Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Some women get flowers or a love note on Valentine’s Day.
Ed Roland’s wife, Michaeline, gets an album of songs written in her honor.
On Sunday, the Collective Soul frontman will celebrate Valentine's Day and his impending 10th wedding anniversary by streaming the aptly named album, "Anniversary" ( you can hear it here on the appropriate day ).
Roland recorded the 10 songs over a three day period in December 2014 – “I gave myself a year!” he said with a laugh – with Collective Soul bandmates Will Turpin and Jesse Triplett, as well as the band’s original drummer, Shane Evans (with whom Roland hadn’t played in 15 years) and guitar maestro Peter Stroud.
The songs range from the feisty, tongue-in-cheek rocker “Bed” to the reggae-tinged “Nothing Else Matters,” and Roland said he wrote all of the material with the simple intention of making sure Michaeline knew that she was “the love of my life.”
“Life on the road is hard. When we first started the relationship, I had just come out of a divorce and everyone was concerned. I was letting her know that I was in it for the long haul,” Roland said. “What inspires me are beautiful stories, like Paul and Linda (McCartney) and Bono and his wife Ali who have been married for (33) years.”
Roland and Michaeline, who is director of talent at Spanx, dated for three years before marrying on Feb. 17, 2006. The date is significant to Roland not because of its proximity to Valentine’s Day, but because his father’s birthday was Feb. 18 and his parents’ anniversary, Feb. 19.
There are no plans to release “Anniversary” because, “This was a gift to Michaeline, but I just wanted everybody to know,” Roland said.
Collective Soul has toured relentlessly since late September and the band is readying a spring tour of Canada and U.S. dates this summer.
They’re also about halfway into a new Collective Soul record (five songs have been recorded so far) and Roland said the plan is to release it in early 2017.
The ever-busy musician also recently wrapped a second album with his other band, the Sweet Tea Project, and will release that music on vinyl first and then head back on the road for some fall dates.
“How many people can say they’re in two bands and love both of them?” Roland said in a tone full of gratitude.
Probably about as many people with husbands capable of writing them an album of love songs.
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Roland has a little something to say about "Anniversary."
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