Don’t tell rock band 3 Doors Down you can’t go home again.
Formed in Escatawpa, Mississippi, the resilient fivesome has
blazed a trail as the quintessential rock band, attaining massive
mainstream success but somehow never losing that small town
identity that has branded them rock’s truest underdogs.
They’ve reigned as a genuine force of nature, boasting rock n’
roll’s most earnest work ethic – ‘The thoroughly modern
American band’ - crows Billboard, one part swagger/one part
tireless road warriors, brandishing an arsenal of battle-tested
radio gems like their breakthrough anthem,
“Kryptonite.” Unleashed at the beginning of the decade, the
song seemed to capture the band’s heroic climb and
steadfast refusal to be pigeonholed as just another rock band.
After releasing their first self-titled album (their fourth
studio album and what some have appraised as ‘their most
definitive,’) the group weighs in on what it took to refresh
their innate sense of ‘place’ and deliver what just might be their
masterwork - a blistering, both-barrels approach etched in the
grain of brand new hits like the wistful wakeup call of “It’s Not
My Time,” the contemplative “Pages,” and the stem-winding lure of
“Train,” among others.
“What it took, was for us to take some real time off, go home,
and then gather again as the band we know how to be,” says lead
singer/songwriter Brad Arnold. “It was so appropriate to
self-title the album, because after taking what amounted to almost
a year-long break, we were hungry for each other’s company. A
song like ‘It’s Not My Time,’ kind of sets the stage for what we’ve
been through. I’ve known Matt and Todd and Chris since grade
school. With a foundation like that, we were secure enough to
take the time necessary, to make us want it.” Adds newest
member, drummer Greg Upchurch, who joined the band after the
recording of the 2005 release, Seventeen Days (this self-titled
album is the first 3DD album on which he appears) “This truly is
our defining moment as musicians. The writing, the recording,
the level of collaboration was truly an all-around band
effort. This CD is living proof of how good this band can
be.”
And that’s saying something. Because when you tally the
notches accrued during 3 Doors Down’s decade-plus ascension
(the original group formed in ’95) you realize they’ve earned
a wall-full of accolades that are also firmly cemented into
rock’s record books: 15 million albums sold, 3 multi-platinum
albums (their first album, 2000’s The Better Life sold an
astounding 6 million copies, with their 2002 follow-up, Away From
The Sun selling 4 million) six #1 hits, multiple Billboard and
other awards, and a relentless road itinerary that saw them hit 32
countries in a six year roll-up with ‘nary a break in
between. You don’t rack up that kind of ‘hall-of-fame’
mileage without putting a fair share of dents in the armor.
“Prior to making our new album, the average stretch we would
have off would be a couple weeks here, four-five weeks there,” says
bass player Todd Harrell. “We needed to get home and get our
roots back under us.” The band also miraculously found time
to add kindle to their homegrown The Better Life Foundation, which
has raised more than 2 million dollars for local children’s
charities since its inception in 2003. The group held their
fifth annual Foundation concert at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel
in Biloxi, Ms (and has annually donated a portion of concert ticket
sales to the charity organization). The band also became a
key local force in providing aid for victims of Hurricane
Katrina. Rhythm guitarist Chris Henderson’s own house was
partially damaged by the hurricane. Everyone they knew,
friends and family, were affected by the tragedy. “Everything
seemed to be churning around that time,” continues Todd. “We
knew it was important to get back to a normal life. It was
time to overcome. Time to try and relax. Do some
fishing. Get with family. We were doing 200 plus shows
a year, stopping only to get the next record out.”
In fact, the acclaimed Seventeen Days, (their first album to
debut #1 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart) was mistakenly believed
to have been named for the quick burst of songwriting sessions for
the CD, when in actuality, it marked the paltry amount of days-off
between coming off the road from the Away From The Sun tour, and
going into the studio for preproduction on Seventeen
Days.
“We’re not a band that just goes through the motions,” says
Chris. “We go at everything hard. What I’m most proud
of about the new album is we left ourselves a way out.
Everybody hit the proverbial brick wall. Everybody fell down
and everybody got back up, then we all went back in the room and,
what was great, was we found all these different paths to go
down.”
