The Avett Brothers are a unique band of 2 brothers who play a fusion of Bluegrass, Punk and Rock who are set to release their major label debut I and Love and You, which was produced by super producer Rick Rubin. That’s right, the same guy who produced records for Jay-Z, Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few. The band definitely has something special going on and word is that their live show is transcendent. The album is officially released on September 29th, but you can listen to it in advance over at NPR.org.
“Like many songs on I and Love and You, “The Perfect Space” captures the Avetts’ willingness to infuse their words with genuine insight: “I wanna have friends that I can trust,” Scott Avett sings, adding, “that love me for the man I’ve become, not the man that I was.” It’s a kind, comfortable song that feels not only lived-in, but also lived. That’s how it is with The Avett Brothers’ music: Moving and smart, catchy and warm, it’s a band — and an album — that anyone could love.” - NPR.org
Alberta Cross are poised for the release of their much-anticipated full-length debut, Broken Side of Time, set for release September 22 on ATO Records. The album arrives on the heels of their acclaimed EP The Thief & the Heartbreaker, which earned the band U.K. touring slots with Oasis, The Shins and Bat For Lashes, and widespread critical praise, including PopMatters, which declared, “The seven-song EP is one of the best you’ll be lucky enough to pick up, resembling a full album’s quality but leaving one wanting a lot more.” Alberta Cross is coming off noteworthy performances at Bonnaroo, Coachella and SXSW and is slated to perform at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and more. Details on upcoming tour dates will be announced soon.
Founded by guitarist/vocalist Petter Ericson Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers, Alberta Cross took shape when the two began jamming together in London’s east end. Stakee, from London by way of Sweden, and Wolfers, a Brit himself, moved to New York City in 2008 in pursuit of renewed creative energy and new challenges. Broken Side of Time is born of the struggles and setbacks the band faced along the way. The album serves as Alberta Cross’ official introduction to the U.S. As Stakee explains, “It’s kind of a desperation album, a darker album; it’s definitely angrier. We’ve been in a crazy place during the whole album and you can hear that.”
Led by Stakee and Wolfers, Alberta Cross is rounded out by guitarist Sam Kearney, drummer Austin Beede and keyboardist Alec Higgins. Broken Side of Time was recorded in Austin, TX and produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Dead Confederate, Heartless Bastards). John O’Mahony (Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Kasabian) mixed the album at Electric Lady in New York City.
Check out the band at Coachella:
ALBERTA CROSS Tour Dates:
June 28 Glastonbury Glastonbury
July 13 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
July 17 The Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ
August 9 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL
October 3 Austin City Limits Austin, TX
CHICKENFOOT, the new supergroup featuring Sammy Hagar (Van Halen, Montrose), Joe Satriani, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), and Michael Anthony (Van Halen), release their self-titled debut album today. Produced by Andy Johns, the album features the first single “Oh Yeah,” which you can check out below. Chickenfoot will be hitting the road for a tour starting in late June. The band will also be performing on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien tonight, June 5th.
To celebrate Chickenfoot’s release day, Amazon is offering the album for $3.99. Click here to pick up your copy! For all tour dates, check out the band’s official site, www.Chickenfoot.us
Are you in need of proof that Ska is in fact not yet dead? Look no further than the debut from Montreal band Stepper. The best way to in fact prove that a genre still has life is to not be ashamed of your influences and to simply do it well. Stepper? Check.
Recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville under the guidance of Grammy award winning producer George Massenburg, Way Out is filled with upbeat(obviously) tunes that are tight and well crafted. It’s a fun album to listen to especially if you happened to be a fan of 3rd wave ska music from its late 90’s heyday and will definitely leave you humming certain melodies long after you stop listening. Numerous songs feature a harder rock edge which is a welcomed addition to the sound and should quickly remind you of Reel Big Fish. Inspired guitar playing, tight horn lines and 3 different vocalists taking turns at the mic keep the entire album fresh and unpredictable. Standout tunes include “Turn Up Your Soundsystem”, “Running From Home” and “Bring Us Together”. Ska may not be as popular as it once was but who gives a shit when the tunes are good right? Exactly.
