The 1990’s produced many a one-hit wonder, but Collective Soul was one of the few that proved its staying power. With choice "buzz" cuts like "Shine," "Gel," and "The World I Know," the Georgia natives managed to attract audiences outside of the usual alternative music market and earned multiplatinum status in the meantime. Success can often accompany tribulations, of course, and the members of Collective Soul experienced their fair share. Following 1995’s self-titled release, the band endured an ugly split with their manager over monetary/royalty issues. Learning an invaluable lesson about how the music industry can often work, Collective Soul sought more independence, a mindset that has guided their decisions since that time.
Frontman
Ed Roland has exercised that independent way of thinking for the past decade, whether by operating his own studio or creating the El Music Group label with his bandmates.
Roland has also been
Collective Soul’s primary songwriter for the majority of the band’s career, but the self-titled new album (also referred to as Rabbit) on Roadrunner Records does feature collaborative material for the very first time. The give-and-take process is something that
Roland hopes will be repeated on future records. Ultimate-Guitar recently chatted with
Roland about the latest record and his feelings about the often less-than-perfect music business.
UG: Your new record marks a change in record labels, with Roadrunner being your new home. Given the fact that you developed your own record label not too long ago, what prompted the move?
Ed Roland: Roadrunner was actually thinking outside of the box. It became a partnership that made a lot of sense. We’re both excited. So far everybody is getting along great. It’s very refreshing to have that in the music industry, that’s for sure.
"We tried to correct on the weaknesses and expand on the strengths."
I’ve always had the studio. I kind of grew up in a studio anyway, so I would always like to tinker with studio equipment. That’s always been a hobby of mine. Being a band allows me the opportunity to do that. I kind of live at Disney World all the time! But as far as the independent label, that was at a time and place when we just wanted to try it. It was nine years ago, I believe, when we did it. It was very helpful for us to learn the business of music, which is a very important thing for every artist to learn. Once you get into it, you start having respect for labels. You also learn the strengths or weakness of your own band. We tried to correct on the weaknesses and expand on the strengths.
You’ve been the primary songwriter for the bulk of Collective Soul’s songs in the past. I understand that for Rabbit there was at least one track that you wrote together as a band.
Correct. It was the first time. We wrote the music to a song called “You.” Will, the bass player, and I just recorded it from home. Joel and Dean were playing the chord progressions. So Will and I went on, and I set the iPhone down and started recording. It would be me mumbling or making some kind of noise on top of these chord progressions. So we ended up having the outline for the song. Everybody was pleasantly surprised. We were also ecstatic that we actually could do that together. It had been a long time.
There was another song called “Understanding.” There had been three individual songs that I had been working on. I decided that I was going to try and put them together and see if they could work together as one. We spent the whole day recording three separate songs to see if they could gel together. Then when we got down, I just looked at the guys and gave them a sheet of paper that night to write down their ideas. I did the same thing. So the next morning, I just put together everyone’s homework and wrote the lyrics to the song “Understanding.” It was fun. It makes you look in different ways at writing.
Do you foresee the same type of collaborative process occurring on future records?
I surely hope so. It does take a lot of pressure off of me. That’s helpful!
You were recently a featured artist for Yamaha, and the company’s website included an interview in which you stated that you had been influenced by various bands from the 1980’s. You also mentioned that there was a distinct move to have more of a modern sound this time around. Were there particular artists that you listened to that possibly inspired the new sound or was there a different motivation?
We always sit down before we start a record. Usually the guys discuss the songs in the back of the bus, and we have a pretty good idea and work a few of the songs out in soundcheck. For this one, we decided to try have a little more of an organic record like how we used to. In the past we had gone into individuals rooms, and not that there’s anything wrong with that, we were just looking for something different. We were looking for something to inspire us a little differently. The guys wanted something that wasn’t so produced and that had more raw guitars. We went into recording with that in mind. It’s always easier to say that this is what you want to do. Getting to that goal and saying that is something completely different! This time we set up everything up in one room and started playing.
