"It didn't seem unusual to us because we always put on our own shows in the past." In fact, the only two bands 3EB have supported are "We were supposed to open up for somebody, but after three shows, we were headlining," says Jenkins. Launched April '97 when the band was originally slated as a support act, Third Eye Blind quickly found themselves becoming headliners. It's taken us in so many directions, and we're so far removed from the starting point, that we can actually be objective. I'm not whining - I'm happy to be able to do it - but it was grueling. So Stephan and I worked every day, forever, to get these songs where we wanted them to be. Says co-producer and bassist Arion Salazar, "In hindsight we felt 'Blue' was unrealized. So even though it took us a while to do, much of it was done on the first take." It gives a song and an album a sense of momentum. It's okay to paint quickly and make some mistakes. It took a while to trust that again, to realize that the first takes were often the best. "The best performances are spontaneous rather than a recital. "On 'Blue,' we succumbed to the studio maybe more than we should have," Stephan explains.
So we hope to release more music from these sessions in a short time."Īnother part of "getting to the nitty gritty" involved simplifying the recording process, a task made easier by working in their new studio, with Stephan serving as producer. And it was still hard for us to decide what to keep on the album. After our hiatus, we wanted to give our audience a big dose. If this was on vinyl, it would be a double album. Jenkins adds, "It certainly wasn't writer's block. Only when they work for me do they become eligible to do it for someone else." It can be a struggle, because I second-guess myself, but eventually, I got to the point where I realized our songs serve a purpose for me, they put things into perspective for me. "What matters to me are the unselfconscious creative impulses. "The first two albums were written during times when I didn't feel scrutinized," Stephan relates. Then it came time to hunker down and begin writing and recording another album. In other areas, after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Stephan organized the Breathe Benefit Concert in LosĪngeles, which brought together a wide range of artists to raise money for breast cancer treatment and research. Our challenge is to make music for 'now' that maintains the purity of analog sound." "Artists like Led Zep and Bob Marley set the sonic bar for music, for me. "I want people to know that this album is homemade," says Stephan. Once it was complete, the band set up its collection of vintage analog recording gear, vital for capturing their organic sound. Upon coming off the road, rebuild they did, literally, constructing their own studio, right down to a summer spent putting up brick and sheetrock. But it's hectic and it's crazy, and after two albums back to back I had to stop for a year to rebuild." But they miss out on the intensity of the exchange with a live audience, which I would never give up.
Jenkins adds, "In a way, I envy hip hop producers like Missy Elliott, who can stay home and make more records. "We'd make more albums if we didn't like playing live so much," declares Brad Hargreaves. One might construe three years between albums to be evidence of slacking, but nothing could be further from the truth. Their 1999 follow-up, "Blue," approached double platinum on the strength of the Stones-inflected single "Never Let You Go" and a sold-out worldwide tour that lasted a year. They scaled the charts with this album and its first single "Semi Charmed Life." They then made clear their intention to stick around by reeling off four more undeniable rock anthems - "Graduate," "How's It Going To Be," "Losing A Whole Year" and "Jumper." The album sold six million copies, and remained on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for well over a year. But as soon as real opportunity presented itself - in the form of their self-titled 1997 debut album with Elektra - they took it, and took off.
In the mid '90s, Third Eye Blind spent a couple of years coming together, falling apart and coming together again, sleeping on floors and playing on the barely-existent San Francisco club scene. May be available for your next special event!
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