When a band celebrates 30 years together, and they are still making new music, they must be doing something right!
Collective Soul will join Our Lady Peace on their 30th Anniversary Tour on March 10th at Place Bell, Laval. Get your tickets here.
Montreal Rocks spoke with Dean Roland (rhythm guitar) before their Montreal appearance.
Origin Story
Dean Roland was surrounded by music around the house at an early age. Dean’s father was a Southern Baptist preacher, but first a voice major in college. “He had this beautiful tenor voice.” His mom played the piano, so he learned the piano and the saxophone.
“Whether it was in our DNA or it was nurture, it was embedded in our psyche.” – Dean Roland
There is a certain point where a band or a song hits differently, and begins a musical journey of exploration that is unique to you.
“I was a child of the 80s. I had two older brothers, so I was hearing music when I was six to nine years old that many of my peers weren’t hearing.”
This exposed Dean to bands like The Police, U2 and the Psychedelic Furs. One band hit differently: “I remember Ed had an Adam and Ants vinyl: Prince Charming. That was the moment I realized: I just love this! It was so rhythmic, the syncopation of the trumpets…all of it…it just worked in my brain.”
The seeds were planted, and Dean’s journey began.
Dean’s brother Ed Roland, almost a decade his senior, was on his own journey of being in bands like Ed-E, Marching Two-Step, and Brothers & Brides, which was eventually renamed Collective Soul.
“That basically led up to our first record release. A lot of the songs on the first record Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid were song demos.”
From there, Shine “was the first song that got traction.” The rest is history.
Edgefest
On June 29, 1997, Collective Soul and Our Lady Peace shared the stage in Montreal as part of the Edgefest Tour.
“Edgefest was so much fun for us. We did a full Canadian run. Being in Montreal…and I’m not blowing smoke…we’ve always had the most fun. The fans, genuinely…you steal it!”
While on stage, the band can feel the Montreal fans reciprocating the energy back, which just magnifies it all.
“We just love being there (Montreal) in general. We have our wives and family fly out just to share because it’s a great place to be.”
Collective Soul even opened for Van Halen in Montreal on the Balance Tour back in 1995. “It was just crazy! It’s fun for us Redneck Americans to come up there and experience the whole culture.”
Recording and Touring after 30 years
What changed in the recording and touring now that the band is more mature?
“We’ve played so much live. Put the instruments down, the chemistry of the band, the friendships…it’s a brotherhood. We trust each other. That is a huge component of how we record. We try to do as much live recording as we can.”
They sit in a room, track, then overdub and Ed puts the vocals on top.
“It feels very authentic and genuine. It’s not forced; we have fun. At this point in our career, we feel like we’ve hit our creative stride. There is no pressure coming from anyone, like our record label. The only pressure we have is what we put on ourselves.”
There is something that happens when one hits 50, as I can attest, that we stop caring about what other people think. We start being more authentic to who we really are, not concerned about changing who we are to fit into a role we think others want us to be.
“At some point, you garner enough confidence to where you can just be yourself. Take it or leave it. It’s OK either way.”
Some feelings can still spring up.
“It’s funny how that imposter syndrome can sneak up on you sometimes, even 30 years into your career. Really? That little self-doubt will creep in.”
Yet, the band has 12 studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, and more. Obviously, the fans are buying them, and they do have a dedicated fanbase.
Fame
Being a musician is a strange experience. You get a song on the radio, or it goes viral on streaming and suddenly, you are put on a pedestal.
“That part can get strange. We’ve always maintained the mantra of just being grounded. We are no different than any other human. We just try to have fun with it, create a moment where people can come out and celebrate and escape from their worries.
Elvis’s Honeymoon House
When friends, who happen to own the untouched honeymoon house of Elvis, invites you to record there, you take them up on it.
Collective Soul is the only band ever to record in the house of Dean and Ed’s father’s favorite artist. The result is their latest offering Here to Eternity, a double album no less.
