nodoubt.com (April 28th 1999)

Catching Up With The Band In The Studio

I was back in the studio with the band on Wednesday, April 28th, and I sat down to talk with everyone and see what they'd been up to. Thought you guys and gals might like it if I shared our conversation with you...

-Sharktooth

How long have you guys been in the studio?

Tom: This is our eighth week recording...and probably our 80th week working on this record. (said with much laughter). We still probably have another two months to go with recording and mixing.

What can you tell me about the record so far?

Tony: We have definitely taken the time to make sure that this record will be the best it possibly can be. We've already been working on it over a year and have written a lot of material in that time. By taking the time we wanted throughout this process, it has allowed us to approach new sounds and new ideas. Musically, I would feel, it's safe to say that it's more mature...but if there is any one underlying theme it's our being influenced by '80s music. Whether we choose to admit it or not... (laughter)...if we can see it right now or not, I think it's a thread intertwining through our sound. It only makes sense, seeing as we grew up on that music.

Adrian: I think its good...(laughter)...I'm really proud of it. I honestly do not know how to describe this a album musically. It's weird music. (more laughter) I guess you could say that it's staying within the No Doubt tradition, meaning that it's unfocused stylistically and I'm still very proud of that.

Gwen: Coming off of the Tragic Kingdom Tour, I think we were all a little bit hesitant to guess what would happen next. We hadn't been creative in so long that we weren't even sure if we could write new music. Glen (Ballard) truly helped to refuel our confidence. Working with Glen has allowed us to be the "most No Doubt" we can beYou've had one major interruption during the recording of your new album so far which was the premiere for the movie "Go" and the soundtrack that accompanies the film. First of all, did you enjoy the movie and, secondly, were you happy with the way the song was used in the film?

Tom: I liked the movie a lot. We, as a band, had been screening many films in anticipation of contributing a song to a soundtrack. "Go" was the only one that didn't feel like a formula to it...it didn't feel "safe" and yet at the same time it seemed like a lot of fun. It felt good to all of us to put "New" into the film's soundtrack. Perhaps it hasn't been a tremendous box office smash, but I know we still feel like we picked the right film despite that. It's received nothing but great reviews. Box office numbers were never what was important to us, we just wanted to be associated with something that we thought was really cool.

What exciting things are going on with you outside of No Doubt right now?

Tom: There isn't time for anything else!...Well, actually, I should say as a personal side note that I'm looking into composing and recording music for computer-based video games. I don't currently have any jobs doing that, but it's something I'm definitely looking into.

Adrian: I have one other major project outside of No Doubt right now which is an alternative golf magazine called Schwing which is published by the same people that put out Thrasher, Slap and Juxtapose magazines. The theme behind Schwing is to cover the sport of golf and report on it from the eyes of the younger generation.

Tell me something humorous that has happened in the studio during these past eight weeks.

Tony: Um...we haven't really had anything off the wall happen in the studio this far. It's been really straight-forward recording...with the exception of Gwen's dog going to the bathroom all over the studio.

Gwen: Yeah, that's got to be the funniest thing. Here I am in the vocal booth, recording, when I hear Megan's little feet...she was obviously panicking because she was sick and had to go to the bathroom. I couldn't react quickly enough and she went pooh right on the floor. It stunk so bad, so I cleaned it up right away. This is after she's already peed all over the carpet throughout the studio. So I take the towel full of her mess and carry it outside the studio to the garbage bin. It's hard to describe the garbage bin, but there's a gate around it that self-locks. Well, to make things even worse, I get locked in. There I am, locked next to the garbage bin that smells awful while everyone is inside a sound proof studio and couldn't hear me yell for help no matter how hard I might try. Luckily, one of the engineers came outside to have a cigarette and he let me out. That was definitely the craziest thing that has happened to me while being at the studio. All because of the poop of a 14-year-old dog.

For your new album you've been working with a legendary producer, Glen Ballard. How has it been to work with him and what has he been able to bring to this recording process so far?

Tom: It's been a really good experience to work with him. It's difficult to describe to people who don't make records, what the role of a producer is...and I'm sure that each producer plays a different role. Glen, for us, has really been someone to bounce ideas off of...more like an objective ear of someone who we trust.

Tony: I can add to that by commending him for being so focused and so patient. He has been amazing to work with and we're very fortunate to have the opportunity. He truly puts an equal amount of importance on every individuals role in recording this album...I think that's extremely important in general and I know how important that is to our band.

Adrian: Glen has definitely showed us why he is such a popular and widely respected producer. He gained our respect immediately. Every day he brings a really positive vibe into the studio and gives us the encouragement that inspires us to work to our potential.

Gwen: We have all felt very honored to work with Glen. He has this really peaceful presence about him is really comforting and inviting. He's basically put all of our songs on diets...(laughter)...and helped get them into great shape.

What now?

Tony: Gwen is still working on some lyrics and needs to lay down vocal tracks for those songs. Once that's finished, we'll be looking for someone to mix the album during the month of June. After that process, we'll move on to working on artwork. Hopefully we'll be able to shoot a new video nearing the end of summer. It really is too difficult to say when the album will be out at this point, but probably sometime around October or November...right around the time that we'll be going on tour again.

Gwen: I'm personally in this deep dark place right now. I have to write the lyrics for these last three songs and I'm feeling really dried up at the moment. I just have to stay focused, but it can be overwhelming, creatively, to try and pull something together when it isn't naturally flowing.