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Soular

Soular
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Interview With Marsh from Soular By Chris 23/8/05

Soular are a very good band in America.
If there is any band you must check out it is Soular
Their album Time and Space is one of the best I have heard
Plus all the attention they are getting is so deserved
So read on and check out their music

Soular Website

1. How has the response been to the last album?

we are very pleased and humbled at the response to Time & Space. I think it much more clearly defines SOULAR as a group. We are very overwhelmed with the responses we have received so far.

2. How did you go about making the album?

We went away for a few weeks to Oregon City, OR and just took a bunch of songs and ideas and decided to go in with no preconcieved notions. We really were careful about the songs we picked, making sure we could perform them with authenticity and were passionate about them. This is really the first band record we have made. The first record we did was sort of "hodge-podge" and our drummer, Ian, was only on half of the tracks. He literally drove in, learned the songs, and laid down his parts. This was a MUCH better experience.

3. How has recording process been different to the last album?

In the recording of this record, the whole process felt much more real and inspiring. I think a big part of it was being away from our hometown. The views were inspiring around us and we felt like we were literally in another world. It was truly a spiritual experience making this record. It was our therapy, which is what songs really are for us.

4. Has it been different since the last album?

Things seem to be at a new level all around. We are pleased with the college radio charting we have seen in recent months. It was a surreal thing to see yourselves ahead of bands you love and respect, especially on the US College charts where there are real music fans listening and programming, unlike a lot of todays commercial stations.

5. Is it hard to be an indepedent artist in America?

It is actually a wonderful time to be an independent artist in the states. There are more and more brilliant bands who are independent. The great thing about it is that you are in control. If you sit around and do nothing, then its all on you, but if you work hard at your craft and get the right people around you, success will happen if you are persistent. For us it is all about growth and connecting with our audience. INdie is a cool thing here in the states.

6. Have you had much responce from labels since the album came out?

We are very pleased with the labels that have been and are interested in our band. I think anytime you are doing better than bands that labels have invested millions into, they come knocking. Plus, i think if you have a good record, they wonder why you didn't need them. I hate when bands "name drop" labels that have shown interest in them. For us, we will go about our business as if we will always be independent. If it is the right deal for us, we would consider it, but losing control of our identity is NOT something we will do. We have surrounded ourselves with people that believe in us and that we trust. We won't put people on our team just because they know "so and so" or wave a bunch of cash in front of us.

7. Who has helped you out the most?

Probably our families. There are so many amazing people we have met and that have been a big part of our career and art moving forward and improving. Without our families, though, we couldn't be doing this as a career. We couldn't tour or record, or anything. We would probably all be doing some mindless desk job and hating life.

8. What has been your favourite gig you have played?

This is a tough question because there have been many shows where there was that mystical "connection" with each other and the audience. The best show to date has probably been our show in Albuquerque at the Lobo Theater. It was just a night where everything felt good. Sound, video, the crowd, etc. There is something amazing about playing live, it is what we write songs for, to share them. And to rock!

9. How did you get into music in the first place?

listening to the beatles and wanting to be them! I used to lie to friends and tell them i was really sinnging mccartney's vocal parts. We are all music fans. I think that has a lot to do with the environment you grow up in and the people you hang out with. We all come from backgrounds where we were exposed to music and have all wanted to be in rock bands since we were little tots. We have a recording somewhere of Ian playing Stairway to Heaven. We will release it someday on the internet....

10. What's your view on filesharing and the MP3 format?

I think mp3s are cool and we are actually about filesharing. It happens anyways and all it has done is actually peak peoples interest in music and the arts. The more music that is out there, the more people will go after the good stuff and get sick of spoon fed POP. When I burn a disc I almost always buy it too, and usually load it on to i-tunes too or buy it again there. I think the internet and filesharing is great for music. It also forces bands to care about their artwork on ther recordings. They have to mean something too.

11. Do you think the Internet has helped you in getting your music out there?

The internet has definitely helped us in getting fans. We wouldn't be talking right now without the internet. It is an amazing promotional tour. Combine internet marketing and presence with touring and if you have good stuff, you will go far!

12. What is your view on realty tv and more importantly the talent shows like Idol and so on?

American Idol and similar programs around the world are merely continuing this computerized and plastic music industry that reflect the shallowness of modern pop culture. Although, I will admit, it is entertaining to watch a bunch of people with no talent think they are the next Ray Charles or something, overall it just exposes people to bad art. I believe if you can expose people to good stuff, they will always see junk food coming a mile away. It may taste ok for a second, but when you need sustinance, you have to have the real thing. That's why I believe things WILL change and are already changing in the music industry. Idol has always been around in one form or another throut history.

13. If you could play on The Simpsons where would it be?

I would most definitely want to be Bart.

14. Have you much interest from overseas labels?

Yes we have done some chatting with labels from the UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.

15. Have you had responce from people overseas?

A bit. We will tour there hopefully sooner rather than later. Looking at late Fall or Spring of 2006.

16. What are some of your favourite movies?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Young Frankestein, Lost In Translation, Kiss of the Dragon, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Goonies

17. What movies have you seen recently that you really enjoyed?

Layer Cake, Broken Flowers

Thanks for your time any last words

We are so thankful to be doing the thing we love to do. Make music. Thanks for supporting artists like us...