‘Different’ being the operative word here. Because what 3
Doors Down did after reconnecting with family, and ‘soul
searching’, was opt for a new process to the creative part of their
relationship. One that emphasized the undeniable strength of the
group. The fact that the sum is greater than any individual
part. “It is all about getting in that room and hashing it
out,” recalls lead guitarist Matt Roberts. “If you look at a
song like ‘Train,’ it was one of the first songs we wrote for this
album. It’s kind of a building block that exemplifies the spirit of
collaboration. Brad came with words and a melody and we
hammered it out.” “I remember I had that one in my head at
home,” laughs Brad. “I was singing it so much a friend
threatened to kill me if I didn’t get it down.” Matt also
remembers it as one of the ‘most fun songs to put together. “The
best moments of this band have always been about keeping it a fun
ride. You need that sense of accomplishment, but you also need to
keep the process comfortable.”. Adds Chris: “I think it’s
also fair to say we are one of the only ‘southern’ bands who has
the balls to put a song like ‘Train’ out there these days.”
The band rented an old farmhouse South of Franklin, Tennessee,
where they would not only write songs, but live together, for a
while. Says Brad: “The farmhouse was great because it became
a wholehearted experience where we just focused on the
writing. It was such a close-knit atmosphere, reconnecting us
after we had been doing our own thing for a while. It set a
cool mood for the entire record, writing out in the country around
this fireplace in the basement. Just locking ourselves away
and doing it.”
Matt adds that the unique setting soon sparked 26 or 27 song
ideas. “But winter turned colder than expected in Tennessee. So we
decided to head to a warmer climate.” The band found a ten bedroom
mansion in a remote section of Orlando, Florida. They brought
in Seventeen Days producer, Johnny K. and turned the house into a
recording studio.
The originality of the two locations rejuvenated the band’s
approach. They worked hard to capture that sense of
camaraderie on the final product. Once they nailed it, they
packed up and headed back to Nashville. Talking legendary mixer,
Andy Wallace, into abandoning his NY studio, again, (he also mixed
Seventeen Days in Nashville), and they began the final process of
putting the pieces together.
This album features inspired musicianship as well as some
intriguing personal refrains, like on one ‘band favorite,’ “Let Me
Be Myself.” “That one touches on the wrongheaded notion of how we
often try destructive methods to try and kill our pain,” says
Brad. “But I also want the songs to be open to
interpretation. More universal. That one is really
talking about anything you can get lost in.” And the ballad
“Pages”: “I think it has a lot of meaning for the whole band.
What we’ve gone through,” says Matt. “Brad is pointing out
what’s going on with his personal situation and ours. It was
a very meaningful song for us.”
The group also nails their share of (in-yer’-face)-rockers like
“Runaway.” “It’s the kind of song you put on only to get
somewhere else,” says Todd. “Put it on in your car and drive
as fast as you can.” He and several of the guys also touch on
the last song of the album, “She Don’t Want The World,” one of the
most unique 3 Doors Down offerings yet. “That song has really
become one of my favorites. It doesn’t have a big chorus or
anything, just Brad telling a story.” Adds Brad: “We
even use loops on that one. We were so willing to try
different things. I think one of the reasons this is such an
important album for us is because every one of us was in a
different place prior to any other record we’ve ever made.
And I would say a ‘better’ place. But it’s the kind of record
that never would have happened if we didn’t get off that merry go
round for awhile.”
For Greg (former Puddle Of Mudd drummer, born in Louisiana,
raised in Oklahoma), a song like the gutsy “It’s The Only One
You’ve Got,” also exemplifies the band’s ‘sixth-sense’ for
cooperation. A true democracy – right down the line.
“Just the way that it went down. Chris was trying to learn
another song and stumbled upon the riff for this song. Brad
was like ‘hold on, I’ve got something for that.’ Then someone
else would join in. The whole thing happened quickly, and it
turned out to be such an inspiring song. This has been the
most collaborative experience I’ve ever been involved in. And the
most satisfying.”
“We just can’t wait to put this sugar out and get back out on
the road,” agrees Brad. “It’s definitely the one where we got
our ‘grit back.”