The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: COURTESY THE STARTING LINE The Starting Line returned this summer with "Direction," said to be the bands strongest album to date. They perform at Legion Field tonight at 8 p.m. [Click to enlarge]

Answering e-mails from strangers doesn't always end with missing posters and a body bag.

When 14-year-old Kenny Vasoli received an impromptu e-mail from guitarist Matt Watts in 1999, he had no idea that responding would land him the lead singer position in pop-punk band The Starting Line.

"Matt contacted me through my AOL profile. He asked me if I knew any singers in the area, and I said that I sang in a band," Vasoli said.

"I didn't think too much of it at first. I thought the guy was full of crap. Then he came to see my show. He said he liked my voice and we started jamming together."

For Vasoli, who was a high school freshman at the time, "jamming" with college students wasn't as harrowing as one might think.

"They would fool with me and pick on me a little bit," he said. "But for the most part we got on really well."

Vasoli's education took a backseat as The Starting Line made its first record deal.

"Once we got offered a deal with Drive-thru Records, they told me I had to tour. I couldn't go to school my senior year," he said. "My school system wouldn't accept credits from home schooling, so I went to community college during the summer. When I got enough credits, I left for the tour."

There was no doubt in Vasoli's mind this was the right choice to make.

"I always wanted to do this," he said.

Eight years and three albums later, this Philadelphia-based quartet has seen its share of high and lows.

The Starting Line had early success with its first album, "Say it Like You Mean It."

The single, "The Best of Me," was picked up by MTV.

"I'm starting to realize how big that song got," said Vasoli. "It's the song the fans know the best."

But mismanagement from its second record label threatened the band.

"Our love for the music and our fans were probably the biggest things that kept us together," Vasoli said. "We don't rely on a record label to keep our music alive."

The Starting Line returned to the limelight this summer with the release of "Direction," hailed by critics as its strongest album to date.

Backed by Virgin Records, the album reflects Starting Line's personal and musical evolution during its turbulent last few years.

"Just about every song is about finding direction in music and in life," said Vasoli, adding that real-life issues are the inspiration for his lyrics.

"I always try to think about what's going on in my life, what's been troubling me, what makes me happy, and then I try to put it in a way where people can interpret it in their own way," he said.

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