Before the show interview with Tim King of SOIL.
PK : You're on the road with a new line-up.
TK : First of all, we lost our old singer and we have a new singer called AJ Cavalier. He's rippin, he's everything we ever wanted in the band. He's an amazing guy. We finally feel like a real band again, rather than four people with someone that really didn't want to do it. Its really great to have him.
PK : What cities did Soil play before coming to the Twin Cities?
TK : We went to Lansing, Grand Rapids, a few Illinois dates and this Minnesota date. We're kinda of doing sporatic little mini tours right now while we're working on a new deal. . . then we will pop into the studio, but until then we want to keep the name out there. Keep the excitement going doing these little mini tours for like 6 or 7 dates at a time in these cool markets that are inviting us out to play. Everything is turning out really well.
PK : Is Soil more popular in some regions over others?
TK : We do really well in the midwest and south. They seem to be are biggest markets. And a good following in the U.K.
PK : For those that don't know, what are your most recent albums?
TK : The most recent album is 'Redefined' and we had one out before that called 'Scars'. They're both on Clive Davis label J Records. We've had the original line-up for eight years until we lost our old singer and got AJ. So, we haven't yet put out a record with the new singer but are looking to do that by the end of the year. The album 'Redefined' has done really well. We toured for a year straight on that and finished up as our singer quite. Two days before we were to play with Damage Plan in Rockford. Unfortunately, it would of been our last chance to play with Dime. We're a little upset about that.
PK : Have Soil played out of the country very often?
TK : We really exploded in the U.K. and have a great fan base out there. We tend to go there alot and do fairly well in Europe as well. The U.K. is kind of a second home for Soil. We do so well there that we try to get there as much as possible. We didn't get there as much as we wanted with the last album for obvious vocalist reasons. Other than that, it's a great market for us. We've done really well in Europe and really well in the States. Now, we've gone around doing these shows and its been insane. It's like, we haven't missed a beat, the fans are embracing AJ like we've never had a singer before him. Its really good to see the fans stick by the band and who we are and what we do. I really feel good about this new line-up and I really feel good about the future. Its all because of the fans. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here now.
PK : So, the new singer AJ has brought a new chemistry to the band.
TK : He's amazing live. He's got a great diverse voice. A great attitude. He's so sick on stage. And, everything about him is everything that we should of gotten in the first place. I think people are actually seeing that while Soil were great before, they are the band that they could of always been right now.
PK : As you look forward with the new singer, what were some of the great shows with the previous singer?
TK : We had alot of magical moments on stage. It was always about, for us, the music. Unfortunately for him it wasn't. But that doesn't mean he didn't deliver the goods. I'll give him one prop, he was an amazing singer. He had an amazing voice. I first discovered him when I heard him on compilation CD of unsigned bands. I came to the rest of the guys and like this is the perfect singer for our new band. His voice was amazing, everything else about him sucked. Thats all I'm going to say about that. I don't want to talk shit. Everyone has things going on in their head and does things for reasons that they feel is right for them. . . . It doesn't matter how big you are, you should always have that fire. Bands that have that fire, that drive are bands that last forever. And now I feel like the band is where it needs to be and in the right place. We now have five fighters in this band. Although, we were able to keep it up for a long time with the old singer, we still lost out on some really good shows. We had a mini tour with Sevendust. We had a festival with Damage Plan. We had a U.K. tour planned and we had to cancell all that when he quit the band. Then we had to fine a new singer, who was actually recommended to us by Wayne and Pat from Damage Plan. Who is AJ's best friend, Pat that is. We had another show with Damage Plan to look forward to and Dime - - the tragedy happened two days before that. A great show cancelled because of something tragic. It hurts, because we did a european tour with Damaged Plan and Drowning Pool and we had the best time. We really got to know Dime for who he was and stuff like that. It's one of those things. Alot of people talk about it and they feel bad about it and it affects them in different ways. It's healthy to talk about things like that - - but at the same time you just kind of want to hold it in. Getting back to Soil in general. We found AJ. It's a great thing. I feel like a band again. When I get on stage I don't have to worry about a time bomb exploding. I just have to look to us dominating the crowd. The fans see it, the crowd sees it. We are going forward like a fully loaded frieght train. We got a new deal in the works. We've got twenty new songs. We'll put the best 12 songs or so on the new album. We'll be back touring with the new album and do it all over again. Stronger and better than ever.
