Hello,
I’ve uploaded videos from the re-airing of F1 Rocks on Speed this morning. You can find them here in the video section. Unfortunately, in this airing, they didn’t show the whole Hella Good performance. Hopefully when Fuse airs it later this month, they’ll show the whole thing.
Hello! Well, I wish I could say that I’ve uploaded the F1 Rocks videos. But, like many others it seems, I set my DVR to record it, only to find that the show was preempted by some motor cart race.
But, the lovelies at EIT have them available for download here. The RC car race is a riot!
It’s supposed to repeat on Fuse this month in the US.
The band has been tweeting quite a bit today, as there was a lay over at the Houston airport (they’re on their way to Russia). In one of Gwen’s tweets she wrote “…promise to stop procrastinating and write when we get home – gwenx”. Yay!!
Hello! I just uploaded a bunch of photos from F1 Rocks to the gallery.
There’s a great new interview with Gwen on the Daily Record site:
“GWEN STEFANI insists No Doubt is a family affair second time around with the dressing room doubling as a crèche.
Gwen – back with the band she found fame with prior to a massively successful solo career – has become mum to two kids, Kingston, three, and Zuma, one, with Scots husband Gavin Rossdale since taking time out.
And, having arrived in Singapore with Zuma for the band’s F1 Rocks concert tonight, Gwen admitted parenthood played a large part in it taking her so long to get the band back together.
“I had two babies,” she explained. “There’s nothing you can do to rush that. It just takes as long as it is going to take.
“During that time off I did my own records and toured a little bit but we got No Doubt back together as fast as we could.
“When I got pregnant with Zuma, we started writing again and went into the studio for six months.
“We tried to write a record and it wasn’t really coming out, so, after I had the baby, I suggested going out on tour.”
Founded in 1986, No Doubt became known for hits such as Don’t Speak and Just A Girl before Gwen went solo in 2004.
Her own albums, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and The Sweet Escape, delivered up mammoth hits such as What You Waiting For?, Hollaback Girl and Wind It Up.
This time around the No Doubt dressing room is dramatically different since three of the band members have children – the exception being bassist Tony Kanal. So they certainly aren’t the hellraisers they used to be.
Guitarist Tom Dumont said: “It is a little mellower, it’s a different kind of wild. It’s three-year-olds running around and screaming and fighting.
“Our kids are an extension of us.
“It’s weird to see them playing together as friends. It’s fun actually.
“Like Gwen I have two boys – a one-year-old and a three-year-old.”
Tony added: “We just finished a tour of the States. Normally we have a backstage room for after-show parties. Now that’s a room for the kids to hang out with the nannies.”
I caught up with No Doubt in the Presidential Suite of the Swisshotel in the centre of Singapore, where Sunday’s Formula One race is the centre of attention.
Everywhere you look F1 Rocks, which is sponsored by LG, is in action. The F1 Rocks team have pitted racing drivers such as Jensen Button, Lewis Hamilton and Australian driver MarkWebber, against rock, pop and film stars to add some spice to the run-up to the Grand Prix.
Mark spent Wednesday afternoon learning how to kickbox with Ninja Assassin actor Rain, who has become Hollywood’s hottest martial arts star since Jackie Chan.
Jack Osbourne is here too and has been seen whizzing around in an F1 car as part of a challenge set down by Button. And free runners have been scaling Singapore landmarks, dressed in F1 race gear.
Singapore has also been invaded by rock and pop stars for three F1 Rocks shows that lead up to the race. Last night, the big names of Asian pop music played in Singapore’s Fort Canning Park to 10,000 people.
Tonight, it’s No Doubt’s turn to play, sharing the billing with Simple Minds and ZZ Top before Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas share the stage tomorrow. Scot Paul Morrison, who dreamed up F1 Rocks and founded T in the Park 16 years ago, has sold the TV rights to F1 Rocks to 147 countries, with Channel 4 broadcasting the shows at midnight on Sunday.
Paul, who has been working round the clock for the first of what is planned as a series of shows at Formula One destinations, said: “I thought we would get 40 countries, but it is going out to more places than the MTV awards and The Grammys.
“The TV deals are on a par with the World Cup and Olympics. I can’t believe it is this massive.”
Meanwhile Gwen, 39, admits the long flight back to the States with a teething baby could prove gruelling.
She said: “It was a 17-hour plane ride here. Zuma was amazing on the way over, but I think the flight back is going to be torture.
“Kingston has started school so I couldn’t bring him, but he is having special daddy time. It works out well to have just Zuma with me because now it is one-on-one for him, which is really special.
“He has really blossomed in the last few days. It has been perfect. I knew I couldn’t be without him.”
She added: “He loves music and I sing to him, lullabies and that kind of thing. The band’s kids would watch our shows on the US tour every night and they enjoyed it.”
Asked what tips she can give to working mothers, Gwen said: “I’m not good at advice or tips but somehow it just works out. Some days I am spread so thin that I think, how am I going to do all this? But it works out somehow.”
