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It all started when WCPR in Biloxi, Mississippi began getting
an influx of phone calls requesting "that Kryponite song".
The people at WCPR were confused because, at the time, they had
no idea what all the callers were referring to. Soon, though,
the staff of WCPR caught on and unraveled the mystery behind "that
Kryptonite song". What the staff at WCPR stumbled upon
was a local band from nearby Escatawpa, Mississippi. The
band’s name: 3 Doors Down. |
The rest, is history. This "Kryptonite buzz" gave
the band a nationwide name, eventually attracting major record labels
to a showcase at an elite New York City club. Shortly there after,
Republic/Universal Records signed them. Sincethat day, the band has
seen tremendous growth, launching them into the "mega act"
category and landing them dates at prestigious award shows such as
the Billboard Music Awards in Vegas.
On
March 16, 2001, we sat down with bassist Todd Harrell backstage before
their sold out show at the
Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
| Todd shared with us his enthusiasm for the band’s newfound level of success.
Growing up in a small town with a population just under 4,000,
the band still maintains great pride for their town. Todd, along
with the other band members, grew up in walking distance from
each other, hanging out and jamming whenever they got the chance.
While growing up, Todd’s musical influences came primarily from
Ozzy Ozborne, Motley Crue and Lynrd Skynrd, among others. Basically,
Todd and the band appreciate good old "rock and roll".
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On the tour bus, the band has been
listening to Lifehouse,
Incubus, Double
Drive (a new band from Atlanta) and some random Hip-Hop. When
they actually have an ounce of free time, (they’ve been on the road
for most of the prior year-and-a-half), the band enjoys "going
home and hanging out". Life on the road tends to be long and
arduous, but it has been exciting for the band. Traveling around
the country, the band has played several unique venues thus far.
When asked his personal favorites, Todd responded that Red Rocks in
Colorado, (where they performed with Bush), The Fillmore in San Francisco,
and, (our local favorite), Madison Square Garden were top on his list.
What about the typical tour day, though?
Is it busy? Relaxing? What really goes into a typical
day? According to Todd, a typical day while on tour starts with
local radio stations in the morning: you know how it goes--where the
band will perform an acoustic set and talk with the local DJ’s for
awhile. Next, it’s off to do a sound check, followed by dinner
and time to relax. After that, it’s their time to "rock
down" on stage and have a good time. After the show, the
band relaxes, packs up their gear and heads to the next city--prepared
to do it all again.
Today's digital news is constantly filled with
stories about Napster: the infamous music file-sharing system infringing
upon copyright laws. Because of this, and since we are an online
based newspaper, we couldn't resist asking Todd about his thoughts
regarding Napster and MP3 pirating. His response was simple
and straightforward--"It's good and it's bad. It just needs
to be regulated better." Generally speaking, Todd felt
that Napster and the music file-sharing revolution was good for small
bands because it got them good exposure. With big bands, though,
Todd understood their frustration because it is "their art that
is being stolen from them". Todd also related a story to
us in which he encountered a female fan who told him she had been
downloading their music on Napster. He said that hearing that
from the girl made him feel bad because his music, "his art"
was being stolen from him. He continued, though, saying that
the girl then told him that she went out and bought their CD because
she wanted to hear more of the band's music. It's examples like
this, Todd said, that show how Napster is doing some good.
"We've
got good lyrics; everything tells a story,"
(www.3doorsdown.com/bio.html)
says Harrell of the band's music. So we had to know, "What song
has your favorite or most meaningful story?" Todd responded that
Duck and Run--the newest single off their album "The Better Life"--was
definetely his favorite. "It's message is honest and straightforward,"
Harrell says. Essentially, the song is about standing up to the challenges
we face in life and not backing down. He feels there is a very strong
message behind in that and that people can learn from it.
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This summer, the band is looking forward to touring
throughout Europe. Already scheduled are a few major European
music festivals where they will be sharing the bill with bands
such as Radiohead,
Limp Bizkit and AC/DC.
In the US, the band is continuing its tour this spring with a
stop coming up soon in the Lehigh Valley! The band will be stopping
by fellow LVAIC School Moravian in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on
Sunday April 22. The concert will open with performances by Tantric
and Shades Apart.. General
admission tickets are $22, and tickets are available at the Moravian
College Bookstore the Muhlenberg College Student Activities Office,
(located in the basement of Seegers), or by calling (610) 861-1499. |
When they are back in town for their Moravian show,
we’ll be sitting down with the band again for an exclusive follow-up
interview where we’ll get their thoughts on the rest of their tour,
their summer in Europe and, are you ready for this, the questions
that are dear to your heart. Yes, the Muhlenberg Advocate is
acting as YOUR representative to
3 Doors Down. E-mail your questions to us at advocate@muhlenberg.edu
by April 20th and your question could be selected and posed to the
band during our interview. Either way, look back at the end of April
for our big summer blowout issue...stay tuned!
