Geared up to Rock Steady. By Jon Weiderhorn

A touring rock band has to evolve and adapt to survive. Fans might embrace a group’s original style and image for a while, but if a look and sound remains constant for too long, a band can become stale, its music bordering on self-parody.

The members of No Doubt are keenly aware of that phenomenon, which is why the band’s live performance over the years has changed as much as its music. In 1987, No Doubt was a high-octane ska/punk band armed with simple staccato songs, delivered by musicians who pogoed as they performed. Not long after, the band added ’80s pop melodies to their music and began playing with a sharper stage focus. In 1993, they downplayed the pop elements and amped up the punk-rock anger, reflecting the alternative angst of the time. The band began turning heads with its powerful concerts and the onstage energy of its front woman, Gwen Stefani.

But although anxiety and agony were at that time mass-marketable tools, No Doubt felt insincere thrashing with rage. They made their most successful album, Tragic Kingdom, in 1994; it reemphasized the group’s ska and new-wave influences within a framework of postgrunge rock. In turn, the band’s live show became more celebratory. Stefani started wearing an Indian jewel on her forehead and within months had helped trigger a new fashion trend.

No Doubt toured the record for more than two years, building up a core following by returning to the same cities two or three times. By the time they began writing their follow-up, Return to Saturn, in 1998, the band members were veritable celebrities, but they were also road-weary and burned out. Being away from significant others for months at a time took its toll, which is why Saturn songs such as “Simple Kind of Life” and “Ex-Girlfriend” seem to sting with intimate melancholy.

When No Doubt toured for Return to Saturn, they followed a less rigorous agenda, scheduling fewer promotional activities and making the most of their precious downtime. “After the shows, we’d have these dance-hall reggae parties, and we’d really enjoy dancing,” says bassist Tony Kanal. “That really made touring a lot more fun. So even though Return to Saturn was a more depressing album musically and lyrically, the tour was really great.”

The No Doubt dance-hall parties paved the way for the band’s new album. Rock Steady downplays guitar rock in favor of primal dance grooves. Most of the songs are packed with modern pop hooks reminiscent of Madonna’s Ray of Light, and the rhythms incorporate new wave, techno, hip-hop, reggae, and pop. The sound is like a spirited hybrid of Blondie, Daft Punk, and Shaggy. To match the vitality of the songs, No Doubt brought in an all-star cast of producers, including modern pop guru Nellie Hooper, new-wave pioneer Ric Ocasek, electronica wizard William Orbit, vintage reggae greats Sly and Robbie, and dance-hall reggae heavyweights Steelie and Cleevie. The group also signed on hip-hop masters Dr. Dre and Timbaland for a pair of tracks that never made the record but may surface in the future.

Just a few weeks after completing Rock Steady, No Doubt opened for U2 on a handful of dates. Because the new CD is heavily keyboard based and full of electronica elements, the band members have had to change the way they do things onstage. Four members are now playing keyboards at various points in the show, and for the first time, they’ve incorporated backing tracks.

“There’s a lot more sequences and stuff to deal with,” says Kanal. “So we’re rolling around with quite a few keyboards onstage, which is great. When we were writing this stuff, [guitarist] Tom [Dumont] and I said, ‘You know, if there are songs where I’m not playing bass and you’re not playing guitar, it’s no big deal. We’ll do whatever’s best for the song.’ So there are a few songs where we’re all [except drummer Adrian Young and Stefani] playing keyboards — including Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair, who join us when we play live — which is pretty spectacular.”

After the U2 tour, No Doubt will concentrate on promotional appearances until they begin a headlining U.S. tour this spring. Onstage spoke to Stefani, Kanal, and Dumont about the new CD and the challenges of playing it live.

Rock Steady sounds like such a fun and spirited record compared with your last album, Return to Saturn.
Gwen Stefani: It is. We were in a really great mood when we made it. I had such a great year. And the band and I made some decisions when we decided to do another record. We wanted to clean house as far as all the rules that had built up over the years. We just wanted to experiment and see if we could have fun making the record and not have any kind of restrictions.

