Collective Soul, playing in Southern Illinois this week, still making hits 30 years in

Collective Soul have been a part of the soundtrack of many people’s lives by virtue of how many hits they had.

Songs like “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” “Precious Declaration,” and “Run” have all not only topped the charts, but had staying power, still finding heavy rotation on the radio.

A huge part of their success is the way they’re able to transfer the love, history, and emotions they share between them into songs that have a further reach. Three founding members— Ed Roland (vocals, songwriting, keyboards), Dean Roland (guitar), and Will Turpin (bass), along with Jesse Triplett (guitar) and Johnny Rabb (drums) will be in Marion, Illinois, on Tuesday at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center for a 7 p.m. concert, playing not just old favorites, but new, driving tracks from their most recent release, "Vibrating."

Bassist Will Turpin — who, between playing full-time with Collective Soul releases his own Laurel-Canyon tinged music (most recently the record "Serengeti Drivers") and produces new music through his recording studio, Real 2 Reel, near his hometown in Georgia — says the band was excited to get back on the road as soon as possible after the pandemic.

Listening to one of their recent singles, “Cut the Cord” immediately conjures the image of Collective Soul in their prime, which, to be fair: it is. Few bands from the early ‘90s are able to keep the momentum of their early career, much less build on it and create wholly new art.

“We enjoy playing and the new material is fun to play live. We started telling people it was a celebration of life years ago,” he says. “It’s more than just playing notes or playing songs, it’s about sharing those memories and forgetting about everything else in the day to day of your life and trying to let those songs that became the background of your life bring back the memories. Let’s all be in the same room and celebrate the fact that we’re all here, let’s celebrate the fact that we’re all here, let’s celebrate our friends and loved ones who aren’t here, and remember all the positive memories.”

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The love and connection between the band itself is clear: there’s an instinct and trust that allows a freedom on every instrument.

“The best stuff comes from when you are in the same room… something that’s a little more powerful than just combining rhythm and harmony and melody. It’s better when you’re capturing emotion. For us, that happens when we’re playing live and we’re watching each other. We’re opening our ears and hearts to capture that emotion.”

Turpin says he still often sees his bass lines as piano scores. The effect is palpable: instead of just providing rhythm, every instrument has its own melodic build, which adds to the emotional effect.

Though Collective Soul understands that their music has scored thousands of moments and lives they’ll never know, they also experiment and play around with songs that they’ve been playing for a while: “We do a really cool seven minute version of ‘Better Now’ where we incorporate a lot of new and different elements.” Turpin says that experimenting like that is one of the most exciting parts of being on the road. “We love it. There’s nothing that would make us go, ‘Oh, we don’t want to play live anymore.’”

Something that makes Collective Soul stand out is that not only do they still listen to music on the road, especially old favorites, Turpin mentioned listening to artists like Odd Army, Red and the Revellers, and The Summit, who he’s producing at Real 2 Reel.

To hear a producer energized by the musicians they were working with as though they’re not just working with them professionally, but as a fan explains why the band is still so dynamic: they aren’t a nostalgia act. They are very much a part of the contemporary scene in every way, as listeners, producers, and musicians.

With a band like Collective Soul, their music is already urgent, but the live performance is full of the alchemical energy that turns great songs into unforgettable moments.

“There’s something tangible about it. Some people… they plan their whole summers around who they’re going to see and it fills their souls. It’s bigger than just a group of guys playing notes,” Turpin says before inviting the public: “When we’re playing live and you’re coming to see [us], it’s a celebration of life. Come celebrate with us."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Collective Soul playing concert July 11 at Marion, Illinois