Stepper hits the road this summer for short tour, be sure to keep an eye out and catch up with them online:
http://www.myspace.com/steppermusic
Check out the band in the studio recording “Running From Home”:
Straight outta Charlottesville, Virginia, in the shade of the Blue Ridge Mountains, comes Parachute on Mercury Records. Their debut album, ‘Losing Sleep’, is set to drop in May! Scroll down to read Parachute’s full official bio.
Listen to “She Is Love”
Mixing full-throttle rock with dollops of blue-eyed soul, vintage R&B and melodic pop radio anthems in-the-making, Parachute has arrived.
The band’s debut Mercury/Island Def Jam Music Group album takes off from the individual members’ shared histories, from “She Is Love,” the ballad torch song and first single, with its Van Morrison-like scatting by lead singer/songwriter/guitarist and piano player Will Anderson, to Nate McFarland’s chiming, The Edge-styled chunks of guitar laced through “Back Again,” “Under Control,” “Ghost,” “Words Meet Heartbeats” and “All That I Am”.
Will has been playing with drummer Johnny Stubblefield, bassist Alex Hargrave and saxophone/keyboardist Kit French since they were high school classmates in Charlottesville almost five years ago. Will met Nate while attending University of Virginia together, and the guitarist joined the band two years ago.
“I remember seeing them at Starr Hill, which is the big venue in town, and they came on to the ‘Mortal Kombat’ theme,” he remembers. “I never would’ve imagined myself playing with them, let alone becoming a member of the band.”
“It’s really gone downhill since then,” teases Will.
With a diverse selection of influences ranging from old-school legends like Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul Simon and Journey to newer acts like U2, Coldplay, Weezer, Ben Folds, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Jay-Z, Kanye West, The Fray and the Arcade Fire, the group began to attract a rabid local following under the name Sparky’s Flaw.
“It’s a cool music scene,” says Will about Charlottesville. “There are so many different types of bands. There’s just such an incredibly eclectic group of people there.”
“While we were still in high school, we used to see a lot of different groups at local venues that inspired us to want to play,” adds Johnny.
That range is reflected in the songs on the band’s debut album, largely produced by Grammy winner John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Jane’s Addiction, Stevie Nicks). With songs like “Back Again,” one of several tracks fueled by Anderson’s chill-inducing falsetto, and the revved-up “The New Year,” interspersed with more introspective numbers like the single “She Is Love” which was used as part of a national TV advertising campaign for Nivea.
With an eye towards creating music for the radio, Parachute is unapologetic about aiming for popular appeal.
“If no one’s going to listen, why even play?” asks Will. “For us, melody is king.”
Anderson’s songs are unabashedly emotional affairs that try to work out the difference between romantic ideals and the frustration of reality (“Words Meet Heartbeats”), dealing with love lost (“For Liz (She)”), longing (“Under Control”), regret (“Mess I Made”), guilt (“Blame It on Me”) and obsession (the creepy “Every Breath You Take” stalking of “Ghost”), questioning what went wrong (“All That I Am”) and trying to put the pieces together for the future (“The New Year”).
“I tend to write about things I know, that are happening to me,” says Will. “If it’s not really true to us, it doesn’t make sense. We try to make music that people can relate to, that they’re going to want to hear. We question things, try to get to the bottom of it all.”
“Will’s always been good at writing radio-friendly pop songs,” adds Johnny, a self-proclaimed “pocket drummer” who adds his own industrial solo to “All That I Am,” citing DMB’s Carter Beauford, the Police’s Stewart Copeland, The Roots’ ?uestlove and session veteran Matt Chamberlain as his personal favorites.
“We want to create music people like” nods guitarist Nate, who counts U2’s The Edge and Coldplay’s Jonny Buckland among his own influences. “I’m a very compositional guitarist. I try to make every note count in the service of the song, with a bunch of suspendeds and seventh notes to give it a little edge. We call it Tele-rock because I play the Telecaster a lot.”