Tom Dumont: We wanted to make a record that would work well, for example, in dance clubs. You can really dance to every song. At the same time, there’s a lot of variety in the record, just like on our last record. We got really inspired by contemporary dance-hall reggae, which has almost a hip-hop kind of beat to it. Some stuff is really synth-pop ’80s new-wave-sounding stuff; a couple of things are kind of just straight-ahead rock. It’s much more keyboard heavy, the result of me and Tony sitting around in my little Pro Tools studio with our keyboards, just noodling around to come up with some weird sounds.
Tony Kanal: Just the headspace we were at leant itself to what we were making here. Return to Saturn took two years because I think we felt the need to prove ourselves as songwriters and musicians. This one was more about just letting go and having fun with it. We started working on it in February, and it came out in December.
Stefani: It’s weird how it came together so fast, and we worked with so many amazing people, and it was so spontaneous. And the next thing I know, it’s done, and we love it. I couldn’t be more excited.

You’ve released four albums, including Rock Steady. But before you became a successful recording band, you developed a reputation as an exciting live act.

Stefani: Oh, in the past, playing live for us was everything. We were just learning how to make records, and we were already experienced at performing to a crowd, so we focused on playing live. It’s so different being in the studio. And I feel like we’re just starting to learn how to use computers and Pro Tools, which made this record so much different.

Has No Doubt’s emphasis on playing live changed?
Stefani: It has, because the recording process and the writing process are becoming more and more fun and we’re better at it, and the touring process is becoming harder and harder. Really, it’s harder to live the lifestyle once you’ve done it for a long time. Leaving home and being away and not seeing your family, it’s just such an extreme way to live. I still look forward to touring; I just wish we didn’t have to do it for so long. It’s like too much of a good thing, like if you love to eat chocolate but you just eat too much of it and you get sick. That’s kind of the way touring is for me.
Kanal: Doing it for too long is tough, but I love the fact that we’re touring in a different way now than we ever have before. It’s such a challenge to play with keyboards and sequencing, and I have to say, I really enjoy it. We can play older songs completely live and then also play the new stuff with sequencing. We get to do it all, and it’s just so much fun.

Was it somewhat overwhelming to go from being a completely organic band to one that mixes in recorded material onstage?

Kanal: No, because we structured the sequencing so there’s as much live stuff being played as possible. It wasn’t a situation where we’re using the sequencing as a crutch to make the songs work. I think that for the most part, it’s still very much of a live performance, with a few things augmented with the sequencing.
Dumont: It is a little bit weird for us because playing along with a track is somewhat awkward. We don’t want to break up the spontaneity of what we normally are able to do. But for the four or five songs [that we use backing tracks on], it works pretty well. The songs really kind of call for it.

Gwen, as a singer, what was it like for you to perform in this different musical framework?

Stefani: It’s hard to describe. I think I just try to perform each song the way the song wants to be. I’m not real conscious of what I’m doing onstage. Music just makes you react the way you’re gonna react, and I just react to what I’m feeling when we’re playing it. When we first tried to learn the new songs live, it was so hard. It was like a nightmare. But it was fun. It was especially rough because it was very hard to get back in the swing of it. We hadn’t done it in a year. And the first show we had to do was opening for U2 at Madison Square Garden. I was freaking, dude. It’s one thing to have a couple of warm-up gigs, but we had none. The closest thing to a warm-up gig was having my mom and dad come down to hear me sing the songs.

Is nervousness an issue before big shows?
Dumont: Every show is a little different. Generally, as long as the stage sound is good, the bigger shows are pretty easy. We’ve done enough of them now that it feels pretty comfortable. Usually a bunch of us will have a drink or so before we go on. Nothing more than that. It helps take the edge off. And this is a weird thing: I’ve noticed that if I chew gum during a show, or at least at the beginning of the show, something about having to play guitar and chew gum takes my mind off anything else. It’s the weirdest thing, but it helps.

What have you learned about playing live that you didn’t used to know?
Stefani: That it’s about what’s inside and the spirit of the music that counts. On Return to Saturn, I wanted to do more of a “show” show. I wanted to have these elaborate costume changes and incorporate more dynamics, and it didn’t really work out. I don’t think people wanted that from us. And we had two weeks of hell onstage before we kind of worked it out.

