Today’s music scene teaches us that success does not come easy. Only those willing to abandon life as they know it and devote themselves to the machine that is the music industry can ever make the waves which they desire. Most bands take on a grueling tour schedule in hopes of reaching the masses of potential fans, and to prove to themselves and the industry that they are in fact something worth mentioning. But, when is enough enough? Kenny Vasoli and Matt Watts of The Starting Line were not shy to admit that despite finding great success, they also found a great need for the lives they left behind.
The musicians life is often romanticized and idealized by fans. We like to believe that such a golden opportunity is enough to keep one’s world revolving in perfect order. There’s definitely the added pressure of assumed contentment, as if touring musicians aren’t allowed to get fed up with living out of a bus for the majority of the year. It can be hard to appreciate life if you’re left scrounging gas stations in the middle of the night for your one meal of the day, or if the life you left behind still keeps spinning despite your absence.
“It wasn’t like I was second guessing or regretting the decision of taking a break”, Kenny admits.
We like to forget that musicians are all people just like you and I, and that sometimes admitting that enough is enough is not only best for the music, but for ones happiness. I guess you can say that sometimes, living the dream isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes we just need to be normal people.
“Normal” is a tricky word because everyone’s definition varies widely depending on an array of factors. But it’s safe to say that for most people, being in a rock band is far from the ordinary. On the outside the industry seems so glamorous that anyone would be a fool not to dream of shredding like Slash. But as we peek into the lives of the musically elite, it becomes clear that there is still much left to be desired. Many of us take the presence of our loved ones, the warmth of our own beds, and our favorite local pizza place for granted, all luxuries that life on the road doesn’t permit. After years on the road, Matt can see the value in seemingly minute pleasures.
“I think we were all kind of hungry for normalcy, I know I was at least,” Matt says. “I think we just toured for so long that we kind of needed to take a step away and put things into perspective. I think being away for a year and a half, two years definitely did that”.
Perspective turned out to be a big theme throughout my conversation with Kenny and Matt, and it was obvious that they had each picked some up during their two year hiatus. The guys spent their down time on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Matt was back at home with family and friends and living life a little more like the rest of us, Kenny stepped down to the bottom of the totem pole with his new band Person L. Each unique story taught very similar lessons, proving that sometimes we need to step away from the things we enjoy to get the absolute most out of them.
“Experiencing normal life [helped us] look at what we did from a different perspective, and when you remove yourself from it you have more of an appreciation for it,” says Matt. Kenny adds to this.
“I kind of had the flip side of it because I went right back on tour and went back to like day one kind of stuff where I was sleeping on floors and driving all night,” he says. “And I did that for about a year and a half. It totally put into perspective of how lucky I was and how successful I was with the Starting Line; all the privileges that we had as a band were pretty amazing.”
Often when speaking to musicians who’s daily grind is life on tour, it’s not uncommon to meet many musicians who have become jaded and taken their whole lifestyle for granted. Even songs they’ve wrote, as personal as they once were began to lose their magic after awhile. For a man can only sing “Island” so many time before it becomes another monotonous part of his daily routine.
“The thing about the old ones is I’ve played them so many times that it just kind of fades to grey. Even yesterday I was trying to be really conscious to put something more into the songs, you know, put some feeling back into what the words are. I usually don’t even think about what the words are for the old songs, its like saying the pledge of allegiance, you know?” says Kenny, and as we continue to speak I began to see less of an indifferent rock star and more of a plain, honest man. It takes courage to change, and admitting that you’re not as happy as you could be takes maturity.
When we spoke about what Matt’s been up to since the hiatus he reveals, “I think the daily routine of touring, as exhausting as it can be, is a really easy lifestyle in comparison to working a normal job. There are always parts that you’ll complain about, and the grass is always greener no mater what you do, but looking back on it, our day consisted of hanging out all day, trying to find food, and then playing a show. It was great, I have no complaints.”
Albeit any initial discontent from fans, The Starting Line have rejuvenated their passion and have packed along some newfound perspective in their musical endeavors. As they take the stage tonight, both seem as eager as ever to get back beneath the lights, to lead a crowd in an uproarious journey through their past, present, and hopefully future.
Sonia Karas