It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Collective Soul are a rare breed. The Georgia-based quintet has not only been writing and performing heartfelt and bombastic rock ‘n’ roll songs since 1994, but those songs have remained consistently good. Lead singer and songwriter E. Roland, along with his brother Dean, and childhood friend Will Turpin have released 10 records – their most recent entitled BLOOD might be one of the best – and show no signs of stopping. Not everyone may recognize the name “Collective Soul,” but after hearing one of the band’s signature tracks like “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Run,” it becomes quite clear how prolific the band has been over the years.
The Pop Break’s music editor Kat Manos talked to bassist and co-founding member Will Turpin for an illuminary chat that included discussion of some of the most powerful tracks on BLOOD, the unrelenting positivity behind Collective Soul’s lyrics, and how soon another record is on the horizon.
It’s really great to be able to speak with you. I want to start off and say that Collective Soul’s new record BLOOD is amazing. I feel like it really captures the bombastic and timeless quality of your songs that you guys have been releasing for 25 years.
Thank you. 25 years later, in many regards, it feels exactly the same as it did in 1994.
In what way do you mean that? What feels the same?
The emotion and the music. When it’s right, when we capture that right emotion and the vibe is right, I still get those exact same feelings. The hairs will stand up on my arms and you’re like, “This is right, this is pure, this is for the right reasons and it’s good.
I know exactly what you mean. Since the release of BLOOD in June, it looks like you’ve been playing about 5 or 6 new songs in your live setlists, so I wanted to know how fans are reacting to the new material?
Our fans are there. There are some big festivals we play every now and then where there’s casual fans, but [normally] when we play, the core of the Collective Soul fan base knows all of our songs. To be honest, the core of our fanbase would rather hear us play more of the deeper cuts. We’ve never had filler and there’s deeper cuts that people find just as inspirational and meaningful in their lives. For the most part, the Collective Soul fan loves anything we’ve ever done as long as we approach it with the same energy.
Yeah, I totally understand that. As a fan myself, I always want to hear the new stuff or deeper cuts that haven’t been played and aren’t radio singles. To me, those are the magic moments live. Is there a new song in particular that is really resonating with the audience that maybe surprised you?
Yeah, the last cut on the record, “Porch Swing.” I knew that song was great, but it’s probably the second or top three most popular song mentioned by people. We started to play that live a week ago and we’re going to keep it in the setlist now.
Oh, it’s a really great album closer. It resonates with the whole record’s theme I think. Which brings me to something your bandmate E Roland said about this record. Namely, he feels BLOOD expresses where the band has been on “this journey of life” and what you guys have experienced as a band a whole over the last 25 years. Is there one song in particular for you feel really encapsulates that journey for you?
There really is that whole reference part of this record [about] perspective that changes over life when you’re talking about 25 years later. That theme is there. And there have been some things that have happened to us in more recent times as well. As far as picking one song, I think of “Big Sky.” People don’t mention that song a whole lot, but I love the overall feel and theme. It’s a rider – I call songs like that “riders” because you can listen to it and ride through and you feel like you’re moving somewhere. Like you’re driving in your car even if you’re walking somewhere or sitting – it’s trip. The whole takeaway of “Big Sky” is well, it’s a big-picture kind of song. There’s something bigger than life, than us on Earth here as individuals. There’s something bigger than us. I love a good melody. I’m a sucker for a good pop melody so I love “Big Sky.”
It’s so funny you mention the melody because I was just about to ask about that. There are two qualities I can point out in almost every Collective Soul song: a timeless chorus and an effortlessly memorable melody. In the songwriting process, do you guys often start with the melody or does a guitar riff kick it off, or even a theme?
All of those. It depends on the song. They don’t all come about the same way. But E’s genius, it doesn’t matter if it starts off with a guitar riff in a jam session, when inspiration hits E, he can make the melody happen. it’s just one of the ingredients that’s always been a part of Collective Soul. I used to joke with everyone and say he farted melodies. *laughs*
*laughs* That feels true. It really does. Especially on songs like “Right As Rain,” “Changed,” and my favorite, “Observation of Thoughts.” There seems to be this infectious and undeniable positivity and optimism that pervades the lyrics. Do you find this positive approach second nature or natural, or is being positive more of a conscious response to the negativity in our culture right now?
