More than 40 years after coalescing as a band, Soul Asylum remains one of the most inspiring and hardworking bands in the rock scene, thanks to their raucous and emphatic combination of punk energy, guitar-fueled firepower, and rhythmic heft.
Frontman Dave Pirner’s songs range from aggressive to heartfelt, driven by lyrics that are a mix of real-life personal insights and fictional situations.
Initially known as Loud Fast Rules, Soul Asylum formed in the early 1980s, when Pirner was still in high school, and quickly became part of the celebrated Minneapolis music scene along with peers like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü.
Soul Asylum entered the major-label world with 1988’s Hang Time and, shortly after, released And the Horse They Rode In On, an album produced by current Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
The band broke through commercially with the double-platinum 1992 album Grave Dancers Union, which contained the Grammy-winning Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 hit “Runaway Train” and No. 1 Modern Rock smash “Somebody to Shove.”
After the 1998 release of Candy from a Stranger, Pirner decided to put out his first solo effort, Faces & Names.
However, in 2005, the band suffered a devastating blow with bassist Karl Mueller passing away due to complications from cancer.
The following year Soul Asylum released The Silver Lining, the last album on which Mueller played.
In recent years, Soul Asylum have also reissued several of their earlier releases, including expanded and remastered editions of their first four original albums; a 1992 live album from beloved Austin venue Liberty Lunch; and their legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, which arrived on vinyl for the first time ever as a 2023 Record Store Day exclusive.
Soul Asylum‘s forthcoming live album, MPLS Unplugged, arrives August 28.
Originally featured on the band’s acclaimed 2020 studio album Slowly But Shirley, the song is reimagined in an intimate acoustic setting.
Recorded live at Minneapolis’ historic State Theatre on April 20, 2023, nearly 30 years to the day after Soul Asylum‘s landmark MTV Unplugged performance, MPLS Unplugged celebrates that presenting new interpretations that span every era of the band’s career.
The new album also coincides with their latest North American Tour, where they will make stops in Calgary on August 23 and August 25 in Edmonton.
Darrell Stranger spoke with Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner about the tour, the album and the bands longevity since starting over 40 years ago.
Tickets to upcoming shows can be found here.
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