So it’s changed for this tour?
Stefani: I’ve learned that certain songs require certain things, and it’s fun to run around on certain tracks, but it’s also okay to just stand still and sing. It’s like a journey. I want to take people to different places when they come see the show.
Kanal: If you have confidence and give 110 percent every night, things usually go pretty well. You’ve just got to portray that confidence and have fun. And we definitely have fun when we play onstage.

Do you use in-ear monitors or wedges?

Dumont: We’re kind of split in the band. Gwen and our keyboard players/horn guys [Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair] have in-ears. They’re the ones who sing. Me and Tony and Adrian, we’re all on wedges, which is just kind of a preference. I used to have in-ears.

Why did you stop using them?
Dumont: I felt too disconnected from the show. I could certainly hear my playing with a lot of precision, could hear all the nuances, but I felt disconnected from the audience. At the end of shows, I was feeling like, “Did I play a show?” The kind of physical experience was taken away.
Kanal: I tried them but felt kind of restricted because I like to move around a lot and I always found they were falling out. No matter what I did, I couldn’t keep them in my ears. So I prefer traditional wedges and side fills.

Has having Gwen and the other singers on in-ears helped with the stage volume?

Dumont: In the past, before in-ears, Gwen needed a lot of stage volume to hear herself and sing in tune. In those days, there were sections of the stage where I couldn’t even walk because her vocal was so loud. Since she went to in-ears, her stage volume is down to a really nice level, so I can hear everything pretty well.

Tony, are you doing anything different with your stage gear now that your music has taken on a more danceable, poppy feel?
Kanal: I’ve always had a very simple rig, just an amp and a speaker cabinet. Now it’s a little more complicated, but it’s still pretty simple. I’m just using one kind of effects rack to emulate more of the Jamaican dance-hall keyboard kind of bass sounds that we’ve recorded on this record. And for the first time, I’m actually playing some keyboards onstage, too. I’m just running a MIDIman keyboard into an Emu Proteus 2000 and getting some really cool sounds.

Tom, you’re playing keyboards as well?

Dumont: Yes, on one song — “Hey Baby.” I play one of those portable keyboard units [Roland AX-1], hanging on me like a guitar. It’s kind of a novelty thing, but I’m definitely enjoying it. I’m not a great keyboard player, but I am good enough to handle the part.

Has your setup changed for this tour?
Dumont: I’m really into simplicity, and this is the first time I’ve ever used a rackmount effects processor. I’ve always used stompboxes. I’m using a T.C. Electronic G-Major. It’s cool, and it’s new for me. I’m having fun programming it, figuring it out. The big reason I use it is that I’m really anal about signal loss, cable length, and stuff. This thing sits next to my amp, and it just goes to the effects loop with the shortest cord possible.

Who puts together your live arrangements?

Dumont: We do it pretty much as a group. And Gabrial, our keyboard player, has been helping out a lot lately in sorting things out. He has a really good ear, and it’s good to use him as an objective helper. On this particular album, he didn’t really play much, so he can come and listen and say, “Okay, what about this way or that way?” And then Gwen, she gets really into the vocals and she works a lot with those guys on trying to harmonize certain parts of the album. And it sounds different from the album, because on the album she harmonizes everything with herself. She had like ten tracks or whatever going of herself. But live, she’s really good with the two of those other guys getting the harmonies right and rehearsing them.

Your new single, “Hey Baby,” is about the groupie scene. Is that something you’ve experienced firsthand?
Stefani: I have a weird point of view on that because usually groupies are these girls that are going after the guys in the band to seduce them or be with them so they can tell everybody they were with them. That is something that’s been going on forever. But since I’m the female in the band, they can’t really do that to me. So it’s just a weird perspective to have because I don’t really have guys coming up to me trying to hook up, yet I see it happening with the guys all the time. So I just wanted to write a song about a fun version of being backstage and seeing all of the stuff that goes on back there.

Your boyfriend, Gavin Rossdale, is the front man for Bush. Is it weird knowing that the kind of thing that you see backstage also goes on with Bush?

Stefani: Of course. I go out with them once in a while, and I get to see it firsthand, and it’s crazy. But music is so powerful, and it’s such a gift, and it just really makes people react funny. People really love having music in their lives. And for girls, music has a sexuality to it. So everything kind of all emerges together, and they can’t help themselves.

Your music is definitely fun and lively.

