A Day in the Life of 3 Doors Down with Brad Arnold

By Nick Cumberland and Glenn Mattina Jr.

After writing, recording, and touring for the last 8 years, the members of 3 Doors Down find themselves unwilling to slow down the ride that has taken them from local South Mississippi musicians to a renowned band known throughout the globe. With their newest single “It’s Not My Time” climbing the radio charts since its release, 3DD is poised to launch the band’s next full-length self-titled album on May 20th. Glenn Mattina and I recently caught up with lead singer Brad Arnold on a tour stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma to get a glimpse into his life and the daily routine of a touring musician.

GTP: How is the tour going so far and how long do you expect to be on the road?

BA: The tour is going great. We have been out for about a month, and we are just getting warmed up doing some smaller shows to get the blood flowing again. We plan on being on tour for probably the next year and half.

GTP: Which bands are currently touring with you?

BA: Right now we have the guys from 12 Stones, Chevelle and Red currently out with us.

GTP: Whom do you see yourself touring with in the future?

BA: When we come back from Europe this summer I believe it’s supposed to be Staind and Hinder touring with us.

GTP: How many crewmembers do you currently have on tour?

BA: We currently have 17 crew guys that are on tour now.

GTP: How long does it take the crew to setup the stage for a show?

BA: I’ll tell you what we have a great group of guys that work really hard for us day in and day out. The guys usually start loading in around 9 AM and have the stage setup by 2 PM. The setup is all about the tear down. Setting up goes really slow because they set everything up real neat so they can tear down quickly after the show. We do sound check around 3 PM. After we get off stage around 11:30 PM, the crew usually has the stage tore down and packed up in about an hour. Then we travel all night and they do it again the next day. Those guys have to do that 5 days a week and they really work their butts off.

GTP: What is the average travel time between shows and when do you usually travel?

BA: Our average travel distance for this tour is probably 500 miles a night. Right now the cost to run our buses down the road is a $1 a mile. Previous tours we had 7 tour buses and 7 trucks, but right now we only have 3 tour buses, 2 for the band 1 for the crew. We have 1 truck to carry our gear. As the tour progresses so will the buses and trucks. We generally travel at night when we sleep.

GTP: What type of live shows can fans expect this year?

BA: We have been playing smaller venues so far, playing straight rock n’ roll, but right now our light guy has been really good at taking the small stuff and making it look bigger than it really is. We have three projectors mounted in the lights that project onto the three screens behind us that look really cool. As the tour progresses and the venues get larger, the live shows will intensify.

GTP: What were some of the most memorable shows you have played thus far and what shows are you looking forward to on this tour?

BA: The ones that really stick out in my mind, just from looking off the stage at the crowd, was the times we played at the NASCAR races. I remember when we played at the Charlotte Speedway at night. Our stage was set up on the start-finish line playing to almost 170,000 people. That was a really big show. Also, being able to play Indy 500 during the driver introductions was really cool. I am excited about performing in Russia for the first time and we will be playing in Moscow. That is something we’ve never done.

GTP: How long did it take to write and record the new album, and where did the writing and recording take place?

BA: We actually had the luxury of an entire year to write this record, and it was so nice. The record company told us to go write a record and when you get done with it we’ll be ready for it. We spent 4 months in Nashville and 4 months in Orlando. While we were still writing we started the recording, and right about the time we were finishing up the record we started talking and realized we started this record a year ago.

GTP: What type of process do you use when trying to create songs?

BA: A lot of times on this record the music would inspire the lyrics. A lot of times you look for the movement in a song and start to develop ideas. Sometimes it might come from when I have something on my mind, but the songs come from a variety of places.

GTP: How does everyone else in the band generally write music?

BA: Generally someone will bring in an idea they have been working on or an idea will come up in the studio. The strange thing is no one usually tells anybody what to play everybody plays their part, and it all just kind of comes together.

GTP: What is your favorite song on the new album? What new song is getting the biggest crowd response?

BA: My favorite song of the new album is a song called “Let Me Be Myself.” It is a song about looking back and also looking into yourself. The song talks about getting lost trying to be somebody else and wanting to get back to who you were. The fans have really seemed to enjoy “Let Me Be Myself.” They really seem to gel on that song. When the audience has never heard a song before and by the end of the song they’re singing it with us, that makes us really excited.

GTP: What will be your next single released to radio off the new album?

BA: The next song we will release is a song called “Train.” I love that song, man. I have never classified us as a southern rock band. I mean we play rock n roll and we’re from the south, but the song is a southern rock song that has that “stank on it.” “Train” really reflects we’re from. After those songs our third single will be “Let Me Be Myself.”

