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Title: Co-Stars *** Post by TruexBlue on Aug 17th, 2006, 8:44am * Co-stars * A look at two state fair acts that share the spotlight with others By NICK ROGERS A & E EDITOR Published Thursday, August 17, 2006 Social, political, environmental, geographical - name an -al, it probably describes a problem. Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac says the world's post-9/11 woes are well-defined. Less understood is his band's optimism that even if a solution isn't immediate, it's likely out there. "It's a very antiseptic world we live in," Takac says. "People go from their 6,000 fake friends online to their car, where they're isolated, to work where they use hand sanitizer all day and we have to make sure the terrorists aren't getting us. "By the time you're finished being careful with everything around you, that doesn't leave you much time to have influence. The concept of (latest album 'Let Love In') is that unless you're able to let that into your life, you'll never be able to have the experiences that make life worth living." "Let Love In" certainly is a promise-filled world away from the "bipolar band" description Takac gave the trio in 2002. The megahits of the 20-year-old, multiplatinum band's career have balanced bleak lyrics with sunshine-sounding pop - "Name," "Iris," "Broadway" and "Black Balloon." With the exception of two Takac tunes sung in his usual Gargamel voice ("Listen" and "Strange Love"), it's all anthems and emotional crescendos. How hopeful? CNN used the quasi-Christmas song "Better Days" as the theme for its post-Hurricane Katrina coverage. Though not conceived as a return-to-roots record, "Let Love In" was born from the Buffalo, N.Y. band returning to its hometown from Los Angeles, where the band "lives professionally." "It was a bit of an exile for us because we were able to lock ourselves away somewhere for 12 hours a day, which wouldn't have been even remotely possible in L.A.," Takac says. With guitarist-vocalist John Rzeznik and drummer Mike Malinin, he holed up in an "amazingly haunted" old Masonic building with a broken boiler that, if they sought warmth, forced them outside. "It's not that we're always out there soliciting opinions," Takac says of shuffling back to friends and family in Buffalo. "But when it comes time for that, I'd rather get my opinion from someone who knows me and my band situation as opposed to the potential piece of bad advice ... to serve a business purpose. ... Still, as creepy as L.A. is, there still are some really cool things about it." For the Dolls, one calming effect was producer Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews Band). Once the band returned to L.A., Ballard produced the album and co-wrote on a handful of songs. Takac knows this description has irritated Ballard in the past, but his "hippie vibe" helped empower the statement the band was out to make. "Our records are quite often born through chaos, and if you brought any bad vibe whatsoever into the studio, Glen would look at you ... as if to say 'Why would you bring that in here? This is a place we make music,'" Takac says. "It was always being put into our heads that what we were doing was important, which you can forget about in the everyday fray. He enabled that part of us." Touring "Let Love In" as a co-headliner with Counting Crows has been better than Takac envisioned and - given they're in the technical opening slot - different from past stadium treks. "It was a little bit of a learning curve for us to be out there in the daylight again, but the show flows better that way and we got it up pretty quickly," Takac says. "People keep walking around, telling us what a hard touring season it's been. Jesus Christ, it's seemed great to us." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls With Eliot Morris When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Illinois State Fair Grandstand Tickets: $35 for track and best reserved seating and $30 and $25 for reserved seating; available at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand ticket office or through Ticketmaster - by phone at 544-9400, (800) 827-8927 and (800) 359-2525 for TTY orders, online at www.ticketmaster.com; and at all physical outlets. http://www.sj-r.com/sections/ane/stories/93532.asp Stay True & Rock On! Triest :jammin: |
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