Is partying a major part of the No Doubt experience?
Kanal: Yes, but moderation is extremely important, and you just kind of learn as you go. You just start to realize that you’re going to exhaust yourself if you’re not careful.

Where do you see yourselves at this point in your career? Do you think Rock Steady will pave the way to the next evolution of No Doubt?
Kanal: We just take each record as it comes, and on this record we got to do everything we wanted to do. We’re not the kind of band that writes music on the road. We need life experience, and we need to feel the urge to create music build up before we can do anything new. So it’s really hard to say what’s gonna happen next. Right now we’re just so excited to go out and share these songs with people, that’s all we’re really thinking about. I don’t know how long we’re going to keep going, but right now things are extremely good.

Filling Out the Sound

Even with four members of No Doubt playing at least some keyboards, several songs on Rock Steady had too many elements to comfortably pull off live, so the band decided to incorporate backing tracks into certain parts of their show. They decided that rather than trying to trigger samples from a sampler, it would be more effective to play the supplementary tracks back onstage using a portable multitrack recorder — in this case, a 24-bit Tascam MX-2424 (see Fig. A). “We actually play to the track live,” says Tom Dumont. “We just press play on the machine and play along. It kind of just fills out the sound, and we use it as a click track.”

The band actually uses two MX-2424s synced together, each with the identical tracks on it. “The idea is if one breaks down, they just flip a switch and go to the second one,” says Dumont. “ The cool thing is, if both break down, we can still finish the song out. It’s not like the whole song is running on the thing. The core of drums, bass, and guitar will still be going strong.”

The band sifted through the original master tapes, found the tracks they wanted to include, and mixed them into stereo pairs on the MX-2424. “We went through the record and picked out parts that really couldn’t humanly be played live,” says bassist Tony Kanal. “And those are the only things that actually go to sequencing. The rest of the stuff is played live.”

As is often the case in backing-track situations, most of the band does not have to play to a click. Instead, they simply follow the tempo of drummer Adrian Young, who hears it through a set of headphones. “So far it’s been pretty good,” observes Dumont. “Adrian tells us that he can feel us kind of pulling fast a little bit. But for the most part, we keep it in mind to stay pretty locked. The songs we do are pretty groove oriented, so we can just lock in and go. We’ve talked about trying to pull the tempo up maybe 2 or 4 bpm on those tracks to make it a little better live.”

With thanks to Mike McKeaney of ND Universe

Gwen Stefani took top honors “Best Female Vocalist” – and No Doubt won “Best New Group” in the 1996 Circus Magazine Readers Poll. By Vinnie Penn

“Peek-a-boo!” is the first thing No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani utters when I answer my telephone, and from the way she says it – with a sunshine sweet little giggle – it is obvious from the outset that the native Californian is all girl, a “real girly-girl”, as she puts it. But one thing Gwen Stefani definitely is not, is JUST a girl. And “Just A Girl”, the firecracker first single off Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt’s third full-length record (and second official one for Trauma Records), is a sarcastic shoot ‘em up of that very fact.

Now, over a year after the release of the band’s breakthrough song and pretty much ten years together, No Doubt is a household name, a way of life…in other words: They’ve arrived.

Proof of that fact? How about Tragic Kingdom inching its way into the Billboard’s Top Ten albums chart and staying there after being on record store shelves for a period of time that often sees bands at the same point putting out their follow-up? Or how about the subsequent hit singles that came hot on the heels of “Just A Girl”, like the reggae/rock foot-stomper “Spiderwebs” and the heart-wrenching ballad “Don’t Speak”? Some would even say that doing an arena tour with those other chart-toppers, Bush, was a relatively good sign.

But, to Stefani it’s the little things, like appearing on “The Late Show with David Letterman” (“I still can’t even believe we did that,” says the singer). Not long after our encounter the band even took the Saturday Night Live stage.

“Going to Europe, too, was totally a dream-come-true,” she purrs. “I was influenced by a lot of English bands. I still am. So just to be able to go there was unbelievable. Madness was one of my favorite bands, and I loved going to the places that they wrote about. I was like ‘oh my God, Primrose Hill! Camden Town!

To a couple of kids from Orange County, California, who had been local heroes for some eight years by the time Billboard came calling, a trip across the pond must have been a vindication of sorts. After all, co-founder of No Doubt Stefani’s brother Eric, couldn’t even wait anymore, bailing just before the big time beckoned.

