SOiL Bassist Tim King Talks About Touring, “Whole” and Return of Lead Singer Ryan McCombs
From their earliest beginnings in Chicago, the band SOiL have had a pretty strong work ethic, moreso than plenty of bands in their position and now both they and their fans are enjoying the buzz around their latest (and possibly best) album, “Whole”. It’s obvious upon listening to the album that putting together a kickass start- to- finish long player was clearly a priority for their first release of new music with original singer Ryan McCombs back in the band. It all makes for a good resurgence story as the band once again heads back out on the road, a place where they’ve earned so much of their reputation since their late 90s inception. I spoke with band co-founder and bassist Tim King about everything going on, read on….
Legendary Rock Interviews: You’ve been through this new album and new touring cycle before but even aside from Ryan (McCombs, vocalist) coming back this is a little different for you isn’t it?
Tim King: Yeah it is, it’s good though, first of all because the record is selling better than expected but it is different because we are doing so much of the work on our own. The album was fully funded on our own pretty much so it’s been absolutely crazy all the different phone calls and emails and all of that stuff that goes along with it. We can’t complain though, they are definitely all “good problems” to have!
LRI: The reviews have been pretty positive and there are actually a lot of people that are just finding out about the band from this record or from the single on radio, is that pretty cool to you?
Tim: I think that’s awesome. We’ve been a band and have been around for so long that it’s actually kind of cool and you can really appreciate it when you see people discovering us for the first time. You see kids of people who were fans of us from the beginning coming out and experiencing the band live for the first time, it’s really pretty awesome.
LRI: You’ve handled plenty of questions about Ryan coming back to the band but the fact of the matter is he has been back for a while now. Do you think that the touring you’ve done and the subsequent DVD release laid the groundwork for this album and also gave you the freedom to breathe and come up with material for “Whole”?
Tim: To some extent, yes. We really took our time with this record, we definitely worked on it at our own pace and it was really the right time to put out the record with Ryan coming back; it definitely felt like an amazing time for the band to be working on this album. Adam (Zadel, guitarist) and I are more excited about the band than we have been in a long time and the reception thus far has been so great that it’s just been a pleasure to not only get the feedback we’re getting but also to see the sales follow through. It’s been all good from the fans and the critics and it’s definitely been a case of so far so good so I’m knockin on a lot of wood right now.
LRI: The video you guys made for “Shine On” is great, where was that shot at?
Tim: It was actually shot in Orlando, Florida. It was cool to go back to Orlando to shoot and edit that because Orlando has been very good to the band, a radio station called WJRR was the first to really jump on (SOiL’s hit single) “Halo”. They started playing the demo version of “Halo” and it literally just blew up and we had a major label bidding war between a bunch of different labels. So to go back to Orlando, where it all started, to work on “Shine On” with Ryan back in the band, we just felt reinvigorated and refreshed in every way. It was a very memorable shoot and and very special, it was a cool thing for us to be able to do for sure….
LRI: I’m glad you mentioned “Halo” and your initial burst on the scene because I’ve talked to bands who have had similar exposure and speak of it in either really positive or really negative terms in terms of the pressure to follow up. Did you find that having that kind of radio hit opened a lot of doors for you and was mostly a major positive in your career?
Tim: Yes, most definitely. When you’re a band who has been at it as long as we have and worked at it for so long you just kind of learn to roll with the punches and appreciate what you have so having that kind of reception to “Halo” was just an awesome thing. It definitely opened a lot of doors and was an overwhelmingly positive thing for us for sure. No matter what we do, that song and that album will still mean the world to us.
LRI: Ryan’s performance and lyrics are absolutely a high point to this album but a lot of the riffs on the record are almost as hummable or memorable as any of the vocal melodies.
