When it comes to the Minneapolis music scene, the “Minneapolis sound” gets all the top billing. It stems from Prince, plus producers extraordinaire Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who are new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As Rolling Stone once described it, the Minneapolis Sound “loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno."
But there is another “Minneapolis Sound”, a grungier, more street-level sound. Pioneered by punk legends The Suicide Commandos in the 1970s, it spawned two 80s legends: The Replacements and Hüsker Dü. But there is a third, Soul Asylum, who carried that torch proudly into the 90s as those other two groups splintered.
And it is Soul Asylum that is still going strong. The band helped define the 90s music scene on both a local and national level. Now Soul Asylum is taking it down a notch with an 'unplugged' set in their hometown on April 20 at the State Theater.
WCCO's Laura Oakes talked with frontman Dave Pirner about the show that will celebrate 30 years since Soul Asylum's iconic MTV Unplugged appearance, something Pirner says feels like yesterday.
“This doesn’t really register to me that I’ve been doing this for this long,” Pirner laughs.
Formed in 1981, the band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner, Dan Murphy, Karl Mueller, and Pat Morley. They changed their name to Soul Asylum in 1983 and like many bands, they started by playing cover songs. Just like it was with Prince and so many local bands, it was First Avenue and 7th Street Entry where Soul Asylum cut their teeth.
The early incarnation of Soul Asylum was a dynamic mix of punk, hardcore, alternative and 70s style rock, and they were known for their raucous live shows, similar to both The Replacements and Hüsker Dü, which made for a wild local music scene. Pirner joked that early on, audiences didn’t always get what they were doing, and the band had a way of “punishing” those audiences.
“We had decided, and announced, that we were not going to stop playing until everybody left,” Pirner says. “And that’s what we did. And we played all the worst covers we could possibly imagine. Eventually everyone left and we stopped playing. It’s just kind of a thing. I think back in the day it was kind of a funny thing to do.”
Through most of the 80s, the band was relatively unknown nationally despite getting on tours with Minneapolis cohorts Hüsker Dü, who were then on a major label. That exposure eventually got Soul Asylum noticed. They grew out of those early machinations, evolved their sound, and became a multi-platinum selling band at the height of 90s grunge and alternative.
Their big breakthrough was 1992’s “Grave Dancer’s Union”, partially recorded at Pachyderm Discs in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. “Somebody to Shove” and “Runaway Train” became alternative rock radio hits. The band also released a 30th Anniversary version of “Grave Dancer’s Union” last year.
Since the beginnings of Soul Asylum, Pirner has traveled the world, moved to New Orleans, moved back to Minneapolis, wrote more albums and even a book. He admits playing his hometown again for the first time in a long time is a bit daunting.
“It has to be good,” Pirner explains. “We’ve just sort of played this town so many times, it’s hard to always kind of top yourself. But a bad show in Minneapolis is worse than a bad show in Timbuktu.”
Pirner says most importantly, he's looking forward to showing fans that Soul Asylum is still working, innovating, and trying new things. The band’s latest album, “Hurry Up and Wait”, was released in 2020.
“The whole point is to go out and tour, to let people know you have a new record out,” Pirner says.
Pirner has released a book with all of his lyrics from all of his songs called Loud Fast Words: Soul Asylum Collected Lyrics, which also came out in 2020.
Tickets are still available for the 4/20 show at the State Theater in Minneapolis. You can hear Laura's full interview with Dave Pirner below.