Bucks County Courier Times (Aug. 21st 1996)
Soldout Trocadero Erases All Doubts
Don't let the name of the band fool you - lead vocalist Gwen Stefani of No Doubt had plenty of doubts over the years regarding her band. The group formed nine years ago in its hometown of Orange County, Calif. Until last year, the group played in the shadows of Disneyland.
The group caught the ear of Interscope Records during the spring of '91. No Doubt released two albums, which stiffed. During the spring of '95 the band recorded its third album, "Tragic Kingdom", which hit the bins last autumn.
The perky single "Just A Girl" was picked up by influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ during the winter. It didn't take long for the video to be added to MTV. By March, the tune was ubiquitous throughout the states.
"It's weird, isn't it," Stefani asked while calling from a cellular phone on the band's tour bus. "For years I never really thought we would get anywhere, but now we've finally gotten somewhere. It's an unreal feeling. This validates nine years of hard work."
The quirky, satirical "Just A Girl" put the band on the map, and the second single from "Tragic Kingdom", "Spiderwebs", has increased the band's fan base. The tune, a lush ska rocker, has become one of the biggest alternative hits of the summer. The tune is reminiscent of early No Doubt.
"The reason we all started this thing was due to our love of ska," Stefani said. "That music spoke to me. Even though my brother and I couldn't play any instruments, we thought we might be able to form a ska band."
Stefani's brother Eric, a pianist, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young formed No Doubt. Just after the release of "Tragic Kingdom", Eric Stefani left the band to work as an animator for "The Simpsons".
"Eric never liked touring, and he's happy what he's doing with 'The Simpsons'," Stefani said. "So everybody's happy. I love being out on stage".
No Doubt has had a lot of practice performing under the lights. The group has been on tour non-stop for nine months.
"It gets a little difficult after all this time," Stefani said. "I'm bummed out a bit. I can do without the interviews and all the distractions on top of running around a stage all night. I'm at the point where I'm pretty drained. It's not healthy running on empty, but we got the shows to do and I have no choice but to perform. It could be worse - nobody could be asking for me to perform."
No Doubt plays a sold-out Trocadero tomorrow, which is a far cry from the band's last local appearance. Last November, the band played the Middle East in front of a throng of 20.
"That was a terrible time and performance," Stefani said. "There was no energy, and we just didn't perform well under the circumstances. The funny thing is, some friends (Dance Hall Crashers) were playing the Trocadero and invited us to come by and we did, before our show. We really loved it. We said this would be a cool place to play, and now we're going to be there. It's funny how life works out."