TRAUMA/

In an era where the majority of bands are caught up in aggro posturing and the spewing
of songs that have degenerated into teen-angst-recitation-by-numbers, No Doubt is some-
thing of an anecdote a beacon of hope for those tired of everyday, angry-rock living.
Drawing from a palette of new wave, guitar-rock, ska, dance, reggae and pop, vocalist
Gwen Stefani, bassist, Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young stand
out as tribute to the fact that music can be fun -- uplifting, even -- without sacrificing
raw power and drive.

With their latest Trauma/Interscope release Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt furthers their
penchant for musical exploration. Gwen's rich voice growls, struts and glides its way
around a kaleidoscope of sound and emotion: from the reggae sounds of "Sunday Morning"
to the dance beat of "You Can Do It" to the Spanish guitar sound of "Don't Speak" to the
ska-tinged horns of "Different People," to "Excuse me Mr.," a volatile cocktail of edgy
punk guitar and booming horns. And then there's the new wave vibe of Tragic Kingdom's first
single "Just A Girl," a tongue-in-cheek litany on the perils of being a girl. "I got the
idea when my dad would yell at me for going to Tony's house and coming home real late,"
chuckles Gwen. "I really don't think a lot of guys know what a burden it is to be a girl
sometimes."

Despite No Doubt's musical inclination toward that which is upbeat, Gwen is quick to
point out that what goes into inspiring the music isn't necessarily all sweetness and
light. "You know what the thing is? As people, we're angry," she laughs. "We went through
some really bad times in the past couple of years -- personally and bandwise -- and our
whole way of dealing with that is humor and I think that's really apparent in our record.
Even though things have been bad, and some of the songs are sad if you really listen to
them, there's still an element of humor to it all."

Perhaps one could say No Doubt embodies the celebratory side of Orange County (you know,
land of scathing punk rock?). Whatever it is, it's become readily apparent that plenty
of people are ready to hear something other than teen angst-fueled grunting and screaming
as No Doubt has become something of a west coast phenom. Fans plaster their cars with No
Doubt stickers, their bodies with No Doubt tattoos and turn the band's shows into one
seething, hyperkinetic party.

"Live, something happens that really transcends all the music," says Tony. "What's cool
is that because we have a female singing, Gwen gets the girls into it, lets them participate.
With a lot of other bands, it's just a testosterone thing. But when you come to a No Doubt
show, the audience is spread across the board. Gwen will definitely get the girls involved,
give them songs that are their songs and it's their time to get boosted, be in the pit,
whatever. Everyone feels like they're partof it, nobody gets left out."

"But it's not just this energy where it's a loud, fast beat and you can slam around,"
explains Tom, "there's a real emotion thing that comes from the songs because they're so
melodic. When Gwen sings she's just incredibly gripping and fascinating to watch.
There's something magical about her."

Unsurprisingly, the eclectic mix that makes up No Doubt's sound is the direct result of
the bandmembers cornucopia of musical tastes and experiences. While Gwen admits to
"worshipping" Madness in high school with her brother Eric (and declares The Sound Of
Music as "the big influence in my life as far as music goes"), Tony claims Prince as
the first "big thing" for him. Adrian's roots were grounded heavily in 70's rock
(Hendrix, Steely Dan, Journey), but he adds, "but by the time junior high came around,
ska, new wave and punk became my life."

"For me, the first band I ever liked was KISS," laughs Tom. "I ended up really getting
into Judas Priest and Black Sabbath -- I was very much into the rock guitar thing and
that's the kind of bands I played in at first. But I got fed up with the whole heavy metal
scene in Orange County -- it was such an unhealthy scene, people weren't there for the
music, they were there to wear tight spandex and get chicks."

No Doubt's early incarnation included Gwen's brother Eric on keyboards, and Tony -- who'd
lived in London until the age of 11 and was also a fan of the English ska bands -- on bass.
Gwen, originally reluctant, took the reigns of the powerhouse vocals, originally accompanied
in the first year by an animated, HR influenced Bad Brains enthusiast whose kinetic stage
style and contagious energy egged her on. Eventually, the trio was joined by drummer Adrian
Young and Tom who, thanks to their love of 70's arena rock, brought a distinctive rock edge
to the "two-tone-ska" sound of No Doubt.

The band's reputation for outrageous live shows netted them a wildly dedicated following,
while their unique sound landed them opening slots for such diverse artists such as the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Urban Dance Squad, Mano Negra, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and
Fishbone. RHCP's Flea eventually produced a demo for No Doubt which gave the band one of
its first studio experiences. No Doubt then went on to self produce some additional recordings
which they were ready to release themselves until Interscope Records entered the picture
and snatched them up.

Interscope released their eponymous debut in 1992, which was followed by a period of extensive
touring and intense song writing. In early 1995 the band self-released The Beacon Street
Collection ("We had so many songs we knew weren't going to make it onto Tragic Kingdom --
we'd written about 60 -- that we just decided to put a CD of some of the stuff out ourselves,"
explains Tony of the latter music).

While Tragic Kingdom, their first album under the aegis of Trauma/Interscope, marks the
departure of Eric (who's gone on to cartoon full time), it also hails the band really coming
into their own as songwriters and musicians.

"Before I just didn't have the experience to get too involved in the song writing," says Gwen.
"But with this record I got really involved in the writing of songs and expressing myself,
putting my personality into things. I think that's what makes this record so meaningful, it's
really personal."