Collective Soul's Ed Roland Talks 'See What You Started By Continuing'

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At the start of October, fans of Collective Soul will be treated to the band's latest project after taking a break for about six years.

See What You Started By Continuing is the ninth studio album and Ed Roland is promising pure, genuine collective soul.

Empty Lighthouse sat down for a phone interview with Roland where he discussed what Collective Soul wanted to accomplish with See What You Started By Continuing, his favorite track, what he thinks the formula for long-term success in the industry is and his excitement to get out on tour.

"Born during the rise of grunge and alternative rock, Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity when they rose to international fame in 1993 with the rock anthem 'Shine,'" according to the band's homepage.

"The multi-platinum quintet has been making music for two decades since then and has a catalog of #1 hits under their belts."

From the first three singles "This," "AYTA" and "Hurricane" you really get the sense that the band is trying to continue on in their original form and that's something Roland really emphasized in our conversation, especially when it came to the subject matter of the album, which Roland says has changed a bit.

"It's pretty much the same," said Roland when asked about the writing process, "but the subject matter has changed. You know, you're older married with kids and there's other responsibilities and you get more confident in what you're writing."

The title of the album has obvious sentiments to what the band is trying to get across with the new album, it's a second coming and somewhat of a genuine revival for Collective Soul.

"It's like a second wind for us it just felt like the title related to what we we're which is getting back to doing what we love."

According to Roland the See What You Started By Continuing was finished for sometime and they were really excited. He also said it took a little while for the business side of things to catch up so by now the first stage of their excitement is over.

However, Roland says that the next stage of excitement is going out and playing it for the audience, he says that's where the real excitement is.

"The process of making this one has been more fun but having new blood and someone to reassure what we're doing is right just brings a fun attitude and that fun aspect spills over into the album."

Roland is referring to Johnny Rabb who plays on percussion and Jesse Triplett the lead guitarist.

They recently joined the band and Roland spoke very highly about the two saying they really gave them a good kick in the ass and reassured them that the music they were making was still special and has always been special.

"Ah, that's a hard one," said Roland when asked about his favorite track on the album. "As an artist you tend to gravitate towards the last song you wrote but I have to say 'Exposed' is my favorite right now."

Collective Soul began their successful career in the early 90's and hasn't lost a beat since it's creation.

Many bands from the 90's might have fizzled off but Collective Soul is still going strong and we wondered what exactly is their formula for long-term success.

"I think first of all you have to get along with your band mates and than after that you have appreciation for where you are and keep doing what you've been doing all along," said Roland.

"It's actually been 6 years since the last project," he continued. "We took some time off because we did 8 recordings in 17 or 18 years. That's moving around the U.S. and touring all over world."

Roland says that people take breaks at least once every year and they hadn't had one in years. He said that everyone needed a break from collective soul.

"The album is Collective Soul and if you like Collective Soul you'll like the album," said Roland. "If you don't, you should and the album will show you why. It's 21 years plus of music that we're very proud of."

Along with the album, Collective Soul is embarking on a nationwide tour starting at the end of this month through the tail end of November. You can check out all of the tour dates here.

See What You Started By Continuing is scheduled to be released on October 2 but is currently available for preorder. Empty Lighthouse will have a full review of the album on it's release date.