Soul Asylum singer/rhythm guitarist Dave Pirner has fond memories of his band’s 1993 MTV “Unplugged” sessions.
The studio was in a New York warehouse, near Soul Asylum’s practice space, so it was familiar to Pirner.
“It was also very professional,” he said. “MTV had a lot of money back then, or, at least, put a lot of money into the ‘Unplugged’ thing — whatever the case may be.
“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I remember being pretty nervous about it and relieved when it was over. Now I have the strange perspective when I listen to it — it’s not bad. We had a good night.”
Pirner and Soul Asylum lead guitarist Ryan Smith have teamed up for an acoustic tour that comes to the Musical Instrument Museum on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Launched by MTV in 1989, “Unplugged” featured musicians performing unplugged versions of their electric repertoire, where the heaviest of bands abandoned walls of amps and picked up acoustic guitars exposing fans to more intimate versions of their songs.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Soul Asylum’s MTV “Unplugged” appearance, “Soul Asylum: The Complete Unplugged — NYC ’93” will be available on all major digital streaming platforms on Nov. 10.
The 16-track collection features four previously unreleased, nonbroadcast songs from the set. Thought to be lost for over 20 years, master recordings of the band’s 1993 performance have been newly mixed from the original tapes for this release. In April, on Record Store Day 2023, Sony Legacy released “Soul Asylum: The Complete Unplugged — NYC ’93” as a vinyl exclusive.
Pirner is proud of the record.
“We could have been having a bad night and would have been cringing the whole time I was listening to it,” Pirner said with a laugh.
“But the band was good to go. ‘Grave Dancers Union’ had just come out when we did the ‘Unplugged’ thing. We started playing in practice space with acoustic guitars. That was just a coincidence that the ‘Unplugged’ thing happened at the same time.”
Best known for the songs “Runaway Train,” “Somebody to Shove” and “Black Gold,” Minnesota’s Soul Asylum was comfortable performing acoustically. Pirner said it was gratifying to hear his songs with strings.
“It was a thrill while it was happening,” he said. “We only rehearsed maybe once or twice. We weren’t really sure how it was going to go. We just did it again, recently, and it was very much like, we’re a punk rock band and we’re working with string players who need to play something once and they know it. It’s all written out.
“Musically, we’re at the bottom of the sophistication pole. It all works together and it’s the beauty of music.”
To that regard, Pirner added, the record is special as it’s pricey to stage that nightly.
“I could try to tour with 20 people, but I’d need 14 more people to make sure that those 20 people are miced up properly, have their sheet music in the right places,” he said, laughing.
“I sometimes work with a drummer who works with Brian Setzer, who has a big band. He was telling me about what it’s like to tour with 30 people. It’s very expensive.”
The project was perfect for Soul Asylum, who vowed not to be pigeonholed — an expression with which Pirner was long familiar. He was exposed to various types of music as a young trumpeter in elementary school.
“I didn’t want to commit to a certain sound or style because there were so many different kinds of music I was into — whether it was jazz, heavy metal or punk. Punk rock, mostly, was the launching pad for it.”
He considered what he could do with two guitars, bass and drums, and experimented fervently. It continues today, as Soul Asylum is recording a new album with producer/Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan. Thirty-three years ago, Soul Asylum and Jordan recorded the band’s “And the Horse They Rode In On.”
“It’s pretty great sounding,” Pirner said about the new music. “It’s just the band playing live. There’s no tomfoolery.”
Unpredictability and spontaneity are the keys to Soul Asylum’s music.
“You don’t want to overdo something,” he said. “You want to catch something while it’s fresh. If you want a song to sound exciting, you don’t want to beat it to death and do a million overdubs.”
For Pirner, it’s easy to stay passionate about music, as it’s an obsession. He said the craft comes naturally to him.
“When I’m not on the road, I’m in my living room looking at my piano and guitar. They’re constantly calling out to me,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘Pick me up and play me.’ You can always get better. I’m here to tell you this. It’s amazing to me at this stage, too, the millions of things you can do with a guitar and a rock band, so to speak. I’m not running out of options or possibilities or potential. Music always surprises me. I’m looking to surprise myself today by saying, ‘That sounds better than I thought it could or would.’ That makes me going. Yesterday, I didn’t know what that sound was and those notes in that order was, and today here it is. It doesn’t change.”
Soul Asylum
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7
WHERE: Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix
COST: Tickets start at $54.50
INFO: www.mim.org, www.soulasylum.com
