Web Exclusive: A conversation with Kenneth Vasoli of the Starting Line and Person L

THE STARTING LINE were clear from the start-or, rather, clear from the end. When the pop-punk mainstays announced they were taking a break in March 2008, they made a point to say in a statement, “this break does not mean the band is breaking up or going on hiatus. It just means we’re going to stop for a little while. This break may last a year, two years or a few months, as of right now we don’t know.” Turns out, the break lasted a little less than two years. As TSL celebrated the release of their live CD/DVD Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us earlier in the month, frontman KENNETH VASOLI hinted that something was in motion with the Starting Line . At the same time that his new project, PERSON L, released their second full-length, The Positives, news began to spread of a Starting Line reunion. The rumors were true, as TSL will play two holiday shows in their hometown of Philadelphia in late December. In this exclusive interview, Vasoli reveals what the future holds for both of his bands.



INTERVIEW: Tim Karan



Within a one-week span earlier this month, you released both a live Starting Line CD/DVD and the new Person L full-length. Do you feel like Pete Wentz yet?

[Laughs.] No, I don’t know what it feels like to be that guy. But, yeah, it’s been an exciting month for me.



How stoked are you on The Positives?

Extremely. I had great fun making it. It was an unbelievably inspired recording session for us, and I’m glad it got captured the way it did. I think it’s just a beautiful record. I’ve been hearing a lot of positive feedback about it, though, so it’s definitely making me just kind of enjoy it now. I spent so much time with it that I started to think, “Oh, this is terrible.” But people seem to be into it so far.



What are the plans for the band following the tour?

Nothing’s really in stone. We wanna keep touring-there are some things we’re crossing our fingers for. But we just wanna stay busy and keep playing shows and having a good time.



Speaking of good times, the Starting Line will be playing some reunion shows in late December. What about after that?

Yeah, the plan is to play the holiday shows in Philadelphia after Christmas, then take baby steps. We have a few ideas for a couple of new songs, and we’re gonna try and keep it together. But we’ll be playing it by ear. We’re just gonna ease our way back into the water.



Have you stayed in touch with the rest of TSL during the hiatus?

For the most part. I mean, the time away has personally been an excellent experience for me. Taking the time away really put things into perspective, and it’s been a nice breath of fresh air. I know Matt [Watts, guitar] is doing really well. He’s probably the one I keep in touch with the most. He works for [Red Light Management] who manage [Person L], so it’s nice to keep it in the family and be able to catch up when we’re talking about business. I know he’s really, really happy. Tom [Gryskiewicz, drums] is playing with [the Seventy Six], living the dream and not working. [Laughs.] Mike [Golla, guitars] is doing real well, too. He’s had time to be grounded and hang with his family, which he hadn’t had a chance to really do before.



The language that you guys used to explain the hiatus always made it seem like a temporary thing. Were you all always positive that you were going to eventually get back together?

Yeah, that was sort of always our stance. At least, it was definitely my stance that we’d always return at some point. I think the change will just be the pace that we go at from now on. I don’t think we’ll be going at everything as hard or intensively as we did before. I think we’ll be a lot more deliberate about spacing out what we do.



Have you noticed that interest in the band seemed to increase after you guys went on hiatus?

I guess I did. People did ask me about it a lot. I kind of expected it to wean a little bit, but people kept asking when we’d play together again pretty much throughout the hiatus. It’s nice, you know?



What happens to Person L if the Starting Line start rolling?

We’re gonna keep doing it. I still have a really strong desire to make music with the band, and I feel with Person L, we’re at our tightest so far. I’m anxious to see where our music is gonna go.



While writing for Person L, do you ever end up with a song that you think would’ve been a better Starting Line song?

No, not really. It takes way more effort to try to throw something into a Starting Line category than it does for Person L. Person L comes a lot more naturally to me than writing a Starting Line song. But I have been making that effort to write in that Starting Line frame-of-mind. It’s just been out of my brain for a while.



Will this be a new vision for the band or pretty similar to the Starting Line we know and love?

I think only time will tell. The one idea I’m working with now is sort of the next step or next direction, but still kind of simplified, aggressive pop music. But I hope we can still make intelligent pop music.



So how far are you on those new songs?

I wouldn’t actually even call them songs just yet. It’s more ideas that Mike and I were playing around with at the record release show. We’re just pre-heating the oven right now. alt