Tim: Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. For whatever reason or another, any song we write always starts with a riff. Then the vocals and lyrics are put to it and it moves from there. Usually it starts from a riff that Adam or I have or sometimes Adam will bring in a full song and we’ll put it together or add things from there, sometimes Ryan will be in the room, sometimes he won’t but when the song feels more complete Ryan will take it and work on lyrics and vocals. If he has any ideas or changes we could make we will alter or work on that until we have a basic skeleton for the song. Then we go through the demo process of recording a framework for it and then we send it to the producer and having them pick it apart and add their suggestions before we record it for real. That was our experience this time around and it was amazing recording with our producer Ulrich Wild (Pantera, Dethklok) in Los Angeles at Wilderness Studios.
LRI: You guys are no stranger to the road and play tons of gigs every year, was much of the material that became “Whole” born on the road?
Tim: That’s definitely been the case in the past with us, a lot of times when we’d be out on the road touring a record and set to go in to do another record we would write at rehearsal or things like that on an off day but this time around we had a bit more luxury to write and demo at home for “Whole” so it was a little different this time around. As much as it’s a creative process in the studio, I really love being on the road and we are playing as many shows as possible, we’re hitting Europe and Australia hard as well as the United States obviously.
LRI: You guys are an Illinois band so when you play a gig here it is always an event. Is that an added comfort or is there sometimes a little more legwork involved with local shows?
Tim: It’s really not any additional comfort, actually hometown shows are probably the most pain in the ass shows you’ll ever find because all of your family and friends wanting to be put on the guest list and wanting to make extra time to hang out and party and all that when you’re up there really just trying to do your job. It’s awesome to have everyone out but that kind of additional stuff’s not happening quite as much in Pittsburgh or Austin (laughs).
