The Starting Line: Somebody's Gonna Miss Us

Pennsylvania emo band the Starting Line bids adieu in this DVD/CD combo set. In the documentary Somebody's Gonna Miss Us, the band members reminisce about their eight-year career while preparing for their final tour. Shortly after forming in their teens (as Sunday Drive), the group was signed by indie powerhouse Drive-Thru Records. Eventually, through Drive-Thru's distribution deal with MCA, the band made the leap to Geffen but got a bad feeling about the label from the start, especially after being pressured to sound more like Yellowcard or Fall Out Boy. Things quickly disintegrated: plagued by illness and unable to tour without a new release, the group's income dried up. So they parted ways with Geffen to join Virgin, but after new problems arose, the Starting Line decided to call it quits, at least for now. In addition to the band members—Ken Vasoli (vocals, bass), Mike Golla (guitar), Matt Watts (guitar), Tom Gryskiewicz (drums), and Brian Schmutz (keyboards)—interviewees include managers and concertgoers. While fans are sure to find this interesting, the guys' music and story are fairly familiar (recalling any number of other pop-punkers), although Somebody's Gonna Miss Us could still serve as a cautionary tale for aspiring musicians (always have a back-up plan!). The accompanying 18-track CD captures the band's final hometown Philadelphia show, as they perform high-energy selections from their three full-length releases, including 2002's Say It Like You Mean It, which sold over 300,000 copies. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)