Soul Asylum w/Tommy Announce Summer Tour Dates

[FunkyMonkey]

Soul Asylum Announces Summer Tour

Soul Asylum has to be one of the most under-appreciated yet brilliant bands around today. I first saw them live in 2007 at The House of Blues in Las Vegas. I had purchased the tickets as a gift for my younger brother. I remember he was around 13 years old when Grave Dancers Union was released. I recall that it was a staple in his Walkman.

I had more fun than my brother at that concert. I was up front and center singing along to all the songs from my past. It was like these songs were old friends reuniting with my ears and hugging my teenaged, angst-ridden soul. I rediscovered an energy within myself. As I watched Dave Pirner shake his hips and tell corny jokes between the gems he played, the rest of the crowd united together in what seemed to be a congregation of  misfits in their mid-30s, all of whom were baptized in beer and celebrating together in some type of lyrical eroticism with each song the band played. As the evening came to a close, a cloud of disappointment filled the venue as each one of us laic parishioners realized we had to return to an outside world filled with Auto-Tuned "musicians."

As I realized just how good Soul Asylum truly was, I felt my heart sink. Missing from that night was the youth of today. Somewhere they were tucked away in commercialized clothing stores, perhaps even Twittering about the latest so-called punk fashion at the local H&M or Hot Topic store. Maybe they were even Googling the phrase "record store" to see if they once actually existed. Today's youth had traded truth in talent for bad comb-over hairdos and ignorant piercings. The terms "original," "talented," and "compose" seemed to have all been replaced with "pay to play," "omg," and "American Idol." Even sadder, the following night I had come to accept at a local venue, with local bands, that today's aspiring musicians were oblivious to this sacrifice. Songs by Soul Asylum, such as "Oxygen" (off of their 2006 disc, The Silver Lining) furnishes fans with a bouquet of beautifully embodied lyrics. I'm afraid good music and undefiled writing could be lost if bands like Soul Asylum fail to continue on.

There is hope, however. The band just announced a 14-date tour starting in June and running through August with several stops across the U.S. What an opportunity for others to reconnect with their past while others discover their future. Dave Pirner's writing is overwhelmingly nervous, imperceptibly tragic, inconceivably ironic, and simply genius. Although the band is reportedly working on an album with a blind 2010 release date, their matter of course to simply play music seems to have inspired these summer tour dates. With 11 discs under the band's belt, and a re-formulated ensemble of talent, I'm crossing my fingers the hope that a new breed of fans will be born.

Soul Asylum possesses a bittersweet, incandescent sound, a sound truly amplified through the human connection by virtue of their live show. To embrace not only the band's live flaws but also the crowd's magnetic vivacity is comparable to a one-night stand ? it's over too soon, but leaves memories that will last forever and could only be described, truly, if one had been there in the moment.

June
24th   Columbus Park   Stamford, Connecticut   with Gin Blossoms
26th   Genesee Brewery's Rock the Can   Rochester, New York   $12.00

July
4th   Uncle Sam Jam - Southwest Waterfront   Washington, DC   Admission: $10 - VIP: $50
Showtime: Approx. 7:30 PM
10th   Peterson Park   McHenry, Illinois   Showtime: 5:30 PM
15th   Hammond Festival - Wolf Lake Park   Hammond, Indiana   2938 South Calumet Avenue
Showtime: 8:00 PM
16th   Chippewa Valley Rock Fest   Cadott, Wisconsin   24447 County Highway S
Showtime: 6:30 PM
22nd   The Community Theatre   Morristown, New Jersey   100 South Street
with Gin Blossoms
25th   Taste of Lincoln Avenue   Chicago, Illinois   Fullerton & Lincoln Avenues
Showtime: TBA

August
26th   Hard Rock Hotel   Orlando, Florida   6050 Universal Boulevard
Showtime: 8:30 PM
27th   Hard Rock Hotel & Casino   Biloxi, Mississippi   777 Beach Boulevard
(228)-374-7625 Showtime: 8:00 PM

SATV

Soul Asylum TV, an online stream of Soul Asylum videos and once-a-week live show

http://www.livestream.com/soulasylum

[richwoman]

won`t Tommy be busy on the 27`aug at the Reading festival 

[AxlReznor]

won`t Tommy be busy on the 27`aug at the Reading festival 

They have a stand-in bassist for when Tommy's with Guns.

[AXL DEMOCRACY]

Grave Dancer's Union is one of the best albums of the 90s in my opinion.  Great album.  That album and songs still get heavy rotation on my iPod, cd player, etc.

I would love to hear the rest of the albums and songs they have released in the past 15 or so years.  And would love to see them in concert.  Any recommendations on an album(s) to pick up to start catching up?

[AxlReznor]

Grave Dancer's Union is one of the best albums of the 90s in my opinion.  Great album.  That album and songs still get heavy rotation on my iPod, cd player, etc.

I would love to hear the rest of the albums and songs they have released in the past 15 or so years.  And would love to see them in concert.  Any recommendations on an album(s) to pick up to start catching up?

The Silver Lining is their only album since Candy From A Stranger in 1998. It was released in 2006, and features Tommy on bass for a few tracks (other bass players are featured on the album too).
Other than that, I suggest Let Your Dim Light Shine, too.

[richwoman]

won`t Tommy be busy on the 27`aug at the Reading festival 

They have a stand-in bassist for when Tommy's with Guns.

thanks sorry i didn`t know that

[AXL DEMOCRACY]

Thanks AxlReznor.  I will check those out! 

[Annie]

Wow, Taste of Lincoln Ave is just around the corner from where I work.

[Lucky]

where are the european dates

[ChiDem2010]

lol....They're playing in Rochester, NY I just moved from there....bummer.

[bigcash2002]

sounds like a great show at a good price!

[FunkyMonkey]

Here's a couple of vids from recent shows...

"Runaway Train"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asnKSWTdGX0

"Somebody To Shove"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sx-4WUAqCg

And a couple of photos:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Alive-Five-kicks-off-summer-season-536466.php

[Mr. Redman]

Fuck; I remember Dave Pirner walking into the house in Southside Minneapolis and go "hey guys, I can't buy beer tonight" and the rest going why? and he just tosses a million dollar check onto the table and says "I couldn't cash my check" - this was just after signing with A&M. (My Dad knew another local band called Pearl who were friends with SA and we'd hang out every so often with Pearl and usually SA would be around, at least a couple of 'em)

Good timesl