TacomaWeekly

Rock band ‘Smashes’ into the EQC

big smash. Smash Mouth plays Emerald Queen Casino I-5 at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 (Photo Courtesy of band)

After more than a decade together as a band and after emerging on the national scene with their first number one hit “Walkin’ on the Sun,” all three co-founding members of Smash Mouth, Steve Harwell, (lead vocals) Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul DeLisle (bass), are as tight today as they were the day they first jammed together in their hometown of San Jose.

“That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of,” DeLisle said. “We’re brothers. We’re all very close, especially Steve and Greg and I because we’ve been together for so long, but also keyboardist Michael Klooster, percussionist Mark Cervantes and let’s not forget our drummer Jason Sutter.”

Sutter is the fourth drummer to be inducted into Smash Mouth and started in March 2006.

“No matter what happens we all just want to make music and hang out with each other,” said Camp. “We get together and all of a sudden we just have such a blast.”

The band has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Along with their No. 1 hits “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star” they have consistently impacted radio with other recognizable hits like “Then the Morning Comes,” “Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby,” and a cover of The Monkees classic “I’m a Believer,” which was prominently featured on the “Shrek” soundtrack and climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.

The multi-platinum Smash Mouth is a 1960s-influenced garage band with a keen pop sensibility that maintains a timeless quality and style they have created and that is all their own. Having long since established itself as the ultimate true-to-life California party-band the vibe surrounding Smash Mouth is indeed at its core about having fun.

“When we play it’s a nonstop party,” Harwell said.

With the release of their fifth studio album “Summer Girl,” the guys decided to part ways with their longtime label Interscope in order to form their own company, Beautiful Bomb Records. By releasing “Summer Girl” on their own, the band said they are making good on a decade-long promise of doing things their own way.

“Now we are on a mission,” Harwell said. “We learned a lot by being spoiled on a major label, but I told the guys that if we do this we’re gonna have to work harder than we’ve ever worked in our career and, now, we’re looking forward to hitting it hard.”

“Summer Girl” generated a hit with the single “Story Of My Life.”

Camp, who produced three tracks for “Summer Girl” at a studio he built in Santa Cruz, is the group’s primary songwriter and made sure to keep the playfulness in the music while giving it a real lyrical depth.

“You can’t miss the live show,” DeLisle said, “The live show completes the entire package. Recordings are only one part of the whole. This band must be seen to be believed. It’s a nonstop party that we put on nightly. If we’re coming to your town it’s a party you won’t want to miss. It’s unique, it’s ours, we created it and there’s no one else like us.”

Smash Mouth plays at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at Emerald Queen Casino I-5. Tickets for the show range from $30 to $55. For more information call (888) 831-7655.

Comments

Letter to the Editor

If you would like to contact us directly, please submit a Letter to the Editor here.

Comments

Letter to the Editor

Cancel Submit

More City Life