Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner Reflects On Changes In Music

(New Rock Times) Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner says his 'heart has been warmed' by the success of Record Store Day twinned with a spike in fans purchasing albums on vinyl but he admits the restrictions of modern industry make it increasingly difficult for his band to tour internationally.

Formed in 1981, Soul Asylum have carved out an impressive career, topped with the triple-platinum 'Grave Dancers Union' record in 1992 which was spearheaded by the Grammy-Award winning single 'Runaway Train.'

The follow-up record 'Let Your Dim Light Shine' scored the Minneapolis band another platinum hit but the music landscape has changed considerably since then.

Speaking exclusively to New Rock Times' Eric Mackinnon, Pirner discusses the state of the current music industry: "Seeing the before and after and being able to bear witness to what it once was and what it is now it is really hard for me to imagine how you could explain to an internet 12-year-old what it used to be like," he says.

"However Record Store Day and resurgence in vinyl going on which warms the cockles of my heart. It is so not retro to me. Just people are paying more attention to what they are listening to and I hope it is really good news. Everybody thought no one now could tell the difference between an LP and an MP3. But its not true and it never has been. It is a beautiful thing.

"There is a part of me which feels lucky to have been part of the end of the industry as we know it. It is frustrating now and I'm not much of an internet person but making a good record is more important to me."

He continues: "I would love to get out there to Europe and the UK to tour. Its frustrating to me that the state of the music industry is not accommodating for. We did a lot of gigs and work and had a lot of fun in Europe. we played St Patrick's Day in Ireland where I hung out with Bono. It was crazy.

"We'd love to get over to the UK again but it just doesn't seem to come together. It is much harder now to tour internationally. It definitely is." Read more here.

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Copyright New Rock Times- Excerpted here with permission.

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