Editor’s Note:  E Roland, the legendary vocalist of Collective Soul, sat down with Madness To Creation Podcast to discuss playing live, the excitement of getting to share the stage with Styx, his side project and how The Cars and Tom Petty influenced his music career.  One thing that I loved and appreciated about E Roland was how warm and engaging he is and how much of a family man he is.  Collective Soul dominated the 90’s and early 2000’s with their power guitar pop/rock, scintillating arrangements and heartfelt lyrics.  Their songs such as “Shine”, “The World I Know”, “Heavy”, “December” and “Where The River Flows” resonated with millions of fans around the world and continue to do so to this day.  Over this weekend, they will be sharing the stage with the legendary classic rock band Styx and they have some weekend show dates coming up throughout the summer and the fall.  Fans should check out the album “Blood” and their cover EP entitled “Half & Half.”  Fans can find Collective Soul on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their official website.

2:32- E Roland of Collective Soul discussing how he’s always loved Styx and how much he misses performing live

3:52- What fans can expect from a Styx and Collective Soul show

4:43- E talking about being in quarantine through the pandemic and his love for his family and quality time with his sons and creating his new wave side project

6:23- Talking about how The Cars influenced his music and how he first saw them opening for Foreigner

8:38- Sharing about “The World I Know” and how he feels when fans come up to him saying that their music resonated with them

10:15- How E sees concerts happening post-pandemic

11:24- E Roland reminisces about Collective Soul’s chart topping success with hits like “Shine”, “December” and “The World I Know”

12:42- E shares about how he dislikes making music videos and how Tom Petty played an impact on his life.

14:08- E Roland shares about his love and devotion for his family

16:01- Promoting “Blood” and “Half & Half”, and whether or not they have upcoming music

Fans can catch Collective Soul providing direct support for Styx at the following dates:

Friday, June 25th- Providence HealthCare Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas

Saturday, June 26th- Ozarks in Camdenton, Missouri

Sunday, June 27th- The Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Collective Soul headlining dates:

Friday, July 9th- Promenade Park in Toledo, Ohio

Saturday, July 24th- Waukesha County Fair in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Sunday, July 25th- Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Friday, August 20th- BECU Live @ Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights, Washington

Sunday, August 22nd- Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, California

Friday, August 27th- Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York

Saturday, August 28th- CMAC Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, New York

Sunday, August 29th- Hampton Beach Casino & Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

Wednesday, September 1st- Pavilion at Ravania in Highland Park, Illinois

Thursday, September 2nd- Q Casino in Dubuque, Iowa

Saturday, September 4th- Oregon State Fair in Salem, Oregon

Thursday, September 9th- Levitt Pavilion Steelstacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Friday, September 10th- Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia

Saturday, September 11th- Rose Music Center at the Heights in Huber Heights, Ohio

Thursday, September 23rd- Mars Music Hall in Huntsville, Alabama

Friday, September 24th- IP Casino, Resort & Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi

Saturday, September 25th- Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Friday, October 1st- Stiefel Theater for the Performing Arts in Salina, Kansas

Saturday, October 2nd- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, Oklahoma

Thursday, October 7th- Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina

Friday, October 29th- Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey

Saturday, October 30th- Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Saturday, November 6th- Fox Tower at Foxwoods in Ledyard, Connecticut

Sunday, November 7th- The Anthem in Washington D.C.

Thursday, November 11th- Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia

Friday, November 12th- Albany Municipal Auditorium in Albany, Georgia

For tickets and further information in regards to any show listed above, click here.

Now Madness To Creation Presents the Top Ten Collective Soul songs:

  • Disclaimer, our list is purely subjective and it’s from a mental health standpoint.  Collective Soul is one of those bands that resonate with me.  Check out the YouTube playlist and share it!

10.  “Where The River Flows” – the song exudes positivity and moving forward.  Plus the guitar hooks are off the chain.

9.   “Why Part 2”- “Tell me why it doesn’t feel the same”- moving forward from an obsession and an addiction.

8.  “Goodnight, Good Guy”- I remember going to a waterpark with a couple childhood friends when I was a kid, and we came up with our own dance in the backseat of the van to this song.  It’s always fun to reminisce.

7.  “Over Me”- This song is a perfect concert opener.

6.  “Now’s The Time”- This song is a perfect “entrance song” post-pandemic.  Now’s the time to break through(those aren’t the lyrics), but that’s what I think of when I hear this song

5.  “Gel”- This song brings back serious nostalgic vibes, back when times seemed innocent

4.  “Shine”- This song brought tears to my eyes when E Roland led us into the song with a beautiful piano arrangement.

3.  “December”- The song is poignant and has a more solemn feel to it as we age

2.  “Heavy”- And all your weight, it falls on me, it brings me down.  That lyric hits me so hard, I get literal goosebumps all over

  1. “The World I Know” – The first song I remember resonating with as an angsty teenager.  I remember crying every time the music video came on MTV.  This song always reminds me that it always gets better.  This could be my all-time favorite song.  I’m crying as I’m listening to it again.  Thank you Collective Soul for writing and arranging this song.

Fans can check out this episode featuring E Roland of Collective Soul via SoundCloud below:

https://soundcloud.com/madnesstocreation/season-2-ep-9-e-roland-of

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