Tim King of Soil: The MCB Interview

Soil hits Harpo's April 10th.

Since the release of their major label debut (2001’s Scars), the Chicago based band Soil have been one of the hardest working bands in hard rock. Soil has been working the road even harder, with their newest release, Picture Perfect, which was released back in October. The album is the second album with lead singer AJ Cavalier, who joined the band in 2005 for the departing Ryan McCombs (now the lead singer in Drowning Pool now).

As the band was resting up before their tour with Smile Empty Soul, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Soil’s bassist, Tim King. We discussed the stability of being on a new record label and the sacrifices the band has had to make in order to get where they are today. Here’s my interview with Tim:

AM: Was there a different process in the recording of Picture Perfect versus past records?
TK: For the first time in a long time, we really took our time with this record. Early on in the band’s career, we were pumping out records as fast as we could. So, when the last album and touring cycle was done, we decided to put the breaks on things and take a break. With Picture Perfect, the whole process took about 2 years to complete everything. But with this album, I think the band got back to the original vision of the band and get back to what was the grand idea for this band.

AM: What sort of experiences did the band bring to this new album?
TK: We wanted the album to have modern elements, but also wanted to pay homage to classic hard rock and metal. During the making of this record, we went through a lot of life experiences, some of them are ones we didn’t want to experience. Usually, we just take a chunk of experiences at the time that we are recording, but this time- with everything going on- there was just this roller coaster of emotions going on during this album.

AM: This is singer AJ Cavalier’s second album with the band; how did the process with this record improve on his first record with the band?
TK: I think with AJ on this album that the band has really come into its own. On our last record, True Self, it was a great record, but we hadn’t really honed in on AJ’s talents and strengths as a singer as much as we could have. This time out, we really let him show off his strengths and I think he accomplished what he wanted to on this record.

AM: After numerous label changes, has the band found a home with Bieler Bros. Records?
TK: In our career, we’ve been plagued with bad label issues. The label that worked on our first record, Throttle Junkies, went under immediately after it came out. Then, we were fortunate enough to sign with Clive Davis and J Records, but after two albums, we were kinda squeezed out by a merger. We were also at DRT Entertainment for one record, but that label went under after the release of True Self. I’ve know Jason Bieler (owner of Bieler Bros. Records) for years and heard some of our demos and wanted to work with us. At most labels, the people try and bleed you dry and make as much money as they can. With this label, I think they really care about the artist and want to nurture that band and make them as big as possible.

AM: Being on the road as much as you have, what advice can you give to newer rock bands starting out?
TK: You’ve really gotta be able to be willing to put everything out on the line. I’ve met so many newer bands out there and one thing I’ve noticed is that these bands sound eager to make it but don’t follow through for a multitude of reasons, whether it be a family issue, girlfriend issue and so on. We’ve had to sacrifice so much over the years to be in this band and to get to the level of success we’ve had. I don’t know how many marriages, weddings and funerals I’ve missed because I have been on tour. But if you love what you do, it’s all worth it.

Soil plays at Harpo’s on Saturday, April 10^th. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.soil-music.com.