Soul Asylum - The Slowly But Shirley Tour

In the organizer's words:

Soul Asylum is a band that has been known since the 80s for its wild and forceful combination of punk energy, guitar-driven firepower and songs that range from aggressive to soulful. All of these things are present in abundance on the band's delightfully, joyfully laid-back 13th studio album "Slowly But Shirley".

Soul Asylum, originally known as Loud Fast Rules, was founded in Minneapolis in 1983 and quickly became part of the celebrated music scene there. After rising to mainstream success with Grave Dancers Union, the band kept their momentum going with 1995's platinum-selling Let Your Dim Light Shine, which featured the international hit "Misery," and appearances on the soundtracks of the Kevin Smith cult classics Chasing Amy and Clerks. Today, the band is made up of founding member Dave Pirner, drummer Michael Bland, lead guitarist Ryan Smith and bassist Jeremy Tappero.

For their latest album "Slowly But Shirley", they worked with producer Steve Jordan, who also produced the band's 1990 album "And the Horse They Rode In On". When they first started working together, the members of Soul Asylum were still trying to figure out how best to capture their sound in the studio - and Jordan's approach of having the band play live together in one room was ideal. "He taught us a language of musicians making music in the studio," says Pirner. "Which we weren't at the time. We still didn't really know what to do in what order."

Decades later, both parties are in different places. Jordan is currently the drummer for the Rolling Stones, and Soul Asylum remains one of the most inspiring and hardworking bands on the rock scene. Their commercial breakthrough came with 1992's double-platinum album Grave Dancers Union, which included the Grammy-winning Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 hit "Runaway Train" and the No. 1 modern rock hit "Somebody to Shove."

In recent years, Soul Asylum has continued to expand their catalog, which exemplifies Pirner's enduring gift for insightful songwriting that speaks to our deepest, most vulnerable emotions. In 2020, for example, they recorded Hurry Up and Wait with longtime studio collaborator John Fields, which put the band back on the Billboard charts. Soul Asylum have also reissued several previous releases, including expanded and remastered editions of their first four original albums and their legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, released for the first time ever as a Record Store Day 2023 exclusive vinyl.

More than 40 years after Soul Asylum emerged as a band, Pirner's prolific songwriting, combined with an energetic and unparalleled live show, ensures that the band is not stopping anytime soon.

"There's a part of me that will never belong, but I love being surrounded by people who love music, and I'm very loyal to the idea of Soul Asylum, whatever it is," says Pirner. "The future is bright, everything is good, and if there's something in the music that makes people feel like everything is going to be okay, then mission accomplished."