Tag: Dave Stewart

What you hear is what you get

Back from its trip to Saturn, No Doubt is ready to Rock Steady. By Tom Lanham.

Gwen Stefani is late. Not really late, just 15 minutes or so. But the platinum-haired, pout-lipped, pinup-perfect ska-pop goddess has a good cause – her boyfriend, the similarly pout-lipped, pinup-perfect rock icon, Gavin Rossdale of Bush renown, is her wheel man this particularly crisp autumn afternoon. He must’ve missed a Hollywood-hills turn or two. And when this oft-photographed No Doubt diva arrives? Most assuredly, she’s ready for her close up, Mr DeMille; in a flowing, floor length, red cashmere cape (complete with wolf-wowing hood), Stefani sweeps into the spacious, sparsely appointed digs of her band’s bassist Tony Kanal. She doesn’t just walk – in her patent-leather pumps, camouflage pedal pushers and baggy V-neck sweater – but sweeps and ’40s film starlets must’ve swept on Oscar night. Read the rest of this article »

The Happy Ones

With Rock Steady, No Doubt officially joins pop-music aristocracy by Dave Wielenga

Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal were in a London bar one night last summer, taking an all-night break from a long day of mixing tracks for No Doubt’s latest album, Rock Steady, when in walks maybe the biggest rock star in the world.

“Bono came out and met us because we had a lot of mutual friends,” explains Kanal. “We drank with him. And I’ll tell you—like I was telling Gwen earlier—the cool thing, the inspiring thing about that guy is that you see Bono, and he’s totally got his shit together. He’s this great musician—legendary now—and he’s politically active, helping people beyond, like, our wildest dreams.” Read the rest of this article »