For those who question the group’s motives in licensing a song for commercial use, Will comments, “It’s simply a new paradigm,” he insists. “Everybody’s doing what they can to get their music out there. We considered it an opportunity. We’re not going to give our songs to just anybody. Nivea approached us with the spot, showed it to us, and we felt it was tasteful.”
As part of the campaign, the band played before more than one million people New Year’s Eve at Times Square in bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures at the Nivea Countdown Stage on 46th Street.
“I could barely hold on to my drumsticks,” laughs Johnny. “The guys were struggling with their fingertips, but it was so worth it.”
“By the end, I looked down and had three strings left on my guitar,” says Will. “My fingers were bloody, but I was happy as happy can be. That night, we realized exactly why we do this in the first place.”
“We’re doing a lot of new things we’ve never done before,” enthuses Kit, the band’s sax player and keyboardist. “Every day we’re checking new boxes. Yesterday, we did this amazing photo shoot, with a production so elaborate I had to keep pinching myself.”
In fact, the band prides itself on its live show, having toured with the likes of Jon McLaughlin, O.A.R., Switchfoot, Duffy and Matt Nathanson. Parachute’s fan base is starting to swell on their Facebook and MySpace pages, while the distance they’ve traveled, how far they’ve come and still have to go, is beginning to register.
“I feel really blessed being around these guys,” says bassist Alex. “It all started out loading our equipment in the back of two pick-up trucks, playing to family and friends. This has definitely been a very surreal and humbling experience for all of us. We’ve had a lot of help along the way, and we appreciate everyone for what they’ve done for us.”
“We have our goals and they’re pretty lofty,” chimes in Will. “We’re an ambitious bunch. It’s a lot of fun to get to do this full-time now, but we’re always fighting to get to the next rung, grab the golden ring on the merry-go-round. When we were in high school, we just wanted to play better venues. Attending college, we tried to attract label interest. And now, we’re at the next step, building a national fan base. The joy for us is in winning people over with our music by getting in front of them any way possible. And have them spread the word to their friends.”
In fact, the only down note has been their old friend Sparky’s disappointment, when the band decided it needed a more mature name to reflect their own growth as musicians.
“Unfortunately, he used to pick up girls by telling them he had a band named after him,” reveals Will. “I had to break the news to him when we decided to change it to Parachute.”
“The name just clicked,” says Will. “I think it fits our style of music. It’s like my only hope is sitting right there on my back.”
Make no mistake about it. Parachute is headed for a happy landing.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/parachuteva
As Pitchfork recently reported, New Zealand new wavers Cut Off Your Hands are set to release their debut LP, You And I, in the US on January 20th. The record will be delivered via Frenchkiss Records, the home to Les Savy Fav, The Dodos and Passion Pit. Like the band’s sophomore EP, Blue on Blue, You and I was produced by Suede’s Bernard Butler, and features the bouncey, razor-sharp rock that’s been winning over fans since the 2006 release of the band’s self-titled debut EP. Check out the frantic video for “Expectations,” and the audio for the first single from the album, “Happy As Can Be,” below. Fresh off a string of successful CMJ shows, the band is currently touring Europe and Australia, before they’re slated to return to the US in 2009.
Watch And Share Cut Off Your Hands’ “Expectations” From You & I [Frenchkiss Records; January 20th]:
Download and Share Cut Off Your Hands’ “Happy As Can Be” From You & I [Frenchkiss Records; January 20th]
What The Press Is Saying About Cut Off Your Hands:
“Power-pop ooh-lahs, hip-rocking post-punk backbeats, and sleek guitar fingerings.” - Spin Magazine
“Swirling, elegiac punk.” - Dazed & Confused Magazine UK
“Honestly, what’s not to love? ” - NME
“Swooooon” - Vice Magazine
You and I Tracklisting:
01 Happy as Can Be (MP3)
02 Expectations (VIDEO)
03 Oh Girl
04 Turn Cold
05 It Doesn’t Matter
06 Heartbreak
07 In the Name of Jesus Christ
08 Let’s Get Out of Here
09 Still Fond
10 Closed Eyes
11 Nostalgia
12 Someone Like Daniel
Experimental Indie electronica band Hercules and Love Affair announce new Canadian dates:
Saturday, October 18, 2008 Toronto ON Opera House
Sunday, October 19, 2008 Montreal QC Les Saintes
Hercules and Love Affair announce Canadian live dates in support of
their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album (released June 24
on Mute/DFA). After hitting some of Europe’s largest festivals this
summer (Glastonbury, Sonar & Pukkelpop), they also met with stellar
reviews and a rapturous audience at their sold-out US live debut at
Brooklyn’s Studio B. TheFader.com declared, “[People] love Hercules
and Love Affair the same way rabid Japanese teens must have loved
Bruce Springsteen in 1986, crush the barricades and cry at the sight
of an icon style love.”
