Fresh out of the shower, red Solo cup in hand, just moments before he has to hit the stage, Frontman and 90s Generation-X icon of sorts, Dave Pirner scurries into his Zoom position to talk to us. He's sweet, funny, passionate, and seemingly modest. He told us he just came from Target to buy some art supplies, a hobby he enjoys when he's not creating music and publishing books. This creative soul and his Grammy-winning multi-platinum band just finished their twelfth studio full-length, appropriately titled Hurry Up and Wait , co-produced by John Fields (Switchfoot, Pink, Har Mar Superstar, Miley Cyrus, Ben Rector, Andrew W.K., Busted, Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato). Pirner calls it a 'completely seamless, enjoyable experience.' And it sounds that way too with Pirner's usual eclectic influences and approaches to a mix of punk, thrash, pop, classic rock, hard-to-pin-down, country, and folk... which has stayed true throughout the years. The band has had a few member changes too. Most notably, adding Michael Bland on drums, who spent many years drumming as part of Prince's New Power Generation. Speaking of, the posthumous album from Prince Welcome 2 America , which was released this past July, features a cover of Soul Asylum's 2006 single 'Stand Up and B Strong.' Pirner also recently published a book, Loud Fast Words , featuring lyrics, commentary, and essays about each Soul Asylum album.
