Lighting up the mainstream Hard Rock scene just as the new millennium began in early 2000, 3 Doors Down have sustained a lengthy, successful career in the two decades to follow. Striking it big with “Kryptonite,” the massive hit single off of 2000’s debut album The Better Life was just a prelude of what was to come. In fact, the band was maturing and solidified themselves a few years later with 2002’s highly impressive sophomore album Away From The Sun. A record that showcased honed songwriting skills and developed emotions, tracks like “When I’m Gone,” “The Road I’m On,” “Here Without You,” as well as “Away from the Sun” proved that 3 Doors Down were among Rock’s elite.
Proud of this album, and all the material that transpired thereafter, 3 Doors Down are currently out performing on a 20th anniversary tour for Away from the Sun. A tour that celebrates the past, but also reminds us that there is still more to come in the future… you have to wonder just what will 3 Doors Down do next? A burning question, lead vocals and key songwriter Brad Arnold recently sat down to chat about the past years of the band, what he has learned in life, the potential of new music, plus more.
Cryptic Rock – Last we spoke was in 2016, and a lot has happened since then. What has the past seven years been like for yourself and 3 Doors Down?
Brad Arnold – It’s been a crazy ride on the planet over the last seven years for sure. For me personally, besides some of the things we’ve all encountered together, these have probably been the last seven years of my life. I quit drinking in January of 2016 and haven’t had a drink since. I can easily say it has been the best seven years of my adult life.
Cryptic Rock – That is great to hear and congratulations on your sobriety! You have kept busy outside the band too. You have your home and your horse. So, you have a lot going on.
Brad Arnold – I do! I definitely stay busier at home than I do on tour. Sometimes I feel like when I come on tour, I get to almost take a little break; get out there to play some shows, get fed catering every day. Then after that, you go home and get back to real life, and it sure keeps you busy.
I absolutely love living on the farm though. We live in Middle Tennessee, have some horses, and a couple of Golden Retrievers. I have some very full days, but very fulfilling days as well.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, running a farm and taking care of a horse is a big commitment. You are back on tour with 3 Doors Down this summer. This is an Away from the Sun anniversary tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the record. You have played some shows, but have more going on through the fall. What has the tour been like thus far?
Brad Arnold – It’s been going great. The shows are going great and the crowds are great. We were probably one of the first bands back on the road after 2020; we were right out there in the beginning of 2021. It’s nice to see the effects of 2020, pretty much gone. I don’t mean that in a sense that people trickled back in; the shows were slammed back then, but you still had a lot of the precautionary measures that were to be taken. Agree with them or not, they take the fun out of going to a show to a big degree. You see so much of that has finally gone away now. You can leisurely go to a concert now and not have to worry about making a life changing decision to do so. It’s nice to see touring back to normal.
Our crowds have been great. We have Candlebox out with us. I’ve been a fan of Candelbox since I was a teenager; they were one of the first bands I saw live and where I walked away really enjoying the concert. Having Candlebox out with us is just an incredible honor. We are out here having a good time! The biggest thing I can complain about is having a little scruffy throat everyday, but that just comes with being a singer and riding on the bus every night.
Cryptic Rock – Right, it takes a toll on you. It’s great to hear how well the tour is going. You are touring in support of a great album too. Away from the Sun is very important to the history of 3 Doors Down. Of course, The Better Life was the band’s big break in 2000, but Away from the Sun solidified that 3 Doors Down was here to stay.
Brad Arnold – Like you say, Away from the Sun solidified us as a band and is very important. There are plenty of one hit wonder bands, but there are also plenty of one hit album bands too; Away from the Sun really saved us from that.
There are more of my adult feelings and emotions in Away from the Sun than there was on The Better Life. I was only twenty-three when we wrote Away from the Sun, but I had already seen and done a lot. Whereas with The Better Life, I wrote those songs when I was a kid; I was literally a kid, I was sixteen when I wrote “Kryptonite.”
Away from the Sun was our first record we wrote as a band… ‘a professional band.’ The first record, I didn’t really have a place that I could put my finger on where I wrote all those songs together. I remember where I was when I wrote this song or that song… I remember where I was when I wrote “Kryptonite.” With Away from the Sun, we rented a house and we went in there with the sole intention of writing a record. We went in there as a professional band. We were still kids, but I felt like we had a goal that we were headed for with Away from the Sun, and that goal was to make a collection of songs that would make up an album.