The live show includes Andy manning keyboards, a horn section, drum
machines and providing backing vocals, Kim Ann and Nomi on lead
vocals, live drums, live bass and even more keyboards.
The album and lead single, “Blind”, debuted in the UK Top 40 and were
ranked #1 and “Track of the Week” by the NME respectively. Hercules &
Love Affair is 2008’s most exciting dancefloor concoction, an arthouse
vision of pure pop by way of futuristic electronica and classic dance
music, where beautiful, bruising harmonies and tensile rhythms collide
in resurgent soundscapes and emotive disco workouts.
Here’s what the press have to say:
“…Butler’s debut album journeys through club music’s bent past with
both universal and timeless results that are as sensual and surreal as
a Jean Cocteau film set to a Giorgio Moroder soundtrack.”
SPIN, June 2008
“It’s a little bit Gamble & Huff, a little bit Caligula.”
Blender, July 2008
Hercules and Love Affair announce Canadian live dates in support of
their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album (released June 24
on Mute/DFA). After hitting some of Europe’s largest festivals this
summer (Glastonbury, Sonar & Pukkelpop), they also met with stellar
reviews and a rapturous audience at their sold-out US live debut at
Brooklyn’s Studio B. TheFader.com declared, “[People] love Hercules
and Love Affair the same way rabid Japanese teens must have loved
Bruce Springsteen in 1986, crush the barricades and cry at the sight
of an icon style love.”
The live show includes Andy manning keyboards, a horn section, drum
machines and providing backing vocals, Kim Ann and Nomi on lead
vocals, live drums, live bass and even more keyboards.
The album and lead single, “Blind”, debuted in the UK Top 40 and were
ranked #1 and “Track of the Week” by the NME respectively. Hercules &
Love Affair is 2008’s most exciting dancefloor concoction, an arthouse
vision of pure pop by way of futuristic electronica and classic dance
music, where beautiful, bruising harmonies and tensile rhythms collide
in resurgent soundscapes and emotive disco workouts.
Hercules and Love Affair live is Andrew, Kim Ann, Nomi, Morgan, Jason,
Carter, Guy, and Andy.
Qui Presents Her DEBUT Music Video: ‘Rev It Up’ featuring David Banner:
ABOUT QUI
Possessing talent is one thing. But equal measures of determination and focus are also required to succeed in today’s competitive music arena. Singer/songwriter/musician Jacqui “Qui” Rice is one of those talented few.
While maintaining a 4.0 average at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University,majoring in government and Spanish, with a focus on international relations, the college junior found time to pursue her long-held passion. Slated for a late summer release is Qui’s (pronounced “Kwee”) debut album, LUV ‘N LIFE (JJR Entertainment). The mix of mid-tempo, R&B/pop and ballads calls to mind such influences as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Ciara. But LUV ‘N LIFE is definitely Qui’s show.
At a time when consumers are looking for more substantial melodies and lyrics, Qui’s music definitely fits the taste of today’s audience.
Born in Greenville, Mississippi and raised in Atherton, CA, Qui isn’t one of those paint-by-numbers artists who typify most contemporary music. Under the guidance of co-writer Francesca “Francii” Richard, and a team of talented production newcomers, Qui’s vocal talent, combined with her ability for writing relatable lyrics, shines against a backdrop of hypnotic grooves with across-the-board appeal.