PK : It sounds like everything is coming together great with AJ.
TK : It's pretty amazing how it happened. We only went about two months without a singer before we found AJ. We sent him some songs we've been working on and he responded. Like wow, this guy is amazing, yet he was only like the third person that responded. Should we keep trying out people. We decided we didn't need to hear anyone else. This is our new singer. In some ways we thought maybe we should hold out and see, but in our hearts we knew this was right for the band. We were totally right about it. Its been magical ever since.
TK : Shaun ! Get in on this.
( Shaun Glass walked in as they were getting things together for the show. )
SG : The last time I checked my name is Shaun and I play guitar with Soil. We're from Chicago and we're working on a new album that may be out later this year. Right on.
TK : Quick and to the point.
PK : Personally, what kind of bands influenced you over the years?
TK : My favoride band in the whole world is Motley Crue. I love everything from Godsmack to Slayer to Morbid Angel. Hard rock and metal are my favorides. But, I can also slap on a Madonna CD and enjoy it. With any kind of musical style, I respect the artist for being able to play it well. Hard rock and metal is where I come from, what I do. I can appreciate, understand and learn things from other styles of music.
TK : It looks like we got to get ready for the show. Everyone will have a great time.
PK : Thanks much and have a great show.
In closing, SOIL hit the stage with a captivating performance that brought the crowd in step with their new singer AJ Cavalier. They look primed to hit the metal scene stronger then ever with a heart felt recovery from the departure of former singer Ryan Mccombs in 2004. The SOIL faithful will certainly be looking forward to their new album, videos and tour. Keep your eyes and ears open for more SOIL in the upcoming years.
Coverage by P~Kramer
May 29, 2005 Photos by P~Kramer
PK : You're on the road with a new line-up.
TK : First of all, we lost our old singer and we have a new singer called AJ Cavalier. He's rippin, he's everything we ever wanted in the band. He's an amazing guy. We finally feel like a real band again, rather than four people with someone that really didn't want to do it. Its really great to have him.
PK : What cities did Soil play before coming to the Twin Cities?
TK : We went to Lansing, Grand Rapids, a few Illinois dates and this Minnesota date. We're kinda of doing sporatic little mini tours right now while we're working on a new deal. . . then we will pop into the studio, but until then we want to keep the name out there. Keep the excitement going doing these little mini tours for like 6 or 7 dates at a time in these cool markets that are inviting us out to play. Everything is turning out really well.
PK : Is Soil more popular in some regions over others?
TK : We do really well in the midwest and south. They seem to be are biggest markets. And a good following in the U.K.
PK : For those that don't know, what are your most recent albums?
TK : The most recent album is 'Redefined' and we had one out before that called 'Scars'. They're both on Clive Davis label J Records. We've had the original line-up for eight years until we lost our old singer and got AJ. So, we haven't yet put out a record with the new singer but are looking to do that by the end of the year. The album 'Redefined' has done really well. We toured for a year straight on that and finished up as our singer quite. Two days before we were to play with Damage Plan in Rockford. Unfortunately, it would of been our last chance to play with Dime. We're a little upset about that.
PK : Have Soil played out of the country very often?
TK : We really exploded in the U.K. and have a great fan base out there. We tend to go there alot and do fairly well in Europe as well. The U.K. is kind of a second home for Soil. We do so well there that we try to get there as much as possible. We didn't get there as much as we wanted with the last album for obvious vocalist reasons. Other than that, it's a great market for us. We've done really well in Europe and really well in the States. Now, we've gone around doing these shows and its been insane. It's like, we haven't missed a beat, the fans are embracing AJ like we've never had a singer before him. Its really good to see the fans stick by the band and who we are and what we do. I really feel good about this new line-up and I really feel good about the future. Its all because of the fans. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here now.
