TRAUMA/INTERSCOPE RECORDS
                        OFFICIAL NO DOUBT BIO
   
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." 

"We've been playing, recording, and touring for eight years as a band and with Tragic Kingdom 
the album has really found it's own sound," says Tony. "Now we're just really ready to tour 
and take it to the rest of the world."

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