Sole and the Skyrider Band Interview: SXSW 2010

Sole, aka Tim Holland, is an alternative hip-hop artist and co-founder of the Anticon Collective. The label has been described as a producer of 'avant-garde hip-hop,' among other artistically alternative forms and stylings. The quality of work coming out of Anticon has generally been very well received. However, Sole has recently withdrawn his involvement from the collective and has announced his intentions to continue work with many artists still associated with Anticon. Sole's recent project is Sole and The Skyrider band, an epic but non-genre-specific form of alternative and conscious hip-hop. We look forward to Sole and Skyrider Band's involvement in SXSW '10.

How would you describe your sound in your own words?

I say it's intelligent hip-hop over epic beats.

How did your band form?

I did a little tour with them and was blown away, so we started working on music together.

What are your musical influences?

Public Enemy, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Bob Dylan, OC, Organized Konfusion, Freestyle Fellowship, Guy Debord.

How did you come up with your band name?

I added together the names of both. Sole and Skyrider became Sole & the Skyrider band.

What's your biggest vice?

Bitching.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I dont have guilty pleasures. Why should I feel guilty for enjoying whatever I want?

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Umm... probably having to bribe Serbian police officers while they took me from my wife and drove me across the Serbian countryside to meet with some Australian mafia guy who told me "You dont have rights here, you either pay or go to jail" for a speeding trap.

Who or what kind of people would you recommend listening to your music?

People who enjoy a challenge, people who are open minded, people who enjoy poetry, people who like to read, people who care about the fate of human civilization!

What works or accomplishments is the band most proud of?

I think just the fact that i've been a full time musician 10 years is accomplishment enough.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Drew Barrymore.

When and how did your musical career technically start?

When i was 13 or 14, in 8th grade, i entered a rap contest, I was the only white guy and the youngest person, I won the contest and a "record deal" with a guy named Jaz.

What key moment made you feel that the band had really "made it"?

There is no moment like that when you take the path least travelled. These days I dont think people are gonna get the kind of validation that used to define success. I know I've made it because I can't get a job making more money than I make from music.

What's your latest music related accomplishment?

Every day is a musical accomplishment.My last music related accomplishment was defeating "Mass Effect 2."

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