Meanwhile, Gwen revealed that becoming a parent has helped her to enjoy being on the road even more, because it gives her the perfect excuse to become a tourist.
She said: “During the tour there were five boys with us – Adrian has a seven-year-old and Tom and I have boys the same age; two one-year-olds and two three-year-olds.
“They all played together then they would go to sleep and we could all hang out together.
“Once they went to sleep at night it felt like the old No Doubt were together again.
“We brought nannies with us so we could sleep in. It’s impossible if you have to get up early.
“The tour in the US was fun. We did lots of stuff we wouldn’t normally do, like go to the zoos.
“Whatever city we were in we would find out what would be good to do with the kids, like go to museums for example.”
And Gwen insists she has turned her back on solo records and performances for good.
“My solo career is in the past,” she said. “That was never supposed to last. I just wanted to do a dance record and it fitted in with us taking a break.
“I definitely have no plans to do it again.
“I enjoyed it, but in the future I’m living in the modern world of No Doubt.””
From NoDoubt.com:
“Tom Dumont and his friend Ted Matson have composed and recorded the music score for “The Providence Effect” opening nationwide in select theaters beginning this Friday, September 25.
“The Providence Effect,” a major new theatrical documentary will change the way America thinks about teaching our children. It captures how one school in the inner city of Chicago, Providence St. Mel, has created the method and the environment where children learn to think and to overcome social barriers, family circumstances and financial pressures to become high achieving students.
Visit The Providence Effect website for more information on the film and theater listings (http://www.theprovidenceeffect.com/). To watch the trailer on Youtube, click here.”
From NoDoubt.com:
“The band will perform an acoustic set at the Bridge School Benefit Concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA on October 24 & 25. These iconic annual concerts hosted by Neil and Pegi Young benefit The Bridge School, a program for the communicative and educational development of children with severe speech and physical impairments.
Tickets go on sale this Sunday, September 20 at 10:00 AM via Livenation.com, the Shoreline Amphitheatre Box Office and charge by phone at (877) 598-6659.
The lineup also includes acoustic performances by Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett (performing Saturday only), Chris Martin of Coldplay, Adam Sandler (performing Sunday only), Sheryl Crow, Fleet Foxes, Monsters of Folk (featuring Conor Oberst, Yim Yames, M. Ward and Mike Mogis), Wolfmother and Gavin Rossdale.
There are a limited number of lower level reserved seats available via auction at Livenation.com beginning September 20th at 10am. Proceeds from these auction tickets will also benefit the Bridge School.
Tour Club tickets are not available for this show.”
Tom posted about it on Twitter:
“nodoubt: We’re honored to being playing at the Bridge School Benefit shows: Oct 24 and 25 in Mountain View, CA. www.nodoubt.com for more info -Tom”
Popsugar interviewed Gwen at Bloomingdale’s on Thursday. She states that she’s no longer feeling in a “rut” as far a songwriting goes. Also that they are going to play in Russia and Singapore this month, and then “we are going to get serious about doing some songwriting”! Read the full article here.
The Spring 2010 line of L.A.M.B. was shown Thursday at Fashion Week. You can view the whole collection at Style.com.
In an article on People.com, Gwen says ““There were so many things that inspired and influenced the collection,”… “It kind of started with a little bit of an African ’80s nod,” she said of the mix of harem pants, animal patterns, beaded necklaces and graphic prints. “But the theme I was really focusing on was just trying to create the stuff you’re looking for in your closet — really casual, easy, comfortable, wearable stuff.””
From AZcentral.com, “Gwen Stefani is rocking the 80s well into 2010, presenting a LAMB collection on Thursday that included off-the-shoulder “Flashdance” tops and acid-wash jeans.
There was a punk vibe to some of the spring season outfits, including studded suspenders attached to the skinniest of skinny black jeans and racy lace tights worn only with a body suit.”
There are a couple new videos of Gwen talking about L.A.M.B. on the Eonline site. Extra also has a similar video.
From USAToday.com:
“Stefani’s L.A.M.B. line comes out like a lion after ‘rebirth’
“I never thought it would turn out this good,” she says, smiling as she traces the lines of an intricately tailored white jacket and opens it to reveal tie-dye silk lining.
The lead singer of the recently reunited No Doubt reveals the self-described “rebirth” of her L.A.M.B. line today after working in recent months alongside new partner Manhattan International Trade Inc. Most items will range from $48 to $345, and the line mixes draped separates, sturdy jackets, skinny jeans and leopard accents in neutral colors with pops of electric purple, red and yellow.
The line is a departure for Stefani, who wanted to inject more style and serious craftsmanship into L.A.M.B collections. “I’m really spoiled,” says the red-carpet maven, who is often photographed running errands with her children in sky-high stilettos and her signature bright-red lips. Now, “these jeans are as good as anything I have,” she says, showing off a pair of dark-wash tie-dye skinny jeans on her slender frame.
