Eclectic blending of blues and jazz + traditional Irish and Eastern European sounds, + an underlying sophistication that runs through it all + wicked fiddle + little wailing woman on lead vocals.

9 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Jazzy Blues, FOLK: Folk Pop



Details:
Soule embraces the feeling of late summer on the southern Minnesota prairie. Their sound has an enveloping warmth that is paired with wide open grooves reminiscent of driving fast down the interstate beneath a star-filled sky with the windows down. Soule's music, influenced by bluegrass, blues and straight-ahead rock and roll, has a feel that is as comfortable and familiar as it is unique. They balance this bluesy folk sound against an undercurrent of pop aesthetic.

Soule was born as a three-piece band in late 2002, with Casey Hochhalter on drums, Mike "Shorty" Schwerdtfeger covering the bass, vocals and writing, and CJ Mulder on guitar, writing and lead vocals. The band brought Martha Roisen on as lead vocalist and backup guitarist six months after its inception. Violinist Jess Crary is the latest addition to this phenomenal quintet. Though each band member brings their own distinct stylistic influences and musical talents to the band, Soule is the chemistry of these five people working with and off of each other. So many bands strive for that intangible "something" that transcends the individual musician, and some succeed. Few, however, carry that "something" with the ease that Soule does.

In 2004, Soule garnered massive local attention, playing outdoor events, like Mankato's "Bar-muda Triangle Block Party", assuming the role of house band at the classy and intimate Sugar Room bar and earning Static Magazine's (2003) award for best live band in southern Minnesota. Their debut album Not to be Had for the Wanting is available now at myspace.com/soule.