by Nikki M. MascaliStaff Writer
The inspiration for Three Days Grace’s 2006 album “One-X” came from lead vocalist/guitarist Adam Gontier’s stint in rehab. The result was a deeply personal — and dark — platinum-selling record that helped the band become Billboard’s No. 1 rock artist in 2007.
Its follow-up, last year’s “Life Starts Now,” is a bit of an optimistic departure for Three Days Grace, though it still had some heavy inspiration of its own.
“It seems a little bit happier overall, but the content still comes from a darker place than we’ve even gone before,” guitarist Barry Stock said. “For example, we’ve dealt with some serious sickness and some death in and among our families, and we haven’t had to deal with that in the past.
“From that, instead of going down dark, we’ve tried to look at the positive side of everything, and that’s where ‘Life Starts Now’ comes from. We try to deal with the situation we’ve been given and make the best of it, put your head up and move on.”
The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, giving the band — which will play the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Twp. Saturday, Feb. 6, with Flyleaf and Chevelle — its highest chart position. “Life Starts Now” was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, B.C. Past clients have included AC/DC, Elvis Costello and Nine Inch Nails.
“A lot of records these days are very cut up because of Pro Tools and clean cut and put in tune,” Stock said. “We wanted to make a more raw record, like a lot of our influences from the ’70s were, with everyone playing in that room and getting that live-room sound.”
Playing in one of the Warehouse’s large studios, Three Days Grace — which also features drummer Neil Sanderson and bassist Brad Walst — was able to capture big drums and heavy guitars, as well as feedback noises and some slightly pitchy sounds the band wanted to keep on the record.
“When it’s all clean-cut it kind of loses its character,” Stock said. “I’m a fan of (Led) Zeppelin, and if you go back, there’s lots of moments where Jimmy Page is out of tune, and it’s awesome, and it’s the character. That’s what makes him brilliant, and it sounds like you’re there. We tried to achieve that as much as we could on this record.”
Unlike many bands, there’s no alpha male in Three Days Grace.
“A lot of bands, you’d be surprised to see how many are dysfunctional,” Stock said. “We’re not. We’re collectively really good with each other. We all put our egos down, and we respect each other. I think that’s a big thing, to give respect.”
Each member brings a musical idea or lyrics to the table, and Gontier, Stock, Sanderson and Walst piece those ideas into songs together.
“If three guys love a song and one guy doesn’t, that’s not good enough for us,” said Stock. “We’ll figure out how to make it so it works for all four of us. We kind of figure if all four of us are digging on it, then we’re that much further ahead.”
Though currently on a co-headlining tour with Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace will be the sole headliner this Saturday. (Breaking Benjamin plays the arena March 21). The two bands have toured together before, and Stock said there’s a few reasons why.
“They don’t really have egos either,” he said. “We all get along easily. Anytime we’ve toured together it seems a no-brainer for everybody, everybody’s calm and relaxed. We are all buddies.”
Three Days Grace can certainly be classified as a road band: the three-year gap between “One-X” and “Life Starts Now” was mostly because the band was on tour for two years.
“We are a live band, and we love to play,” Stock explained. “We’ll always (tour) as long as we can — and as long the fans come out, because that’s really why we do it the most.
“We love to go out performing and having the fans sing back, that’s just an awesome thing.”
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