Soular

Interview With Marsh from Soular By Chris 23/8/05

Soular are a very good band in America.
If there is any band you must check out it is Soular
Their album Time and Space is one of the best I have
heard
Plus all the attention they are getting is so
deserved
So read on and check out their music

Soular Website

1. How has the response been to the last
album?

we are very pleased and humbled at the response to Time
& Space. I think it much more clearly defines SOULAR as
a group. We are very overwhelmed with the responses we have
received so far.

2. How did you go about making the album?

We went away for a few weeks to Oregon City, OR and just
took a bunch of songs and ideas and decided to go in with
no preconcieved notions. We really were careful about the
songs we picked, making sure we could perform them with
authenticity and were passionate about them. This is really
the first band record we have made. The first record we did
was sort of “hodge-podge” and our drummer, Ian, was only on
half of the tracks. He literally drove in, learned the
songs, and laid down his parts. This was a MUCH better
experience.

3. How has recording process been different to the last
album?

In the recording of this record, the whole process felt
much more real and inspiring. I think a big part of it was
being away from our hometown. The views were inspiring
around us and we felt like we were literally in another
world. It was truly a spiritual experience making this
record. It was our therapy, which is what songs really are
for us.

4. Has it been different since the last album?

Things seem to be at a new level all around. We are pleased
with the college radio charting we have seen in recent
months. It was a surreal thing to see yourselves ahead of
bands you love and respect, especially on the US College
charts where there are real music fans listening and
programming, unlike a lot of todays commercial
stations.

5. Is it hard to be an indepedent artist in
America?

It is actually a wonderful time to be an independent artist
in the states. There are more and more brilliant bands who
are independent. The great thing about it is that you are
in control. If you sit around and do nothing, then its all
on you, but if you work hard at your craft and get the
right people around you, success will happen if you are
persistent. For us it is all about growth and connecting
with our audience. INdie is a cool thing here in the
states.

6. Have you had much responce from labels since the
album came out?

We are very pleased with the labels that have been and are
interested in our band. I think anytime you are doing
better than bands that labels have invested millions into,
they come knocking. Plus, i think if you have a good
record, they wonder why you didn’t need them. I hate when
bands “name drop” labels that have shown interest in them.
For us, we will go about our business as if we will always
be independent. If it is the right deal for us, we would
consider it, but losing control of our identity is NOT
something we will do. We have surrounded ourselves with
people that believe in us and that we trust. We won’t put
people on our team just because they know “so and so” or
wave a bunch of cash in front of us.

7. Who has helped you out the most?

Probably our families. There are so many amazing people we
have met and that have been a big part of our career and
art moving forward and improving. Without our families,
though, we couldn’t be doing this as a career. We couldn’t
tour or record, or anything. We would probably all be doing
some mindless desk job and hating life.

8. What has been your favourite gig you have
played?

This is a tough question because there have been many shows
where there was that mystical “connection” with each other
and the audience. The best show to date has probably been
our show in Albuquerque at the Lobo Theater. It was just a
night where everything felt good. Sound, video, the crowd,
etc. There is something amazing about playing live, it is
what we write songs for, to share them. And to rock!

9. How did you get into music in the first
place?

listening to the beatles and wanting to be them! I used to
lie to friends and tell them i was really sinnging
mccartney’s vocal parts. We are all music fans. I think
that has a lot to do with the environment you grow up in
and the people you hang out with. We all come from
backgrounds where we were exposed to music and have all
wanted to be in rock bands since we were little tots. We
have a recording somewhere of Ian playing Stairway to
Heaven. We will release it someday on the
internet….

10. What’s your view on filesharing and the MP3
format?

I think mp3s are cool and we are actually about
filesharing. It happens anyways and all it has done is
actually peak peoples interest in music and the arts. The
more music that is out there, the more people will go after
the good stuff and get sick of spoon fed POP. When I burn a
disc I almost always buy it too, and usually load it on to
i-tunes too or buy it again there. I think the internet and
filesharing is great for music. It also forces bands to
care about their artwork on ther recordings. They have to
mean something too.

11. Do you think the Internet has helped you in getting
your music out there?

The internet has definitely helped us in getting fans. We
wouldn’t be talking right now without the internet. It is
an amazing promotional tour. Combine internet marketing and
presence with touring and if you have good stuff, you will
go far!

12. What is your view on realty tv and more importantly
the talent shows like Idol and so on?

American Idol and similar programs around the world are
merely continuing this computerized and plastic music
industry that reflect the shallowness of modern pop
culture. Although, I will admit, it is entertaining to
watch a bunch of people with no talent think they are the
next Ray Charles or something, overall it just exposes
people to bad art. I believe if you can expose people to
good stuff, they will always see junk food coming a mile
away. It may taste ok for a second, but when you need
sustinance, you have to have the real thing. That’s why I
believe things WILL change and are already changing in the
music industry. Idol has always been around in one form or
another throut history.

13. If you could play on The Simpsons where would it
be?

I would most definitely want to be Bart.

14. Have you much interest from overseas
labels?

Yes we have done some chatting with labels from the UK,
Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.

15. Have you had responce from people
overseas?

A bit. We will tour there hopefully sooner rather than
later. Looking at late Fall or Spring of 2006.

16. What are some of your favourite movies?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Young Frankestein,
Lost In Translation, Kiss of the Dragon, Plan 9 From Outer
Space, Goonies

17. What movies have you seen recently that you really
enjoyed?

Layer Cake, Broken Flowers

Thanks for your time any last words

We are so thankful to be doing the thing we love to do.
Make music. Thanks for supporting artists like us…