Rock roots run deep in the South

New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, London: These are the cities that come to mind when thinking about the places that spawn rock 'n' roll bands.

But every great once in a while, rural America will produce a grouping of musicians who get noticed and go on to make hit records and become forever enshrined as objects of American pop-culture adoration -- rock stars.

And that's exactly what happened to the members of Three Doors Down, when they broke onto the music scene in 2000 with their superhit "Kryptonite." Since then, this small-town band has had five No. 1 hits and is today one of the biggest acts in rock music.

"It wears you down, but it's a lot of fun," said bassist Todd Harrell of the hectic schedule of a rock star, a life far different from that in small-town America.

But even though they're rock stars, they still love to play the small shows. "I like venues of about 2,000 or 3,000 people," he said. "Something more intimate."

Everyone in the band, excluding new drummer Daniel Adair, who is from Vancouver, Canada, all come from Escatawpa, Miss., a town of only 4,000 people buried deep in the Mississippi Delta. It's a place unspoiled by urban sprawl and metropolitan hustle. And despite their success, the members of the band have remained hometown boys.

"I don't think that success has changed us," said Harrell in his thick Mississippi drawl. "We have those small-town roots."

Harrell said the members of the band go home frequently, staying close to those earthy Southern roots. "We won't travel too far," he said.

And people in Escatawpa have learned to deal with the success, said Harrell. "At first it was kind of weird," he said, "but now they just treat us the same. They give us our space."

The rich musical tradition of the South has had a definite influence on the band. As their official Web site bio says, Three Doors Down's hometown is "a mere hellhound's leap from the crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul."

The band's influences are largely connected to the Southern tradition of the blues started by the infamous Johnson, proclaimed as the father of the Delta Blues.

"Being from the South you have to listen to the great blues players," said Harrell. He grew up listening to bands such as AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd, he said, bands famous for incorporating blues into rock.

Harrell thinks the band's small town roots allow them to connect better with their audience.

"It helps us to connect with the working man," he said. "We all grew up with our hands. And that's what we talk about in our music."

It's that connection with the Regular Joe that Harrell said inspired the band's support of the American soldier amidst the dissension that surrounded the Iraq war, while many other rockers were speaking out against the war.

"For us, that's just the right thing to do," said Harrell. "We got a chance to play for them over there on the USO tour and it was great. They have a tough job and they need our support."

As for the critics who pan the band for their stance or their music, Harrell said it doesn't bother them in the least. "Half of them can't even play guitars," he said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, ext. 226

Want to go?

What: 3 Doors Down, Shinedown and Tantric

Where: Show Me Center

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Info: 651-5000