Pregnancy, or the absence of it, is the hidden theme in Stefani’s fashion rebirth. Sons Kingston, 3, and Zuma, 1, put Stefani on a yo-yo of weight gain and loss, and until recently, her closet was jammed with maternity clothes. (Her current super-trim figure is “no miracle,” she says, noting it took eight months to lose the weight after Zuma’s birth.)
When Stefani launched L.A.M.B seven years ago, she envisioned staying home and planning a family. Today, she’s still going 100 mph with husband Gavin Rossdale and sons cheering her on.
“I don’t get any sleep,” she admits.
Multiplatinum solo albums, a reunion tour and a hot new line aside, Stefani’s priorities are her children. She carries flip-flops in her purse for a quick stiletto change so she can manage carrying 25-pound Kingston. And time goes all too fast with baby Zuma, who quit breast-feeding this summer.
“I didn’t want him to (quit), it felt like a total rejection,” she says. “It was really hormonal, and trying to stop in the middle of the tour was insane.”
With her three guys attending the L.A.M.B. show Thursday (if naptime permits), her next task is writing for the upcoming No Doubt album. Then, there’s her 40th birthday on Oct. 3. “I want a really big cake!””
So, I just browsed to Carly’s site, nodoubtweb.com to see what was going on over there. Apparently, she’s closing down due to hackers. I’m so upset, I can’t even put it into words. When this site was still a baby, I looked up to her site. I still do. Definitely one of the best No Doubt fansites ever! Carly is such a beautiful person; inside and out. It sucks that stupid hackers were the cause. I don’t understand why some people feel the need to be so malicious like that. I’m feeling like the “last man on Earth” now…
DWADN, Carly.
xxxooo
Happy birthday to Gabrial McNair!!!!
I’ve added scans from the October issue of Glamour to the gallery.
There’s a new article on the Observer Online site about the upcoming album. Not much new info, but anyway…:
“It’s been five very long years, but No Doubt is finally back in action.
The southern California hit makers took an all too long hiatus in 2004 during which lead-singer Gwen Stefani embarked on a successful solo career. While Stefani was off Hollaback’in (see “Love.Angel.Music.Baby.” for hit single “Hollaback Girl”) and popping out babies with husband Gavin Rossdale of rock band Bush, the rest of the band – including guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, drummer Adrian Young, trumpet/keyboard player Stephen Bradley and trombone/keyboard player Gabrial McNair – began to work on new material.
The guys started writing new material in 2008 while Stefani was on the tail end of a tour to promote her second album. She was also pregnant with her second child at the time, so things were moving slowly. As of now, this album is still in the works, but it’s set for release in 2010. Mark Stent, who helped produce No Doubt’s 2004 album “Rock Steady,” is the producer.
The album is sure to be one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2009.
This past summer, the fully reunited No Doubt hit the road for their first tour together in almost five years. They toured with opening bands Paramore, The Sounds, Bedouin Soundclash, Katy Perry and Panic at the Disco.
Unfortunately for fans eagerly awaiting what is sure to be some awesome new No Doubt material, they didn’t have any songs off their new album ready to play. But their set was filled with their greatest classics. Gwen and the guys rocked out to “Spiderwebs,” “Hella Good,” “Hey Baby,” “Running,” “Just A Girl” and “Sunday Morning.” They also proved they still had a softer side with “Underneath It All,” “Rock Steady,” “Simple Kind of Life” and “Don’t Speak.” Particularly with these slower, softer songs, No Doubt showed off a newfound maturity that they must have found over the course of their time apart.
They also brought out one semi-new song, a cover of Adam Ant’s “Stand and Deliver.” Back in May, No Doubt made a cameo on “Gossip Girl” in which they played this song. It’s rumored that it will be appearing on their 2010 album, but these rumors have yet to be confirmed.
No Doubt’s 2009 tour has been receiving great reviews across the country and proved that, even after five years apart, they are all still great performers. Their reckless abandon and palpable energy are infectious. They can also easily transition from their high-octane “I’m going to jump around while I play my instrument and make it look easy” performances into slower ballads that seem intimate even in a crowd of 20,000.
However, these moments are generally few and far between, because what No Doubt is good at, more than anything, is writing brilliantly energetic, upbeat songs and making them even better live. They have intense chemistry with each other and clearly draw a lot of their performance from each other. During a song on their 2009 tour, Gwen Stefani got down and did pushups as she sang while her band mates went crazy, doing flips mid-song, amongst other crazy antics.
2009 proved to be a good year for No Doubt, and 2010 will hopefully be even better. They have a great buzz going into their new album. As it seems they’ve returned to their roots this summer by playing more songs from their older albums “Tragic Kingdom” and “Return to Saturn” on tour, they should put out a great, inventive album. For further listening, check out the songs listed above, and also “Ex-Girlfriend,” “New,” “Excuse Me Mr.,” “That’s Just Me,” “Open The Gate,” “Bathwater,” “Different People” and “Hey You.””
Hello again! Just added the August 2 Irvine show to the audio section.
