3 Doors Down hail from Escatawpa, Mississippi and they formed almost 20 years ago. Through the years there have been a few lineup changes but the band now consists of vocalist, Brad Arnold, lead guitarist, Chris Henderson, guitarist, Chet Roberts, bassist, Justin Biltonen, and drummer, Greg Upchurch. Medical issues and former band members’ bad decisions haven’t kept them from doing what they love and kicking ass at it. They’ve sold millions of albums and have topped Billboard charts multiple times. They’re back and ready to show you they still have what it takes to keep that momentum going; to keep rocking the charts, and regain your attention. Chris took time to talk to me today and gave me a little insight as to what to expect from the new music and the tour that is setting this whole plan in motion and though the interview was short due to time constraints, I have to say I am excited to see what these guys are about to hit us with.
Interview with Chris Henderson – 3 Doors Down
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: With newer members and preparation for a new album where is the energy of the band right now?
Chris: I’d say it’s in a better spot than it’s really ever been. I mean, 20 years with the same members and then all of a sudden now we’ve got three, well really, two new ones, but Greg our drummer has been with us almost ten years. He was never really brought in to the writing circle before. This time, instead of saying you three guys are new and me and Brad are the old guys and we’re gonna write the whole record and you guys can just kind of hang along for the ride, so instead of really doing that which was never done before, we let everyone kind of contribute. The new guys especially. It breathes new life into the song writing. I mean it’s a whole new band. It has been for the last three years and with the experience that Brad and I have with being on the road and being in the group, with the three new guys, well not three but two, we were able to go, hey, this is what you do and this is what you don’t do. This is how you get along and this is how you don’t get along. We are able to kind of show them the ropes, if you will.
Metal Exiles: Will the new songs be the focus of the summer tour since you are doing a new album?
Chris: Oh yeah. If you come see us live this summer, you’re gonna hear them. You’re gonna hear the first single before it even hits the radio. People are gonna hear it tomorrow.
Metal Exiles: As far as the music, I saw a few fan posted videos of new songs from concerts last year that I didn’t recognize. Are those songs possibly going to be on this new album?
Chris: Oh yeah, those songs are going to be on the record. I don’t think any of “those” songs are going to be the first single, but they will be on the record. All three of those songs we’ve played will be.
Metal Exiles: You are sharing a tour with Seether again and I know you guys are good friends with them. What are some good road stories from touring with them? For this tour? Was this the bands input??
Chris: We’ve done so much touring with those guys. Sean and Dale, man, they’ve been to my house and spent the night. We’ve done some hard-core rock and roll stuff in our off time. All the stories you hear are true; that kind of thing. I’m really good friends with these cats. Over the years we’ve all kind of grown up but we do have a history and it’s a good one; a good fun one, and it’s nice to get back out there with these guys again and get to hang out with them. We saw them the other day and got to see them play, they’d invited us out to their show here in Nashville and we got so hang out with them and they’re still so good, they always have been. We can’t wait to get on the road with them. It was kind of weird because we had a whole tour that was going to get booked and it was gonna be a really good tour and everyone was really excited about it but the other band bailed at the last minute, like three or four days before tickets went on sale which was bullshit, but that’s what they did. We were scrambling to put a tour together and Seether was our first choice because they were doing their own thing and we were doing our own thing. We weren’t really scheduled to go out with each other and when that other band bailed on us, it kind of put us in a really, really, bad spot touring wise for the summer and Seether was nice enough that when we asked them if they could maybe help bail us out because we were sucking wind, they were like “sure, we’ll put our other tour aside and we’ll go out with you guys”. So, they really did us a solid.
Metal Exiles: What is the direction of the new album and where are your heads at with the writing?
Chris: Well, the writing is done and the songs are organized and being recorded at the moment. My head is in a better spot right now because the writing is difficult. Writing is intimidating. It is humbling. It’s a lot of things all wrapped up in one so now I’m ready to dump all that information onto a record. Our heads are definitely in way better spots.
Metal Exiles: How much involvement will Justin and Chet have in the creation of the new album considering they haven’t recorded a studio album yet?
Chris: For Chet and Justin it was a little strange because we’ve never included them in the writing process. Greg, our drummer, had been around for the writing process but was never really allowed to give his input, if that makes sense. A lot of bands like to keep writing in house which is great but since Greg at the time when we wrote those other records, was kind of the new member then, we didn’t allow him to give his input in the writing at the time. It was all Matt and Todd and me and Brad. This time, without the other influences, we were able to kind of extend the invitation out to the newer members because it’s just me and Brad making those decisions, so we were able to extend that invitation for those guys to be creative and they jumped at it. They’re really good at it, which we knew they would be. It’s been fun working with them and writing with them and creating with other people. It’s really been fun.
Metal Exiles: Considering the music market is so tight, what are your thoughts on releasing material into a market like this or do you think your fans are that hard core for new music?
