Orange County punk veterans T.S.O.L. spent the week prior to Christmas in the studio crafting a free full-length to mark their 30th anniversary. With sponsorship from Hurley, Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Free Downloads hit the web late last week. Hurley.com documented the production process via streaming video of the band at work in the studio.
The band's recently completed third decade was rather tumultuous. Two people were shot backstage at the House of Blues in Los Angeles at a T.S.O.L. gig in November 2002. Although found not liable in the victims' lawsuit, legal fees left the band $13,500 in the hole. This debt left the band unable to tour. During this period they released an intended final album, Divided We Stand, in 2003; and they played a couple of farewell gigs in 2006. Six months later they upgraded the band's status to hiatus, eventually getting back to business with a tour in 2008.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2009.