Alternative Rock World- Kody's Avenue

Alternative Rock World - A Big "push" to the Top

Out of the ashes of a popular fraternity band called Tabitha's Secret emerged a new band out of Florida called Matchbox 20. They've had phenomenal success with such hit singles as "Long Day," "Push" and "3 a.m." Recently their debut album, "YourseLf Or Someone Like You" has climbed into the top 10 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. Drummer Paul Doucette recently talked with me about the band and the future. ARW: How did you get involved with Matchbox 20?
Paul Doucette: Rob, Brian, and myself actually started the band. We played together in a band (Tabitha's Secret) before this for a couple years down in Florida and we quit that band and started this one.
ARW: Paul, when do you think the bands first big break came?
Paul: I don't know, it kind of depends, I guess the first big break was getting the record deal. As far as when the record got it's first big break was definitely when "Push" came out as a single.
ARW: How did it come about that "Push" was the second release of "Yourself Or Someone Like You?"
Paul: Radio stations kind of just started playing it and it just started taking off and once the label saw it was taking off on the stations that were playing it, they said well let's go with this. It's my favorite song off the record, so I always thought it would be a singe if we ever got to put out singles. I didn't think it would be this close. I kind of thought it would be a single later on.
ARW: How did it come about that "Long Day" was the first single?
Paul: We wanted "Long Day." It was between "Long Day" and "Real World." I like "Real World" but we really wanted "Long Day" for the first single.
ARW: Paul, is "Real World" a possible future single?
Paul: They're talking about it actually being next.
ARW: What are some bands that influenced you?
Paul: We all come from a lot of different places. Rob is really into singer/songwriters like Elvis Costello, Bernie Taupin and Elton John. Ani DiFranco he's a big fan of, I am too. I was a big huge R.E.M. fan growing up, still am.
ARW: What are some bands Matchbox 20 listens to on the road?
Paul: Old 97's a lot. Lets see who else. I really like a girl named Bic Runga, she's from New Zealand. We just got back and I heard her while I was down there and love her cd.
ARW: You mentioned before about the Old 97's?
Paul: We met them, we were in Houston, we did a festival with them. I've done a lot of festivals and I've gotten to meet a lot of people and I'm usually really cool, like "Hey, how ya doing," if you say anything, your like "Hey, I love your music, what's up, good to see ya, good to meet ya." But with the Old 97's, I was so like starstruck. I was like "Oh my god, your the Old 97's, I love you." I felt like I was 12. (Matchbox 20 was asked to be on the bill at Texas Motor Speedway with the Rolling Stones for their Bridges To Babylon Tour.)

