A band of brothers that actually gets along? WHAT? Find out how from guitarist Dean Roland. He also discusses the creation of their latest release Vibrating. Plus get the inside scoop on how Collective Soul spent their Covid down time, touring now vs the 90s and does Dean Roland’s future include playing guitar in a ballet band?
Vibrating positively pulsates with the boundless energy that has been Collective Soul’s aural calling card for going on three full decades. From the propulsively gnarly kiss-off of “Cut the Cord” to the reflective midtempo jangle of “Take” to the heart-wrenching reality check of “Rule #1” — replete with a soaring string section, no less! — to the choir-backed emotional crossroads of “Where Do I Go,” Vibrating contains 42 minutes of irrefutable sonic evidence of a band wholly uninterested in sitting still. “I think we’re on a roll,” observes Roland. “We’re not afraid to stretch the boundaries — but we do know how to stay in our lane when we need to. Sometimes, though, we just have to go faster.”
The next logical acceleratory step, of course, resides in taking Vibrating out on the road where the band belongs, and test-driving how this electrifying new material meshes with indelible Collective Soul setlist classics like “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” “Gel,” “AYTA,” “Why, Pt. 2,” “Precious Declaration,” and “Heavy” — in addition to more recent, Blood-spawned tracks like “Right as Rain,” “Observation of Thoughts,” and “Over Me.”
“We’re ready to go,” declares Roland. “Most of us grew up together and knew each other as kids, so that helps with the live chemistry. I’ve always said this about this band — we know when to knock each other out, and we know when to hug each other. We won’t put up with any crap, but if you’re feeling down and need help, we’ll pick you up. We’re coming up on 30 years as a band, so we have to be friends first and foremost to keep it all going. If we aren’t friends like that, then we’re not going to have longevity in our career in order to continue doing what we love to do. That’s just the bottom line.”
Seeing eye to eye, and ear to ear, is part of the secret sauce of why Collective Soul continues to both record and play together at an uncompromised level of high quality. “That’s the end goal for everybody in this band,” agrees Roland. “Just because I write the songs doesn’t mean I’m the only one who wants it all to come out right. We all want it to be right — and that’s because this is a band that acts like a band.”
Working in tandem, sharing unbridled opinions, and listening to what everyone else has to say without recrimination are all key proponents in fostering Collective Soul’s perpetual harmony. “That’s the forte of this band,” Roland acknowledges. “We discuss things together, we figure them out together, and we make sure to get everything right. That’s how we love to do it. And I say this out of confidence, and not out of ego — we’re really, really good at it, too.”
You’ll get no arguments here. As 2022 unfurls, it’s clear heaven continues to shine its light down on Collective Soul, a formidable five-man band humming along in unison with many more good vibrations of their own to share with the masses far and wide. There’s a reason Collective Soul are made for me and you — so be sure to see and hear them for yourself first-hand, the next time they make their presence known in your neck of the woods.
