3 Doors Down |
What do you do when your first album sells over six million copies? If you're 3 Doors Down, you follow up the crowd-pleasing debut album "The Better Life" with an equally enjoyable sophomore effort called "Away From the Sun," which has already spawned a Top 10 single, "When I'm Gone," that climbed as high as number 2 on Billboard's Top 40 list. A second single, "The Road I'm On," has just been released, and is already steadily making its way up the charts.
Although the band has grown accustomed to headlining gigs, back in October the members of 3 Doors Down -- vocalist Brad Arnold, guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson, bassist Todd Harrell and newly added drummer Daniel Adair -- experienced a new kind of performance rush when they were given the chance to play for The U.S. Armed Forces aboard one of the aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, locations in the Persian Gulf, and other exotic locations away from home
Recently, StarPolish's Chris Mugno was able to catch up with Matt Roberts to discuss the new record, the recording process, adding new members to the team, and getting an opportunity of a lifetime.
STARPOLISH: I just wanted to say congratulations on the new release, Away From The Sun, and reaching the number one position on Billboard chart with "When I'm Gone." Even though this is not something new for you guys, it still must be exciting reaching the top position...
ROBERTS: Oh yeah, it always is, absolutely. It's refreshing and brings the whole experience back to life again.
STARPOLISH: I know that you guys took some time in between albums, so does this bring backsome old familiar feelings?
ROBERTS: Exactly! Everything is back in swing -- we're working and it's good, man.
STARPOLISH: I want to talk about the new album for a few minutes. How doesAway From The Suncompare to your debut release,The Better Life,aside from the fact that it was recorded by 3 Doors Down?
ROBERTS: It is more of an extension of The Better Life. There aren't really a lot of comparisons that I could make on this one because we really tried to make a completely new 3 Doors Down project. I think that is what we did, you know? We wanted this record to stand on its own. We didn't even think about the first record when we were making this one.
STARPOLISH: How was it working with legendary producer Rick Parashar, who is known for working with acts such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Blind Melon?
ROBERTS: It was good. We had a lot of fun working with Rick, and he just happened to be the man for the job. We didn't pick him because of status or anything, we picked because of his interest in the project. That's how that all came about.
STARPOLISH: Did you learn anything from working with him, in terms of being in the studio? Was he able to teach you anything or give you tips about the recording process?
ROBERTS: It's pretty much the work ethic -- he's got a really good work ethic, and that's the main thing. Every band and every project is different. Just because he's worked with, whomever, doesn't mean that he's too big to work with somebody else. The whole thing is to get in there and [start] working together to find that common ground, and that's what we did. He was able to establish a great work ethic, I can say that.
STARPOLISH: I know that most bands hate comparing their sophomore album to their first album, and I respect what you said before when you mentioned that you wanted this album to be able to stand on its own. But can you seeAway From The Sunbeing anywhere as big asThe Better Life?
ROBERTS: Well we hope so. There's kind of an industry slump right now with downloading and everything, and record sales are not where they were before.
STARPOLISH: When we talk about things being bigger, we don't just mean that in terms of sales, because basically the way many artists to make their money is through touring and selling merchandise and all that other stuff. So we're talking about being big, we mean the whole picture, including radio play, MTV or VH1. So I guess the question is more whether or not this record will get as much exposure as the first album got?
ROBERTS: Yeah, I think we are going to reach that point on this record as far as all that goes.
STARPOLISH: Your first single out, "Kryptonite," received an incredible response, and helped to break the ice for 3 Doors Down almost immediately. That doesn't happen for a lot of bands.
ROBERTS: Fortunately, that happened on this record with "When I'm Gone." We had a really successful debut single on this record. It's great to come out swinging, and I think that is what we did on this first single again. We're pretty happy to be back in the spotlight.
STARPOLISH: What kind of changes, if any, did the band go through while recording this album? Did you try to add more instrumentation, or use less layering?
ROBERTS: Well, we did a lot of everything. The writing process was pretty much the same, we wrote like we always do. There's not set way we write as a band to create songs. When we were in the studio this time, yeah, we took a lot more time defining tones, guitar tones and trying out different microphones. On the technical side of it, I think we spent a lot more time. I probably used every effects pedal ever made. We just took more time developing tones and that sort of thing.
STARPOLISH: As I understand it, the band just went through a recent drummer change -- do you care to get into that?
ROBERTS: Sure, we got a new drummer Daniel Adair, from British Columbia. We were a four-piece band when we were on tour. Brad [Arnold, the vocalist] played the drums on the first record, and we had Josh on this record. Daniel is a young gun and he is on the road with us right now, and we are kind of just developing that right now.