You mentioned that the emphasis was placed on creating a raw sound. Did you switch up the equipment in any particular way to reach that goal?
I’m sure it was different than what we used in the past, but the microphones and preamps are pretty stable. We always prerecord the vocals. We probably used different guitars. I think Joel used pretty much the same setup he did on the last one. It’s more about playing a little different. Play a little harder or softer.
"For the last record, they wanted a big rock record."
I’m very careful with what I pick and choose, but I do buy a lot of gear. I have an awful lot of gear – too much. I can’t use it all. It’s not a bad habit to have, I don’t think! It could be worse!
Do you record a lot of other bands at the studio?
Yeah, actually there’s this band called Green River Ordinance. They finished their record there.
You spent time at the Berklee College of Music, which is quite an accomplishment.
For a very short time!
How long were you there?
Not even a year.
Are you glad that you went there, even for that brief period?
I’m very glad I went. I came from a very small town. When you go into a big city, you learn a lot. I did learn to play guitar better. The best lessons came from other students in school. We would stay up all night and play songs.
Did your time at Berklee expose you to aspects of the recording studio?
They came later. I don’t think they even offered that at the school at that time. It was so long ago! It was just strictly music.
Your lead guitarist was classically trained and also spent time as your guitar tech. When he joined in 2001, did his presence open up more opportunities as far as what you could do musically?
It was a lot different. With Joel, first off, he’s a perfectionist – and I’m not! I’m the guy who will do a song once and then go get a cup of coffee. Joel will sit there one or two days. So he and I kind of help each other as far as finding that in between. As far as his playing style, he’s the best musician I’ve ever played with. It’s a cool dynamic to have in the band with Will.
Do you write the foundation melodies on an acoustic usually?
Most of the time. For the last record, they wanted a big rock record. They didn’t want me pulling out an acoustic. I’d have an electric guitar to have more of a rock feel. We do want to continue to stretch.
What do you feel separates the Yamahas that you play from other guitars?
The first electric guitar that I ever had was a Yamaha one-piece electric guitar that had sustain forever. With that sustain, I could make some great solos back in the day. That guitar just stood out as far as an electric. I don’t even know what model it is. I just go by sound I walked into their store in L.A. As soon as I hit it, it was like, “That’s amazing.” I didn’t know what model it was, and I didn’t care. They’re durable as hell as far as the road. It does take a beating, but the clarity still sounds great.
Are we hearing that particular guitar on the new record as well?
Yes.
"We were looking for something to inspire us a little differently."
I just stick with Joel’s Vox amp, the Yamaha acoustic, and I use the Gretsch Falcon electric.
You’ve had quite a lot of success in terms of commercial sales. Have you found your musical peers to be supportive or is there a sense of competition that you’ve observed? How would you describe the scene?
There was no scene. We were so busy and we never looked at it as a competition. I can tell you that I was listening to records and think, “That’s amazing.” It makes you better. You want to be bigger, better, broader or deeper. I’ve just wanted to get better as a songwriter, singer, and producer.
When you listen back to songs like “Shine,” “Gel,” Or “The World I Know,” do you have a sense of appreciation for how you approached the older material?
I definitely can appreciate it, but I do feel like we’ve grown. You hope you grow and get better at anything you do, no matter whatever your job description. It’s been 16 years in Collective Soul, and I would like to think we’ve gotten better whether it’s performing in the studio or performing live, better singer, better player. I can see the growth.
For someone who is just beginning to jump into a career in music, what advice would you give? Would you suggest something as general as taking lessons or perhaps you would concentrate more on the business side of things?
There are different ways for the music. You can play the guitar like crazy, and I think that’s an individual thing. As far as the business side, always make sure you pay attention to everything that is going on. If you can afford it, get a great attorney!
Interview by Amy Kelly
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