Although the band’s RCA album “Everyday” resulted in the must have album honor at last night’s (Dec. 2) My VH1 Music Awards, Dave Matthews said backstage that the group still looks fondly upon the Steve Lillywhite-produced album that was never released and replaced instead with the Glen Ballard-produced “Everyday.”
“We love that album,” Matthews said of the never-released collection that has been leaked onto the Internet and which fans have dubbed “The Steve Lillywhite Sessions.” “We needed a change, but hopefully those songs will come out when the time is right, because it’s one of the best albums we ever made.”
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Singer-songwriter Jewel spoke about the meaning behind her song “Standing Still,” which she performed during the show. “It’s about the irony of how much a person travels in my job, and how it can really cause your emotional life to stand still,” she said. “Fame really tolerates a prolonged adolescence, and your fame and career can outgrow your ability to handle it. You can really spoiled, and I wanted to get away from [that] and make sure I wasn’t standing still.”Jewel also explained that the three-year gap between her studio albums of new music was because of a self-imposed exile from the music business. “It became about hits and being famous, and it was really hard for me to stay impassioned about it,” she said. “More than anything, stepping back allowed me to get back to why I really like what I do.”
Creed lead singer Scott Stapp said backstage at the Shrine Auditorium that Creed’s upcoming performance at the 2002 Winter Olympics is a “dream come true. With what’s going on in our country now, representing our country [at the Olympics] makes it even more special.” Commenting on former Beatle George Harrison’s death, Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti said, “It’s a great loss to rock’n’roll. There’s no band that hasn’t been influenced by the Beatles in some way.”
As for Creed’s upcoming tour, which begins next month in Florida, Stapp said that the band is letting its fans decide who should be the opening act. He revealed that the frontrunner is Puddle Of Mudd. But considering the well-publicized “war of words” between Stapp and Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst (who signed Puddle Of Mudd to his Geffen-affiliated Flawless label), asking Puddle of Mudd could pose a challenge for Creed.
When Durst’s name was brought up, Stapp said coyly, “Who?” But then he added more seriously, “We’re just really glad that there are such good rock bands out there. Puddle Of Mudd is great and we’re fans of the band. It would be awesome if [a Creed/Puddle Of Mudd tour] worked out because it would be a cool package for the fans.”
Mary J. Blige revealed more details backstage of her upcoming musical project: an all-female group named the Mary Jane Girls. “Rick James [who founded the original Mary Jane Girls] sold us the name. We chose the name because my name is Mary Jane Blige. I wanted to do a group that we haven’t seen in a while: an Asian girl, a black girl, a [Latina] girl, and a white girl.” Although Blige said she couldn’t elaborate on when any music would be available from the new group, she dropped this hint: “You’ll see something on TV that will involve a contest.”
Sting’s, who performed his hit “(If You Love Somebody) Set Them Free” with Blige, confessed that he, like many people, will still be trying to deal with the tragedy for untold days to come. “I don’t know yet what the effect is except that it will be long-term,” he said. “It’s affected us all creatively, psychologically, and in every other way.”Sting’s latest album, the live set “All This Time” (A&M), was recorded on Sept. 11 in an intimate setting in Tuscany, Italy.