On LUV ‘N LIFE, Qui chronicles the fun, yet scary rollercoaster ride, everyone experiences when it comes to relationships and love as well as the self-awareness that rises from this emotional journey. The siren intro and rousing beat of the opening track, “On the Line,” is infused with the exhilarating rush that happens when you meet “that someone” for the first time. Thrilled yet cautious, Qui explores her newfound feelings on the mid-tempo groove “Personal” and the poignant “Stay” (“You flipped the scenario/Every fear that I had/had to let it go).
Qui jumps into funky mode on the first single from her debut, the percolating dance joint “Rev It Up”. Her sultry vocals provide the perfect juxtaposition to the track’s featured guest, raspy-voiced, Mississippi-bred rapper David Banner.
Qui taps into her growing self-awareness as a young woman on the inspirational anthem “Girl Child.” Underscoring her subtly powerful vocal is a harmonizing chorus of girl-child voices backing Qui on the compelling hook (It’s hard being a lady when this world is crazy/Still I know it’s a blessing I was born a girl child). Love’s heartbreak is addressed on the moving ballad “It Was U,” while Qui’s awakening “a-ha” moment is expressed via the rock-infused “Solo.”
While recording LUV ‘N LIFE, Qui says her goal was to keep it “funky, fun and positive. You pretty much groove to every song on here.”
Emotion was a key factor as well. “It’s important to make people feel what you’re singing,” adds the artist whose musical influences also encompass pop/rock (John Mayer, Maroon 5), country (Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, rap (Snoop Dogg and David Banner) and gospel (Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin).
“Lyrics really inspire me,” adds Qui. “I was always writing random lyrics and poems in school in my assignment books. Finally getting to see these songs come to life is exciting.”
Listening to her paternal grandmother sing in church during summers spent in Mississippi as well as to her parents’ diverse oldies collection, which included Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Billie Holiday and Elvis, Qui began playing piano at the age of five. Then at the age of 10, she declared her intent to become a singer. That desire was put to the test at age 11 when Qui performed the national anthem before 62,000 football fans at a San Francisco 49ers game.
“Dancing, music and singing always went hand in hand for me,” she says. “I found I love performing in front of crowds. It’s an adrenaline thing.”
Her first formal introduction into the music industry occurred at 15 when Qui joined a teen quartet called Sorella (Italian for sister). Performing up and down the California coast during the summer at showcases and festivals in Florida and Texas, the multi-ethnic pop group signed with JJR Entertainment,an independent label established by Qui’s mother. After four years, the group disbanded.
Qui comes by her competitive drive and fortitude naturally. Her father is legendary NFL Wide Receiver and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who put himself through a different kind of intense pace while a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars. Mother Jacqueline is a former pre-med student who manages the day-to-day operations of JJRE. “My Mom taught me how to multi-task,” says Qui. “She took us to school, ran the household and made sure my brother, sister and I had plenty of extra-curricular activities. She and my Dad taught us to dream.”
Though her career is a family affair, Qui is quick to proclaim she wants to forge her own identity and not trade on her parents’ notoriety. “My lifestyle doesn’t depend on my Dad or Mom’s success,” she adds. “I want to make a first impression based on who I am alone.”
In spring, 2008, Qui became the first African American to be crowned Queen of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, an achievement that Qui is quite proud of. Now in its 81st year, the festival is an annual tradition in Winchester, Virginia, (West of Washington, D.C.) that attracts more than 250,000 people.
A college girl at heart, she loves old movies, cupcakes, pizza and barbecued chicken and shares a house with five other students. Qui admits its difficult balancing her studies and a singing career. However, her “can-do” spirit remains just as strong as her zeal for LUV ‘N LIFE and the promise it holds. “It’s been difficult, but somehow you make it work and it’s worth it,’ she notes. “Music is where my heart is.”
http://www.myspace.com/
###
Lesley Roy’s debut video is here! Roy premiered her rocking video for “I’m Gone, I’m Going” this past Friday on Pete Wentz’s FN MTV. This is the first single off of Unbeautiful, which is slated for release on September 30th and features songwriting credits from Katy Perry, Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi) and Max Martin (NSYNC, Kelly Clarkson).
Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush is branching out with a solo career and here’s a first look at his new album WANDERlust, including a video preview and a song by song analysis from Rossdale himself!
WANDERlust is the provocative title for the intriguing first solo album by Gavin Rossdale – an inspired song cycle by the former leader of Bush that turns out to be a trip in its own right.
“The wanderlust I’m talking about isn’t that desire to travel and see the world, Rossdale explains with a grin. “It’s my overwhelming desire to get out and play music for people. I feel like a racehorse that’s been stuck in the stables a bit too long. The doors are locked and no one can find the key — worse I’m not sure who’s looking for it.” With WANDERlust, the doors - and the floodgates - seem wide open and the result is the most mature, sensual, honest and compelling work of Rossdale’s life in music.
After years spent at the top of rock’s grungy heap — and then a couple more in a peculiar sort of high-profile musical wilderness — Rossdale has brought it all back home on a vivid, widescreen rock album that found him working closely with famed producer Bob Rock. Now that WANDERlust is finally completed, Rossdale can hardly wait to get back on the road. “This album is my way of saying `Let me out,’” Rossdale says. “I’d love to take my family with me, but I do have a burning desire to go out and play for people again. I’ve felt too corralled for too long so this deep sort of wanderlust has set in.”
From the mid-Nineties into the early 21st century, Rossdale was seeing much the world from the stage of an ever-changing procession of theaters, arenas and stadiums as the dashingly tortured lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Bush, a band that first came together in Shepard’s Bush area of London in the early Nineties. Right from their 1994 debut Sixteen Stone, Bush connected powerfully with post-Grunge America through a series of jagged yet infectious hits songs including “Everything’s Zen,” “Little Things,” “Comedown,” “Glycerine,” “Machine Head” “Swallowed” and “The Chemicals Between Us.”
The music of Bush successfully married a guitar-driven modern rock with the fantastically twisted lyrics of Rossdale, a poetic sort heavily influenced by the likes of Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg and his longstanding musical hero Tom Waits. If Bush were not exactly the critics darling, they were immediately the people’s choice as 1996’s Razorblade Suitcase album hit #1, followed by 1999’s The Science of Things and 2001’s Golden State.
Still for all his past experience, there is an emotional and musical depth to WANDERlust that takes Rossdale far beyond Bush. Here Rossdale has delivered the most personal and direct set of songs of his life. Like Peter Gabriel after leaving Genesis, Rossdale has moved beyond his past in a massively popular band and used the opportunity of going solo to stop hiding and more explore his life lyrically and musically.
“There’s such a minefield of people who have gone from bands that had success to the solo thing,” says Rossdale. “There’s a chasm to get from one to the other –it’s like Death Valley and you look down and there’s fucking scorched singers.”
WANDERlust is not Rossdale’s first post-Bush album. In 2005, he released a hard-edged album with a group he dubbed Institute, produced by Page Hamilton of Helmet fame. “We went on tour with U2 and I think those were Institute’s four fans right there,” Rossdale recalls with a laugh. “I loved some of what we did, especially a song called `Ambulances,’ but Institute felt like a really painful left turn. It scared all the chicks away. My goal wasn’t to get one hundred of Tool’s audience. The expectation was quite high but the reaction was just confused and confusing. There was one guy who came to a show and he had Bush tattooed on one arm and Institute tattooed on the other, and remember thinking, `I’ve got to road test this stuff first.”
At the same time — as the perceived lucky bastard who got to marry Gwen Stefani — Rossdale was encountering the glare of a whole other level of celebrity. “It’s been a challenge because it’s been a tough few years for me because I’ve been lost in how to define myself in the present tense. With that glare of the publicity on us, how can I not feel like an appendage at times? It takes a tough man to be married to a force of nature like Gwen. `Rocker hubby’ if I ever see that phrase again . . . I’m not sure I didn’t prefer it when people were just writing, “These guys suck.” It’s challenging and it forces a lot of humility. There are guys who come and photograph me working out at the gym, and I’m liked guys come and shoot me working in the studio – hook a brother up.