PK : So, the new singer AJ has brought a new chemistry to the band.
TK : He's amazing live. He's got a great diverse voice. A great attitude. He's so sick on stage. And, everything about him is everything that we should of gotten in the first place. I think people are actually seeing that while Soil were great before, they are the band that they could of always been right now.
PK : As you look forward with the new singer, what were some of the great shows with the previous singer?
TK : We had alot of magical moments on stage. It was always about, for us, the music. Unfortunately for him it wasn't. But that doesn't mean he didn't deliver the goods. I'll give him one prop, he was an amazing singer. He had an amazing voice. I first discovered him when I heard him on compilation CD of unsigned bands. I came to the rest of the guys and like this is the perfect singer for our new band. His voice was amazing, everything else about him sucked. Thats all I'm going to say about that. I don't want to talk shit. Everyone has things going on in their head and does things for reasons that they feel is right for them. . . . It doesn't matter how big you are, you should always have that fire. Bands that have that fire, that drive are bands that last forever. And now I feel like the band is where it needs to be and in the right place. We now have five fighters in this band. Although, we were able to keep it up for a long time with the old singer, we still lost out on some really good shows. We had a mini tour with Sevendust. We had a festival with Damage Plan. We had a U.K. tour planned and we had to cancell all that when he quit the band. Then we had to fine a new singer, who was actually recommended to us by Wayne and Pat from Damage Plan. Who is AJ's best friend, Pat that is. We had another show with Damage Plan to look forward to and Dime - - the tragedy happened two days before that. A great show cancelled because of something tragic. It hurts, because we did a european tour with Damaged Plan and Drowning Pool and we had the best time. We really got to know Dime for who he was and stuff like that. It's one of those things. Alot of people talk about it and they feel bad about it and it affects them in different ways. It's healthy to talk about things like that - - but at the same time you just kind of want to hold it in. Getting back to Soil in general. We found AJ. It's a great thing. I feel like a band again. When I get on stage I don't have to worry about a time bomb exploding. I just have to look to us dominating the crowd. The fans see it, the crowd sees it. We are going forward like a fully loaded frieght train. We got a new deal in the works. We've got twenty new songs. We'll put the best 12 songs or so on the new album. We'll be back touring with the new album and do it all over again. Stronger and better than ever.
PK : It sounds like everything is coming together great with AJ.
TK : It's pretty amazing how it happened. We only went about two months without a singer before we found AJ. We sent him some songs we've been working on and he responded. Like wow, this guy is amazing, yet he was only like the third person that responded. Should we keep trying out people. We decided we didn't need to hear anyone else. This is our new singer. In some ways we thought maybe we should hold out and see, but in our hearts we knew this was right for the band. We were totally right about it. Its been magical ever since.
TK : Shaun ! Get in on this.
( Shaun Glass walked in as they were getting things together for the show. )
SG : The last time I checked my name is Shaun and I play guitar with Soil. We're from Chicago and we're working on a new album that may be out later this year. Right on.
TK : Quick and to the point.
PK : Personally, what kind of bands influenced you over the years?
TK : My favoride band in the whole world is Motley Crue. I love everything from Godsmack to Slayer to Morbid Angel. Hard rock and metal are my favorides. But, I can also slap on a Madonna CD and enjoy it. With any kind of musical style, I respect the artist for being able to play it well. Hard rock and metal is where I come from, what I do. I can appreciate, understand and learn things from other styles of music.
TK : It looks like we got to get ready for the show. Everyone will have a great time.
PK : Thanks much and have a great show.
In closing, SOIL hit the stage with a captivating performance that brought the crowd in step with their new singer AJ Cavalier. They look primed to hit the metal scene stronger then ever with a heart felt recovery from the departure of former singer Ryan Mccombs in 2004. The SOIL faithful will certainly be looking forward to their new album, videos and tour. Keep your eyes and ears open for more SOIL in the upcoming years.
May 29, 2005 Photos by P~Kramer
