Soil Still Rocking a 'Labor of Love' After All These Years

Posted on Feb 25th 2010 10:00PM by Amy Sciarretto Comments

Chicago hard rockers Soil have been around for over a decade, despite departures by longtime guitarist Shaun Glass and vocalist Ryan McCombs, who now fronts Drowning Pool. The band has enjoyed a modicum of radio success but has never let record label changes and rock's hard knocks get them down.

"It's a passion and a labor of love, but I must admit sometimes it really pisses us off," bassist Tim King told Noisecreep. "On one end, I wish we would have been one of those bands that sold 20 million records. But then you have to remember just how lucky we are to still be here after all these years and to make music and tour the world. You always want more, but we've been fortunate to make it as far as we have."

King also said that the band's fans are the true battery powering the Soil machine. "They have stuck by us through thick and thin," he said. "I like to think we are the real deal and live our music. People feel and see that, and it makes them feel part of something special as well." Changing labels several times, though, doesn't weigh on King's mind, though. It actually helps propel the band. "It's like gambling in Vegas," he theorized. "You can just put $5 down on black and win the jackpot. It's that 'thrill' that keeps us doing all this over and over despite the obstacles and ups and downs."

The band's latest, 'Picture Perfect,' is out now via Bieler Bros., and the band took its sweet time working on it. "It's the longest we've ever spent on writing and recording a record," King said. "Nearly two years. It gave us a chance to explore so much more musically and personally. There is a ton of emotion and musical experimentation on this album. Since me and [guitarist] Adam [Zadel] were the only ones on the strings this time around, we were able to bounce a lot more riffs back and forth. I actually enjoyed writing this album way more than any other album by far."

King also said that the live show is where things come alive for Soil. He said the band "plays each show like it's our last. You have to give 100 percent every time or there's no sense in stepping foot onstage at all. Of course you have your 'off' nights, but usually the only ones who notice an off night is ourselves. Usually, the crowd praises us on the nights we think we suck."

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