With WANDERlust — which Rossdale briefly considered recording as a Bush album — he has instead reclaimed not just his own artistic identity, but offered the listener a far most honest and plainspoken picture of who he is and what drives him both as an artist and a man.
“Really I felt like my life depended on this record,” says Rossdale. “There are too many records anyway and not enough outlets, so it had to be everything or there was no point.” Rossdale has to wait five months for producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Motley Crue) to work with him on the album. “As soon as I met Bob, I knew he was the guy, “says Rossdale. “I really wanted experience; I wanted an overview in the old school way of making album. I really wanted someone with perspective.”
Rossdale and Rock cut the tracks for WANDERlust with Josh Freese on drums, Paul Bushnell on bass, Jamie Muhoberac on keyboards and Chris Traynor on guitar. “We recorded it old school as a five piece at Ocean Way in Los Angeles,” Rossdale recalls. “We recorded everything together and got down eighteen songs in five days, took a week to add guitars from Chris. Then I went to Maui to work with Bob. Bob thought I would get lonely and go mad, but as a husband and father now, I loved being that selfish for a short time. I’d get up, go for a swim, have a salad, and then work for ten hours until Bob chucked me out.
The vocals on WANDERlust are easily the most effecting of Rossdale’s career. “We had a system,” Rossdale explains. “Bob’s used to handholding, but I’m quite clear about what I want. I’d always come in and do five takes. Then Bob would ask me for one over the top theatrical vocal. After that, I’d go out and play with Bob’s miniature pet donkey, his dogs and eighteen cats I’m allergic to. And when I’d come back Bob would have comped my vocal back together. I’ll never know how much he used of what take. I only knew it worked.”
WANDERlust works, and Rossdale could hardly be pleased to be heading out of the stables with an album that means so much to him. “I’m on the gang plank,” he says. “One more fuck up and I’ll never be allowed to record again, but I won’t be alone. Yet the thing is I feel totally emancipated because there is such a sense now of being able to write myself back into music on my own terms. There’s a sense of freedom for me now. When you’re tense and needy, you’re going to miss. And when you’re free and loose, you’re going to hit the ball the furthest.”
By those deeply personal standards, WANDERlust is already Rossdale’s biggest hit yet.
WANDERlust Song-By-Song by Gavin Rossdale:
SOME DAYS: I met someone from Fox in a grocery store who came up and asked if maybe I could write something for TV.
It was nice because I love being commissioned. I must have been a dog in a previous life because I quite like someone throwing a ball and I have to fetch it. So I wrote the song for this TV show Drive. They had sixty songs already but felt they all missed the mark. It was a show about people on a journey, so I looked at it through my eyes and I wrote this song the next day. They loved it. I thought “Great – this song will make me a star like something on Gray’s Anatomy.” Then the show was cancelled after four episodes, so it’s just my song now.
FRONTLINE: Obviously we’ve all been watching wars around the world of late that have been shocking and horrible even if you agreed with them — which most of us didn’t. It was clearly dodgy and has become a chronic diversion of funds. It’s hard to get political in songs unless you’ve committed your whole creative life to that like Rage Against the Machine. But the situation is so shocking and heartbreaking, so I wrote my anti-war song imagining how I would feel if I was there — because my experience has only been about getting killed in print. As a parent, imagining anybody’s kid over there is too, too horrible.
FOREVER MAY YOU RUN: I didn’t have a studio at the time so I called up Linda Perry who Gwen had worked with and I think is just great. I had never co-written anything but I wanted to start with Linda. We began this song, and since I don’t play piano, I asked her if she would. I started singing this bit and she put a nice change in. Then Linda sent me home saying she had my vibe and would try to write something. I went home and I wrote this song that I wanted to have a little of that universal feeling of “Everybody Hurts” Linda played me what she had done, and I played her what I’d done. And she said let’s do yours. Jimmy Iovine’s daughter Jade heard this one and got her father excited about that song. That was the song that green-lit this record.
