Chad Gilbert is dying. OK, not really, but he certainly sounds like it when we catch New Found Glory’s guitarist in Oregon, where his band is in the middle of a headlining tour supporting its latest album, Not Without A Fight.
“I did a song with Shai Hulud [New Found Glory’s current tourmates
and Gilbert’s previous band] in San Francisco five days ago, and you’re
hearing the outcome of it, so I won’t be doing another song with them
for a long time,” he explains between hacking coughs. “It was freezing
cold and raining the next day — and when your vocal cords are
ripped, they’re more prone to infection. So right now I’m basically
screwed.”
Gilbert may be in rough shape, but his band couldn’t be in a better
position. Formed in the late ’90s in Florida, New Found Glory haven’t
just outlasted most of their peers; they’ve also established themselves
as one of the few pop-punk acts not afraid of evolving.
“I think this album came out heavier than a lot of the others
because of what’s been going on with all of our lives,” says Gilbert.
“There have been a couple of breakups in personal relationships as well
as with our old label and management, both of which we were involved
with for years. I think that’s why the lyrics came out the way they
did, and why there’s screaming and heavier breakdowns. When you’re mad
about something, it’s not fun to be nice about it. It’s more cathartic
to yell about it.”
In order to properly channel that anger, New Found Glory headed to
the West Coast last summer to record Not Without A Fight with
Blink-182’s and +44’s Mark Hoppus, despite the fact that they didn’t
have a record label at the time.
“Blink-182 took us on tour years ago and [Hoppus] always loved our
band,” says Gilbert, adding that Hoppus played bass on “Something I
Call Personality” from NFG’s 2002 album Sticks and Stones. “He
owns a studio with [Hoppus’ bandmate] Travis [Barker], so he suggested
that we do it there — and the stars were aligned and it all
worked out. The process was really fun because he’s a guy in a band, so
he really gets the whole writing process and knows how to work with
other people really well. He’s not just a producer on the outside.”
The result is an album that features the occasional hardcore
hallmark but retains New Found Glory’s penchant for writing instantly
infectious hooks. The songs range from upbeat anthems like “Listen to
Your Friends” to introspective rockers such as “Tangled Up,” which
features a cameo from Paramore’s Hayley Williams).
“I wanted to try to have some of the guitar parts be equally as
catchy or even more catchy than the vocal melodies,” says Gilbert,
explaining what he was trying to achieve sonically this time around.
“That’s why there are some bigger, more intricate riffs that test the
limits of what a New Found Glory song can sound like.”
The guitarist also says that the circumstances surrounding the album
allowed the band to tap into the kinetic energy they captured on their
celebrated late-’90s output.
“When we made our debut, Nothing Gold Can Stay, we were on
our own and we paid for it ourselves, and we eventually found a label
to put it out,” he explains. “And on a different scale, that’s what we
did on this record.”
Gilbert is also quick to point out that while the band’s sound has
grown over the years, the guys have never altered their musical
ideology, which is something he thinks has been integral to their
success.
“New Found Glory has never had a gimmick,” he says. “We’ve never had
that one song that’s a huge hit. We have albums that exist as a whole.
I feel like we’ve never been a fad — whenever a kid is going
through a phase, by the time he’s done going through that phase, he
comes back to New Found Glory — because we’re always writing
sincere music. I think that’s why we’ve been able to stick around.”
When asked if he has any advice for younger punk acts that would
like to maintain the same type of longevity as New Found Glory, Gilbert
is equally candid.
“Writing songs should be your first priority, not what you’re going
to wear onstage,” he says. “You’ve just got to write awesome songs,
write sincere lyrics, tour your asses off and not be a dick. Being a
nice person goes a long way; don’t think you’re too cool for anybody
because you’re not. There’s always someone better than you and cooler
than you. You’ll never be as cool as me — don’t forget that.”
This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2009.