the future

Sometime to Return · Post by **Sometime to Return** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:40 am

We are in March and Soul Asylum only has four shows schedule this year. I am not sure about econonimcs each band member; but I think that with only four shows scheduled, it would be hard to pay the bills. Although; It's still better than "getting a real job."

This made me think; what are the bands plans and where do they go from here? I can only guess that Dave/ Dan are in their mid 40's give or take a year and I have no idea how old Micheal and George are. Do the four shows mean they are winding down? It's been almost two years since "TSL;" is there another cd/ new music on it's way?

Also; I thought I read a post that said they don't have a record label anymore. Is that true? Does anyone know how many units of "TSL" were sold?

Sorry for the plethora of questions; but I thought this was the place to go.

sheryl · Post by **sheryl** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:46 am

They always schedule shows slowly. I'm sure there will be more added, but I don't think that touring as Soul Asylum is in any way the primary means that any of them are paying the bills. I don't think Soul Asylum as an entity is really any kind of primary mean of income. It probably hasn't been for a long long time. I don't know what all they do for income really, but I do know that Dave's been producing other peoples records, playing on other peoples records, and co-owns a business down here in New Orleans.

Post by **Homesick** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:37 pm

As for The Silver Lining, I know that it peaked at #155 on the Billboard 200, but I don't think there's any easy way of finding out how many CDs were sold.

I definitely hope that they'll decide to record another album because TSL really shows just how skilled they are, but I know nowhere near enough about their situation to know whether this is plausible or not. If I recall correctly, they had to take out a loan to record TSL.

Post by **Monolith Maniac** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:48 pm

I agree, its [touring] definitely not their primary source of income. They all have other jobs. It's also still early in the year. A lot of the shows they have been doing have been outdoors, so I assume we'll see some more shows popping up as the summer months approach. If they were on tour and playing at larger venues (like they did for GDU) you'd most likely already be seeing show dates for the latter part of the year since the bigger venues need to be booked way in advance as opposed to the smaller/mid-sized venues that they have been playing at.

I'm not sure how old George is, but Michael is 38 (he'll be 39 March 14th).

As for having no record label, I believe that is correct from what I have heard/read. They had been having issues/trouble with the label (Sony/Columbia/Legacy) almost since they started with them (sort of like their deal with A&M, but over a longer period of time).

As far as The Silver Lining sales, I believe I've only heard 2 figures. The only one I can find though and confirm is that they sold about 6,000 albums in the first week which was the same time they peaked and were on the Billboard charts at 155.

I hate to say it (and don't want to sound like a pesimist), but its looks doubtful that there probably won't be another album soon, especially since they don't have a label. I'd be happy for another Time's Incinerator type album full of goodies, since there's definitely enough out there to warrant one.

Post by **Homesick** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:56 pm

Monolith Maniac wrote:I'd be happy for another Time's Incinerator type album full of goodies, since there's definitely enough out there to warrant one.

That's a brilliant idea. This could even be an Internet-only release if no license agreements hinder that kind of thing. iTunes exclusives seem to be all the rage.

Post by **Monolith Maniac** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:15 pm

Homesick wrote:That's a brilliant idea. This could even be an Internet-only release if no license agreements hinder that kind of thing. iTunes exclusives seem to be all the rage.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing too; but wasn't so sure how it would turn out with all the license agreements, RIAA, etc. But I assume it could be possible.

In fact, just yesterday, Nine Inch Nails released another album (after last years success of their album Year Zero). The album is a digital download and if you like it, you can purchase a regular CD and booklet. Radiohead did something similar a few months ago too with their album In Rainbows.

Sometime to Return · Post by **Sometime to Return** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:38 pm

Sorry for my confusing post. I am not really concerned how each member is paying their bills (as we all may/ may not have our own issues to be concerned with); I was just trying to tie my thought process together.

I am trying to get anyones thoughts about the future of the band. With their age (not that old; really, but maybe at a point to do other things like what a previous post said what Dave is doing), no record deal, stagnate sales etc...does anyone else get the impression that they are winding down? Or; do you think they'll keep doing 20-30 shows a year "just for fun." Or; do you see a cd in the future (or internet download) and a full fledge tour again?

With only four shows scheduled this year and almost two years since the realease of "TSL"; my impression is that "they" are really moving into a different phase of their lives.

dcjcycle · Post by **dcjcycle** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:59 pm

IIRC, TSL was a one-shot distribution deal with Sony that the band recorded without label support (their previous Sony contract was finished long ago). The potential for a future album may depend on how Dave and Dan feel about recording without Karl. It seemed like Karl and later his memory were the driving forces behind recording TSL.

One encouraging sign is that the band has scheduled concerts all over the country. I think when they are really winding down, they'll just stick to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.

philipgar · Post by **philipgar** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:14 pm

dcjcycle wrote:IIRC, TSL was a one-shot distribution deal with Sony that the band recorded without label support (their previous Sony contract was finished long ago). The potential for a future album may depend on how Dave and Dan feel about recording without Karl. It seemed like Karl and later his memory were the driving forces behind recording TSL.

One encouraging sign is that the band has scheduled concerts all over the country. I think when they are really winding down, they'll just stick to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.

First, the recording of TSL wasn't necessarily due to Karl. The band had plenty of new songs they were playing since '01 or so, and finally decided to record it. Karl being sick helped push the recording, and I think karl initially was one of the driving forces to get the band back in the studio.

One of the most relevant quotes about it is Dave saying that "we'll keep doing this as long as it's fun". He said that for a while there it just wasn't fun (post CFAS), and they really slowed down. Many of us remember those times, and thought for sure that they'd never release another albums. Then in 01 they had this big rush of new material coming out, and excitement was stirring. It sat for a while, and they started recording.

I remember the day I heard that Karl died thinking that this was the end of SA. I couldn't imagine the band going on without him, but I hadn't realized just how much the band meant to Karl. It was Karl's wish for the band to stay together, and they did, they finished the album, and toured for it. They truly loved doing that I think. In a way their TSL touring was a tribute to Karl.

This leads us to where the band is today. Anything could happen. I wouldn't be surprised for the band to continue playing a handful of shows, and I also wouldn't be surprised if within the next year or couple of years they do a show and unveil 4 or 5 new songs. It's in Dave's nature to write songs and play music. He won't stop doing that. He also loves the band. Dan seems to love the band too, and with that in mind, I don't see it dieing. I think to them, the band is a huge part of who they are, and they wouldn't want to take that away.

Phil

clammers · Post by **clammers** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:33 pm

I could be wrong but I'm sure Dave, Dan and Michael have invested well over the years. I don't think anyone is hurting to pay bills or needing to get a day job past their extra musical things that they do. I mean...it's not like Dan & Dave have spent it on stage clothes over the years.