Nov 21, 2013 South Barrington, IL
Thursday
Penny Road Pub
545 Penny Rd.
(847) 428-0562
With Elephants and Emperors
Nov 22, 2013 Lincoln, NE
Friday
Knickerbockers
901 O St
(402) 476-6865
Fear Factory
with support from Dead Echoes
A Different Breed
Ages: 18+
Nov 24, 2013 Salt Lake City, UT
Sunday
8:00 PM
Lo-Fi
123 S West Temple
801-949-6324
Ages: 21+
Nov 26, 2013 Reno, NV
Tuesday
8:00 PM
The Knitting Factory
211 N. Virginia Avenue
775-323-5648
All That Remains
Emperors and Elephants
All ages
Nov 27, 2013 Boise, ID Tickets
Wednesday
Knitting Factory Concert House
416 S 9th St.
208-367-1212
With All that Remains
Nov 29, 2013 Spokane, WA
Friday
Knitting Factory Concert House – Spokane
919 W. Sprague Ave.
509.244.3279
With All that Remains
Motionless in White
Nov 30, 2013 Missoula, MT
Saturday
Wilma Theater
131 South Higgins Avenue
406-728-2521
All that Remains
Motionless in White
Dec 1, 2013 Billings, MT
Sunday
The Railyard
2526 Montana Avenue
406-867-2337
Dec 2, 2013 Denver, CO
Monday
The Summit Music Hall
1902 Blake St.
All that Remains
Motionless in White
Dec 3, 2013 Merriam, KS
Tuesday
Aftershock
5240 Merriam Drive
913 384 646
Dec 4, 2013 Rockford, IL
Wednesday
District Bar and Grill
Dec 5, 2013 Ashwaubenon, WI
Thursday
Green Bay Distillery
835 Potts Avenue
920) 393-4403
All that Remains
Motionless in White
Dec 6, 2013 Pontiac, MI Tickets
Friday
The Crofoot
1 S Saginaw St.
313-685-4011
All That Remains
Motionless in White
All ages ..Doors open 7.00pm
Dec 7, 2013 Joliet, IL Tickets
Saturday
Mojoe’s
22 W. Cass St.
All that Remains
Motionless in White
Dec 10, 2013 Charleston, SC
Tuesday
The Music Farm
32 C Ann Street
843-722-8904
All that Remains
Motionless in White
Dec 11, 2013 Johnson City, TN
Wednesday
Capone’s
227 East Main Street
423-928-2295
All That Remain
Motionless in White
All ages
Doors open 7.00pm
Dec 12, 2013 Beckley, VA
Thursday
7:00 PM
SOiL
Muncheez
2825 Harper Road
+1 681-238-5832
Ages: All Ages
Dec 13, 2013 Clifton, NJ
Friday
Dingbatz
620 Van Houten Ave
(973) 471-1145
Dec 14, 2013 Syracuse, NY Tickets
Saturday
6:00 PM
95X NIGHTMARE BEFORE X-MAS featuring ALL THAT REMAINS and SOiL
The Westcott Theater
524 Westcott St
(315) 299 – 8886
Ages: All Ages
Dec 15, 2013 Clifton Park, NY Tickets
Sunday
Upstate Concert Hall
1208 Rte. 146 N Country Common
518-371-0012
All That Remains
Local Bands
Under 16 to be accompanied by an adult
Doors open 7.00pm
Jan 22, 2014 Norwich, United Kingdom Tickets
Wednesday
UEA
Union House
Off Bluebell Road
With Skindred & Viza
Ages 14+
Jan 23, 2014 Southampton, United Kingdom
Thursday
Mo Club
W Quay Road
With Skindred & Viza
Ages 14+
Jan 24, 2014 Nottingham, Notts United Kingdom Tickets
Friday
Rock City
8 Talbot Street
0871 310 0000
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 25, 2014 Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Saturday
Wulfrun Hall
North Street
01902 552122
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 26, 2014 Middlesborough, United Kingdom
Sunday
Middlesborough Empire
Corporation Road
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 27, 2014 Glasgow, United Kingdom
Monday
o2 ABC
330 Sauchieall Street
0141 332 2232
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 29, 2014 Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom Tickets
Wednesday
The Leadmill
6 Leadmill Road
Sheffield
0114 221 2828
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 30, 2014 Bristol, United Kingdom
Thursday
o2 Academy
Frogmore Street
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Jan 31, 2014 Cambridge, United Kingdom Tickets
Friday
The Junction
Clifton Way
+44 (0) 1223 511 511
With Skindred & VIZA
Ages 14+
Feb 1, 2014 London, United Kingdom
Saturday
The Forum
9-17 Highgate Road
Kentish Town
With Skindred & VIZA
All ages
Feb 2, 2014 Manchester, United Kingdom
Sunday
Manchester Academy
Manchester University Union
Oxford Road
With Skindred & VIZA
All ages
Feb 4, 2014 Bochum, Germany
Tuesday
Zeche
Prinz-Regent-Straße 50-60
+49 234 72003
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 5, 2014 Leipzig, Germany
Wednesday
Conee Island
Koburger Straße 3
+49 341 3013038
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 6, 2014 Prague, Czech Republic
Thursday
Lucerna Music Bar
Vodičkova 704/36
+420 224 217 108
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 7, 2014 Dornbirn, Austria
Friday
Condrad Sohm
Boden 1
+43 5572 35433
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 8, 2014 Lyss, Switzerland
Saturday
Kulturfabrik (Kufa Lyss)
Werdtstrasse 17
+41 32 384 79 40
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 10, 2014 München, Bay Germany Tickets
Monday
Backstage Club
Reitknechtstr. 6
+49 89 1266100
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 11, 2014 Vienna, Austria Tickets
Tuesday
Szene Wien
Hauffgasse 26
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 12, 2014 Schwabisch Hall, Germany
Wednesday
Kantine 26
Alfred-Leikam, Strasse 7
+49 7954 926900
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 13, 2014 Wiesbaden, Germany
Thursday
Schlachthof
Murnaustrasse 1
+49 611 974450
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 14, 2014 Saarbrucken, Germany
Friday
The Garage
Bleichstraße 11
+49 681 989143
with Skindred & Maplerun
Feb 15, 2014 Herford, Germany
Saturday
X-Herford
Bünder Straße 82
+49 5221 2751110
with Skindred & Maplerun
Category: Interviews
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