Written in the Stars: Rob Thomas on Matchbox Twenty's Illuminating Return
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Written by Simon Ramsay
The old saying goes that, when one door closes, another opens. In the case of Matchbox Twenty, no sooner had their best laid touring plans been put on hold by the pandemic that a fresh chance presented itself. After over a decade without any new music from the US pop-rockers, and with both fans and band alike fearing that would remain the case, it took a confluence of events to finally end their prolonged recording hiatus.
Prior to entering the studio last year, after guitarist Kyle Cook suggested the multi-million selling act, who first shot to fame in the mid-90s, used their downtime to make what would become the group’s first album since 2012’s ‘North’, the foursome had conflicting ideas about the band’s future.
While they all agreed Matchbox Twenty would continue as a touring outfit, when they weren’t pursuing a variety of other ventures away from the mothership, there was zero consensus about how, when and if they would add to their hit-laden catalogue.
Unable to get straight back out on the road once the world re-opened, due to shielding concerns for at risk family members, it seems unlikely Rob Thomas (vocals), Paul Doucette (guitar, drums, backing vocals, keys), Cook and Brian ‘Pookie’ Yale (bass) would have made their recently released fifth studio album without the events of the last few years having flung open the aforementioned door.
‘Where the Light Goes’ isn’t just a gift for fans who’d patiently awaited new music, but also for certain members of the group who, perhaps, needed reminding that this band still has a lot of gas left in its creative tank. A far cry from their angst-ridden early albums, Matchbox Twenty’s return is overflowing with infectious positive vibes and uplifting sonic strokes. Its glossy pop-based songs about the uplifting power of community, importance of self acceptance and making valuable heartfelt connections offer a timely musical balm without ever screaming ‘pandemic record.’
We caught up with Thomas, who shares more of the songwriting credits on this record than any previous Matchbox Twenty album, to hear all about getting the gang back together, pushing his voice to the limit and how, thanks to being a little older and wiser, they’ve learnt to be less precious about the creative process.
Prior to making this album, you’d talked about experimenting with the format of releasing new music in the modern age and weren’t sure that making a 12 song album was still as relevant. But Paul, on the other hand, had grieved about you guys not making any more new music together and wasn’t interested until an album was on the cards. So how did everyone end up getting on the same page?
Because we’d just postponed the tour for a third time we felt like we owed something more to the fans. No one was against it outright, but when I sent Paul my demo for Where the Light Goes he did some stuff and sent it to Kyle, who did some more on it, and when it got back to me it just sounded like Matchbox Twenty and got me excited.
It took you a long time to find your bearings on ‘North’ because of all the different directions you could have gone in and the eight year gap between that effort and your previous record. What did you learn from that experience, with regards coming back after so long, that helped you avoid the same issues this time?
There were a number of factors that made it hard to get ‘North’ up and running. We tried to produce ourselves and just wound up spending a lot of money living in a cabin in Nashville and drinking a lot of wine. I also feel, and this is just me, that we were still a little precious then about every little idea, and wanting to be heard, more than just doing what was great for the album. As we have gotten older, we have gotten much better at working together and supporting each other while also being better at communicating what we like or what we’re missing. It makes collaborating so much more fun and not as frustrating.
Although there are some superb songs on ‘North’, it didn’t feel quite as stylistically cohesive as your first three records. Your new effort flows very well from start to finish, like those early albums. Was there a conscious awareness of that during the process?
When we make an album we just go song by song until we feel like we have an album’s worth of songs we believe in, and when we have, that’s the album. We don’t think too hard about the identity of the album as a whole. We add the ingredients and then step back and look at it.
Friends made me think if early Arcade Fire had written a song for ‘Mad Season’ this would be it. What can you tell me about crafting that one?
That song was all Paul. It was a track he wrote first and then he and I both kept trying to write a melody and lyric that was as good to us as the track itself already was. I failed at it and thought it was impossible. One day Paul just nailed it. We immediately knew we wanted to open the album and the live show with it.
On the day of the album’s release, Paul was asked on social media if they were trying to test your vocal range on this album and he said ‘yes.’ You certainly have to hit some very high notes at the end of Wild Dogs, so how comfortable was it for you, being pushed like that and now having to pull it off every night live?
It’s not easy, honestly. The first part of the tour is always about getting used to the new songs and finding what vocal positions are best for certain parts. Every time we or I make a record there’s always one or two that I’m worried about, but eventually I crack the case.
Listening to Rebels, I can hear a connection between the band that made ‘Yourself Or Someone Like You’ and the group who recorded this track nearly 30 years later. I can also imagine ‘80s Tom Petty singing it too. What can you say about that one?
Funnily enough, we had a little 1980s Petty in mind when Paul and I put the track together. There wasn’t any conscious effort to sound like the first album. To me, it sounds like that band from ‘96 who went out and got really good at playing live. I always look to the things I grew up with when making a new album instead of what’s out and current at the time. Because of my age, so many of my influences are from ‘80s music.
The new album isn’t driven by guitar riffs and leans more into the pop side of what you do. I believe you wanted this record to be a very positive listening experience so, with loud guitars almost having an inherent association with a different kind of angsty energy, is that why they took a back seat?
