Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
You hear of rock stars turned actors. But musicians parlaying a second gig as a renovator? That’s a little more unusual. But Dave Pirner makes it all sound like the norm when he phones from a place he’s working on in New Orleans.
The question after Soul Asylum’s gig Wednesday night at Metro wasn’t, “How were they?” but rather, “Why did they play there?” Longtime fans were treated to a solid, if unspectacular, 95-minute set from the formidable Minneapolis-based rock group. But it wasn’t that long ago that the band seemed destined for a brighter future and was sharing headlining status at outdoor festival shows.
Singer-guitarist Dave Pirner admits to playing in some pretty raunchy bands while cutting his punk-music teeth. Today, the 24-year-old musician fronts Soul Asylum, a loud, guitar-heavy group that he claimed is the most “imageless band ever.”