Information Courtesy Stiefel Theatre
American rock group Collective Soul is coming to Salina's historic Stiefel Theatre this Aug. Tickets start at $58 and go on sale Friday, June 7 at 10 a.m. Buy in person at the Stiefel Theatre Box Office or online at www.stiefeltheatre.org 785-827-1998
About Collective Soul
Ed Roland can describe 30 years in Collective Soul with two words.
"It's an honor and privilege," said the frontman and songwriter behind the Georgia-born band known for a bedrock of time-tested hits. "Its that simple. Just being able to do what you love, it's an honor and a privilege.
Since launching a major label career in 1994, Collective Soul has charted a path that most rock bands dream of, but only few achieve. They cut through a noisy 1990s rock scene with a knack for stick-to-you-like-glue melodies, roof-shaking guitars, and a touch of Southern grit. Behind enduring singles like "Shine," "December" and "The World I Know," the band hit the ground running for what would not be a short-lived sprint, but a steady marathon of uncompromising - and always catchy - albums. Since launching, they've become one of the most reliable rock bands in America, a tried-and-true force in a world often defined by turmoil and turbulence.
And in the same year the band celebrates three decades of music making, Collective Soul returns with what may be its most ambitious project to-date: HERE TO ETERNITY, a double LP cut in the California home once owned by Elvis Presley. With sharp, polished rock riffs and Roland's signature wise-to-the-world storytelling, HERE TO ETERNITY plays like a full-throttle Collective Soul album from the moment it begins spilling out of stereo speakers.
"When I gave the album to management and radio promo," he said, "I was like, 'Put the needle on any song, I'm that proud of it.'
Roland - alongside brother and co-founding member Dean Roland (guitar), childhood friend and bassist Will Turpin, guitarist Jesse Triplett and drummer Johnny Rabb - decamped for a month to Palm Springs, California, to record virtually all of HERE TO ETERNITY inside a house once owned by Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Called the "Elvis Presley Palm Springs Estate," it's believed to be the only home besides the famed Memphis estate owned by Presley at the time of his death.
Stepping inside the King's one-time California getaway, his influence seeped into the album-making process. Ed Roland and album co-producer Shawn Grove slept in the home for the duration of the sessions, which overlapped with the death of Presley's daughter Lisa Marie in early 2023.
"The sticky DNA, with Elvis being there," Turpin said, "You can just tell it was his designs. All pink tiles. It's straight out of 1977. It was super cool just to be there and in the zone."
Or, in Triplett's words: "It's not something you can put your finger on specifically, but the vibe and energy of that place translated through the music. You almost don't realize until the end and listen to the rough mixes and you go 'oh shit ….. we did that."