THE SKIN I’M IN: In London, we live opposite Primrose Hill, and it’s a beautiful love pad. I was there and wanted to write a really truthful love song. I wrote “The Skin I’m In” in a studio I had that was eventually turned into the nursery. It had a picture of Johnny Lydon and Bob Marley on the walls — two men who meant the world to me. To me, this one’s more Bob that Johnny, with its little reggae feel. Really it’s just a nice song for my girl.
DRIVE: I’m guilty of writing about some of the same themes over and over. I’m one for owning up to life’s struggle — even the Buddhists say, “Life is suffering.” Coming to LA to be with Gwen was great, but the move was somewhat isolating because all my friends were in London. And I didn’t want to come here and just lean on the person I love. So that move was intense. Marriage itself is intense. I wrote this song and I couldn’t call it “Landslide” because Stevie Nicks had gotten there first with one of my favorite songs. But that word still fit. Hope Stevie doesn’t mind
FUTURE WORLD: This was almost the template for the record — that sensual feel and songs about living in the modern world of hard-wired cable and firewalls. It really is another in a long list of my survival guide songs. I think life is hard for everyone – no matter what you do. It’s just such a fragmented, fractured world that you just to have a lot of ability to make a lot of glue in every area.
LOVE REMAINS THE SAME: I really wanted to write my drinking song — my drowning of the sorrows song. I have a tough wife with high standards so there are those times when there is a disconnect. It’s hard to be with anybody for any length of time, and there are those times when you realize we need to make an effort here. I’m not really a drinking man, but I can imagine. It does have a certain Bukowski ness to it. I didn’t want to hide behind anything.
IF YOU’RE NOT WITH US, YOU’RE AGAINST US: I’m really inspired by Radiohead — as anyone who loves music should be I think. Thom is such an interesting writer. I like what he does with phrases. This song is about who’s starting all the war, and manipulating the world purely for themselves at the expense of the masses. We all know the difference between right and wrong –there’s not really that much grey area.
THIS IS HAPPINESS: There was a particular week when that I went with Gwen to New York. It was one of those times when parking space after parking space, everything fit in perfectly. Something about it was so magical, and when I wrote this album I wanted to make sure I had some of those up moments. I have such a deep love for New York — probably my favorite city in the world. I quite like that middle eight, “You make me so much better/I hope I don’t make you worse.” Bob loved it so much he said we should have it twice. And Chris’s guitar solo is fantastic,
ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE HILLS: I was writing with Dave Stewart. I went to his studio and I wanted to do something less self-conscious. I’d moved up into the Hollywood Hills. I said, “Let’s do a new wave song, not painfully earnest but actually fun. Writing with Dave is hilarious because he has no attention span. He had a good riff and then went off to take a phone call. But that’s great because it suits my personality because I’m more comfortable working some things out on my own.
THE TROUBLE I’M IN: That’s Shirley Manson of Garbage fame singing with me. One of my favorite records of all time is Bob Dylan’s “Desire” and especially “Isis” and “One More Cup of Coffee” with the great female voice blended in. I love that. It’s another thing that being in a band was not possible, Now it’s whatever goes. At first Shirley didn’t want to sing on it. I wrote her and she wrote back and said, “You persuasive bastard.” So she came to sing on it. And she’s great on it. It’s just about relationships and how we’re always in trouble.
BEAUTY IN THE BEAST: Often I will just write the lyrics first and they’ll lead me to a musical feeling. I wanted to write a nighttime urban song. That’s as close as I’ll get to writing like Beirut – whose music I love. What Dave Stewart did for me on this one was to write really great bass lines. Dave’s bass part allowed me to get deeply in that plaintive mood. The song’s meant to feel like walking down by Soho in England.
THIS PLACE IS ON FIRE: That was the working title for the record. I have a studio upstairs in my house and Gwen was downstairs with her design team. The clothes were looking amazing and she had the artwork for her album out and I was upstairs with this huge Dr Dre-like bass woofer and the music was going. And the engineer was like, “Wow, this place is amazing.” And I was like “Yeah, this place is on fucking fire. “ I though `Oh my god, that’s the title.” So I started singing with a Vocoder. It’s a nod to my wife. It was a longer piece but I thought it was a nice trippy way to end. And maybe open my shows.”
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