Metal Discovery: Interview with SOiL

DATE OF INTERVIEW:

SOIL

2nd August 2009

AJ CAVALIER; ADAM ZADEL; TIM KING

METAL DISCOVERY: What are your best and worst touring memories so far?

TIM KING: The best thing is simply travelling around the world, seeing all those new cities. And the worst one is when you sometimes have those dodgy shows or dodgy tours that you just don’t feel comfortable on. For the most part, as long as we get to play our music, it’s always a good thing. But there are times when you miss home or wish you weren’t there.

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(AJ Cavalier on his ambitious marketing plans)

"We are thinking about starting our own line of plates. Collect all 4. You can eat off us all. We will also produce some toilet paper with our faces on it."

PART 2 BELOW - CLICK HERE FOR PART 1

PART 2 ABOVE - CLICK HERE FOR PART 1

Adam Zadel, AJ Cavalier, and Tim King at Sonisphere, Knebworth, UK, 2nd August 2009

Interview & Photography by Kristell Gathoye

AJ CAVALIER: I still remember those shorts man! The British flag shorts.

ADAM ZADEL: Sometimes, the worst moments are when something happens back home and you can’t be there. But then you get shows like this one where you get all your fans together and it’s almost spiritual, it’s amazing.

MD: Who would be your favourite UK band?

AZ: If I go way back, I’d say Iron Maiden. Ozzy Osbourne was probably my biggest influence. But as a solo artist, he did it in America, hehe! I kinda hate that pigeon hole of favourite bands. I think it’s unfair to have to choose.

TK: Sabbath. No, Whitesnake, they would be my favourite UK band.

AZ: Yeah the union jack fucking spandex shorts, haha! He had a nice package!

MD: Is there a noticeable difference between the reception you’re getting in the UK and back home?

AJ: Yeah.

TK: People seem a lot more into music out here. They live for the bands and the lifestyle. USA’s scenes and trends go a little bit faster. People are into styles for a brief short of time. They don’t seem to stick around for as long. It seems to me that when you really like a band over here, you stick around and follow them to the end. In the US, trends fade in and out.

AZ: You definitely notice the differences in culture once you’ve come here a few times. America has a disposable culture. It’s a little bit more naïve. When you think about it, people have been creating societies over here for thousands of years and America has only existed for some 400. You can then understand why maybe in Europe people take more time to judge and form their opinion whereas in the States people are a little bit more gun slinging!

MD: Do you tend to hang around at festivals or is it all work and no play?

AJ: We try to but…[hinting at me]. No, honestly, we normally try to go and see bands, pretty much anyone we can. It’s half the fun.

TK: I came to see Alice In Chains as I haven’t seen them with the new line up yet.

MD: Are you more comfortable on a festival stage or in an intimate venue?

TK: It’s very different. When you are in an intimate venue, you can really interact with the crowd and it has a really close vibe whereas in a festival, you get the energy of the huge crowd. We always have been fan of both really.

AJ: To me, it’s really all about the connection whether it’s a crowd of 10 or 1000 people. We try to give as much as we can, big or small. Sometimes you don’t have much time to connect though. Sometimes even, I spot one person and ask their name or something and they will represent all of them.

MD: Is there anyone you’re very excited to meet at this festival?

AJ: Yeah of course, everybody! Guys like Heaven & Hell, I mean, we just like everyone else, we kinda get geeky.

TK: Yeah like: “Hey guys, did you just see who walked past us?”

AJ: Yeah, we try to find someone to introduce us discreetly. We are like everybody else when it comes to that. Some people are a huge influence! People like Metallica, you want to go up to them and say “er…you understand that you are the reason I’m playing music” but he hears that all that time! People think we all hang out together and play golf on Sunday but we don’t!

MD: Is there anything you know about the others that you wish you wouldn’t?

TK: Aw, we know way too much about each other!

AZ: Yes, the answer is yes! We’ll just leave it at that.

TK: Just earlier today, I had to ask them to turn around as I was changing my underwear.

AZ: Yeah so I replied: “What? You don’t want us to see your hog?

AJ: It’s not nice to know what the guy’s farts sound and smell like. Too much information!

AZ: Oh yeah that was another conversation we had!

MD: What’s the most embarrassing artist/song you have got on your iPod?

AJ: Fergie. She is Fergie-licious, I can’t help it. I hear her voice, I’m like damn!

AZ: Me and Tim have both Katie Perry on our iPod!

AJ: Yeah, I’m not that gay!

MD: Wow that’s pretty bad guys!

AZ: It’s AMAZING! Sorry…er…wipe that out!

MD: What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done to you?

TK: Honestly they are some winners out there!

AZ: I still find it crazy when people show me their tattoos of the band. I don’t have tattoos myself. I like them but I’ve never been able to take that step to commit to something I would like for the rest of my life so when some guys come up to me and show me their tattoos of SOiL, a logo or some words off our songs, I just think: “wow that’s dedicated, that’s crazy!”

AJ: The craziest thing for me was a plate. Some girl made a plastic plate with a picture of me on it. So now they bring it at every show and I sign it every time and there’s like 3-4 signatures on it now.

AZ: So they are eating off your face?!

AJ: This is kind of unique. No-one has ever handed me a plate to sign before. It’s very original. We are thinking about starting our own line of plates. Collect all 4. You can eat off us all. We will also produce some toilet paper with our faces on it. The marketing plans have just started!

TK: We could offer some to everybody in the industry. It would come with our new record.

AJ: Yeah, because you’re gonna crack your pants when you’re listening to it!

MD: On tour, what would you never leave behind?

AJ: Sorry what was the question again? Limp Bizkit was playing and I almost threw up.

MD: [Repeating the question]

AJ: A band member. Never leave a band member behind.

TK: My bass, phone.

AZ: Do you want something more interesting like a creature comfort or a teddy bear?

TK: I’m gonna go with a flat iron!

AZ: Pepto-Bismol!

MD: Which alcohol would you choose if I’d buy you a drink?

TK: Crown Royal. It’s like Jack Daniels.

AZ: Nobody knows it out here. It’s amazing, it’s so smooth. JD tastes like ash! Or maybe I’d have Jägermeister.

AJ: I don’t drink enough alcohol to call it a friend. A fruit smoothie maybe.

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