When a group of guys got together in an old school gas station converted to a house they had no idea they were forming something much larger than each of them individually. Founding members Dan Weaver and Darick Parson had been playing together since their pre-teen years and dabbled with other projects and bands in the past. Brought up around music their whole lives, and fueled by their love and passion for music, they both aspired to make this their living and decided to create their ideal rock band. After bringing in drummer Matt Thompson and bassist James Newell the line up was complete and the flame was lit. In the early winter of 2002 the group chose the name Soulicit as the official band name. Through their music and writing they felt they were soliciting their inner most feelings and souls.
Coming from the “South” side of town they took on their “Dirty South” mantra and modeled their music as a modern rock infused version of southern rock. In the beginning still too young to even get into a bar or club Soulicit hosted huge house parties in the, what used to be, old gas station garage. Theses parties were Soulicit’s first taste of popularity and success drawing in hundreds of fans to this one time general store and fill station. There they honed their writing and performing skills and crafted their first fan hits “Back For More” and “Dirty South” both which appeared on their first 5 song demo self released in 2002. With the hit “Dirty South” Soulicit fully adopted this outsider, outcast, outskirts kind of swagger and played it up to all the faithful fellow south siders. Before long Soulicit was playing all the top Wichita bars and clubs.
The momentum hit a brick wall in 2004 when the band was shoved into reality and underwent its first lineup change. Soulicit made the decision to swap out bass player James Newell for Dan’s older brother Andrew Weaver. The change turned out to be one for the best as Andrew was just as talented on the bass as Dan was the guitar. But it didn’t take long for reality to slap them in the face once more when drummer Matt Thompson decided to leave the band in 2005. Once again out looking to replace a founding member, Soulicit quickly turned to Andrew and Dan’s childhood friend Craig Beebe. With the lineup back in shape Soulicit once again hit the Wichita scene and continued building their fan base with each show. After playing their biggest show in May of 2006 at Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre, based on creative differences, Darick announced that he was leaving Soulicit and the band would be no more.
2 years went by in which Darick had never stopped writing new material. He tried some of it in another band but it just wasn’t the right fit. Finally after realizing what they had let go, Darick and Dan sat down in late 2008 and once again agreed to create their version of what a rock band should be. Bringing back together the same 4 members as fans last knew, Soulicit was back better and stronger than ever. Armed with all the new material Darick had on the burners over the past couple of years the band quickly went to work writing and recording. It didn’t take long for all of them to realize they were now taking their music, musicianship, and band to a whole new level. Right away in early 2009 Soulicit took the Wichita scene by storm once again. Their first show back Soulicit played to a packed house and re-established themselves as a Wichita power house. The fans that were there before were there once more, and they had multiplied. Soulicit was selling bars out of alcohol and seats show after show.
In May of 2009 Soulicit self released their first full length album “The Right Time”. Selling hundreds of copies at shows, online, and out of their trunks it immediately became a fan hit. Powered by singles like “Save The Day” which took the Modern Rock charts over as #1 on ourstage.com, and “Take You Home” which is in regular rotation on a couple terrestrial radio stations the band was on to something big. At a show in Park City, KS during the song “Dirty South” the excitement and adrenaline from the crowd got the best of Darick and he shouted out “It’s a mental mentality” when talking about the lifestyle of the Dirty South. Since then the saying has stuck and has been adopted as the Soulicit tag line. You can find the line printed on the latest round of Soulicit gear. Most recently in April of 2010 Soulicit replaced long time drummer Craig Beebe with drummer Trent Boehner. Trent brings a whole new level of energy to Soulicit with his on stage performance and antics. Truly that last piece to the puzzle.
Gaining exposure and fans all over the world on radio sites like LastFm.com Soulicit continues to draw in people from around the world. The band has received several offers from indie labels and management companies but Soulicit is waiting it out for the right fit. 2010 is shaping up to be a big year as Soulicit continues to write and create some of their best stuff yet. Stay tuned and hold on!
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