History of the Band

Ed Roland -- vocals, keyboards, guitars
Ross Childress -- lead and rhythm guitars Dean Roland -- rhythm guitars
Will Turpin -- bass, percussion
Shane Evans -- drums, percussion

No, not the Shack -- don't make us go back to the Shack!"

From the moment they began writing what would become their fourth Atlantic album, it was clear Collective Soul would not be returning to the remote cabin that served as the makeshift studio home to 1997's "DISCIPLINED BREAKDOWN." In comparison, the now infamous Shack made Big Pink look like Graceland. Furthermore, those sessions -- staged just a few miles from the group's Stockbridge, Georgia stomping grounds -- occurred during a difficult time in Collective Soul history. It was a period that prompted the guys to circle the proverbial wagons against an epic legal crisis -- if only to await the arrival of the cavalry.

"The conditions for recording just sucked," says a reflective Ed Roland, the group's singer/guitarist and chief songwriter. "On top of that, we were going through so much with band business. This time we wanted to do it right. We wanted to go to the other extreme and go to a great studio. We wanted some happy face going on." With that in mind, the quintet gathered at Miami's Criteria Studios -- beginning what would turn into an intensive six months of recording marked by a renewed sprit for writing. As their creative and technical powers pushed to new heights, the band eagerly explored and experimented -- witnessing numerous sunrises in the process.

"It was really a matter of our willingness to take chances, to see what happy accidents might occur... or ugly accidents," says Ed before taking on a decidedly Yoda tone. "There was no right or wrong -- just try."

From the dynamic ELO-inspired sounds of "Tremble For My Beloved" to the thoughtful piano-and-guitar interplay of "No More, No Less" and the utterly cinematic "Crown," the Ed Roland-produced "DOSAGE" reveals a band flush with the confidence to reveal all aspects of their musical character. At the same time, Collective Soul remain steadfast in their commitment to rock and passion for the sound of electric guitars.

"When we started the record, the first thing everybody said was how we wanted songs with big guitars, " says guitarist Ross Childress. "That's why we were so thrilled to have Tom Lord-Alge do the mix. Tom understands rock, he understands guitars. I don't know what he does, he just does it well."

During the course of their marathon recording (completed at Tree Studios in Atlanta), each member of Collective Soul took free reign in contributing to the proceedings in any and every way. "That was the cool thing about this record," says guitarist Dean Roland. "Nobody was confined to their instruments. I mean, we recorded songs with Will on vibes -- which is what he majored in at college. Shane played a lot of percussion and did the loops and even played bass on one song. Will played a lot of percussion, too.

"I'm not a keyboard player but it was kind of fun to pretend like I was," adds Ed. "We're so fortunate that the band is able to change things up to that degree. Each time that happens it adds anther dimension to the group." The ethic extended to the writing process as well, evidenced by the Childress-penned "Dandy Life." For Collective Soul, it is the first time someone other than Ed has stepped out to record a lead vocal. "In the end, I wish I'd have written that song," says Ed. "It's a great pop tune. So I'm really proud of him and excited that we did it.

Continuing the album's series of firsts, "Slow" is unique as the first Collective Soul song co-written by the Roland brothers.

"People ask me now, 'How can you sing someone else's words?' Well, he's my brother," explains Ed. "I understand exactly where he's coming from because, basically, we live with each other. I know he's of his own mind, but our surroundings are the same."

As the band looks forward to the arrival of "DOSAGE," the album's "Run" track is making early introductions through its inclusion on the soundtrack to Varsity Blues, the MTV-produced motion picture starring Dawson Creek's James Van Der Beek and Jon Voight. The dynamic, stirring song also serves as an effective road map to the origins of Collective Soul.

"Lyrically, 'Run' is a tribute to the artists that inspired me to even want to be a musician -- they're the same ones that inspire me now," explains Ed. "It's about trying to get back to what has inspired me. The song is a tribute to Elton and Bernie and Jeff Lynne, and, of course, the Beatles. If it wasn't for them, y'know, I don't know what would have happened with music. It's hard to tell. They are the history of rock."

* * * * *

It's been some five years since Collective Soul climbed from their hometown rehearsal cellar to watch their first Atlantic release, 1994's "HINTS ALLEGATIONS AND THINGS LEFT UNSAID," begin its exhilarating ride. The year had started out unceremoniously: Ed was still working at the local Reel To Reel recording studio; Dean and bassist Will Turpin were taking classes at Georgia State University; Ross was pulling shifts at the RevCo pharmacy; and drummer Shane Evans was winding out his unemployment since the lay-offs at nearby Fort Gilliam ended his maintenance job.

