T.S.O.L.

punk

T.S.O.L. are an American punk band. T.S.O.L. is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name. Although most commonly associated with the burgeoning West Coast hardcore punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, T.S.O.L. have released music in the styles of both punk and hard rock. Formed in 1979 and hailing from Long Beach, California, T.S.O.L. developed from earlier bands Johnny Coathanger & the Abortions and Vicious Circle. The lineup first consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgan, Jack Ladoga, Jim Woo and James DeLauge), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, and drummer Todd Barnes, the band's first release was a harshly political eponymous T.S.O.L. EP featuring tracks such as Superficial Love, World War III and Abolish Government. After their debut EP, they released Dance With Me, their first full-length record. A departure from the entirely political nature of the previous release, Dance With Me was far darker and more macabre, featuring such themes as necrophilia, and the song Silent Scream, which is made up entirely of horror movie clichés. Their most popular release, both then and to this day, the album earned them the title of the West Coast Misfits (a reference to Glenn Danzig's band the Misfits on the East Coast), and has made the band a favorite amongst horror punk fans. They later signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, for which they released the W...