ABOUT
Soul Asylum is “the quintessential American rock band” that could; it only took ten years to turn them from a teenage garage band into multi-platinum-selling rock stars. All along the way they stayed true to the passionate core of their music; in the words of one reviewer, “within the volume and raucous crunch of the band is the voice of the outlaw poet, the disenfranchised blue-collar worker, the frustrated adolescent aching to conquer, if not the world, at least his own demons.”
Starting out in Minneapolis in 1981, by 1984 the group revamped and burst onto the scene as Soul Asylum, forging their way on college radio and countless U.S. club tours to gain a devoted following. The “hell-on” rock band, in guitarist Dan Murphy’s words, released Made to Be Broken and the While You Were Out in 1986, then signed to A&M Records in 1989 for the harder rocking Hang Time, produced by Lenny Kaye. The record garnered some college radio attention, and the band entered a bit of a slow period that gave it a chance to gather its collective muscle for a leap in to multi-platinum territory with the release of Grave Dancers Union by Columbia Records in 1992, featuring the magical third single “Runaway Train.” The run-up to the dizzying heights of success reached its pinnacle with a performance at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1992.
Next came Let Your Dim Light Shine in 1995 which charted at number six featuring a Top Twenty single, “Misery.” Meanwhile, Murphy began recording and touring with the Minneapolis supergroup Golden Smog, with Soul Asylum co-founder and drummer Dave Pirner contributing vocals to the group’s 1996 recording, On Golden Smog. Soul Asylum returned to the studio in 1998 with Candy from a Stranger and reunited in 2006 for Silver Lining, their ninth full-length recording, which according to fans captures life in 21st century America “like a very groovy and touching snapshot,” showing off “the frayed cleverness and rock-solid musicianship that their fans know best.”
SUPPORTING LOVE HOPE STRENGTH
Soul Asylum performed at Union County Music Fest 2010 in New Jersey where Love Hope Strength is a beneficiary of charitable proceeds.
EVENT PARTICIPATION
Union County Music Fest 2010