Chris: I don’t think anyone really knows. Statistically, no one knows. I mean, it’s all pop and circumstantial stuff out there right now. Everything is flavor of the moment. Rock and roll fans don’t play that shit. You know what I mean? So, it’s just a matter of if, it’s a matter of how many rock and roll fans are still out there. Are there enough rock and roll fans out there to sustain a rock genre’ or are they all going to the wayside and listening to different stuff? Are they all becoming internet kids which is flavor of the moment…”That band sounds really good. Ok, but let’s listen to the next one. Oh, they are really good but we’ll get to them when we get to them”, that kind of stuff. Everything is moving so fast now. Like I said, rock and roll people as a culture though, don’t play that shit. They like to suck it up and they like to go see it. They like to feel it and live with it. In that respect, we’re gonna be fine. Commercial success…who knows? It’s a hell of a lot harder but it is what it is.
Metal Exiles: Talk about the Better Life Foundation and what’s going on with that.
Chris: Well, we’ve got the Citizen/Soldier VIII Motorcycle Album Tour; not with us, but it’s out and on tour. People are seeing it and buying tickets for it. We’re preparing for the new show. We’re trying to get bands that want to come play so we’re looking for acts right now that are willing to come play for that show for a little bit of exposure. So, if anybody out there is listening or anybody who is reading this, “we want your band to have a shot so get in touch with us on Twitter @BetterLifeFound”. That’s really where it’s at right now. We’re just trying to organizing it for next year. We’re got some really cool things happening. We’ve got some different companies and all. I don’t want to say for sure but we’re working with a tactical company that’s gonna help us out with a really nice firearm for raffle and things like that. Of course we’ve got the Harley Davison which is a big, big draw, along with all the stuff that we’ve collected on tour throughout the year. We’re gonna have some Seether stuff, some Collective Soul stuff and some Theory of a Deadman stuff. We’re gonna have stuff from all the sports people we know. We just collect, collect, collect, all year long. There will be some stuff from the band; personal stuff from us. It’s gonna be good.
Metal Exiles: What are the plans for the new album, when do you feel it will drop and will there be more touring?
Chris: I don’t know exactly when the release date is but its’ gonna be probably August, maybe, I would think. There will definitely be touring after the record is released. We plan on touring the rest of the year, probably Europe in February and we’ll go from there.
Metal Exiles: I know you worked this year with producer Matt Wallace, how has contributed to the new album?
Chris: Oh my Gosh. He’s a genius. He’s really the best man for the job. We’ve enjoyed working with him 100%. His flavor is all over the record. He is a gifted, musical guy and we are just glad to have him.
Follow the band on their website: www.3doorsdown.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/3doorsdown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3DoorsDown
Instagram: http://instagram.com/3doorsdown
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/3DoorsDownVEVO
Interview with Chris Henderson – 3 Doors Down
By: Leslie Elder Rogers
Metal Exiles: With newer members and preparation for a new album where is the energy of the band right now?
Chris: I’d say it’s in a better spot than it’s really ever been. I mean, 20 years with the same members and then all of a sudden now we’ve got three, well really, two new ones, but Greg our drummer has been with us almost ten years. He was never really brought in to the writing circle before. This time, instead of saying you three guys are new and me and Brad are the old guys and we’re gonna write the whole record and you guys can just kind of hang along for the ride, so instead of really doing that which was never done before, we let everyone kind of contribute. The new guys especially. It breathes new life into the song writing. I mean it’s a whole new band. It has been for the last three years and with the experience that Brad and I have with being on the road and being in the group, with the three new guys, well not three but two, we were able to go, hey, this is what you do and this is what you don’t do. This is how you get along and this is how you don’t get along. We are able to kind of show them the ropes, if you will.
Metal Exiles: Will the new songs be the focus of the summer tour since you are doing a new album?
Chris: Oh yeah. If you come see us live this summer, you’re gonna hear them. You’re gonna hear the first single before it even hits the radio. People are gonna hear it tomorrow.
Metal Exiles: As far as the music, I saw a few fan posted videos of new songs from concerts last year that I didn’t recognize. Are those songs possibly going to be on this new album?
Chris: Oh yeah, those songs are going to be on the record. I don’t think any of “those” songs are going to be the first single, but they will be on the record. All three of those songs we’ve played will be.
Metal Exiles: You are sharing a tour with Seether again and I know you guys are good friends with them. What are some good road stories from touring with them? For this tour? Was this the bands input??
