Was there ever a thought you’d break up or—
Oh, no no no no! Never even thought of that. And the reason I answered you so quick and so violently is because that’s one thing we never even thought of. Still to this day, we’ve never even talked about that. That’s taboo – you don’t want to start talking about that. Once that conversation is had, then it’s a lot easier to have again. We’ve never even spoken about that, thank God.
What did you personally do during that year off?
I took 10 feet of water after Katrina, so my year was spent with a shovel, getting mud out of my house, rebuilding my studio and getting everything squared away there. I didn’t really think about 3 Doors at all for about six months, and then finally one day I woke up, and I thought, “Wait a minute, I do have another job. I need to start thinking about this other job.” So I did.
Since Seventeen Days, drummer Daniel Adair left and was replaced by Greg Upchurch. Did Upchurch have an impact on 3 Doors Down?
Yeah, absolutely, and it’s obvious on the record. You can chronologically listen to our records and definitely hear the different styles of each different drummer. Our first record [2000’s The Better Life] was played by [frontman] Brad [Arnold]. And then Josh Freese did the second record [2002’s Away From the Sun]. And then Daniel played on Seventeen Days, and now Greg. And in my opinion, all of them being great drummers – Brad, included – I think that Greg did the smartest things within the grooves, as far as the segues between bridges and choruses. There’s just something that he brings to the table that none of the other guys could bring. And not to take anything away from Daniel – he’s a great drummer and a great studio drummer – but there’s something he does not have that Greg has. And I don’t know exactly how to put it, but when Greg’s back there, I can feel him. I can feel him in my bones.
Naming the new album simply 3 Doors Down: Are you reintroducing yourselves to your audience or suggesting a return to the basics of what your band does?
This record is a pretty good cross-section of what we’re really about, what we’re capable of individually and collectively as songwriters and musicians. You know, we’re not creating any 12-note scales – we’re not reinventing the wheel, for sure. [laughs] But what you’re hearing on this record is something we’ve always wanted to be able to do – let the songs grow as songs, not “Look what I can do,” but “Look what we’ve done.”
The band started at the height of the Napster era and now you’re back at a time when the music industry is facing an even bleaker future. Any perspective on what’s going on in the business?
Those 360 deals that were in response to what was happening to record sales – record labels were trying to get creative. They were trying to survive, basically. Think about it as drowning – desperate times lead to desperate measures. But we got in before all that happened, so we were able to retain our touring [revenues] and without that, dude … now with gas prices the way they are, you can forget seeing some bands because they just can’t afford to get to you. There are tons of people that can’t tour anymore because of that. Touring is about the only way to make a living – that and getting your music with other companies in other ways.
One way that 3 Doors Down have done that is through your song “Citizen/Soldier,” which was written as part of a recruitment aid for the National Guard.
It was an opportunity for us to get a song out through a delivery vehicle that had never been tried before, putting it together and doing it before movies in theaters. And of course we knew that the Internet was going to be key, especially with the way the video was going to be. We knew that YouTube was gonna eat it up and that people all over the world were going to see it and hear it. Without it even being on a record, it had already been heard over a million times.
Writing about the war or the military in any way always provokes controversy. Did you get any particularly angry letters?
Well, we kinda already had been through it with “When I’m Gone” and the whole USS George Washington video, so people kinda expect that from us. But politics aside – I’m not a politician, and I’m never running for office – I will support my troops and my country 100%, no matter what the political view of this group or that group. I could give a sh*t. When it comes to 18-year-old and 19-year-old kids – they’re not doing it for the money, but they’re sacrificing their lives. I’m gonna be behind them; I’m going to give them anything they need to do their job. If it’s just a kind pat on the back, that’s the least I can do. We have an all-volunteer military, and we’re one of the only countries in the world that has that. And these kids volunteer out of high school to go and do, no matter what. And they may not agree with [their orders], but they still do it. That’s gotta make you feel good in some way. That’s very patriotic.