Chris (Henderson) and Todd (Harrell), the two older of the guys in the band, were around when records took you on a ride. Matt (Roberts) and I were still younger, but we were fans of older records like that too; like old Pink Floyd records that were continuative throughout the record. We tried to do that with Away from the Sun too. We tried to pay attention, lining the songs up and making sure it all flowed well together. It was our first time to make a collection of songs.
I think it will always be my favorite record of ours that we made. There were just a lot of emotions I had that were ready to come out. That was rather than having to search for an emotion or a topic to write about.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, and that is a big turning point in someone’s life as well. They say you become an adult at eighteen, but around twenty-four to twenty-five years old is when you truly see a turning point in your mind.
Brad Arnold – Absolutely, you really do! I was thankful to spend my early twenties traveling so much and meeting so many people. It really opened your mind a lot. It opened your mind being out in the world, but it taught me, no matter where you go, no matter what someone’s politics are, or what their government is, no matter where you are in the world, we are all incredibly alike. We’re all in different situations in our lives and we all have different situations that bring about emotions, but those emotions that are brought about, are all very much the same. I was very fortunate to get to learn those facts through those years.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, those are very valuable life lessons to learn. Three Doors Down have continued to put out good records through the years. Believe it or not, it has been seven years since Us and the Night. So, is there some new music potentially coming from 3 Doors Down?
Brad Arnold – I would like to automatically say yes. I have said, we were going to do it in the last couple of years, but this fall we are really going to try and get our lazy butts together and write. Maybe it won’t be a whole record, but maybe three to six songs and put them out. We have some things planned for next summer, and I would like to have some new songs to play.
People will always want to hear the hits and the older songs, but it will be fun to also have a couple of new ones to also throw in there too.
Cryptic Rock – That would be great to hear. You also released a solo track back in 2020 – “Wicked Man.” Was that a one-off thing, or do you have some other songs in your back pocket?
Brad Arnold – It was kind of a one-off thing. I do have some other songs that I’ve written and a couple we’ve messed around with. I can’t really say I won’t or will do that again, but what I will say is, I had that song on my mind. It was something I wanted to say in a song.
Now it is so much easier to put out a song. Not that it wasn’t a lot of work to put that song out; especially not on my behalf, there were other people working to put that song out and I appreciate them being there so we could do it. Relatively speaking, now if you decide you want to put a song out, you can just do it. I can’t really say I won’t do it again. That song really didn’t do anything. It wasn’t successful, but I didn’t put it out to be successful. I know that if you want a song to be a big hit, there has to be a big push behind it, that’s just the nature of the business. With the internet, you can put everything out, but so can everybody else. (Laughs)
I didn’t put it out there to be successful, I put it out because it was a song I wanted to be heard and a topic I wanted to speak on. It was really cool to do it while not being worried that it has to do this or else. It was cool to put it out there and just know that you put it out.
There was a song I recorded and gave it to a few of my friends and they said, “You need to put that song out.” I said, “Why? You like it, but I can still put out a song other than try to sell records.” It’s cool to keep that idea in mind when putting songs out because I think it keeps you a little more honest with your creativity.
Cryptic Rock – Yes, and the track is really well done; regardless of commercial success. Three Doors Down has been going strong now for three decades. You have this tour going on, the potential of new music, and a lot of other things going on. What is the key for you to keep yourself balanced in this chaotic, unstable world we are living in?
Brad Arnold – I will tell you what, God has brought me through so much that I should not have lived through. It is him; God has brought me through it, he is the key to it. He gave me a wonderful family; I’m the youngest of seven kids. My mom and dad recently celebrated their sixty-second wedding anniversary. Through all those times I always had my brothers and sisters who did not want anything from me, but to be their little brother, and be okay. You hear so many horror stories of people having to deal with things with their family… and I think that is really taxing on someone in every way.
My wife and I have been married for fourteen years. She has been with me through being sober, and also being incredibly not sober. She has been there for me and she doesn’t want anything from me, but to be her husband, and to be okay as well. To have people around you that you know love you, that’s everything. That’s been the key for me.
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