GTP: Can fans expect a departure in sound from other past albums on the new album?

BA: It has a little bit of everything and it is kind of reminiscent of “The Better Life” sound on some parts of the record. I hope it reflects the growth within the band. There is some different stuff on there, and then again it is still recognizable as a 3DD album. I hope people really like the new record; we think it’s our best work yet.

GTP: Why did the album release date change?

BA: Our record company Universal Records wanted plenty of time to get things setup, radio, marketing, promotions and the tour, especially since it’s been so long since we put out a new record. I will be excited when the record comes out May 20.

GTP: When is the next time you see yourself playing a local concert?

BA: I’m not really sure, hopefully late summer but I know we will be back down on the coast soon. It is always fun to play on the coast. I always enjoy coming back home and seeing friends and family, and it is always an honor to come back home and play a show at the MS Coast Coliseum because I grew up as a kid going to shows in that building.

GTP: When do you think 3DD will return to headline the CPR Fest?

BA: There was some talk of us doing it this year, but I don’t think it worked out because we will be in Europe. I hope in this record cycle we will come down and headline CPR Fest. I would love it! It was my first big show and my last show playing the drums. I will always remember going to CPR Fest because I went to the first one and always had a good time. WCPR has always supported our band.

GTP: What type of schedule do you have to follow everyday?

BA: I usually get up around 10 AM and go to the gym around 12 PM, get back to the venue around 2 PM and start doing interviews. I usually do around 2 to 3 interviews a day. Sound check is around 4 PM and then I check out what catering has to eat, then I head back to the bus to get ready for meet and greets. We usually head back in around 6PM to do meet and greets with fans, VIP’s and radio stations. After that we head back to the bus and do some more press while waiting on the show. We get on the stage around 9 or 10 PM and finish playing around 11:30 PM. We try to get showered by 12:30 or 1 AM then get to bed around 2 AM. We get up in the morning and do it all over again the
next day.

GTP: On your days off do the band members hang out together? Do you get to enjoy any of the cities you play?

BA: On this tour we have spent more time together because we only have 2 tour buses for the band when we used to have 4 on the last tour. It’s kind of easy to get lost on that many tour buses, but we generally spend a lot of time together. Sometimes you go through streaks where you won’t see anything but the back of a venue for two weeks. It’s nice when we do get some time to go around and see the cities and a lot of times we will end up seeing something that we want to go back and do later.

GTP: What do you do during your time off? What types of restaurants or nightspots do you like to visit in Nashville?

BA: Well we usually hang out with Music Mafia guys John Nicholson, Big and Rich. They have Music Mafia parties where it is pretty much like an open mic night. Tracy Lawrence is a pretty good buddy of mine and we hang out a good bit. Matter of fact, we almost burned his house down Super Bowl Sunday. He had an exposed load-bearing beam inside the flute of the chimney and with that fire burning all day it started to catch fire. Tracy had his walls catching fire. There are so many places up here to go out, and even some of the karaoke bars you hear some of the people sing and are just amazed. The talent up here just amazes you. I like going to the Tin Roof a good bit. There is this great sushi bar next to it called Obis Sushi and they have the best rolls. I also like to hang out while I’m home because I spend so much time on the road it’s good to stay home with Jennifer and hang out on the couch.

GTP: What type of things is The Better Life Foundation doing?

BA: We just gave money to help build a handicap accessible field around the Mobile area. I remember the Christmas before last I was feeling a bit down, due to my divorce and we went up to the Mulherin Home for disabled and brought all of the people to Sam’s Club. We gave each of them money to spend for Christmas gifts and they were so happy when they came back. That made all of what I thought were problems just fade away, and it totally made my Christmas, it really did.

GTP: How did you get involved with the Citizen Soldier video with the National Guard?

BA: They asked us to write a song and we jumped at the chance to be able to continue to show our support for the troops. The content of the song stemmed from a conversation the Colonel and I had about things he wanted to hear in the song. It is so much easier to write when you have a place to start. The director of “Training Day” and “Shooter” directed the video and you could see how well the video was directed. We were just proud to be part of the project.

GTP: Any words for your family, friends, and fans?

BA: Thank you and God Bless.

3 Doors Down’s new album will be in stores May 20th. With over 12 million albums sold worldwide the guys in 3 Doors Down have found a way to stay grounded and connected with who they are and where they come from. Everyone need to get out and pick up the new album and continue support 3 Doors Down and all the charitable causes that their fame has helped benefit.
You can pre-order online at 3DOORSDOWN.COM

GTP: Brad, thanks for taking the time out to give your fans a true sense of being on the road!