I don’t think we thought about it too much. We have a lot of creative guitar work on this record, just not big ‘rock’ chords for the sake of having them. In the end we just did what we felt each song required. This record is the next link in a chain we’ve been putting together for 27 years so, in that chain, we have lots of big riffs to listen to.
That said, last time we spoke, around the time of ‘Chip Tooth Smile’, you said Matchbox Twenty would still love to make their big guitar driven Night Ranger album. Might something like that happen at some point or has the moment passed?
Sure. We always have a bunch of ideas about what kind of record we want to make but, in the end, we have to lean into what comes out of us naturally. If we set an arbitrary goal to reach I think the music would be less true to who we are.
The final song on the record, Selling Faith, reminded me of something you also told me about your desire to make your ‘Nebraska’. You claimed you were going to keep saying you were going to make it until you eventually did. I believe you have a new solo album in the can, so have you finally made it?
I’d started to put it together. Queen of New York City, Don’t Get Me Wrong and Where the Light Goes were going to be on there, though I imagine they would have sounded much different. I was still going to do it with Gregg Wattenberg producing. But I wrote Selling Faith while we were making this record. I have a pocketful of songs ready to go but I haven’t been shown the path to what the personality of this [next solo album] will be yet. It kind of reveals itself as you go along.
Many vocalists find it difficult to sing other people’s lyrics, yet you seem to be very comfortable delivering Paul’s songs. Particularly something like Hang on Every Word, which I was initially sure you must have penned. Why do you think he writes so well for you?
Paul is my best friend. We get each other instinctively. In the last 30 years, unless I’m doing an out and out cover song, I’ve never recorded any song that I didn’t write, except by Paul. I’ve sung more than a few of his melodies and lyrics and feel proud he trusts me with them.
Yourself, Paul and Kyle are the most prominent members of the band in terms of profile, so would you like to use this space to tell everyone just what Pookie brings to the table and why he’s so important to Matchbox Twenty’s sound?
Pookie is a really private person. He doesn’t do social media and doesn’t offer up too many personal details to people outside of his circle. As a player he has a very distinct feel and an almost perfect built in meter. We just had to do nine shows without him while he was sick and even with some amazing bass players filling in, it just wasn’t the Pook.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts about a debate I’ve seen on many a music about why bands such as yourselves and others from your era and scene – like the Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Vertical Horizon, Dave Matthews – have a respectable amount of success in the UK, but not on the same huge scale as you do back home. Why do you think it hasn’t translated in the same way over here?
In the states we had a couple of English invasions and most musicians are Anglophiles because of our English influences. People in Europe have a different aesthetic than we do and some of the bands you mentioned may be perceived as too Americana for their tastes. Or so I’ve been told. We managed to sell out Wembley Arena so that was nice. We aren’t famous there, but we’ve grabbed a few fans.
Finally, the existence of this new album was very much down to circumstances, but has your desire to make more albums with Matchbox Twenty been rekindled by the experience?
I can’t speak to future albums. I’m really glad we made this one and playing and making music together is something that will always be in the stars for all of us.
Matchbox Twenty Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu June 29 2023 - DALLAS Texas - Dos Equis Pavilion (USA)
Fri June 30 2023 - THE WOODLANDS Texas - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (USA)
Sun July 02 2023 - ATLANTA Georgia - Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood (USA)
Mon July 03 2023 - NASHVILLE Tennessee - Bridgestone Arena (USA)
Wed July 05 2023 - JACKSONVILLE Florida - Daily's Place Amphitheater (USA)
Fri July 07 2023 - WEST PALM BEACH Florida - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre (USA)
Sat July 08 2023 - TAMPA Florida - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds (USA)
Tue July 11 2023 - CHARLOTTE North Carolina - PNC Music Pavilion - Charlotte (USA)
Wed July 12 2023 - RALEIGH North Carolina - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek (USA)
Fri July 14 2023 - BURGETTSTOWN Pennsylvania - Pavilion At Star Lake (USA)
Sat July 15 2023 - HOLMDEL New Jersey - PNC Bank Arts Center (USA)
Sun July 16 2023 - CAMDEN New Jersey - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (USA)
Tue July 18 2023 - WANTAGH New York - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater (USA)
Wed July 19 2023 - BETHLEHEM Pennsylvania - Wind Creek Event Center (USA)
Fri July 21 2023 - GILFORD New Hampshire - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (USA)
Sat July 22 2023 - UNCASVILLE Connecticut - Mohegan Sun Arena - CT (USA)
Sun July 23 2023 - MANSFIELD Massachusetts - Xfinity Center - MA (USA)
Wed July 26 2023 - VIRGINIA BEACH Virginia - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (USA)
Thu July 27 2023 - BRISTOW Virginia - Jiffy Lube Live (USA)
Sat July 29 2023 - SYRACUSE New York - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview (USA)
Sun July 30 2023 - SARATOGA SPRINGS New York - Saratoga Performing Arts Center (USA)
Tue August 01 2023 - DARIEN CENTER New York - Darien Lake Amphitheater (USA)
Wed August 02 2023 - TORONTO Ontario - Budweiser Stage - Toronto (Canada)
Fri August 04 2023 - TOLEDO Ohio - Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre (USA)
Sat August 05 2023 - NOBLESVILLE Indiana - Ruoff Music Center (USA)
Sun August 06 2023 - TINLEY PARK Illinois - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Tinley Park (USA)
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