So the cross-country trek was endured as a four-piece: Gwen, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. But they prefer to think of themselves as a six-piece, including their two zany horn players.

“They’re amazing,” Gwen boasts. “They put on a show of their own. You could just watch them the whole night.”

As if anyone could take their eyes off Stefani for long periods of time, especially when the tiny ball of fire zips around the stage all night herself. There is no denying, however, that their horns are an integral part of what has become known as the No Doubt sound. Check out the brass blast that kicks off the rocker “Different People,” if you’re still not convinced.

“Well, we always had horns in the band,” she says. “From the beginning we were labeled a ska band and it was never really true because we were always striving to have our own sound. In the past it was always a problem, like ‘how are we gonna market these guys’ or ‘there are too many different styles’. Some reason it just happens to work now and people don’t mind it and kinda like it.

“Like” is putting it mildly. The record-buying public are “Just A Girl” like it was an appetizer, “Spiderwebs” as if it were the main course, and enjoyed “Don’t Speak” for dessert. Seconds is surely an option as well. “Sunday Morning” is a splashy, riff-filled ride, “Excuse Me Mister” a Madness-made free-for-all, and there’s even a taste of disco with “You Can Do It.”

“But, honestly, the biggest deal for us with this little bit of success, is that it’s unbelievable because we never thought this would come out first of all,” she explains. “The goal was just to get the record out and everything else has been such icing on the cake…so sweet. We just really appreciate it. We know it’s going to be gone some day. We’re just trying to take every second of it and go, ‘this is so awesome, so much fun,’”

Plus, it did take three years to make Tragic Kingdom, a disc named in part, after the proximity of the band’s rehearsal space to Disneyland in Anaheim. Doubts of the record’s pending release were especially high since No Doubt’s previous outting was an independent CD in their own label made just because the band felt “frustrated” by the industry.

Not only was the road into the “Tragic Kingdom” a long and winding one, but the road out has been equally arduous. The band has toured tirelessly to support the disc, and the hectic schedule took its toll more then once on Gwen’s throat, most recently putting her out of commission for two weeks. Several shows were postponed so that the platinum-haired power-house could recuperate, which she undoubtedly did.

“I remember when I was younger thinking I would never be hard enough or cool enough or tough enough, you know what I’m saying? You know, being female and all,” Stefani admits.

But she’s plenty tough, alright. So much so, in fact, that the band’s lighter-waving hit “Don’t Speak” was quite a curve ball for some of No Doubt’s ever-growing fan-base, who were becoming comfortable with the explosive nature of the music introduced to them via “Just A Girl” and “Spiderwebs”.

“When you think of restrictions, as far as selling out, and how kids are so fickle,” she says, “you get to thinking about, like, being in a punk band. I mean, my God, if you tried doin a ballad you would just be…forget it! You can’t do it. Being in our band we’re able to do that and I really enjoy being able to do that it’s kinda neat that we can do that. I’m glad that we’re not so punk that we can’t.

No Doubt is one of several outfits, actually-many of whom hark from the Southern Cali sector-that run the gamut from rock and punk to ska and funk on their respective musical maps. Bands like 311 and Offspring are also prolific in these genres.

It’s easy enough to see where the “meeting of the minds” takes place for No Doubt; outside of each member’s reverence for Madness, Kanal came to the table with an affection for Prince, and Dumont was, as Stefani puts it, “Mr. Heavy Metal, arena rock guy.”

Melding these influences is easier then it seems, according to Stefani: “When we wrote the music for ‘Just A Girl’, me and Tom sat down and it was like, ‘lets write a New Wave song’, you know? We’re ten years out of high school and looking back and realizing how rad Devo is. That was the motivation, that kind of choppy guitar.

“Bands that were totally happening and the mainstream back then, I was really into ska and I was like ‘fuck off’ to everyone else. But, there was still millions of songs that I loved. My God, ‘Borderline’ by Madonna…I would just die if that was never in my life at that time. It’s just interesting when you look back at how music goes off and gets renewed and unusual.”

Truly, what Madonna meant to the 80’s. No Doubt may mean for the 90’s. The only one who may have a tough time buying that line is Stefani herself.

