JAN/FEB 2011 ISSUE JAN/FEB 2011 ISSUE JAN/FEB 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A

worked with could at least get it out into a real board, doing all the mixing with it and Do you feel obliged to sound like the the marketplace. fl eshing it out that way. The lyrics pretty much Doobie Brothers? JOHNSTON: The other thing, of course, was come last, as they always have. Some songs JOHNSTON: I think the Doobie Brothers to come up with the right songs. We started write themselves—and to me, those are the sound like the Doobie Brothers just the process of talking to Ted and getting best ones. Those things are magical. Then because of who’s in the band. Part of that this moving in 2005. He has a studio at his there are some songs you have to struggle is the vocal sound, and part is the rhythm house, and we recorded a couple of things with. Sometimes those come out great, and structures we use and things like that. But there just to see what it would sound like. sometimes they don’t. with growth comes new ideas, and a lot of Pretty much all the songs were written by them on this record have stepped out of that time, and we started culling the songs How did Michael McDonald get involved what used to be. It’s not the same stuff we we wanted to use. By 2007 we were actually with the new album? always do—yet there’s a familiarity there. We doing the recording. SIMMONS: As the tune [“Don’t Say did step outside the boundaries of what Goodbye”] started to take shape, it started to most people think of as a Doobie Brothers How did you reconnect with Ted? sound retro to me, like the era when Michael record on this. SIMMONS: He heard we were in town was in the band. So, Ted said, “What would McFEE: The focus of this band has always rehearsing and came by to see us. We had you think about having Mike come in and been doing the best music it can do at that a casual conversation, and at the end of the sing some backgrounds?” I had Mike and particular point in time. That’s probably why day he asked if we had any new songs. We two women [Gail Swanson and McDonald’s it still sounds like the Doobie Brothers when went from there. He came back and said, wife Amy Holland McDonald] sing, which people hear it. The band’s never tried to limit “I like what you’re doing, would you like to gave it that Steely Dan sound. I think he did itself stylistically in any aspect of the music, try some recording?” a great job. and that’s still there.

How did you pick the songs? JOHNSTON: That’s one of the great things about having a producer—they help you select the right songs, the ones that will be best suited to what you’re doing now. So Ted spent time with Pat and me. In my case, he came to my house, sat on the fl oor and I just played him stuff that was on my hard

Richard McLaren Richard Michael Hossack, John McFee, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons drive. I fi rmly believe that it’s good to have an outside person involved when you’re picking the songs. Otherwise it gets democratic and you don’t necessarily come up with DOOBIE BROTHERS the best songs. After four decades of musical adventures, they’re still grooving What is the songwriting process like for each of you? “I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR PEOPLE Patrick Simmons, the vocalist and guitarist through the involvement of Ted Templeman, SIMMONS: I do pretty much everything on come up and say, ‘Man, that new album is who has been the only constant in the who produced or co-produced all of the guitar. I work on something until I feel it has classic Doobie Brothers!’” says Tom Johnston Doobies’ oft-changing lineup. Today the Doobies’ 1970s classics. We caught up with a form. I play that until I at least have a verse with a chuckle. “I thought that was awesome. group also includes multi-instrumentalist Johnston, Simmons and McFee during a tour Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and and a chorus that I’m comfortable with, some John McFee at the Fox Theatre in That’s pretty hip.” World Gone Crazy, the John McFee (a member for two years in the stop in Nashville. kind of frame that makes sense and a semi- Oakland, Calif., January 2010 Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Tim Doobies’ fi rst new album in a decade, is early 1980s who returned in 1993) and arrangement. I try to keep it up here [points indeed immediately identifi able as the work drummer Michael Hossack (who joined Why so long since the last record? at his head] so that by the time we get to of the group that fi rst rose to prominence in for two years in the early 1970s and has SIMMONS: We were being cautious. recording I know it well enough to play it ‘We wanted whatever we did to have the 1970s with hits like “Listen to the Music,” remained off and on since 1987). Johnston Things have changed so much since the by myself. Sometimes lyrics come at the some quality.’ –Patrick Simmons “Black Water” and “China Grove.” The singer himself was absent from the band from 1977 last one we recorded. We weren’t ready same time as music. Sometimes I scribble and guitarist says that no matter how many through 1987, and with him went much of the to jump into something headfirst. We things down and incorporate them later. I stylistic avenues they may take along the Doobies’ trademark ’70s sound—exchanged wanted to make sure whatever we did very rarely write lyrics and try to fi t music way, his band can’t help sounding like itself. for the smooth R&B style of his replacement, was going to have some quality to it, to those lyrics. How did you manage to make the What are your hopes for the band? “We’ve grown,” Johnston says, “but we come singer and keyboardist Michael McDonald that we weren’t going to just crap something JOHNSTON: I write on guitar and record sound so cohesive? JOHNSTON: I imagine we’ll keep doing from the same place.” (who turns up singing background on one out to have it on the market. We wanted keyboards, and I use software, in this case SIMMONS: Believe it or not, I think the what we’ve always done. Hopefully this It was 40 years ago that Johnston World Gone Crazy track). The new album to make sure it was good, that it was Digital Performer. It’s something I’ve done sequencing of songs has something to do album will have some success and people fi rst teamed with fellow original member further reconnects with the group’s roots presented properly, and that whoever we over the last 10 years. As the software has with that. The way the songs fall one after will get to hear it, because we spent a progressed I’ve tried to progress with it. another doesn’t shock you from one song lot of time making it and we’re proud of I’m not a genius at it by any means, but I to the next. It makes sense. There’s a little it. And we’re a live band, we’re used to can facilitate myself, playing drums, bass, difference between each song, and at the playing live, we’ve been doing it a long ‘We stepped outside what people think of as a keyboards, horn parts. Then I also lay down same time our signature sound—because time and we still enjoy it. We just want to Doobie Brothers record.’ –Tom Johnston the guitar tracks, the vocals, background I do think we have that going on—helps keep on grooving. vocals, all that stuff. I look at the software like it make sense. –Chris Neal

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