TSOL
1980 Demos

Jack Grisham – vocals
Ron Emory – guitar
Mike Roche – bass
Todd Barnes – drums

1 80 Times
2 Superficial Love
3 You Don’t Have To Die
4 Silent Majority

I came across this bootleg about four years back. I was happier than a hooker with a bag of . . . well you get the point. TSOL has remained one of my favorite bands of all time (even if Jack dislikes me). And I dig their early recordings. So, this one makes up my TSOL trilogy, the EP, Dance with Me, and now the demos.

The standout cuts are: 80 Times, You Don’t Have To Die.

If you can find it, buy it.

Rating: *** three out of three stars

On to the story . . .

In 2010, I found a job with a print company. I’d been working for, just shy of, two months. Your head goes to weird places when you’re unemployed. There are dozens of things you want to do, a million things you want to buy, and you have to sit and wait until the work comes.

At my previous job I worked as a “Radio Research Director” for a company that owned 16 TV stations, and 29 radio stations. I would put together ratings sheets, promotional items, you name it.

It was a good paying job, and I was with them for about 3 years. The funny thing about this job was that two things that were most important for this job were two things I didn’t know shit about.

Number 1: the Company that owned the 16 TV stations, and 29 radio stations was Hispanic. I didn’t know Spanish. I knew enough to curse out your average a-hole, but not much more. I’d learn.

Number 2: Everything in this company was done in Microsoft PowerPoint. I never opened the program. I’d learn.

I was one of, maybe, 5 Caucasians working there. But you know what? Everybody was cool as hell. There were one or two ball busters, but all in all people were cool. Every morning as I walked in I heard the Wall of Voodoo song in my head: “I’m on a Mexican Radio . . .” as I walked past the two glass DJ booths.

The company had an in-house AM radio station, and the more popular FM station also in-house. It was always a blast to watch the various Ranchera bands come in to play live on one of the stations. They’d have their trumpets, and accordions. It was wild.

Unfortunately, when ratings dip layoffs happen. Ratings dipped I was let go.

One of the weirdest experiences of the job was meeting a famous singer from Mexico named Valentin Elizalde.

The rumor behind a lot of these singers from Mexico is that the Mexican drug cartels “adopt” these up and coming singers. On the condition that you sing about the cartels, and mention them in your concerts. They have the money to turn you into a superstar in a matter of months. But the downside is if a rival cartel likes your music, they will ask you nicely stop talking about the other cartel, if you don’t they kill you.

I met Valetin in 2006, a big hulking guy, and a few months later he was shot up in his SUV after leaving a concert. He was rumored to have started his performance by saying this is for my enemies (rival cartels), and ended the show by again saying, this was for my enemies.

If you search online the crime scene photos are all over. Valentin, and the whole SUV full of people shot up by fully automatic weapons.

Valentin was just one of many Mexican singers gunned down like this. If you’re interested, do a search on legendary singer Chalino Sanchez, and his son. It makes the Biggie, Tupac feud look like small potatoes.

LAST ONE TO DIE is officially out, order at: https://www.createspace.com/3669330