Chris: We’ve done so much touring with those guys. Sean and Dale, man, they’ve been to my house and spent the night. We’ve done some hard-core rock and roll stuff in our off time. All the stories you hear are true; that kind of thing. I’m really good friends with these cats. Over the years we’ve all kind of grown up but we do have a history and it’s a good one; a good fun one, and it’s nice to get back out there with these guys again and get to hang out with them. We saw them the other day and got to see them play, they’d invited us out to their show here in Nashville and we got so hang out with them and they’re still so good, they always have been. We can’t wait to get on the road with them. It was kind of weird because we had a whole tour that was going to get booked and it was gonna be a really good tour and everyone was really excited about it but the other band bailed at the last minute, like three or four days before tickets went on sale which was bullshit, but that’s what they did. We were scrambling to put a tour together and Seether was our first choice because they were doing their own thing and we were doing our own thing. We weren’t really scheduled to go out with each other and when that other band bailed on us, it kind of put us in a really, really, bad spot touring wise for the summer and Seether was nice enough that when we asked them if they could maybe help bail us out because we were sucking wind, they were like “sure, we’ll put our other tour aside and we’ll go out with you guys”. So, they really did us a solid.
Metal Exiles: What is the direction of the new album and where are your heads at with the writing?
Chris: Well, the writing is done and the songs are organized and being recorded at the moment. My head is in a better spot right now because the writing is difficult. Writing is intimidating. It is humbling. It’s a lot of things all wrapped up in one so now I’m ready to dump all that information onto a record. Our heads are definitely in way better spots.
Metal Exiles: How much involvement will Justin and Chet have in the creation of the new album considering they haven’t recorded a studio album yet?
Chris: For Chet and Justin it was a little strange because we’ve never included them in the writing process. Greg, our drummer, had been around for the writing process but was never really allowed to give his input, if that makes sense. A lot of bands like to keep writing in house which is great but since Greg at the time when we wrote those other records, was kind of the new member then, we didn’t allow him to give his input in the writing at the time. It was all Matt and Todd and me and Brad. This time, without the other influences, we were able to kind of extend the invitation out to the newer members because it’s just me and Brad making those decisions, so we were able to extend that invitation for those guys to be creative and they jumped at it. They’re really good at it, which we knew they would be. It’s been fun working with them and writing with them and creating with other people. It’s really been fun.
Metal Exiles: Considering the music market is so tight, what are your thoughts on releasing material into a market like this or do you think your fans are that hard core for new music?
Chris: I don’t think anyone really knows. Statistically, no one knows. I mean, it’s all pop and circumstantial stuff out there right now. Everything is flavor of the moment. Rock and roll fans don’t play that shit. You know what I mean? So, it’s just a matter of if, it’s a matter of how many rock and roll fans are still out there. Are there enough rock and roll fans out there to sustain a rock genre’ or are they all going to the wayside and listening to different stuff? Are they all becoming internet kids which is flavor of the moment…”That band sounds really good. Ok, but let’s listen to the next one. Oh, they are really good but we’ll get to them when we get to them”, that kind of stuff. Everything is moving so fast now. Like I said, rock and roll people as a culture though, don’t play that shit. They like to suck it up and they like to go see it. They like to feel it and live with it. In that respect, we’re gonna be fine. Commercial success…who knows? It’s a hell of a lot harder but it is what it is.
Metal Exiles: Talk about the Better Life Foundation and what’s going on with that.
Chris: Well, we’ve got the Citizen/Soldier VIII Motorcycle Album Tour; not with us, but it’s out and on tour. People are seeing it and buying tickets for it. We’re preparing for the new show. We’re trying to get bands that want to come play so we’re looking for acts right now that are willing to come play for that show for a little bit of exposure. So, if anybody out there is listening or anybody who is reading this, “we want your band to have a shot so get in touch with us on Twitter @BetterLifeFound”. That’s really where it’s at right now. We’re just trying to organizing it for next year. We’re got some really cool things happening. We’ve got some different companies and all. I don’t want to say for sure but we’re working with a tactical company that’s gonna help us out with a really nice firearm for raffle and things like that. Of course we’ve got the Harley Davison which is a big, big draw, along with all the stuff that we’ve collected on tour throughout the year. We’re gonna have some Seether stuff, some Collective Soul stuff and some Theory of a Deadman stuff. We’re gonna have stuff from all the sports people we know. We just collect, collect, collect, all year long. There will be some stuff from the band; personal stuff from us. It’s gonna be good.
Metal Exiles: What are the plans for the new album, when do you feel it will drop and will there be more touring?
Chris: I don’t know exactly when the release date is but its’ gonna be probably August, maybe, I would think. There will definitely be touring after the record is released. We plan on touring the rest of the year, probably Europe in February and we’ll go from there.
Metal Exiles: I know you worked this year with producer Matt Wallace, how has contributed to the new album?
Chris: Oh my Gosh. He’s a genius. He’s really the best man for the job. We’ve enjoyed working with him 100%. His flavor is all over the record. He is a gifted, musical guy and we are just glad to have him.
Follow the band on their website: www.3doorsdown.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/3doorsdown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3DoorsDown
Instagram: http://instagram.com/3doorsdown
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/3DoorsDownVEVO