Feature / One Question Interviews
Soul Asylum

Words: Loren • June 27, 2015

Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum

Dave Pirnier (Soul Asylum – vocals)

SPB: Who is your favorite musician you’ve discovered in New Orleans?

Pirnier: Henry Butler first comes to mind. I saw him for the first time at the Funky Butt and he was playing the midnight to 4am slot. Seeing that he is blind, I was able to sorta stick my head in his grand piano and listen without him even knowing I was there and made going to his gigs a ritual. There are so many amazing musicians in New Orleans, but it was pretty much the street parades and Henry's piano playing that ultimately made move there. We eventually became friends and he came out to LA to do some sessions with us. I haven't seen him in a while as he moved away after Katrina, but I really miss him being in New Orleans.

Loren • June 27, 2015

Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum

Related features

Anathema Editions

Music / History 101 • August 11, 2026

Did you know it’s been 10 years since Anathema Editions put out its first release? To make the moment, we reached out to founder Terence Hannum to share some label history. In keeping with our “History 101” concept, SPB asked for anecdotes about 4 of the label’s releases and then … Read more

Stormtrooper

Interviews • August 10, 2026

Still a Dirty Mess: The Stormtrooper Oral History Before the Sex Pistols swore on television -- or tried to brush it off as "nothing, a rude word" -- and corporate labels commodified safety pins, there was a bar at The Marquee and a damp basement on King's Road. In 1975, … Read more

The Undead

Interviews • August 9, 2026

From shaping the early guitar drive of The Misfits to heading up The Undead, slinging bass for Times Square, and running Post Mortem Records out of a New Jersey bedroom, Bobby Steele’s footprint on tri-state punk is as real as it gets. He’s dodged precinct venue shutdowns, survived botched UK … Read more

Jenn L. Beckwith

One Question Interviews • July 29, 2026

Jenn L. Beckwith (All Good Cretins Go To Heaven: The Enduring Spirit of the Ramones – author) SPB: Do you remember the first time you saw the Ramones live (or, alternately if it’s a better story, the first time you heard them)? Beckwith: My collaborator and researcher Gary Lynn Clevenger … Read more

Fail Harmonic Records

One Question Interviews • July 28, 2026

Fail Harmonic Records SPB: What is your turntable set-up? Our office turntable is vanilla. Audio-Technica, maybe? What we’re spinning is what counts: and that’s Savageheads - Service to your Country (Social Napalm Records), an FHR HQ staple. If you wanna pack records at a fast pace, this is the album … Read more

Related news

English Beat hit the road

Posted in Tours on May 25, 2016

More from this section

Jenn L. Beckwith

One Question Interviews • July 29, 2026

Jenn L. Beckwith (All Good Cretins Go To Heaven: The Enduring Spirit of the Ramones – author) SPB: Do you remember the first time you saw the Ramones live (or, alternately if it’s a better story, the first time you heard them)? Beckwith: My collaborator and researcher Gary Lynn Clevenger … Read more

Fail Harmonic Records

One Question Interviews • July 28, 2026

Fail Harmonic Records SPB: What is your turntable set-up? Our office turntable is vanilla. Audio-Technica, maybe? What we’re spinning is what counts: and that’s Savageheads - Service to your Country (Social Napalm Records), an FHR HQ staple. If you wanna pack records at a fast pace, this is the album … Read more

Andresa One Man Band

One Question Interviews • July 27, 2026

Andresa Nugraha (Andresa One Man Band) SPB: What instrument has been the hardest to add into your set? Nugraha: Kazoo. It's funny because it seems like an easy instrument to play, but when you scream through the entire set and lose your voice, you can't play it right. So, I … Read more