“For me, I know myself. I know what a dork I am and where I come from,” she laughs. “I would never look at myself and think that I could have any kinda influence on anyone. I’m just me.”

Anaheim’s No Doubt sets the “Rock Feminist” label on its head

Being a woman in today’s pop music arena seems to immediately slap that feminist scarlet letter on the artist’s chest – a tag that most of the prominent females in modern rock heartily endorse with their attitudes. A gauge of this? What would be the assumptive grrrl reaction to being called “cute”? Madonna or Courtney Love would probably have some smartass retort. Chrissie Hynde would just smirk or totally ignore the comment. L7 would laugh. TLC or Salt-N-Pepa would give it right back, only spicier. And the members of Bikini Kill might hit you over the head with their guitar.

But Gwen Stefani of No Doubt would probably just say… “Thank you.”

Platinum hair and funky wardrobe aside, the one outstanding characteristic of No Doubt’s frontwoman is polite propriety. “I’m old-fashioned”, she admits, with an unapologetic smile. But don’t be fooled. It’s this very sense of quiet-but-firm opinion that gives a twist to Stefani’s particular brand of feminism – that is, one does not necessarily have to choose between cowering in silence or screaming to be heard. One can be humorous and articulate, as well as independent and forthright.

No Doubt’s newest record, Tragic Kingdom – the third release from this Anaheim ska / rock / pop hybrid who’ve been building a local following for eight years – marks the debut of Stefani as a primary lyricist, a role that previously had been, for the most part, shouldered by her brother (and band founder) Eric. Her sibling’s departure from the band prior to the latest release (due to a desire to pursue a career in cartooning and animation) may be accountable for the decidedly feminine lyrical slant on Tragic Kingdom; Stefani’s mix of unabashedly romantic topics, after all, is peppered here and there with uncannily simple-yet-effective sarcasm that could only come from the mind of one who’s been there. Ask anyone without a Y-chromosome: The first single off the record, “Just A Girl”, speaks clearly about the exasperation involved in female stereotypes. “Don’t you think I know / Exactly where I stand? / This world is forcing me / To hold your hand.”

“I wrote that because my dad got mad at me for going to Tony [Kanal, No Doubt bassist]’s house and driving home late at night,” the 26-year old singer explains. “I mean, c’mon, I’m, like, going on 30 here!” she exaggerates, laughing. “I wouldn’t trade [being female], but I really don’t think guys understand what a burden it can be sometimes.”

But regardless of whatever heavy message is ingrained in the lyrical side of things, Stefani’s breathless vocals always manage to soar high and joyful over an upbeat, infectious musical cocktail, drawing diversely in turn from a horn section, steel drums, ‘80s-style keyboards, and a classic rock guitar. This is updated New Wave – and a sound that should be well appreciated by any former preteen who ever worshipped Debbie Harry and the Go-Go’s.

It seems odd to this band, then, that despite their hybrid sound, they seem to consistently carry an indelible label as a “ska band.” “Our roots are definitely in ska,” says Stefani. “When we started in 1987, we were just pretty much trying to imitate what we loved, and I was really into the [British] band Madness. I was the only ska girl at my school – as far as dress went, anyway. I would look at the English Beat girl – you know, the cartoon girl on their album covers – and think, ‘Maybe I’ll get an outfit like that!’ And our first big show was opening for the Untouchables that same year. But then we started finding different [musical] influences from different members.

Not the least diverse of which was the influence of guitarist Tom Dumont, who tells his story with a sense of mild irony. “Before I joined in 1988, I was in a heavy metal band – yes, I can play [Metallica's] ‘One’ on guitar,” he grins. “We all used to rehearse in the same little studio in Anaheim. But I was becoming dissatisfied with my own band and the whole direction of the metal scene in general. I always liked other styles of music, and I would look in sometimes and watch [No Doubt] practice – it was fascinating, because this was different from any kind of music I’d heard before. Ska music… I was pretty unfamiliar with it. Anyway, I quit my band, independently of that, and within a week, I saw a flyer, ‘No Doubt needs a guitar player.’ I was fortunate that they would accept a heavy metal guy with long hair and lack of fashion sense,” quips the mohawked, AirWalk-wearing axe man. “Their scene seemed so much healthier to me. People would come to shows, dance, and just have fun.”

