ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 3, 1997
By Steve Newton
Multitudes of new rock acts release their debut albums every year, but only a small percentage of them garner extensive airplay or achieve major sales figures. So it helps if a baby band gets a hand from a capable producer its first time out.
Orlando, Florida’s Matchbox 20 was fortunate enough to have Collective Soul coproducer Matt Serletic at the controls for its premiere release, Yourself or Someone Like You, and according to vocalist-songwriter Rob Thomas, Serletic was like a sixth member of the band.
“He’s like one of our best friends,” reports Thomas from an L.A. hotel, “and it was such a collaboration that we were all just foamin’ at the mouth makin’ it. Aside from understanding the technical aspects of the recording process, he’s an unbelievable arranger, and he just has a knack for pulling out great sounds. There’s a million different tones that you can get off the guitar, and he’ll find just the right one.”
Matchbox 20 will attempt to re-create some of those Serletic-enhanced tones when it plays the Starfish Room next Saturday (July 12). The quartet’s melodic, southern-tinged jangle-rock sounds a bit like a cross between Counting Crows and Seven Mary Three, with catchy tracks such as “Busted” and the album opener “Real World” coming off particularly well. When asked to pick his own favourite among Yourself’s 12 tracks, Thomas fluctuates between “Kody” and “Back 2 Good”.
“ ‘Kody’ is a real personal song,” relates the 25-year-old tunesmith. “It deals with my ex-girlfriend’s family and the death of an infant. I went to the funeral and I came back and wrote it right there that day. And ‘Back 2 Good’, that’s just a song about fucking up good situations. I’m really good at that.”
Thomas claims that writing songs is almost medicinal for him. “It’s a cathartic experience to be able to scream out what you’re thinking every night,” he says. That idea of songwriting as therapy is a common one, of course, so what sets Matchbox 20 apart from the scads of other new rock bands screaming out what they think?
“In a lotta ways, nothin’,” replies Thomas. “We’re just a band out there playin’ like anybody else. But to us, our songs really mean a lot. They’re personal and we think that they’re sayin’ something, if only from an emotional standpoint.”
To hear the full audio of my 1997 interview with Rob Thomas subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 275 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with:
Dave Martone, 2020
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, 2006
Joss Stone, 2012
Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest, 2005
Jack Blades of Night Ranger, 1984
Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, 1992
Colin James, 1995
Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, 1998
Tom Cochrane of Red Rider, 1983
Ed Roland of Collective Soul, 1995
Taj Mahal, 2001
Tom Wilson of Junkhouse, 1995
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, 2003
David Lindley, 2002
Marty Friedman of Megadeth, 1991
John Hiatt, 2010
Nancy Wilson of Heart, 2006
Jeff Golub, 1989
Moe Berg of the Pursuit of Happiness, 1990
Todd Rundgren, 2006
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, 2001
Steve Earle, 1987
Gabby Gaborno of the Cadillac Tramps, 1991
Terry Bozzio, 2003
Roger Glover, 1985
Matthew Sweet, 1995
Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, 2003
Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars, 2001
John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, 1995
Steve Hackett from Genesis, 1993
Grace Potter, 2008
Buddy Guy, 1993
Trevor Rabin of Yes, 1984
Albert Lee, 1986
Yngwie Malmsteen, 1985
Robert Cray, 1996
Tony Carey, 1984
Ian Hunter, 1988
Kate Bush, 1985
Jeff Healey, 1988
Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, 1993
Colin Linden, 1993
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 1995
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, 1986
Elliot Easton from the Cars, 1996
Wayne Kramer from the MC5, 2004
Bob Rock, 1992
Nick Gilder, 1985
Roy Buchanan, 1988
Klaus Meine of Scorpions, 1988
Jason Bonham, 1989
Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers, 1991
Joey Spampinato of NRBQ, 1985
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, 2003
Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, 2003
Steve Kilbey of the Church, 1990
Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, 1990
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, 1984
Davy Knowles of Back Door Slam, 2007
Jimmy Barnes from Cold Chisel, 1986
Steve Stevens of Atomic Playboys, 1989
Billy Idol, 1984
Stuart Adamson of Big Country, 1993
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, 1992
Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule, 1998
John Bell of Widespread Panic, 1992
Robben Ford, 1993
Barry Hay of Golden Earring, 1984
Jason Isbell, 2007
Joe Satriani, 1990
Brad Delp of Boston, 1988
John Sykes of Blue Murder, 1989
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, 1998
Alice Cooper, 1986
Lars Ulrich of Metallica, 1985
Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, 1992
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine, 2001
John Mellencamp, 1999
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, 1999
Kenny Aronoff, 1999
Jon Bon Jovi, 1986
Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, 1992
Little Steven, 1987
Stevie Salas, 1990
J.J. Cale, 2009
Joe Bonamassa, 2011
…with hundreds more to come
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