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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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From the moment the phone started ringing at Biloxi, Mississippi radio station KCPR, 3 Doors Down's career has been on the rise. "It was just a local CD," says 3DD vocalist (and former drummer) Brad Arnold. "It was an indie, and we sold it at shows. It was selling good at the shows, but I would definitely say that when the station decided to add it to their playlists, the copies we had were like-BAM! Gone." Two years later, the band is still riding high, with a second hit single, "Loser," after the first one, "Kryptonite," became a cross-format radio smash and catapulted the band to instant notoriety. Arnold and his bandmates-bassist Todd Harrell, and guitarists Chris Henderson and Matt Roberts-could only dream of such success when they first came together in Escatawpa, Mississippi, a town even more under the radar than Biloxi. Arnold says 3DD's album title, The Better Life, epitomizes the American dream: "Definitely man, that's what everybody wants-the better life, in one way or another." In this interview, Arnold and Harrell discuss their early days, their success, and how these small-town dreamers got their own taste of the better life. LAUNCH: How did 3 Doors Down form? TODD: 3 Doors Down came about about five years ago. Me and Chris Henderson played in bands growing up, and we knew Brad and them. Brad and Matt are a little younger than me and Chris. And 3 Doors Down came about just by jamming and getting together in the local town. Me and Chris played in a few bands and they knew that we played. So when they got old enough to play, they came down and we put it together. LAUNCH: Were there other band names you were considering besides 3 Doors Down? BRAD: We had like, a double-page list of names. TODD: Yeah, some real strange names. The actual name came from [when] we were shopping one night in Foley, not far from the house, and we were coming through there and me and Brad, and I think Matt was with us, and there was an old boarded-up building. The doors were boarded up and across the front of the door it said, "Doors down." And at the time there were just three of us in the band, you know? So we said, "What about 3 Doors Down?" And it stuck. It's been there ever since. LAUNCH: At what point did you know you had something special with 3 Doors Down? BRAD: When we first started playing, it was just like, instantly: "This feels good." I haven't really played with that many people, but I played around with a couple of people, and you know when something feels good. And it felt good, man, and it just keeps getting better and better. And we've always lived around each other all our lives, and so we didn't really have to overcome the obstacle of learning to know who you're in the band with and things like that, because we've all known each other. Todd used to date my sister when he was in high school, and I was like the little ankle-biting brother. TODD: Hell, yeah. Pestering everybody. LAUNCH: Todd, were you keeping an eye out for Brad when you were with his older sister? TODD: You couldn't help but keep an eye out for him, because he would come running in there and literally just pester the hell out of ya. Just little brother stuff. BRAD: Typical little brother stuff. I still do that little brother stuff, too. I still have to pester him every now and then! LAUNCH: Pardon my ignorance, but I wouldn't believe that the town you guys are from-Biloxi, Mississippi-is a thriving metropolis, as far as bands and the music scene are concerned. BRAD: Definitely not. There have been some good acts coming from Mississippi. Elvis is from Mississippi, and like, Faith Hill and stuff. But I wouldn't say it's "thriving," for the most part. Actually, the music scene is getting a little better, at least in the Biloxi area. I know a few years back, if you really wanted to go see a band, you just couldn't. And now there's some bands worth going and watching in that area. [But] it's definitely not the thriving metropolis at all. LAUNCH: What kind of stuff did you guys grow up listening to? TODD: I grew up listening to the Cult, Skynyrd...the Cult is my all-time favorite band. They're my favorite. Creedence, any good music... BRAD: I came up a little behind him. I was just getting into music in the '80s. I used to like some Poison and some Bon Jovi, the typical '80s music, but I also liked some old Skynyrd and some Rush, and stuff like that. LAUNCH: So you guys are like, pure rock guys? TODD: Yeah-we got a chance to work with Rush [guitarist] Alex Lifeson. BRAD: We just recorded three songs with him. There's not anything set for what we're going to do with them just yet, but it was three songs: "Dangerous Game," "Dead Love," and "Wasted Me." And we got the chance to work with him and record those three songs down in New Orleans. |
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