STARPOLISH: When you were on tour the first time around, who played drums?
ROBERTS: Richard Lyles.
STARPOLISH: And he was just a fill- in?
ROBERTS: Yeah, he was the tour drummer.
STARPOLISH: I had no idea that Brad played the drums on the first album --I guess that gave the band a kind of Genesis feel, huh?
ROBERTS: He's a great drummer actually, but he likes to be out front. So we made the arrangement.
STARPOLISH: What advice can you give artists going into the studio for the first time?
ROBERTS: Experiment . . . that's what I can say. Don't be scared to experiment.
STARPOLISH: How was 3 Doors Down created? Were all of you friends, or did you find each other through classified ads?
ROBERTS: No, we all grew up together; we're all from the same hometown. Brad and I have known each other since I could remember. It was just one of those small-town things where we grew up playing in each other's garages.
STARPOLISH: Talking about experimenting, you guys had the opportunity to play for the U.S. Armed Forces overseas --that must have beenan experience you're never going to forget as well as the industry. How did that opportunity arise?
ROBERTS: When we were finishing the record Away From The Sun, we wanted to do something special for our first time getting the band out after the record. We had just [added] Daniel. Actually, [the Armed Forces] came to us, and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity -- that was back in October. So we went over there and had an amazing time. We played on the deck on an aircraft carrier and played in the Persian Gulf; it was an experience that we'll probably never get again. It was amazing for entertainers to go out there and do something like that -- it was a great thing. It's something that we will never forget for sure.
STARPOLISH: How is the tour going thus far?
ROBERTS: It's going great. This is what it is all about.
STARPOLISH: Have you guys changed anything in your live routine other than the obvious, such as the set list? Are you doing anything, such as special lighting or pyrotechnics, to help create a new atmosphere?
ROBERTS: We spent a lot on lighting and stage sets. We are not a pyro band, so we don't blow anything up. But that's pretty much it. We really developed the live shows for the band. We got all the lights and the stage sets, it's really cool, but I don't think that we will ever blow up anything. It's a pretty entertaining show.
STARPOLISH: Did the band or the label select "When I'm Gone" to come out as the first single?
ROBERTS: It was a long process. It almost got to a point of putting all the songs in a hat and picking one. We finally decided on "When I'm Gone," but it was a long process.
STARPOLISH: Choosing the first single must be tough, because a wrong choicecould discourage listeners from wanting to hear the rest of the album. Other times fans may a like a great single so much that they don't really listen to the rest of the album. Is there a specific process to choosing which track should be put out as a single, or putting the tracks in some sort of order upon completion?
ROBERTS: We do that -- whether there's any logic to it, I don't know, other than us wanting it that way. As far as the single goes, that is something that you have to careful about. We wrote "When I'm Gone" about three years ago and have been playing it off and on, and the live response was really good on that song. So we had some sort of reference to help us pick.
3 Doors Down |
STARPOLISH: So that song wasn't written just for this record?
ROBERTS: No, we actually wrote that song while on The Better Life tour.
STARPOLISH: Speaking of touring, have you learned everything there is to learn about being on the road, or are there things you're still learning? Also, are you preparing for the tour any differently?
ROBERTS: It's a lot easier now then is was because we don't have to climb through all those obstacles that we had to on the first one. We are already kind of on the plane, so now things are a lot better. We had a lot of rough times -- a tour can be difficult, especially when you are out for two years and five or six world tours for your first record; you can get pushed in a lot of different directions. When it comes to your second record and your second major tour, you know what's out there and you know what to expect. You know you can call the shots on certain things and you don't have to be pushed in any certain direction other then the direction you need to go on.
STARPOLISH: Who are some of the band's -- and your -- influences?
ROBERTS: A lot of people you know. Alex Liefson from Rush, he just works for the whole band. As far as musically, everybody in the band absorbs anything. You might catching the guys listening to Iron Maiden one night, Willie Nelson [the next]... you know, just across the board. We just listen to anything.
STARPOLISH: What's do you see being in store for 3 Doors Down in the near future?
ROBERTS: Hopefully in the spring we are going to start a new record. That should be the next big thing other than the tour; that's kind of what we have planned.
STARPOLISH: Are you guys going to be playing any festivals this year?
ROBERTS: Yeah, a lot of festivals. I can't put my finger on any of them right now, but yeah.
STARPOLISH: Any final advice for bands trying to break through into the music industry?
ROBERTS: Just keep at it and practice, practice, practice.
