Does any of you know why they stopped playing for 7 years?

[Kuntz79]

Hi! I bought Let your Dim Light shine when I was 15 and loved it. I was born and raised in Italy and Soul Asylum were pretty famous there too. I listened to that tape over and over and over. Then I never heard of them again. Now I live in the U.S. and Soul Asylum came to play in the town were I live. IT WAS SO FREAKING AWESOME that I could finally see them live but at the same time it puzzled me that after being so famous they would be playing in a small town like the one I live in. So I have been looking online for clues on what happened and found that after the release of their 1998 album ( of which I didn't even hear back in Italy, and I was watching MTV all day non-stop back then I swear!) they "took a break". Does anybody know why? what happened? I know there are many hardcore fans in this forum and I hope someone can give me a reason....Anyway I hope the new cd comes out soon and I will definitely buy it, I was really impressed by their energy and enthusiasm on stage and I still love their music. They should be playing bigger gigs!

[philipgar]

The band didn't really "take a break" for 7 years, they just slowed down. After CFAS had such disappointing sales, they were left without a label, and no clue what they were doing. They continued playing occasional one-off shows (same as they're doing now), but nothing too serious). They did take a break for a bit when Dave released his solo album, so there is a bit too that.

However, by march of 2001, the band was back with new material, playing gigs where they showcased it. There was a lot of it, some of which got released (Oxygen, Slowly Rising), and much that didn't. They kind of floated around for a bit with this new material, not doing much, until Karl got diagnosed with throat cancer. At this point he pushed the band to record the material, and the result was the Silver Lining. There was a slight break around the time Karl died, and many of us thought the band was going to call it quits afterward, I mean how do you move forward when one of your best friends, and key members of the band dies. However Karl hadn't wanted them to disband, so they kept up, eventually releasing TSL, and playing some shows to support it. Since then, they've been about as active as they were in the years following CFAS' release.

Phil

[Closer]

Does anyone think that when they finally do release the new album, that they actually do a proper tour and really give it a go one more time? Or is it just gonna be a few shows here and there again without really promoting the album much and just continuing it as a part-time thing? I remember someone from with the band making a post here about more people knowing about SA again in the future, and they have been more active with online stuff and so on, but is this as good as it gets?

I guess I just want them to come to Europe, but I'm not getting my hopes up for that anymore.

[Kuntz79]

So basically what you are telling me is that their lack of activity after CFAS is due to the fact that they were dropped from the label? It kinda sucks that because of one record with low sales they would be dropped like that.
I think even though some of the 90s bands were undergoing a sort of market crisis with the end of the "grunge" wave ( even bands that had nothing to do with grunge) if they had stuck to it and kept making records it would be easier now for them to go back to serious touring because maybe people would think of them less as "one-hit wonders" of the 90s (I am not saying they are, I am just saying that is how they are perceived due to the lack of activity beyond the 90s)...what do you think?

[spodiba]

I guess I just want them to come to Europe, but I'm not getting my hopes up for that anymore.

We're on the same page

[Closer]

So basically what you are telling me is that their lack of activity after CFAS is due to the fact that they were dropped from the label? It kinda sucks that because of one record with low sales they would be dropped like that.
I think even though some of the 90s bands were undergoing a sort of market crisis with the end of the "grunge" wave ( even bands that had nothing to do with grunge) if they had stuck to it and kept making records it would be easier now for them to go back to serious touring because maybe people would think of them less as "one-hit wonders" of the 90s (I am not saying they are, I am just saying that is how they are perceived due to the lack of activity beyond the 90s)...what do you think?

I think they also just wanted a break from the band at that point. They had been making albums and touring non stop since the mid 80's and I think it was time for them to do other things away from the band.

It's not just that CFAS didn't do well, even though LYDLS sold pretty well, I think they already lost a lot of popularity with that album. The old fans considered them sell outs at that point, and most of the new fans weren't the kind to stick with them too long. Soul Asylum and popularity has always been a weird thing.

And about touring... I think they are content just playing the occasional gig. They have families now and I don't know if they still want to go out for months on end and being away from home for so long all the time.

I guess I just want them to come to Europe, but I'm not getting my hopes up for that anymore.

We're on the same page

Yeah, it would be cool for them to come here, but 14 years of neglecting the few fans they had here in the first place, has made them even less than a one hit wonder band here now. The only place where they might have a chance of being at is those festivals around Europe where all those 80's and 90's bands perform. With those ''I love the 90's'' themes. Usually crap events, but I wouldn't mind. Because I don't think they can actually do a club tour here anymore, they've been away for too long. But what am I saying? It's not gonna happen anyway.

[CULater]

I saw an interview around the time The Silver Lining came out and it was a pretty mutual agreement from long ago that when things stopped being fun, they'd stop doing it - well it sounds as though a lot of stuff went down and they needed a break from it all. They stuck to their agreement and when the time was right, they began again. I don't think they intended it to be such a long break, but as we all know - life happens and time gets away from you.

They sure came back strong though! To me, never a disappointment.

[spodiba]

Yeah, it would be cool for them to come here, but 14 years of neglecting the few fans they had here in the first place, has made them even less than a one hit wonder band here now. The only place where they might have a chance of being at is those festivals around Europe where all those 80's and 90's bands perform. With those ''I love the 90's'' themes. Usually crap events, but I wouldn't mind. Because I don't think they can actually do a club tour here anymore, they've been away for too long. But what am I saying? It's not gonna happen anyway.

I agree, it they ever come here, no one would come to see them if they were the only item to see, only as a part of a festival or something like that. You just reminded me, 3 weeks ago I went to INmusic festival here in Zagreb and among others Billy Idol performed there (he was the only 80s star there as I recall, and it wasn't a crap event, far from it ). OK, I'm not comparing SA to Billy Idol here, but you get my point. I, and most people there would probably never go to see him if he was the only performer (ok, maybe just those true, hard core fans would go to see him), and he was much bigger than SA in the 80s/90s. So, if any of you SA managers/whoever deals with their schedule reads this, bring them over here, there are a lot of great events and festivals going on here that would be happy to see them I know I would

[Closer]

You just reminded me, 3 weeks ago I went to INmusic festival here in Zagreb and among others Billy Idol performed there (he was the only 80s star there as I recall, and it wasn't a crap event, far from it ).

Funny you should mention that, I just saw that guy on local TV here a few days ago. Apparently he played at one of those festivals not far away from me where a lot of those ''almost forgotten'' bands/artists from the 80's and 90's play at. Gotta give him credit, though, he hasn't changed much since the 80's. Anyway, that would be a good gig for SA. Everyone remembers Runaway Train, but no one the band and those festivals are a good gig for bands like that.

[spodiba]

Gotta give him credit, though, he hasn't changed much since the 80's.

No, he hasn't. He was jumping and singing like he was in his 20s for an hour and a half or maybe longer. Oh and of course, he showed us his abs, it was so funny and quite nostalgic for his big fans. Yeah, he hasn't changed a bit.