MC: Speaking of sequencing, how much time did you spend on deciding the order of songs? Thomas: With sequencing we go back and forth for a month. On our last full album, More Than You Think You Are, we started with a song called “Feel” and we still kick ourselves, we hate the way that record opened. We know sometimes these things can haunt us. MC: Matt Serletic has produced all of your albums including North, but he wasn’t originally a part of the plans. What changed your minds? Thomas: He came down to Nashville to listen to some stuff, because he had things going on there. After three bottles of wine at three in the morning we were listening to his notes. Paul, who was one of the band members who didn’t want Matt to produce, said “Well, why don’t you just do it?” ° Formed in Orlando, FL, Matchbox Twenty has maintained the same lineup with the exception of departed original member Adam Gaynor (rhythm guitar and vocals.) When he left, drummer Paul Doucette moved from behind the kit to rhythm guitar. ° The band was created from the ashes of a previous group, Tabitha’s Secret, with Thomas, Yale and Doucette. ° Rob Thomas has written songs for artists including Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Pat Green, Taylor Hicks, Travis Tritt and Daughtry. MC: What did Matt do differently this time out? Thomas: Matt always has this kitchen sink approach to producing. Matt’s our age. So when we get back together, we’re always evolving. The only reason to change producers is if you’re sick of one sound. But we’re always excited to see where Matt’s at. It’s not like we’re doing the same record every time. With Matt, if I listen to the first Matchbox record, and all the Matchbox records and the solo records and the stuff he did with Willie Nelson and the stuff I did with Carlos Santana, all of those things sound different. I knew going into this record that if I could make four or five records with one producer and none of them sound the same, then why change that? MC: The last song on North is “Sleeping at the Wheel.” Like “Parade,” it could be about life, Matchbox Twenty Quick Facts ° Paul Doucette composed the score for the Nickelodeon film Shredderman Rules and wrote the song “Better Days” for the film. He also won the 2005 Rhode Island Film Festival Award for Best Score for the film Just Pray. ° Rob Thomas’ collaboration with Carlos Santana on “Smooth” was named the No. 2 Most Popular Song Ever on Billboard’s List of the 100 Most Popular songs, behind “The Twist.” ° Rob Thomas, a strong advocate for gay rights, wrote about why he supports same sex marriage in a 2009 Huffington Post blog entitled, “The Big Gay Chip on My Shoulder.” love, or certainly the existence of musicians evolving separately within the context of a band. Thomas: That’s one I wrote. I think it’s a band favorite. There’s not much on the track that wasn’t on the floor the night we cut it––drums, bass and guitar, everything we had on the first run through. It has a sleepy, sweet quality. I like the arrangement in that every verse is different, and it never goes back to the same thing twice. MC: One of the lines says, “Everything that’s perfect falls away.” Thomas: “Sleeping at the Wheel” is kind of about us as a band. Being at the point where we could turn away from it, or to go with it, but whatever happened had to be about us. There are certain lines, “Our hands are full but our lives are not.” It’s a call to arms to take control of our careers and our lives. And try to make the most out of this record. MC: You have a track titled “Radio.” Practically speaking, how vital is radio airplay to the success of this album? Thomas: It’s still a huge part of the business. For a band like Fleet Foxes, the Internet works. For a band like us, radio is key. MC: We note that you will be a mentor of the NBC television series The Voice. TV has proven to be an excellent career choice for Adam Levine and his band Maroon 5, and of course Jennifer Lopez was reborn and rebranded on American Idol. What’s your view? Thomas: Listen, I have a record to sell. So being on one of the biggest shows in the country isn’t going to be a bad thing for the record. I like that show; I like the fact that it focuses on the voice and that they don’t have any age restrictions on it. It’s not people who already had record deals, and failed and get a second chance. And the four judges are my peers. It’s cool. MC: When you began with Matchbox Twenty, did you ever envision being on a network television show? Thomas: We came out in the R.E.M. phase of the world with the idea that we don’t do that shit, you know? We don’t do commercial songs, or go on TV. As you get older you realize that pop culture changes. And you want to be a part of the pop culture lexicon just as much as you want to be part of the music lexicon in places that feel natural. I just co-hosted Live! With Kelly, a television show with Kelly Ripa. I thought why the hell not? It might be something different. We’re far away from being the kind of rock alternative band we were when we started. We are mainstream––we make music for people to listen to, no matter who they are. MC: What does the title North signify in terms of the present and the future of the band? WARD ROBINSON Thomas: I think it came out of the idea that, when we came together and we had all of these ideas and we’d been separated for so long, we had to figure out who we were as a band and who we were as people. We had to make that all come together, and what kind of record we want to make, and what kind of career we wanted. North is directional north. When you can’t find your way, you look for North and that helps you figure out where you’re going. So for us, it was about being in the place where we knew who we were, where we were going, and what we wanted to do. And maybe very recently we didn’t know. l-r: Brian Yale, Paul Doucette, Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook Contact christina.kotsamanidis@ atlanticrecords.com 38 September 2012 www.musicconnection.com
September 2012 www.musicconnection.com 39
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