Ed Roland has never believed in taking it easy. Collective Soul’s charismatic 34 year-old frontman is a firm supporter of the work-until-you-drop philosophy of rock and roll craftsmanship. Perhaps that’s what happens when you put nearly a decade of struggle into your career before you finally hit it big. Sometimes it seems as if Ed and bandmates Dean Roland, Will Turpin, Ross Childress, and Shane Evans would rather be living out of a hotel-bound suitcase or taking a nap on a slightly-too-small tour bus bunk then resting comfortably in homes their three consecutive million-selling albums could easily provide. Even at a time when the band should be taking a much-deserved break - after they’ve completed their most recent world tour in support of their latest disc, Disciplined Breakdown, these Georgia-based rockers keep rockin’ along at a feverish pace.

Most recently, Ed and his boys have been heard contributing the song She Said to one of the year’s top-grossing movies, Scream 2. In the four months that have now passed since that flick premiered late last year, over 15 million U.S. have plunked down their hard-earned money to see the second installment in Wes Craven’s horror series- with a million more going out of their way to purchase the movie’s soundtrack album. That disc, which of course features the aforementioned She Said, also presents an array variety of new tracks by a variety of other chart-topping rockers. But with Collective Soul’s dark ditty about the ravages of alcoholism garnering the lion’s share of attention (it was, after all, the lead single and first video from the Scream 2soundtrack) Roland and his gang find themselves once again riding a cresting wave of popularity.

“It was kind of pure, blind luck that She Said works so well in the movie,” Ed said. “Actually, that song was written a few years ago, long before Wes Craven ever approached us about contributing to the movie soundtrack. It fits the story line behind the main character, but the lyrics are really about my own life. At the time I wrote the song I was basically trying to deal with my mom and her childhood, growing up with my grandfather being an alcoholic. And for a while it seemed like every girl I dated had a father who was an alcoholic. So the song is kind of like watching what’s going on, experiencing how they dealt with life and difficult times. But the song is definitely not about belittling men, women, or anyone who has problems. We all have our problems.”

She Said has already emerged as one of Collective Soul’s most popular tunes, joining such past chart-toppers as December, Gel, and Listen in the bands ever-growing hit parade. But in sharp contrast to the hard rocking edge possessed by many of the group’s earlier smashes, their current offering features a surprisingly lush array of backing string instruments which serve to add an orchestral flavor to the proceedings. Working on She Said with noted arranger and string conductor Paul Buckmaster (best known for his contributions to Elton John’s early albums), Collective Soul managed to expand upon their trademark sound while sacrificing little of their rock and roll vitality. While Roland admits his approach to She Said is quite different than anything utilized on C.S.’s previous studio work, he also quickly admits that he’s thrilled by the results.

“Working with someone like Paul is a dream-come-true for me,” he said. “He’s my hero as far as string arrangements go. I don’t think anyone has ever surpassed the work he did on those Elton John albums, which was very influential on me- and on rock and roll in general. She Said is a very emotional song, and the one thing that strings unquestionable add is emotion. That’s what strings are about, as far as I’m concerned. They have a very three-dimensional sound.”

One might think that four years or virtually non-stop work, culminating with the release of She Said, would have been enough to slow down any band-at least for a while. But when the in question is Collective Soul, the concept of taking any sort of extended vacation away from music is an idea that simply does don compute. Already the band has gathered in an Atlanta-area recording studio to begin laying down the tracks for their next disc, one which Ed hopes will be out by summer’s end. While he says he remains enamored with the idea of exploring new musical horizons (as was the case with She Said), he realizes that the band’s loyal legion of fans maintain certain expectations for Collective Soul, and the band is not about to let any of them down.

“Some of the material we’re writing follows in the same familiar vein as a lot of the stuff we’ve done before,” Ed explained. “the songs remain pop-oriented, for lack of a better way of describing them. We like melodic songs, but we’re experimenting a bit more with some non-tradional sounds. We’ve already moved in that direction a bit last time. Disciplined Breakdown featured Ross playing ensemble of E-Bow parts on half of the album’s songs. It added a whole other element to what we were doing, and we definitely want to keep going in that direction- we want to keep opening new doors.”

Whatever Collective Soul’s formula for success may be, there is no question that it certainly is working. With sales for the band’s three previous albums- Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, Collective Soul, and Disciplined Breakdown- now enjoying combined sales of more than seven million copies, and the C.S. gang gaining headlining tour status virtually everywhere around the world, it would seem as if life couldn’t get any better for these wild-eyed Southern boys. Roland, however, was anxious to explain that despite all the superficial trappings of stardom that now surround the band, it is still often life’s darker side that provides the best stimulus for songwriting.

“I’ve always been an observer,” he said. “I Like to place myself in a position where I can observe what’s going on in life and then write about it. A lot of the things I write about it. A lot of the things I write about have happened to me, but others- as was the case with She Said- are things I’ve seen going on around me. You can’t afford to get too caught up in your own world. If you do that, you run the risk of missing out on what’s truly important.”