hen radio station WCPR in Biloxi, MS, started
getting phone calls for a song by a band from
nearby Escatawpa, the staff figured it was hearing
from the group’s friends and relatives. But then
the number of phone calls exploded. "This went
way beyond just girlfriends and family calling with
requests. I have never experienced phones of this
magnitude," WCPR operations manager Kenny
Vest told the Biloxi Sun Herald. The song was
"Kryptonite," and the group is 3 Doors Down, a
four-piece rock band whose beefy sound and
explosive dynamics generate a high-impact blend
of modern sonics and timeless rock conventions.
Produced by Paul Ebersold (Sister Hazel) and
mixed by Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Korn),
The Better Life, the band’s debut album for
Republic/Universal Records, offers tight, finely-
constructed music that’s driven by an energy that
is at the same time almost out of control and
supremely focused.
Music has always been in the crosshairs for
singer-drummer Brad Arnold, bassist Todd Harrell
and guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson.
Longtime friends from Escatawpa, each of the
musicians felt the call early—particularly Arnold,
who as a child would "set up pots and pans when
I was little, just beat on stuff, whatever I could
find."
Having older siblings—four sister and two
brothers—gave the fledging, utensil-banging
drummer and his friends a valuable musical
grounding. Through his brothers and sister, he
developed a taste for commercial rock before
graduating to heavier fare. "I kinda like
everything," says Arnold. " Everything influences
me everything I hear."
After one of his bands broke up about four years
ago, Harrell hooked up with Arnold and Roberts.
The resulting music clicked for all of them. Arnold
soon found himself not only pounding the skins
but doing the group’s singing as well. "I always
used to sing to myself when we were playing, "he
says. "I was always singing around the house.
Then one day I got a microphone, and nobody
else would do it, but I did and I enjoyed it."
Arnold became the band’s lyricist as well, often
coming up with material in his high school algebra
class.
The trio played its first gig at a friend’s party,
roaring through a repertoire of four songs. "We
knew one by Bush, one by Metallica and a couple
of originals, "Arnold says. We played ‘em over
and over again." The repertoire grew in short
order, however, and the group started playing out.
One of these road trips—to Foley, Alabama – also
netted them a name. We came out of this building,
and some of the letters had fallen off the front and
it said ‘Doors Down,’ "Arnold remembers. "At the
time there were just three of us, so we said ‘3
Doors Down.’
The three became four about two years ago, when
Henderson, who’d played in previous bands with
Harrell, was invited in to bolster the group’s
sound. Now they are five, having added a
drummer from nearby Hattiesburg so Arnold can
step out and front the band. Meanwhile, the songs
kept coming, and in 1997 3 Doors Down recorded
some demos. They pressed a CD to sell at gigs,
and fans flocked out to see them live, numbering
more than 2,000 per show. That, coupled with the
buzz generated by "Kryptonite," brought major
labels calling and sent the band to New York City,
where it showcased at the legendary CBGB’s and
was signed by Republic/Universal.
"We like to rock," Arnold says, and that’s borne
throughout The Better Life, which kicks off with
"Kryptonite" and moves through the ringing ebb
and flow of " Loser," "Life of My Own," "Duck
and Run," and "Be Like That" as deftly as it does
the crunchy fury of "By My Side," "Smack," "Not
Enouth" and "So I Need You." All of the songs
feature the dynamic interplay of Roberts and
Henderson’s guitars atop the muscular rhythmic
bed provided by Arnold and Harrell.
"We’ve got good lyrics; everything tells a story,"
explains Harrell. But ultimately, the bassist and
senior member of 3 Doors Down feels the sound is
what says the most about the group. "It’s a rock
‘n’ roll band, straight up, " Harrell explains. "It’s
not really alternative or metal or anything – it’s
rock ’n’ roll."
