At the Shore (Press of Atlantic City) × May 04, 2009
Summer reunion
No Doubt kicks off tour in Borgata by Alan Scully
When No Doubt went on hiatus in 2004, nobody in the band faced a bigger adjustment than Tony Kanal, the band’s bassist and along with singer Gwen Stefani, a key songwriting contributor for the band.
For Stefani, the break gave her the opportunity to launch her solo career, which she did with great success. She made two CDs – “Love.Angel.Music.Baby” and “The Sweet Escape” – each of which went platinum and allowed her to stretch musically into a sound that liberally mixed hip-hop and dance styles with pop. She also married former Bush singer Gavin Rossdale, with whom she has had two sons.
Guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young, who are also married and parents, got in some family time, pursued outside music projects and also had time for their favorite hobbies – surfing and golf, respectively.
Kanal, though, faced a different set of circumstances. By his own admission, he didn’t have any real outside interests or hobbies. Since No Doubt formed in 1986, he had basically immersed himself in the group 24-7.
“I think the first couple of years, to be honest, were kind of a challenge, the vacuum that’s kind of created by something that you had been doing at that point, what, 16 or 17 years,” says Kanal, whose band performs at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Saturday, May 2. “It’s just like, ‘Wow, now what?’ But I did a lot of soul searching and I worked on music for the first couple of years, doing soundtrack stuff and working with some other people.
“And then I kind of took a break from music for a couple of years. I had bought a new house and my girlfriend and I put our whole lives into this house and just really dove in deep. And you know, I think looking back on it now, that was a good thing because it gave me some perspective on my life and music and stuff.”
After working on his house, and realizing that the No Doubt hiatus was going to stretch on a bit longer, Kanal decided to really explore a musical life outside of the band.
“I started writing with a lot of other artists and songwriters and working with other artists and pushing myself out of my comfort zone,” he says. “I think all those are great learning experiences and they’re really important in this creative journey that you’re on. Also, I think you bring all of this stuff back to the band then.”
Unfortunately, the outside musical projects of Kanal and his three bandmates have yet to produce the payoff the band wants most – an inspired and focused musical direction for the next No Doubt CD.
This also brings us to this summer’s No Doubt tour, an outing Kanal says is very much a part of the quest to find a musical direction for the next CD.
“The reason for this tour is because while we were in the writing process last year, there was something missing,” Kanal says.
“We haven’t found that thing that’s the unifying, guiding light, for lack of a better way to describe it. So Gwen said, ‘Hey, why don’t we go play some shows?’ I think it’s going to be incredibly productive and a great way to inspire some creativity for making the new record,” he says.
The band is returning to the road on a grand scale, headlining amphitheaters and bringing out a full visual production, some of which is based around the movie, “A Clockwork Orange.”
“It is one of I’d say half a dozen or so points of reference that we are using for the tour design and for wardrobe and for stage design,” Kanal says, declining to disclose other facets of the production.
As for the music, fans that come out may get a few surprises from the song selection for this summer’s shows.
“In addition to playing all of the singles, we dug a little deeper into a couple of the records and we pulled out some songs that we haven’t played in a long time that still really get us excited, (make us) feel something emotionally and are still fun to play,” Kanal says.
In writing for the new CD, Kanal says the band is looking for the same inspiration it found for making the “Rock Steady” album – a song or theme that drives the rest of the album.
“That’s what happened with ‘Rock Steady,’ with writing (the song) ‘Hey Baby,’” Kanal says. “That was kind of our take on Jamaican dancehall music. All of a sudden, this very happy and fun party record kind of unfolded in front of us. Not to use a pun, but I have no doubt we’re going to find that and it’s just right in front of us,” he says. “And as soon as it makes itself clear, we’ll be going full steam ahead.”
No Doubt
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2
WHERE: Event Center, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City
HOW MUCH: Tickets, priced at $105, are available at the Borgata box office, www.theborgata.com or ComcastTix at 800-298-4200.
WEB SITE: www.nodoubt.com
No Doubt’s Musical Progression
Initially formed more than 20 years ago, No Doubt has progressed artistically over the course of five studio albums. In its 1992 self-titled debut, the band came to the table with influences ranging from Madness to Blondie. While the album was not considered a commercial success, No Doubt built a name for itself in the southern California punk scene. Its pop-tinged anthems, complemented by the bouncy guitar lines of ska, offered an alternative to the increasingly popular grunge genre.
The band harnessed its raw energy into polished pop songs on 1995’s “Tragic Kingdom,” which netted No Doubt two Grammy nominations. Shaped by the breakup of singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal’s relationship, the album featured the heart-wrenching “Don’t Speak,” leading to sales of more than a quarter of a million copies.
Stefani jumped to the forefront as a songwriter with 2000’s “Return of Saturn,” with tracks such as “Simple Kind of Life” and “Ex-Girlfriend.” Then, in 2001, No Doubt embraced a more pop-centric sound on “Rock Steady” and incorporated a dancehall reggae influence, a progression of its past ska tendencies. The album boasted two Grammy-winning singles, “Hey Baby” and “Underneath It All.”
Fans can hear No Doubt’s musical progression with the purchase of online tickets for Borgata’s show. A free download of the band’s entire digital audio catalog is offered with each ticket purchased.
- Christine Ernest
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