I definitely think it’s natural. That’s kind of how we were raised. We were raised in the South and we all had positive influences in our lives. E and Dean’s father was the minister at the local church, the Baptist church. E was working for my father for 6 or 7 years as head engineer at the little recording studio in town. We as a collective, to use the word [of our band], we’ve always thought: half full, not half empty. If things are bad, you can definitely recognize the negativity in the world, but you have to look on the bright side. To drop a Monty Python quote, “You have to look on the bright side of life.” It’s natural for us. We don’t go, “Hey, this will part of our recipe for success.”
I think that’s why – honestly, it’s not surprising to hear you have such a strong fanbase that’s still following you all after all these years. I deeply believe people easily attach themselves to positive and uplifting music because music is an escape for so many people. It is for me. And you guys provide that escape so readily.
I think that’s probably [true]. It’s hard to describe exactly what music does for humans. Ever since the 12-note scale was created and monks started writing chants in the monasteries, we’ve had people try to analyze why [music] feels right when it hits people’s ears. We also have music theory. But it’s magical because there is no real answer as to why people can relax and forget the rest of their lives. Or why music can bring back a smell from 20 years ago, it’s right there on the tip of your brain. All you’re doing is getting the music. You aren’t getting the smell or memory or feeling. it’ll bring back feelings, both positive and negative. Music is 100% magical, it can change the world because it can change the way you think. If it can change the way you feel and think, it can change everything.
I totally agree. I’m wondering, from your perspective, aside from the band’s expert songwriting, how do you think Collective Soul has managed to remain so consistent and successful in light of the changing music industry and streaming and rock ‘n’ roll has transformed as a genre over the last 25 years?
Analyzing it, again, it’s like music theory. Analyzing something after it’s happened. In the moment, the guys creating the stuff and making decisions – we don’t try to analyze and make a decision. We just go with what feels natural. We were the first ones to leave a major record label and start our own in 2005. We’ve done things, we’ve taken leaps of faith right off a cliff. That was right after we left Atlantic Records.
In all those business decisions, people want to analyze, but I don’t think those compare to the importance to the strength of the music and the songs. I just think it’s that. we can’t overanalyze the music before we record it. We do think about certain sounds and things, but ultimately we’re still doing that what feels natural to us. Like I said, the strength of the songs are there and our career kept going. the fans are there. 25 years later, we appreciate those things. and we still feel like we’re doing our best and at the top of our game.
That certainly feels true. E Roland has said that from the beginning of your career that he wanted Collective Soul to have a full body of work and a “whole row of recordings on the shelf.” Do you feel like after 25 years you’ve accomplished that? And if so, what’s next for you?
Yeah, we definitely have accomplished that. I remember when we were younger, we always thought, “What’s next? What’s next?” We’d finish recording a record and go on tour and we’d never listen to the record recorded. Sure enough, in the beginning, we released 4 records in five years from ’94 to ’99. Yeah, I think so, looking back 25 years, I think we accomplished what he was thinking of. That being said, it still feels natural for us to be doing more. We’re releasing another record next year. It still feels natural to create and record. We’re not at the spot that we want to just play shows and just make some money. We’re still creating like it was just yesterday.
That is great. Can you tell me a little bit about the new record coming out next year. Have you guys already recorded it, and what was the process like?
We’ve already recorded it. BLOOD started out as a double record, so we started out recording over 20 songs. After talking to management and the record label, the idea became let’s release one record, then release a part 2 so we won’t waste any music and we’ll be able to focus on the music. So we released BLOOD and part 2 will be out next year. the marketing will be in reference to BLOOD; it won’t be BLOOD Part 2, but you’ll know it’s from the same evolution and same batch of recordings.
Wonderful. So there will be lots of strings and piano production like on BLOOD?
We’ve always had that. We’ve loved strings since the first record. Matter of fact, on “Pretty Donna” we have a song just with strings. We had the full band, but the string quartet did so well and it sounded so cool, we just had them.
I have to re-listen to that one! My last question is, what is your favorite part about being in Collective Soul? Is it in the studio and recording, or performing the songs and seeing the fans? What has kept you going for 25 years?
I’d say creating the music is part of what keeps me going. I’d say the main ingredient, I tell people this over and over. Me, E, and Dean have known each other our whole lives. My whole memory is of them. We truly think the same way, we truly enjoy each other. We’ve been through the humps of hating each other and getting away from each other. Now it’s stronger than ever. We all think the same, so it matters and keeps us going. It’s what we do, so we have to go out and we genuinely love it and think the same way, so there isn’t a lot of arguing.
That is so great. I think you can really hear that in the music. Through and through, you all come across as artists, and the fact that your music has remained so consistently good is proof of that. Again, thank you so much for time.
Thanks so much Kat, I appreciate your time as well.