ARW: How does it feel to open for the Rolling Stones?
Paul: Oh my god, it's something I really can't describe. It's like it's not even true. Yeah, I'm opening up for the Stones, whatever, sure I am. I don't think I'll believe it till I'm actually on the stage and I look and I see one of the Stones.
ARW: Paul, how did that come about that you got the opportunity to open for the Rolling Stones?
Paul: I think it was really the promoter there. Dallas and Texas in general just happens to be probably our biggest state. We sell more records in Dallas really then any where else in the country, and they knew they had this bill coming up and they wanted another band and the picked us which is very flattering. I don't think the Stones actually knew us. In fact, we were all like everyone will think the Stones put us on their, but then we saw this thing on MTV, where they were asking members of the Stones if they ever heard of any of the bands. They (MTV) were like, "Have you ever heard of Blues Traveler?" They (Rolling Stones) were like, "No!" "Smashing Pumpkins?" "No!" I really highly doubt they have ever heard of us. The other night we were talking, let's just try and blow Smashing Pumpkins of the stage.., yeah while were at it, why don't we try to blow the Stones. C'mon, those bands are so good!
ARW: You talked earlier about your favorite song on the album being "Push"
Paul: It is definitely my favorite song on the record. I don't know why, I really don't, It just is.
ARW: Paul, is the band currently working on any new material?
Paul: Individually, everyone has been writing a lot. We added a new song into our set, Kyle wrote, which is really cool because it's our first non Rob song that we all play. It's a song called "Happy Now" which is really great. We've worked on a couple songs at sound check here and now, but nothing we've really established, with the exception of "Happy Now."
ARW: Paul, would you say you would have enough material for a new album?
Paul: Yeah definitely, if we were to go back into the studio, there would definitely be enough songs. Rob has an entire catalog of songs we haven't even touched. Kyle is writing a lot. I have a couple. Adam has a couple. So there's definitely a lot to choose from. Yeah, we could definitely go and make it right now.
ARW: Is there any covers the band likes to perform?
Paul: We use to do a cover of "Time After Time." We've actually been talking about doing the Cure, "Fascination Street," cause we always sit around and play it in sound check, and it's like, why don't we just start doing this live.
ARW: How would you compare the live performance by Matchbox 20 now to say a year ago?
Paul: Oh it's an entirely different show, entirely different. When we got back from Australia we went into a rehearsal in LA and just really worked on stuff. We have Matt Serletic, our producer, playing keyboards. We brought out a lot of lights, so there will be a lot of things to look at and just totally reworked how we were doing the songs, made them more true to the record I would say. With the addition of Matt and with a lot of new equipment that we bought, we were able to really kind of redo the record every night, which is what we've been trying to get to. So it's an entirely different energy. What we lacked in ability to play, we made up for in energy. Were actually learning how to play, so were hoping the energy doesn't go away.
ARW: Paul, is it safe to say the band is becoming one strong working unit?
Paul: Oh, without a doubt, without a doubt, we are. This is what makes me so excited about going to make the next record, we are such a better band now than we were then, millions of miles away from where we were then and by the time we get to make the next record, were gonna be that much further than we are now. This is a band, we were a young band when we made this record, and we've had time to grow and become a real band, and were still doing it. I think that's the cool thing about us, because we all come from different influences and we all have different backgrounds each one of us exposes the other person to something, influences them to go somewhere else. I think were always going to be a band that kind of grows.
ARW: Paul, is it true that most of the songs on "Yourself Or Someone Like You" are two, three, even five years old?
Paul: No, "3 a.m." is a song that's pretty old. I heard that song when I first met Rob almost five years ago. Every song on this record was written six months before the record was recorded, there was a lot of downtime in between.
ARW: There seems to be a lot written about how Rob wrote all of these songs when he was drifting around homeless as a youngster?
Paul: See that's how things get twisted, things get so twisted. If Rob didn't have the life that he had, cause he had a very interesting life, he wouldn't have been able to write the way he does. That inspired him to write the way he does. But the songs on this record, with the exception of "3a.m.," were just for some reason there was a period of time where Rob was just writing non-stop. And like every song was like this. There were songs he had that we didn't even get to work on this band. When we made the record we went in with 18 songs that the band put together and there were still like five or ten more that Rob had that we didn't even touch. He was just writing, like a madman.
ARW: Paul, do we see a new album anytime soon?
Paul: We would love to go make another record, but were not in a hurry for it. I don't think your going to have a new Matchbox 20 record next year. Were gonna wait, and do it right. Kick back for a little bit, soak in everything that's happened and then go make it with a clear head, cause that's the only way you can make a good record, with no other pressures around you.
ARW: Paul, does the band have any goals for the next three years?
Paul: Just to stay a band, not get caught up, stay a band.
ARW: Paul, what's up with the guys wearing fingernail polish?
Paul: The fingernail polish, actually I'll go on record as saying my nails are not painted anymore. it was something in all honesty. I was doing a photo shoot and my girlfriend at the time asked me to do it, and I was like "No, I don't want to do that." I did it for her. When I put it on, I was like hey I kind of like this, it's kinda cool, so I just kept it on and just started doing it. Rob and Adam started a little after that. But now, it's a pain in the ass, I'm bored with it.
ARW: Paul what advice would you give bands just starting out about getting a record deal?
Paul: If there was a set way of doing it, I would definitely tell them how to do it. Like if there was you know, this is step one, step two, and step three to getting a record deal. But the only thing I can honestly say is just don't let anyone tell you, you can't do it. Cause a lot of people will and nine times out of ten, there wrong.
ARW: Did Rob or the band ever worry about the way fans would react to "Push" if they took it the wrong way.
Paul: Personally never thought about it, he never worried about it, cause he never looked at it that way. He knew what the song was about. If you know what the song is about, if you listen to the lyrics, your not going to get that impression. If you just listen to a couple lines your going to get that impression. Rob wrote it, so he knew exactly what it was about, so he never thought about it that way. The funny thing is, the one song on our record that is about physical violence, "Argue." It's about domestic violence, and it doesn't paint it in a good light, but that's definitely what it's about. We never worried about that either. It's not like he's sitting there saying, "Hey this is good, you know, you should do this." He's saying, "Hey look this happens, this is how people deal with it," ya know. It's a fact of life, you can't worry about it.
ARW: Your new single, "3 a.m."?
Paul: "3 a.m." was written about Rob's mother and a period of time he went through when they weren't getting along to well. She had cancer for a while and he kind of helped her through that, after that he had a hard time dealing with the fact of everything that happened.
ARW: Paul, is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Paul: Just Thank You, I guess would probably be the best thing. Thank you guys very much for a) buying our record, you know coming to our shows. Our fans are really, really cool in the fact that they all are very loyal to Matchbox 20. I'll go on the web site - www.matchbox20.com - and if one person writes something bad about us, thirty people are getting on this guy about what an asshole he is, coming to our defense. Thank you very much for that. Please just keep listening!