And drummer Adrian Young – although admitting to his own junior high-era ska fever – claims his earliest influences were his “hippie parents’” Hendrix and Janis Joplin records. Tony Kanal, meanwhile, was such a rabid Prince fan that “he wore purple to school,” giggles Stefani. “So, as we began collaborating and getting experienced with songwriting,” she continues, “we got this ambition – to not be a ‘ska’ band. Because it was always this label that was put on us, and it was always our goal to have our own sound.”

Nevertheless, with ska currently segueing head-first into punk as the next “big thing” in popular music, the band have to acknowledge that the slightest reference to the upbeat (or offbeat) is going to throw them into the ska label. And cultivating – instead of fighting – the tag might prove lucrative in short order. Witness Rancid, whose return to skankin’ roots on their latest album has gleaned them both major airplay and popularity with the ska-tinged single “Time Bomb”.

Stefani reflects on this suggestion. “Well, [the members of] Rancid started out in a ska band, Operation Ivy, so it’s really not unusual that they would go back to that. But for me, personally, after being in the scene for eight years, I got burned out on all the up-and-coming ska bands over the years, I just got sick of them trying to repeat the whole 2-Tone movement.”

“The funny thing is that ‘Just A Girl’ is not even close to ska,” interjects Dumont “It’s more of a New Wave thing. I don’t know if people are throwing us in with the Rancids… I mean, there’s nothing wrong with Rancid, but our song is actually more like Weezer.” The rest of the bandmembers nod enthusiastically in assent.

“I look at our band as kinda like the Police,” Stefani muses. “They had the reggae / ska thing happening, but they’re a rock band. Our roots are ska, but ska just bubbles under in our music. We don’t label our sound by that term.”

Whether they’re technically ska or not, No Doubt’s third record is currently the recipient of renewed commercial interest from its original parent label, Interscope (which released the debut No Doubt LP in 1992), even though they’re still on the smaller indie label, Trauma Records. Confused? The story behind the label switch provokes sighs from the entire band. “It’s confusing to everyone, including us,” says Stefani, “but people are gonna want to know why this record took three years to come out.” She cups her chin in her hand resignedly and begins the tale. “When we signed with Interscope in ‘91, they had just formed as a new label.”

“At the time, we were finishing up an indie CD that we were going to put out ourselves,” continues Dumont. “[Interscope] decided they wanted to sign us, and they were going to give us some money. So, we thought, ‘OK, let’s redo the CD in a really good studio.’”

“And we thought we were recording in a really good studio,” Stefani’s tone is flat. “But looking back, we were naive. It was almost like an independent release, anyway – there was no push for the record [by Interscope] and no kind of support at all. Everything we did on that record, we did ourselves. We did get tour support, though, so we toured the U.S. once.”

“Want a list of people who once opened for us?” asks Young, as he begins rattling off a semi- shocking roster: Rage Against The Machine, Ugly Kid Joe, Sublime, Dance Hall Crashers, 311…

“When we got back, though, the problems started.” Stefani has resumed the story. “We were writing and writing, but Interscope was being really wishy-washy about letting us go in the studio. Things just kept getting dragged out… .”

“Months and months and months,” emphasizes Young, shaking his head. “We were going insane.”

“It was a really hard time. We were working, writing, attending school, trying to use up time,” explains Stefani, who majored in art at Cal State Fullerton. “But every day, we were calling up and going, ‘When can we go in? When? When? When?’”

Finally, in complete exasperation, the band built their own studio and self-released two 7-inch singles, while Interscope looked on with an idle eye. The months spent writing had flowered into a catalog of over 60 songs, most of which No Doubt realized would not land on their next Interscope release. So, in a spontaneous burst of energy, the band went into their homemade studio and bashed out a full-length second LP, The Beacon Street Collection, in one long weekend.

“Interscope was surprised,” says Dumont. “They though we were doing another 7-inch. And then we ended up recording Tragic Kingdom in, like 10 different LA studios over the next two years – wherever they could get a deal on a studio!”

