The camaraderie of musicians is often a fragile balance of egos, style and substance. But for the three acts on the current Summer Camp with Trucks tour, the package is a rolling party revue.
Atlanta-based Collective Soul, along with their South Carolina-bred pals Hootie and the Blowfish and Edwin McCain, are headed back to town Friday, Sept. 20. Nearing the end of a lengthy tour that has crisscrossed the country since May, the troupe sounds happy to report their friendship and musicianship remain solid.
In recent calls from the road, Ed Roland of Collective Soul and Mark Bryan of the Blowfish were in good spirits and offered effusive praise for their respective tour mates.
“Well, first off, the tour is aptly named,” Roland said with a laugh. “This thing involves a lot of trucks — and buses — and it is indeed like summer camp. But it’s more like a cool family reunion, to be honest.”
Credit: Photo by Lee Clower
Credit: Photo by Lee Clower
The Collective Soul founder and principal songwriter explained that the diverse artists have known each other for more than three decades. “Over the years, we’ve played some shows with both Hootie and Edwin, but we’ve never done a proper tour together. If any of the Hootie boys are in Atlanta, they stop by, or we go play golf. And when we’re in Charleston, I’ll go by and see them, hang out and play some more golf. Sometimes we even get around to playing some music.”
Bryan, lead guitarist for Hootie and the Blowfish, agreed. “I think being on this bill has been good for all of us,” he said. “We’re as tight as we’ve ever been. Everybody’s sharing the stage, and we all do a little preshow shot to sort of toast the occasion, and it’s all very communal and reflective. We’ll toast the city or the venue or each other, so there’s just a lot of shared memories before we go out there and play.”
Roland added that even though the bands have separate dressing rooms, the musicians always end up congregating in one.
“This is not one of those ‘misery tours’ you’ve heard about. With us, the culture is the same, and we respect each other’s music, so it all works. It’s almost like going back to your old frat house for a second. We even play a few tricks on each other.”
But Roland sheepishly admits their pranks are tame these days. “It’s mostly that they’re Gamecock boys and we’re Georgia Bulldogs, so we’re always messin’ with each other on that. Nothing too crazy. We’re too old for too much silliness, so it’s all good fun. Mark has a bus, and sometimes I’ll sleep on it and play with his dogs. It’s so wholesome, it’s like having your cousins along with you.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Essential Broadcast Media
Credit: Photo courtesy of Essential Broadcast Media
One of the many things the musicians agree on is that the early 1990s was a great time to play music.
“Things were very different then,” Roland said. “You had more venues to play and less pressure. If you played and 10 people showed up, you still had fun. I miss those days. Hootie and the boys played a lot of fraternities because they were a frat band, and they’d do covers or whatever. And Edwin would play anywhere. He’d just get in a van and go to any restaurant or bar that would have him. And in a way, he still does, except the venues are better now. He still drives a lot. That crazy fool drives his own bus!”
Warming to the topic, Bryan added, “1994, especially, was when the commercial alternative scene embraced all three of us. We had ‘Cracked Rear View’ out, and Edwin got signed when he was out on tour with us. Collective had their first album (’Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid’) out on Atlantic as well that year — so now is definitely a good time to celebrate the past 30 years.”
“Cracked Rear View” sales have remained remarkably stout: The Recording Industry Association of America album has certified the album as a 22-time platinum seller — for sales of 22 million units.
“When we all first hit, it was just an interesting time for music,” Bryan said. “We were coming out of grunge and people were ready for something new. The ’80s alternative scene that came before that was so inspiring to all of us. I mean, back when it was truly ‘alternative,’ as in alternative to pop. Then alternative became mainstream in the ’90s and everything was just a blur.”
On the current tour, the three bands mostly stick to their considerable catalogs of hits, though Roland added that Collective Soul does “sneak in” a few new songs from their recent album “From Here to Eternity.” The prospect of playing brand-new music for a diverse crowd of fans eager for ’90s nostalgia isn’t lost on him.
“Darius (Rucker, of Hootie and the Blowfish) has a lot of country fans, so when we come out, for the first few songs, the crowd can be like, ‘Whoa, what is this?’ We open with some new stuff from the new record, so people won’t take a (restroom) break during them. But then we’ll play ‘Shine,’ and everybody calms down because they know they’re in for some familiar stuff. Sometimes though, it’s like that old Maxell (cassette tape) commercial where the guy is sitting in a chair at the stereo and his hair is blowing back (from the loud volume). But the crowd always gets it.”
Bryan said he thinks the show has a broad appeal. “We just try to make great music and have fun — and as many people who want to come along for the ride are all welcome. Collective Soul is a little harder rock band than we are, and Edwin has the singer-songwriter thing going on, so the crossover has been amazing to see. By the time Edwin gets to ‘I’ll Be’ early on in the show, it’s a magic moment. The place is already packed, and everybody is singing along. People get there early and they’re into the whole thing. Then we close it down with a bunch of hits and it’s just a party.”
IF YOU GO
The Summer Camp with Trucks tour
With Hootie and the Blowfish, Collective Soul and Edwin McCain. 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, $91-$581. Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. www.ticketmaster.com.
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