20 Year Ride By Kelley Simms
20 illinoisentertainer . com february 2018
C
hicago rockers Soil have had a dedicated local following for the last two decades . Formed in 1997 , the band — vocalist Ryan McCombs , bassist Tim King , guitarist Adam Zadel , ex-guitarist Shaun Glass ( ex-Broken Hope , Dirge Within ) and drummer Tom Schofield — rode a decent wave of success , gaining mainstream attention with singles “ Halo ” and “ Unreal ” from the 2001 album Scars . However , things began to unravel in 2004 when McCombs left the band to spend more quality time with his family . Burnedout with the business side of things McCombs thought he was done until he got the call nine months later to join prominent Texas alternative metal band Drowning Pool , which he then fronted for six years . “ I was married , and I had two boys at home , and I felt like it was time for me to call it a day and go home to them ,” McCombs said . “ I needed to get away from certain personalities within the band . I had my bags packed and truck loaded at one point before we even got our big break because I couldn ' t stand being associated with certain ways within the band .”
McCombs eventually reunited with the band for the Scars 10th anniversary UK tour in 2011 . Now celebrating its 20th anniversary , Soil released Scream : The Essentials last Fall via AFM Records . The compilation album features early-era tracks , alternate acoustic versions , and a new cover of the R & B staple “ Gimme Some Lovin '" which originally made its film debut in the cult classic The Blues Brothers in 1980 . “ We all grew up with The Blues Brothers being one of our favorite movies ,” McCombs said . “ We ’ re a Chicago band ; you can ’ t get much more Chicago than the Blues Brothers .”“ Though I ' m the one Soil member that ' s not from here myself , that city and area , and the rock / metal fans that call it home , gave this band life back in the late ’ 90s ,” McCombs declared . “ That connection alone makes it beyond special .”
The band ' s last studio album was 2013 ’ s Whole , and given the state of the music biz these days McCombs isn ’ t sure what the band ’ s options are for recording a new album . “ The industry is a broken , decayed , moldy , disease-riddled shell of what it was when we first were welcomed into it ,” McCombs said . “ I don ' t really know what options are available these days for any band that isn ' t one of the heavy hitters that made a name for themselves 20 years ago . An employer pays its employees to produce a widget . If no one buys the widget , the employer can ' t employ the employee for long , right ? A band ’ s widget is its songs . $ 9.00 monthly membership to one of those streaming sites doesn ' t split too favorably between its catalog of bands and their labels .”
Since Soil reactivated in 2011 , their expectations are now to enjoy the moment , something they forgot to do the first time around . “ Just to enjoy it , whatever it is ,” McCombs said . “ I don ' t know what life has in store for us . Three years ago I walked off stage from a sold-out crowd in Nottingham , England , flew home and had a stroke in my sleep that first night in my own bed . None of us are guaranteed tomorrow . I want to embrace each show people allow us to do . Each hand I get to shake and say thanks as many times as I can because I owe a lot of them .”
Doing anything for 20 years isn ’ t easy , but celebrating 20 years as a band must feel pretty amazing . Soil is optimistic about recapturing the excitement it achieved early in its career . “ We ' ve come a long way during these years ,” McCombs concluded . “ We ’ ve changed a lot , as people . It ' s been a gift to do this , [ for ] this long . It ’ s a gift given to us from every person that gave us the time of day . It ' s been a hell of a ride .”