Mississippi-based band 3 Doors Down have come a long way since the band’s 2000 hit “Kryptonite” served as the catalyst to push them headfirst into the mainstream. “Kryptonite,” a radio-ready post-grunge nugget recorded in the band’s home studio, completely changed the game for 3 Doors Down, and the guys have balanced a string of hard rockers and ballads since, including “When I’m Gone,” “Away from the Sun,” “Loser,” “It’s Not My Time” and “Duck and Run.”
3 Doors Down return July 19 with their fifth studio album, Time of My Life, recorded with producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, P.O.D., Chris Cornell).
Amidst wrapping up the last chords on their new album, lead guitarist Matt Roberts checked in with Gibson.com to talk about the writing process behind Time of My Life, switching up producers and why Gibson guitars “have such different personalities.”
When you first picked up guitar, what players captured your attention?
I picked up when I was 7 or 8. My mom was a pianist and taking guitar lessons, and I found her guitar in the closet and started messing with it. One of first cassette tapes I got was Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy, so Jimmy Page was one of my favorites off the bat.
Describe 3 Doors Down’s early days.
We basically weren’t well-known. We were just a local band, and we went from playing our local club scene to flying to New York when “Kryptonite” took us. It was a whirlwind, so it was a fun ride.
Let’s fast-forward to the new album, Time of My Life. This was the first time 3 Doors Down have worked with Howard Benson. What was that like?
Yes, we kind of use a different producer on almost every different record, so we basically find whoever is in touch with the project. We interview at least a dozen producers, and Howard has talked with us before on past records, and he was in touch with what we wanted to do with this. So, it was a great experience.
What was the writing process like for, Time of My Life?
Most of the time what happens is the music comes first. I’ll sit down and write a guitar riff and bounce it off the other guys and develop music, or Chris [Henderson, guitarist] will come in with guitar riff and give it to me. The melody and music get built, and then Brad [Arnold, vocals] comes in and writes the lyrics. Sometimes he writes the lyrics and melody first, but most of the time, the lyrics come at the end.
3 Doors Down have crafted so many blockbuster hits. What’s the secret to writing a hit song?
Geez, I wish I knew. [Laughs] I don’t know. There’s no real formula or secret. We just get in there and write songs and try to write what sounds good to us. There’s definitely some blur in there, and it’s something I can’t really explain. It’s built inside of you. It just happens.
Congrats on “When You’re Young” debuting at #1 on the rock chart. What’s the theme you were trying to get across in that song?
It’s about that when you’re young, people have to find our own way and deal with the challenges of growing up. I think you can listen to it from an adult perspective and a young person’s perspective. It captures both viewpoints.
Your rig is made up of a slew of Gibson guitars. What do you think makes Gibsons unique?
I’ve been playing Gibson Les Paul Standards and Customs since day one. I think what makes them special beyond any other guitar manufacturer is that their guitars have such different personalities. A lot of other guitar companies may have perfected their way of making a guitar, but if you pick up one of their guitars, every model sounds the same. With Gibson, they all have different personalities. I have eight Les Pauls, and they all sound different.
What draws you to Les Pauls?
The good thing about the Les Paul is you can go to it for anything. It’s an all-around guitar. I have a white chambered Les Paul I use for solos that has a more mid-to-high-end tone, and others that are a little bit more weighted are good for more dark stuff. They have different personalities, so I can take the same model guitar and each one can be used for something unique. I use Les Pauls on 90% of our records and playing live.
Do you have a favorite Les Paul?
I have a natural finish, ’57 reissue that’s a custom. I bought it for the Seventeen Days record. That’s my all-around guitar. For some reason, it just has the perfect weight and balance, and it’s good for anything. If I had to pick one guitar I had to use, that would be it. I also have a flame maple red, ’68 custom that weighs a little less, and it’s one of my favorites for guitar solos. It just cuts through everything. The flame has some black on there, so it’s a beautiful guitar.
3 Doors Down do a lot of charity work. Tell me about the Better Life Foundation.
It was something we started in 2003, and we did our seventh event last year. It was one of those things where we certainly wanted to be able to help out, because we had been so fortunate with our career and we just felt compelled to give back. If you have the power to help, you should. It’s a responsibility. We’ve raised 3 million dollars, and it’s a dollar in, dollar out organization. The mission is to help underprivileged children and whatever projects in the community we feel like are helping the community. Most is for children; that’s 75 percent of the goal. The other 25 percent is that we try to find things other ways to help; maybe buying instruments for a school program.
It must feel rewarding to see your impact on those children’s lives.
It certainly is. I couldn’t image being in a lot of the conditions those kids are in. It’s cool to be able to go and give your time, and it’s a great experience all the way around. It’s as rewarding for us and for them.
Any playing tips for our readers?
Practice makes perfect. If you’re a kid out there trying to work your way up and trying to become the musician you want, I definitely found that playing through my major and minor scales every day helped me develop my technique. You have to practice to be able to get where you want.
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