The house was empty since the mid 70s, freezing the house in time, from the bathroom tiles all the way to the kitchen appliances. “It is a time warp.”
They setup their recording gear and started recording, but they couldn’t ignore it.
“Those initial few hours…it’s in your mind. You are in his house. He recorded here. It was a place to hold reverence to. We had fun with it. It inspired us.”
This became their “creative ammo.”
There was a goosebump moment, of course.
The band setup their gear, pianos and guitars in the living room, left of the entrance.
Elvis’s House Floor Plan & Pictures of the interior
The control room was setup in Lisa Marie’s childhood room.
It’s Palm Springs. It never rains.
“The night she passed, there was a massive rainstorm. It rained so much that the ceiling flooded into the control room, her childhood bedroom…not anywhere else in the house. It was just there.”
The band was able to save the gear, but it was that “syncretic moment that happened there, at that point, at that time…as she is going to her peaceful place.”
The whole experience, from start to finish inspired the band to produce a double album, soaking in the remnants of past musical memories that had seeped into the walls, furniture and air.
Here to Eternity
As the first track kicks in, we are instantly time warped by that guitar riff to the early days of that iconic Collective Soul sound. Yet, as we feel the nostalgia, the music feels modern, standing the test of time.
“We’ve never tried to follow any cultural trend. Ultimately, you have to be honest with your music, your art. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Get the album!
Documentary
The band is completing their documentary which will hopefully be released by end of summer.
“We are really proud of it. It will be a cool insight if you like our music, are interested in our band. It’s an interesting story to watch.”
Reddit Fan Questions
I asked a few fans from Reddit for questions. Here are some rapid responses:
What song is the hardest for the band to get right when performing live?
“We mix it up each night, but right now, it’s Mother’s Love…the arrangement.”
I’d love to know for sure if Live at the Print Shop is getting some kind of new release and obviously anything he wants to tell us about Fun.
“Not sure about the Print Shop. We love working with those guys and will absolutely do more with them. Not sure of a new release with those guys, but something will happen for sure. As far as Fun goes, Ed’s got to finish up some vocals on it. We are in a cross the T’s and dot the I’s scenario. I will say this. Ed and I were talking, and we will probably play a couple of those songs on the next tour. We will figure out a proper release at some point.”
When will Come Back To You be released?
“Oh wow. Can’t speak to that one. Definitely an Ed question.”
Do you remember riding a roller coaster with a fan, in Bush Gardens Tampa in 2015?
“You know what? I do remember that. Jesse and Johnny where there too.”
Above: Ed and Michael Herchenroder on Cheetah Hunt.
How special is complement to you and what were the inspirations behind it?
“I want to say it was one of the first time Ed and I shared writing on lyrics. We yapped about the concept and came up with some lyrics. That one holds true, and I just love the song. I love playing it live.”
Will the band ever release a box set, from the vault of studio finished songs?
“Yeah, we will at some point. Not yet though. We are not big on looking back, more moving forward. Doing the documentary, it forced us to do some reflection, the good and the bad of it all. We’ll get to the box set at some point. In the meantime, we are going to keep marching forward.”
Fantasy Rock Band
As always, similar to Fantasy Football, I asked Dean to create the ultimate rock band, without choosing his own bandmates.
Singer: George Michael
Drummer: Jeff Porcaro (Toto)
Guitar: Edge (U2)
Bass: Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Toto, Phil Collins)
“Read these back to me because I’m just shooting from the hip.”
It’s clear that Dean soaked in those early 80s bands, which to this day are top of mind as inspiration. Only some of those 80s bands are still around, and only some have stood the test of time with music that does not sound dated.
Collective Soul is one such band. It rose like a rocket in the 90s but had a signature sound that is still going. Now, with 30 years under their belt, the band has matured, gained new momentum and are still staying true to their core self.
Make sure to make it early to the venue as they play with longtime friends Our Lady Peace.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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