Statues EP early in 1982, and the melodic Beneath the Shadows album later that year; the latter featured a new member, keyboardist Greg Kuehn.
Amid personal turmoil, Grisham, Barnes and Kuehn all left the band in 1983. Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley briefly joined the band.
After his exit, Grisham formed Cathedral of Tears, who released a 1984 EP on Enigma Records. Following the release of the Cathedral of Tears EP, T.S.O.L.'s replacement drummer, Mitch Dean, referred to Cathedral of Tears as a "synthesizer band" whose music he did not particularly like, adding, "not to make fun of it or anything," but that "[Grisham's] doing what he wants. No hard feelings, Jack-babe."[4]
1984–1990: Reconfiguration and Enigma Records
T.S.O.L. chose to reconfigure. Joe Wood and Mitch Dean joined on vocals and drums, after Ron Emory, who was at the time playing in Wood's band The Loners, asked him to start a new band with himself and Roche. This new lineup released four albums on Enigma: Change Today? (1984), Revenge (1986) Hit and Run (1987) and Strange Love (1990). All four albums featured a more polished production style, with Hit and Run reaching No. 184 on the Billboard 200 charts, and the band touring globally to support the releases. The band's first live album, Live, was issued by Enigma in 1988.
The band became friends with Guns N' Roses, and T.S.O.L. T-shirts were seen in the video for that band's "Sweet Child o' Mine", most notably on drummer Steven Adler.
Emory left the band in 1988, during the recording of demos for Strange Love, leaving Roche as the sole remaining original member—though Emory was given a writing credit on the track "Blow by Blow".[5][6][7] T.S.O.L. were joined briefly by guitarist Scotty Phillips, who quit before the band started recording the follow-up to Hit and Run. They eventually hired former Dino's Revenge guitarist and actor Marshall Rohner.[8] They released a blues-metal album, Strange Love, in 1990. Roche was fired shortly before the album's release and signed over rights to the name and trademark to Wood and Dean leaving the band with no original members.
1991–2007: Schism, Nitro Records, and "farewell"
In 1991, the original members reformed under Grisham and began playing shows under the name T.S.O.L. However, Wood and Dean were the legal owners of the name T.S.O.L, and the Grisham-led band was forced to use a different moniker for performances.[9][10]
In 1996, Wood and Dean were joined by guitarists Mike Martt and Drac Conley, and bassist Dave Mello (from Uniform Choice), with Dean subsequently replaced by Steve "Sully" O'Sullivan. In 1999, the original members fought with Wood for rights to the name and won. The Grisham-led T.S.O.L joined the Vans Warped Tour, officially playing under their original name for the first time since they reformed.
Barnes died of a brain aneurysm on December 6, 1999, at the age of 34.[11] The remaining members recruited drummer Jay O'Brien (formerly of All Day, later of American Jihad) and released the "Anticop" single (2001) and the albums Disappear (2001) and Divided We Stand (2003), all on Nitro Records, the latter of which featured Kuehn back on keyboards as well as Billy Blaze replacing O'Brien.
In November 2006, the band announced they were breaking up, with final performances having taken place earlier in the month.[12] In September 2007, Cider City Records released the seemingly posthumous live album Live from Long Beach, recorded in November 2006 on the weekend of the band's two announced "farewell" performances. Their hiatus was short-lived, however, as they returned to perform local shows in late 2007.
2008–present: Later releases
In February 2008, T.S.O.L headlined the "Fuck the Whales, Save a Chckn" benefit, held to help with cancer treatment bills for guitarist Craig "Chckn" Jewett of D.I. In December 2008, the band entered the studio to record Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads, which was made available as a free download through sponsor Hurley International's website on January 8, 2009.[13] It was also released on vinyl by DC-Jam Records in November 2009.
Grisham formed Jack Grisham's LOST Soul in 2012, a gigging ensemble featuring Kuehn and Biuso, with the intent of performing T.S.O.L. and The Joykiller material.
On April 20, 2013, T.S.O.L. released a 7-inch EP, You Don't Have to Die (TKO Records), for Record Store Day, composed of the title track (an unreleased 1980 demo) and two 1981 live tracks.[14] That same year, the band toured Europe and South America; they also completed a US tour with Flag.
On January 27, 2017, the band released The Trigger Complex album on Rise Records.[15] In August 2017, Antonio Val Hernandez joined the band as drummer, replacing Hanna.
In 2024 a new studio album, A-Side Graffiti was released on February 27.
Film and television appearances
In 1981, director Paul Young made Urban Struggle: The Battle of The Cuckoo's Nest, a film which featured live performances by T.S.O.L. as well as several Orange County punk and hardcore bands. Dave Markey's 1982 film The Slog Movie also featured live T.S.O.L. performances, as did Penelope Spheeris' 1984 Suburbia with their performances of "Wash Away" & "Darker My Love". They also appeared in the 1989 movie The Runnin' Kind.[16] Their music was also featured in the popular 1985 horror movie The Return of the Living Dead and 1986 film Dangerously Close. They were also mentioned in the 2007 documentary Punk's Not Dead.
Members
Current members
- Jack Grisham – vocals, piano (1978–1983, 1991, 1999–present)
- Ron Emory – guitar, vocals (1978–1988, 1991, 1999–present)
- Mike Roche – bass (1978–1990, 1991, 1999–present)
- Greg Kuehn – piano, synthesizers (1982–1983, 2005–present)
- Antonio Val Hernandez – drums (2017–present)
Former members
- Todd Barnes – drums (1978–1983, 1991, 1999; died 1999)
- Joe Wood – vocals, guitar (1983–1999)[17]
- Mitch Dean – drums (1983–1998)
- Marshall Rohner – guitar (1988–1996; died 2005)
- Mike Martt – guitar (1996–1999; died 2023)
- Drac Conley – guitar (1996–1998)
- Dave Mello – bass (1990[18]–1999)
- Steve "Sully" O'Sullivan – drums (1998–1999)
- Jay O'Brien – drums (1999–2003)
- Billy Blaze – drums (2003)
- Anthony "Tiny" Biuso – drums (2003–2014)
- Matt Rainwater – drums (2014–2016)
- Chip Hanna – drums (2016–2017)
Timeline
Discography
- Studio albums
- Dance with Me (1981)
- Beneath the Shadows (1983)
- Change Today? (1984)
- Revenge (1986)
- Hit and Run (1987)
- Strange Love (1990)
- Disappear (2001)
- Divided We Stand (2003)
- Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads (2009)
- The Trigger Complex (2017)
- A-Side Graffiti (2024)
References
External links
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