THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ed Roland can describe 30 years in Collective Soul with two words: “It’s an honour and privilege,” said the frontman and songwriter behind the Georgia-born band known for a bedrock of time-tested hits. “It’s that simple. Just being able to do what you love, it’s an honour 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 they celebrate three decades of music making, Collective Soul return with what may be their most ambitious project: 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,” Ed says. “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, to record virtually all of Here To Eternity inside Presley’s Golden State estate. Stepping inside the King’s one-time California getaway, his influence seeped into the album-making process. Roland and co-producer Shawn Grove slept in the home during 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.”
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.’ ” Rabb adds, “The energy was natural and the flow was incredible. We were all just in the pocket and the chemistry works so well.”
Listeners hear the results on Here To Eternity, a thrilling no-skips effort from start to finish. The album kicks into gear with songs the blues-tinged Bluer Than Blue and jangly roots-rocker Not The Same before cruising into the band’s long-running appreciation for Elton John and The Beatles with Sister and Mary. They incorporate a Presley-like shuffle beat on throwback rockabilly jam Matter of Fact, adopt stripped-down balladeering on tender-to-the-touch number Letter From E, and croon a piano-backed tale of love on Be The One, which Ed recorded solo in Elvis’s bedroom. One of the standout songs on Here To Eternity was cut in another room where Elvis once walked: The famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Ed tracked a live rendition of Bob Dylan (Where Are You Today) during a sold-out tour stop inside the hallowed hall.
But no song grabs on the first listen quite like Mother’s Love, the lead single and opening number debuted on the road last year. Featuring longtime Paul McCartney guitarist Brian Ray on slide guitar, Mother’s Love blasts off the turntable with a foot-stompin’, gnarled riff before gliding into a chorus layered by high-flying harmonies. Alongside Ray, who lives in Palm Springs, guests on the album include longtime Sheryl Crow bandleader Peter Stroud and Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship fame. “I happened to be walkin’ down the street… I had met Brian Ray a couple of times,” Ed says. “I saw him and was like, ‘Brian, hey man. Why don’t you come over and break bread? We’re up at Elvis’ house.’ ” The invite for a bite turned into a session, of course. “I’m gettin’ pretty sneaky in my old age,” Ed adds with a laugh.
And the album closes with Over And Out, an ominous folk-rock tune about life moving on — ready or not. “Last year, my niece was going over to college… and I don’t understand that yet, because my son’s 14,” Ed says “The song’s about letting your children go and letting them start their adulthood. I tried to feel what my sister and brother-in-law were feeling, which I’m about to feel.”
With 20 new songs, how does the band decide which to play live? You’ll have to catch a show to find out. “It’s tricky,” Dean says. “We know we wanna play the songs people came there to see, but it’s still fun. We’re gettin’ up there, doin’ our thing.” And fans can bet on Collective Soul taking songs from Here To Eternity on the road for years to come. As the album title suggests, three decades is just the start.”