As "HINTS..." took off, the group took to the stage before the mud-soaked throngs and MTV cameras at Woodstock '94 and played a marathon string of arena concerts with Aerosmith. "Our heads were spinning," says Childress. "It was all so surreal we could hardly absorb what was going on." The group's first single, "Shine," earned RIAA gold and was named Billboard's #1 Hot Album Rock Track of 1994, while winning the Billboard Music Award for "Album Rock Song of the Year." Looking back, what initially rang as a runaway, out-of-the-box success was the sound of a band merely gearing up to reach its true potential.

"We're grateful for what 'HINTS...' did," says Ed of what was essentially his songwriting demo. "We were very shocked. I'd been hoping to sell just enough to be able to make a real Collective Soul album."

Following "HINTS..." and the unanticipated year in the spotlight, the group was finally able to hit the studio to polish off their first fully realized band effort -- a bracing collection of guitar-driven tracks. To underscore its "debut" status, they titled the 1995 set simply "COLLECTIVE SOUL." Accolades and airplay accompanied the album on what would become a 76-week run on the Billboard 200.

"Collective Soul makes every note count," declared a Musician cover story. "'Deceptively simple' is a dreadful cliche, but the music truly is simple riff-based rock, and it's deceptive because the songs are so catchy and the arrangements are clever. All of them."

Early that year, Collective Soul embarked on an eight-week sold-out opening stint on Van Halen's U.S. arena tour. The group then directed the conviction and energized performance honed during opening-slot gigs to their headlining tour. "It was our stage," says Ed. "It was like having your own car, as opposed to borrowing your parents all the time... anything goes." Their summer-long U.S. tour, which was nominated for Pollstar's "Club Tour of the Year" award, was followed by a month-long headlining tour of Europe.

From the concert stage to the television studio, the band brought their enthusiasm before the cameras for multiple appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Fans began tracing the bands movements through a newly launched set of internet websites, among them the "Csoul.com" fan site.

Along with their other '95 highlights was the chance to contribute a track to "WORKING CLASS HERO: A TRIBUTE TO JOHN LENNON" ("Jealous Guy"). "We were very proud to be asked to be a part of that album," says Ed, one of the group's five Beatles devotees. "The hardest thing about it was settling on just one song to record." A remarkable year was capped off when "COLLECTIVE SOUL"'s "December" single was named Billboard's #1 Hot Album Rock Track of 1995 and won the Billboard Music Award for "Album Rock Song of the Year" -- giving Collective Soul the distinction of being the only band to earn the award two years in a row. "December" went on to set a rock radio record with nine weeks at #1. The band also topped the rock chart with "Where The River Flows" and "The World I Know" (also an alternative & adult alternative #1).

After earning RIAA platinum with "HINTS...," the band would go one better in January of 1996, with the double platinum certification of the self-titled second album. By September, seemingly in response to the subsequent double platinum achievement of "HINTS...," "COLLECTIVE SOUL" surpassed the triple platinum mark.

In the fall of 1996, Collective Soul set up shop in a glorified shack deep within the kudzu-blanketed woods of their Stockbridge, Georgia hometown. After seemingly endless months on the road in support of their self-titled second album, the quintet was looking forward to writing new songs and scratching out some demos. The well-sequestered cabin proved the perfect setting.

With an open-ended schedule, the band turned the kitchen into a performance space and began what they expected was pre-production on what would become their third Atlantic album. Before they realized, they'd cut 20 songs. With one more creative outburst and some help from venerable The Memphis Horns, final touches on were completed at the House of Blues studios in Memphis.

Released in 1997 the resulting "DISCIPLINED BREAKDOWN," earned RIAA gold while revealing an ever-expanding songcraft and range of expression. Throughout that year, the band made return appearances on both The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With Conan O'Brien, launched a major headlining tour of North America (which included a high-profile performance at the Blockbuster RockFest at the Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth), and twice climbed back to the #1 position on the nation's rock charts -- with "Precious Declaration," the album's first single, followed by "Listen."

In contemplating the band's history, what's become particularly noteworthy is Collective Soul's ascendancy onto a rarefied list of '90s-era bands with four albums to their credit. "It seems like the times just don't allow that -- with everything being so oriented to the hit song these days," says Ed. "That's something I'm very proud of. We actually have a catalog -- and even better, we've done it with no changes in membership."

