SOiL: From sharing the stage with Ozzy to giving Miami a dose of Slayer, Tim talks to MMH before the Manchester show !!
MMH Radio catches up with Tim from Chicago heavy metal band SOiL for a trip through rock history, unforgettable gigs, backstage friendships and a few embarrassing moments along the way.
Life in a touring rock band is rarely predictable. There are the career-defining moments, incredible audiences, friendships that last decades and, occasionally, gigs where absolutely nobody seems to know what they’ve signed up for! Matt Black caught up with Tim from Chicago heavy metal band SOiL for MMH Radio to talk about the band’s journey, the songs that still mean so much to them and some of the stories behind life on the road.
Halo: The song that still delivers
Asked which SOiL song he most enjoys performing, Tim doesn’t hesitate to pick Halo. It might sound like the obvious answer, but for Tim, it’s not simply about playing one of the band’s best-known songs. “It’s probably a little clichéd and cheesy, but Halo is my favourite song for us to play.” Having performed it thousands of times throughout their career, the excitement now comes from watching the audience and seeing how they react. Anybody who knows SOiL knows Halo. Seeing fans singing every word, bouncing around and connecting with the song still gives the band an incredible rush. For Tim, it’s that connection between the band and the crowd that makes it special. Sharing the stage with rock royalty Every band has those moments when they realise just how far they’ve travelled, and for SOiL, one particular tour stands out.
Tim looks back to 2001 and the legendary Merry Mayhem Tour
The band found themselves playing arenas alongside Ozzy on a proper headline tour, rather than simply appearing at Ozzfest. For Tim, playing the arena in his hometown was particularly special. It was somewhere he’d grown up watching some of his musical heroes, including Ozzy, Mötley Crüe and Metallica. To go from being in the audience to sharing the stage was, quite simply, a dream come true. He also remembers the warmth shown to the band by Ozzy, his family and crew, as well as Rob Zombie and his team. One friendship has lasted particularly well. Blasko, Rob Zombie’s bass player, became a close friend, and the pair still speak every couple of weeks, all these years later. The tour helped establish SOiL as a breakthrough act and contributed to the band’s eventual gold-record success.
Expecting Dave Matthews, getting Slayer!
Of course, not every gig goes quite according to plan. Asked about embarrassing moments, Tim has a story that’s difficult to beat. The band had been offered a performance during Spring Break in Miami, Florida. The venue was Señor Frog’s, and the organisers had distributed around 50,000 flyers. The club was packed, people were being turned away and a queue stretched around the block. Naturally, the band thought they were about to play an incredible show. There was just one small problem. The audience was expecting Dave Matthews. Instead, they got SOiL delivering something much closer to Slayer! Halfway through the first song, almost the entire audience walked out. Tim remembers the crowd looking completely stunned, as though they’d witnessed something from The Exorcist. Thankfully, around 100 genuine SOiL fans stayed to enjoy the performance. It might have been embarrassing at the time, but it’s certainly become one of those stories the band can laugh about years later.
If you could travel back in time?
Given the chance to jump into a time machine and experience any era of rock and metal, Tim’s choice is an easy one: the 1980s. He was still at school during the decade and feels he missed out on the excitement and excess of the era. His ideal scenario would be to go back as a twenty-something musician, armed with everything he knows today, and experience the decade with a band of his own. He remembers the period fondly, describing it as a time when people were having fun and simply enjoying life. It’s an era he’d love to experience all over again, this time from the other side of the stage.
Lights, camera, SOiL!
We couldn’t finish without asking one final question. If Hollywood decided to make a film about SOiL, which famous actor would Tim choose to play him? His answer? He’s really not sure! Tim talks enthusiastically about The Dirt, the film telling the story of his favourite band, Mötley Crüe.
He loved the way the film brought the band’s history to life, even acknowledging that certain events had been adapted for the screen. Rather than choosing a major Hollywood star, Tim would probably follow the same approach and cast relatively unknown, up-and-coming actors. He even suggests that some of his favourite actors, including Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves, might not be suitable anyway, as they’re older than him and don’t particularly look like the band!
A proper rock ‘n’ roll conversation
From the emotional connection of Halo to sharing arenas with Ozzy Osbourne, and from a dream tour to a Miami audience that clearly wasn’t expecting heavy metal, Tim’s stories offer a great insight into life in SOiL. It’s a conversation full of humour, genuine affection for the music and some wonderful memories from a band that has certainly earned its place in rock history. We can only assume SOiL went on to smash it at the Ritz in Manchester! What we can say for a fact is that SOiL is still ripping it up, and don’t expect them to slow down any time soon. If anything, they’re just getting warmed up.
