HEAD 2 HEAD WITH 3 DOORS DOWN

Music Head spoke with Matt Roberts (guitar) of 3 Doors Down before their sold-out performance on March 8th, 2001 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia.   

Music Head (MH):  How is your current tour going?

Matt Roberts (MR):  It's good, man.  We’re in our first week of working the tour.  So far so good.

MH:  Are you excited to be touring with Fuel?  Do you guys plan on sharing the stage together for any songs?

MR:  We’re early on tour, so you never can tell.

MH:  When you played over in Europe did you find the fans to be any different?  Do you think you have just as much a following over there as you do in the United States?

MR:  It’s a different experience.  The crowd seems to be a little more educated on the music as a whole.  It's different.  I really can’t compare the two.  (It is) very different when you go overseas.

MH:  How was playing at the Sundance Festival?

MR:  It was fun.  It was an experience.  We got to have four days off, kind of a vacation in Park City, and do some skiing and snowboarding.  So it was a good time.

MH:  I understand you have added some new songs to your set? Can you tell us a little about them?

MR:  Yeah, we’ve got some new songs that are not on the record that we’re doing and we’ve got some songs off our demo that we’re doing  that we’ve done before our record.  They’re all new to the set but some of them are new and some are old.  One of the songs is called "This Time," which we never recorded.  So, we’re mixing it up a little bit.

MH:  Are most of them going to be on the new album?

MR:   You know, I can’t really say, that’s ways away.

MH:  How do you decide which song will be your next single?

MR:  That’s kind of a group effort.  The whole band and that’s the thing; the band gets together with the label and the label with the management.  So, it’s kind of like passing a bill for congress, almost.  You got to get all the votes and that’s what you get, you know.

MH:  You’ve been playing “Kryptonite” since ’96, why do you think the song is lasting so long?

MR:  Hmm, I don’t know.  Well it’s only been national since last February.  I don’t know, I guess it seems to be an appealing song that people like to hear it, or did like to hear (laughs).

MH:  Do any of your songs, for example “Kryptonite” and “Loser,” have personal experiences behind them?  Do you write your own lyrics, how does a song come together?

MR:  Yeah, we write all of our songs.  We write them collectively as well as individually.  It depends on the song.  There is no written formula to it.  But, all our songs off the album are about normal life and everyday life.  You know, kids in high school can see examples through our music and that’s what we wrote it for, just kind of real-life events.

MH:  What was it like making the video for “Duck and Run?”  How did it feel to have a camera following you around all day?

MR:  That was actually a good experience.  It was shot over five days and we had a blast doing it.  We had a blast at every video shoot so far.  You know it's a lot of fun making a video.  It's an enjoying process.  

MH:  Adding Rich to the drums, did you feel it is tough for the frontman of a group to sing and command a stage presence while playing the drums at the same time?

MR:  Yeah, definitely, it’s kind of hard to establish, if you want to be the frontman, to the drummer or the frontman, you can be both.  But, it is one of those angles that’s a little difficult to work.  So, we just have to go with a conventional way, which you know that’s the way we were heading before the deal anyway.  So, it worked out.

MH:  You're now considered hometown heroes but what about growing up in a small southern town, where country music is so popular how did your brand of rock n' roll play?

MR:  Well, there is definitely country music.  (It is) still a big thing down there.  Well, the market shifted in the last 5 to 6 years.  Country is not where it was, as a whole.  So, now down south I think everybody kind of progressed towards rock and pop these last 5 years or more.  So, that’s with the whole nation, even our small town.  So, there was no real step for us at all.

MH:  Being on the road and living out of a bus must get to you sometimes, what home comforts do you miss and what do you bring along to make the bus more livable?

MR:  Well, you definitely miss just the static environment.  Just being somewhere.  With touring day to day everything is different.  You change from a city to maybe a different country, you never know.  Just that static environment.  I’ve got my old acoustic, you know.  It's what I use at my home and keep in the back lounge of the bus; play at night and that’s kind of a good vibe.  We write some good songs that way.  (It) passes the time.

MH:  Did you first start learning off acoustic?

MR:  No, actually I was one of those electric kids.  I kind of had to get into the acoustic. 

MH:  Are you surprised at how quickly your fan base grew, what do you attribute that to?

MR:  Yes and no cause I attribute that to of course, the record, radio, and relentless touring for the past 13 months.  I guess it really comes to no surprise.

                                       Advice:  "Have a contingency plan.  Get your education."

MH:  Since you grew up together you must know each other well, do you have any rituals, or do you ever play practical jokes on each other?

MR:  No, you know, we all pretty much know our ins and outs.  There’s nothing you're going to get past any of us.  So, yeah, we can’t really entertain one another anymore.  It’s not entertaining.  We have to go outside the realm of the band to do practical jokes.

MH:  Anything that no one knows about 3 Doors Down that you can tell me?

MR:  I don’t know.  You know Brad and I are kin.  But, I guess all of us are one way or another.  There are a lot of things people don’t know and a lot of things I still want them not to know. 

MH:  Any words of wisdom, a motto to live by that you could share with your fans?

MR:  Always have a contingency plan.  In other words, go to college.  Get your education.  Keep things in the forefront that need to be.  Music is definitely a great way and it was something that helped us escape from the normal everyday life, but it’s not a really promising career to most people.  It’s a tough field.  You know myself, I’m a college graduate and I’m glad that I have that and you know maybe when this is over I can go back and encourage kids to stay focused on what’s at hand.

MH:  What do you see in the future for 3 Doors Down, maybe 5 years, 10 years from now, even the next year?

MR:  Probably next year we will be in the studio making a record.  Hopefully follow up with another tour and continued success.  What else more can we ask for?

MH:  How about 5 years from now, do you still see the band being together? 

MR:  I hope so, you know.  You can only wish.  That can only get you so far. 

Co-headlining with Fuel, 3 Doors Down continued the night with an astonishing live performance which even included an acoustic set. -Todd Wojtowicz