Why Collective Soul is going to rock in 2009
I can remember when I first heard of Collective Soul back in the 90's. I remember songs like "Shine" and "The World I Know" and I can remember thinking that they'd be huge. And then a few years later I'd hear an occasional mention or song on the radio and remember them and wonder like VH-1 "Where are they now?".
I always liked what I heard and I enjoy their music. I think I might even have an album buried in the mess I call a music collection. But I never thought I'd be connected to them through a Kevin Bacon-esqe series of tubes.
But when I started on twitter, I followed a series of recommendations to @Collective_Soul by someone who swore "They Follow you back!". I was new at the twitter thing and thought that it would be a miracle if they would or would even care if I followed them.
Turns out they do care. I've tweeted things that they re-tweeted (the Wheatoncalc article only two below this one for instance was re-tweeted). And they talk to their fans and connect to them in ways that has to be enriching to both them and to the fandom as well.
I never considered myself a Collective Soul fan, although I liked their music, but I am revising that opinion. Not only because they are connected to their fans by more than a revenue stream traded for musical output. I am becoming a fan because they are -- like me -- enjoying the community of Twitter and sharing of themselves. It is a lot easier to admire a real person than a media presence.
I may have to go see them in concert while they are on tour this year to say in person how much I appreciate that they have the good taste to play in the same places I do.
UPDATE: The closest that Collective Soul's Summer tour will be to me is Norfolk, VA. That's about 250 miles away! Come on guys, can't you find a venue like Ram's Head Live or Merriweather Post Pavilion to play around here?