* * * * *

The Roland brothers grew up in a music-filled, but strict, household where listening to the radio was closely monitored. As a kid, Ed heard little rock 'n' roll other than that of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. For their father, a Southern Baptist minister, pop and rock music had no place in the Roland household -- at first, that is. "The brunt of those restrictions were on Ed because he was the oldest," remembers Will. "By the time Dean was a bit older, he could listen to pretty much anything he wanted. Sure, there were certain records Mr. Roland didn't want in the house, but he could play those at one of our houses. It was never a problem."

At age 13, Ed encountered "ELTON JOHN'S GREATEST HITS" -- it was the album that convinced him he'd become a songwriter. "Elton really introduced me to rock 'n' roll," says Ed. "I remember seeing him when I was young and thinking, 'Wow, that's what it's all about.' He was jumping around and having a blast. I love that. As far as rock 'n' roll goes, I guess I'm an old fashioned kind of guy."

Ed took his growing passion for music from Stockbridge to Boston, where he studied guitar at the Berklee College of Music. After a year, he returned home to begin work at the Reel To Reel recording studio, owned by Will's father. During more than eight years there -- much spent as the facility's head engineer -- Ed earned his technical know-how working behind the boards on demo projects with an continuing stream of regional rock bands. With his unlimited access to the studio, Ed also spent long hours cutting the catalog of songs he was writing on piano and guitar -- the one-and-two-take recordings that would eventually become "HINTS..." Nine years younger than Ed, Dean didn't take up the guitar until he was 19. "When the inspiration hit, it hit hard," says Dean, who had never played in a band prior to his joining Collective Soul in early 1993. "Playing guitar was all I wanted to do. Being in Collective Soul was part of that excitement."

For Ed and Dean, their blood relationship isn't vastly different from the one that bonds the band as a whole. "We're all that tight," says Dean. "As a kid, I was at Will's house as much as I was at my own. And Shane and Will have been best friends forever and Ross hung out at the Turpin's all the time because he lived right across the street. We've been connected that way for as long as I can remember."

Will first met the Roland brothers at the local Baptist church, where he was part of Mr. Roland's choir. His relationship with Ross goes back to Cub Scouts and Little League. He and Shane played together in the marching band drum line for three years. "It's kind of funny how our growing up together has made it so we even think alike," says Will laughing. "There are times we'll all show up to dinner wearing the same shirt. We're individuals but we communicate on this weird unspoken level. Musically, it makes for the ideal situation. Our strength is our chemistry."

In high school, Ross, Shane, and Will were constantly in and out of bands with each other. "We'd play some of our own songs and covers from bands like REM and U2," says Will. "But we also spent a lot of time listening to Van Halen and Led Zeppelin and watching Rush videos."

After graduation, Will began pursuing percussion studies -- primarily on marimba and timpani -- at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Though not an official member of the group until early 1994, he'd often join the band on stage as a backing vocalist or add percussion tracks to songs Ed was working on at Reel To Reel. The day he joined Collective Soul, he went out and bought his first bass. "It made real good sense because Shane and I knew how to lock in rhythmically from our snare drum days in marching band. I watched him learn almost everything he knows."

Shane, in contrast, started his musical pursuits when he was ten-years-old and got a bass guitar for Christmas. Though a concert band drummer throughout middle school and high school, he was always being recruited by friends to play bass in various basement bands. In 1989, when the opportunity arose to play drums with Ed in his pre-Collective outfit, Marching Two-Step, he grabbed it.

Ross began playing guitar at nine when his parents got him an acoustic guitar. By junior high he was playing electric guitar and music had become an obsession. "I spent so much money on records that my dad was worried about me," says Ross, who was listening to everything from Ozzy Osbourne to Run DMC. After high school, he played with a number of rock bands -- including one that, in 1991, opened a show in Atlanta for Marching Two-Step. Within a week, Ross was the newest member of the band that would soon become Collective Soul.

As much as things have changed since those early days, one thing remains constant: the band's enthusiasm for the music and their dedication to finding new creative modes. It is precisely that quality that drove Collective Soul enlarge to scope of their performance and writing roles.

"For the next record I think we'll even expand that more to where you'll see Shane and Will singing and writing," says Ed. "I mean, all the Beatles got to sing their songs. They're the ones that wrote the rulebook on rock 'n roll, which is that there are no rules."

Biography courtesy of Atlantic Records

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