It was during one of those sporadic studio session that Interscope introduced the band to a guy who was interested in mixing Tragic Kingdom. “It was this guy, Paul Palmer, who had just mixed this new band called Bush. You know what they sound like, right?” asks Dumont, dead serious. “Paul mixed ‘Just A Girl’ first and then decided to mix the rest of the record a couple of months later. It turns out that he was the owner of Trauma Records, and he wanted to release the record on his own label – which was, conveniently, already tied into Interscope, thanks to Bush. After that, everything just turned around. Trauma got really hot because of Bush. Plus, they’re a small label and totally focused. It was the best thing that could have happened to us!”

“You do have to remember, too,” adds Stefani, determined to be fair, “that after we got on Interscope, the company became so huge. And we were pretty much dealing with just one person at that point. Now that we have to deal with Interscope all over again, we’re remeeting people, and it’s a whole new situation over there. It’s all turned around and much better now.”

It’s not just Interscope that’s improved from the band’s vantage point, either. They’ve also seen a good evolution in the attitude of the audience the band attracts as well. “When I first started singing, there weren’t very many female singers in the scene,” Stefani explains. “Whenever we went to a club, I would always be looked upon as a tagalong girlfriend – ‘Where’s your wristband?!’ But as soon as I finished a show, the same people would be, like, ‘Oooh – I can’t believe you were up there!’ And the attitudes of the girls in the beginning! More like, ‘Bitch! Who does she think she is?!’”

Stefani, who seems unaware that her striking good looks might be considered intimidating, appears genuinely perturbed by this latter aspect. “But now it’s gradually changed into this whole bonding thing between all the girls at the shows. They have their songs – they consider them their songs – that they can [mosh] to. It’s weird being a girl who likes rock, because when you have a band, you’re usually into the person, too. Like, when I liked Madness, I was totally in love with them. But it’s different [for us] now, and it’s great – the girls are into the music.”

“Except,” deadpans Dumont, “when they look at my side of the stage, of course… .”

The latter comment does make you wonder what it must be like for Stefani, one lone girl, touring with a busload of “crude” males. “Oh yeah,” she says, cheerfully. “Burps, farts, everything! But I love touring, so I don’t really pay attention. I’m pretty much used to it, anyway.”

“It’s just not the three guys, either,” adds Young, with a wicked delighted giggle. “There’s our horn section – Steve, Gabe, and Phil. And Donnie the crew guy. Our ‘king of merchandise,’ Merchmaster Matt…” Stefani rolls her eyes and smiles as her bandmates launch into a spirited explanation of bathroom technique and other etiquette while on the road.

Not surprising, then, is the new No Doubt video for “Just A Girl,” which is scheduled to shoot the day following our interview. The plot seems to be a humorous revenge of sorts for Stefani – she is to be shot separately from the others, singing in a plush and pretty ladies’ room, while the boys are forced to perform in a “gross, pee-on-the-floor, club-type bathroom.” It’s a clever yet subtle plot that fits well with the duality of the song. “It’s definitely a very real song, and there’s always two sides to everything,” says Stefani with a smile, admitting that the video story line was her idea.

That naturally brings the subject back to our initial topic: Stefani’s gentle-yet-solid form of feminism. It’s easy to see that she clearly does not consider her role to be any kind of a selling point for specific political issues; thought-provoking lyrical matter is fine, but this band seems more into creating a friendly vibe. That is, dancing feet, not minds.

Stefani puts her chin in her hand and thinks for a moment. “I should tell you this story,” she finally says. “We were playing a Rock for Choice benefit. They were all excited about us and everything, ‘cause I’m a girl. Whatever. Anyway, my own feelings on abortion are pro-choice, but I personally don’t feel right about it. I’m glad that no one can make that choice for me, though. So I said to the audience, ‘You know, if it were me, I would not choose to have an abortion, but I’m glad I have the choice.’ After the show, everyone was so pissed off at me for saying that!” The bandmates shake their heads in chagrin. “Hey, it was a pro-choice benefit… there was nothing wrong with what I said.”

So, a belated welcome to the ‘90s where a musician like Gwen Stefani can define her own style of feminism, expanding and broadening the once-limited label of “Women in Rock.” In other words, a style that is in charge, in effect, and definitely in demand. Will this appeal to male and female music fans beyond the Orange Curtain? The reply is obvious: No doubt about it!

With thanks to Mike McKeaney of ND Universe – transcribed by Craig Smith