Sep 13, 2022

Meet HOOBASTANK - From “The Reason” Til’ Now.

During the pop-punk explosion of the early 2000’s SoCal rockers HOOBASTANK stood out with their unique blend of melodic alternative, hard rock and dare I say dash of nu-metal sound, cranking out hit after hit.

This past year, November 21st 2021 to be exact, the band celebrated 20 years of their self-titled album, which helped catapult Hoobastank’s career into mainstream success with the likes of huge smash singles including “Crawling In The Dark, ”Running Away“ and “Remember Me all of which have since been certified RIAA platinum.

In honor of their 20th anniversary Hoobastank recently announced a mini dock series that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look on the road, in the studio and much more as they reflect on the success, trials and tribulations of their self-titled album.

The band also announced that they will be hitting the road this fall on the co-headlining “Tried-N-True” tour with fellow alt-rockers LIT alongside Alien Ant Farm and The Ataris’ vocalist Kristopher Roe as support. The tour will kick off in Nashville, TN on October 14th and run through mid-November hitting North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. VIP packages are also available, including the Tried-N-True VIP Meet & Greet Experience which includes a pre-show hang and photo op with members of Hoobastank, Lit and Alien Ant Farm, one VIP exclusive autographed tour poster, one VIP exclusive merch item, priority entry into the venue and more.

I recently had the honor of chatting with HOOBASTANK lead singer/frontman Doug Robb about how to stick together as a band after nearly 30 years together, trending on TIKTOK, their smash hit The Reason and much more!

TPPD: Hoobastank started in 94’. That’s nearly 30 years together as a band with nearly the same guys. What’s the secret to a “happy marriage” as a band?

Doug: I think doing this for the right reasons has been an important factor in our longevity. It was always something we had fun doing regardless of popularity or commercial success. It was never about being a rockstar or being rich and famous. It was just about having fun and making music with friends. We’ve been able to keep things in perspective and keep our egos relatively in check over the years.

TPPD: You guys recently went out on tour with Wheatus, Living Colour and Everclear what was that like?

Doug: This was a lot of fun. Those bands are great bands but also just fantastic people to tour with. I’ve been a huge Living Colour fan since middle school. It definitely was a “pinch me” type moment being able to share the stage with them and watch them play nightly.

TPPD: About a year ago Hoobastank started trending pretty hard on Tiktok with the #notaperfectperson challenge. With your song The Reason. How do you feel about social media bringing songs back. Although, at least in my hometown I hear Crawling in the Dark or The Reason at least 3x a week on the radio.

Doug: I think it’s fun that social media can help bands get exposure. It’s just another tool, the biggest tool now, to help get music into new people’s ears. It helps younger audiences get exposed to music from different genres and generations that they otherwise may have overlooked.

TPPD: Speaking of The Reason. That song is now speaking to multiple generations. My 10 yr old daughter knows every word. When you guys wrote that song, was it something special, like did you know something was there? Or was it just another song and you didn’t think much of anything of it?

Doug: It was totally unexpected. At least to me it was. Lyrically the song came together very quick with little to no rewrites. After we had recorded it, none of us even considered it a potential single. We were oblivious.

TPPD: Also speaking of the reason. There was a collaboration with The Second Level that recently just dropped a mellow electronic version of the song back in March. How did that collab come about?

Doug: That collaboration came about through some relationships that Dan our guitar player had made. We’ve been approached many times over the years about people re-recording the song. We thought his version was cool and the timing seemed good too. So why not eh?

TPPD: This October you’re headed out with Lit on the co-headlining Tried and True tour. How did this tour/collaboration come about?

Doug: We’ve known the Lit guys for a long time. We’ve played a lot of shows with them over the years. A couple of times we’ve tried to put together a proper tour with them but our schedules wouldn’t line up. This time it did and we just thought it would be a lot of fun. Our bands really speak to a certain time period that I think there’s a real craving for right now. Definitely nostalgic.

TPPD: lot of younger people (not saying that we’re old) but don’t remember a pre 9/11 world. I and probably yourself does. Airports and everything changed. With that said. What have you noticed in this post-pandemic world with touring, playing shows, etc. that’s different or changed?

Doug: Well besides the obvious mask wearing or not wearing, what I notice most is how I personally feel about being away from home. It is more difficult. I got so used to being home and with my family, focusing on them and that part of my life, that it is emotionally more difficult for me to be gone. That may change as we continue to tour more again but maybe it won’t? Who knows?

TPPD: That’s some advice you can give to a band/artist/musician that you wish you had been given when Hoobastank started?

Doug: Don’t do anything only for the money and don’t assume managers, labels, attorneys etc….. have YOUR best interest in mind when making decisions. Go with your gut. Look out for yourself.

TPPD: If you could go back and give yourself any advice or change anything, what would it be?

Doug: Don’t eat so much post show pizza at 2am. It’ll give you bad acid reflux and will affect your singing.

TPPD: Your last album Push Pull dropped in 2018. Are you guys working on new music? New album? Etc?

Doug: Dan and Jesse have given me plenty of music ideas to work with. I’ve been dabbling a little here and there, trying to turn them into songs. I’ve had some success but haven’t fully gotten into a song writing state of mind. That’s where I’m trying to get to. I’d love to be able to pump out a bunch of great songs. We’ll see.

TPPD: Lastly. What’s next for Hoobastank after the Tried and True tour?

Doug: Probably new music like the previous question. I’d really like to make some honest stuff that we can feel proud of. That would be my goal after the tour.

Check out the Hoobastank 20th Anniversary Trailer as well as tour dates for HOOBASTANK and LIT below!

HOOBASTANK TRAILER