November 24, 2021 • 5 mins
Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas joins us to talk new Christmas album & more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Come on Mario a little bit. It's up here on
Mario Lopez joining me now on Zoom. Grammy winning artist
and songwriter Mr Rob Thomas, Welcome to the show Man.
How you then? How all right man, I'm good to
see you again. I'm doing well. Nice to see you.
Congrats on your first Christmas album something about Christmas Time.
It's a great title right there. What made you want
to make a holiday album at this point? Well, yeah,
(00:22):
I think every year I want to make a Christmas album,
but I never think about it until it's Christmas, right,
Like you're sitting by the tree and it's too late. Yeah,
and then it's like somebody, you know, finally let me
know that if I want to make a Christmas recor
to have to do it in the summer. So I think,
you know the way that everything worked out, this was
honestly the first summer that I wasn't on the road
or wasn't in the studio making a record. Like it
was just there was a perfect window to be able
(00:42):
to do it. And uh, and I knew that, you know,
I could. I could get all my friends that played
with me because I knew they were home too, Because
everybody was isolating at home during the summer, so I
could get you know, Brad Paisley, and I could get
Ingram Michaelson, I get all those people to come into
Oh that's great man. Yeah, exactly the same with Christmas
movies too. They're usually shot in the summertime. We don't
get to make them. Yeah, you would know about that, Yeah, exactly. Um,
(01:02):
the album does a lot of people don't know that that.
You're probably annoyed because every year around the exact same time,
I call you to let you know that I'm watching
Holiday and handcuffs. I love that you're texted and let
you know I love it. I love it. I appreciate that, man,
thank you. Um, it's for us. The album, it doesn't
include the usual standards. So how did you choose what
you were going to record? Well, I mean I wanted
(01:23):
originally to do, honestly, a whole, just all originals, and
then Atlantic Records let me know that they don't know
if they could really get to sell a whole, a whole,
you know, group of songs that nobody's ever heard before Christmas. Um,
so I wanted to do half originals and so all
the covers, you know, except for have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas, which is, you know, that's a standard standard.
But they're all just songs I grew up with, you
(01:45):
know something about Christmas Time by Brian Adams and that
Spirit of Christmas with Ray Charles Uh, Dolly Parton, I
believe in Santa Claus. They were just all songs that
meant something to me that a lot of them just
didn't feel got enough love. Yeah, yeah, there are a
lot out there, You're right that that don't get enough love.
The single there's and there's so many great Christmas records
that are out right, you know, and that have done
that traditional route. Like John Legend just a year or
(02:06):
two ago put out like what is I think the
quintessential classic Christmas record, you know, like the Crowner record,
And so I felt like that's been done. I wanted
to figure out, like, what what would make it have
my own personality if I did a Christmas record? Well,
the single small Town Christmas? Is is that an original? Yeah?
That's an original? Okay? Okay? And what made you want
to focus on that being the single? Um? You know,
(02:28):
it just it? I think it just kind of in
company accompanied the the what the whole record is you
know what I mean, as far as I mean the
record itself, there's a little melancholy in there, because I
think the Holidays has a little melancholy. Right. You get very,
very excited, there's a lot of joy, but then there's
also a lot of you know, regret and you and
thinking about friends that aren't around, or thinking about friends
that you're missing. You know, there's those feelings kind of
creep up in the holiday too. So I wanted the
(02:49):
record to have kind of all of that. But I
I live. I live here in Westchester and New York,
just outside of the city, and it's like it's like
a postcard. As soon as it as it just feels like,
you like, you know, just an ideally Christmas up here.
So that's my small town Christmas. It sounds like Westchester.
It just sounds like like the setting this movie. Um,
you're gonna be performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Deep Parade, right, Yeah,
(03:10):
that's crazy. Have you've done that? You did that? Right?
I have? Man, it's cold. Every time it's early, it's cold. Um, hey, Mario,
what did you sing? I did not say that, you know,
I I was doing different kind of performing on that
one right there. Don't listen to these rap bastards. Um,
so good luck, good luck on that, Rob. Is it
true you're working on a solo album at the moment.
(03:31):
I'm always working on a solo album. I'm actually you know,
I just did the song with with with Carlos, who
did a song called move just recently with him an
American authors, and I did the Christmas record, and I'm
working on some new stuff from Matchbox twenty maybe just
you know, for like four or five new songs to
go around with a tour. And uh, it's just you know,
the way the pandemic kind of set everybody back. By now,
I was I was gonna tour with Matchbox in put
(03:54):
out that music, and by now I would be talking
to you about that solo record, and and now everything
just kind of gets pushed down the road a little bit, right.
You know, one day I'll you'll whatever songs I've written now,
and then any of the songs I write to beat it,
those will be the songs that wind up on the record. Okay, awesome,
Well I look forward to that. And and now of
course that the holidays around the corner, we teamed up
with a good friends Macy's for Macy's Wishless Wednesday, because
(04:16):
Macy's has some They really have incredible gifts under twenty
bucks and Black Friday deals going on right now. Plus
it's about to be the best Thursday ever with Macy's
ninety five Thanksgiving Day parade tomorrow. Um, I know, I'm
adding some shoes and maybe some boots. Right there, there's
a drone for eleven ninety nine that I can hook
up the kids with. What's on your wish list? Rob?
(04:37):
You know what's funny you mentioned that because I was
thinking about that eleven rone, because you could get an
eleven nine nine drone and if if you lost that thing,
you could just get another eleven, especially with kids and
if they're gonna there's a lot that I've already been
lost on the name which is ready and expect. You know, like,
I don't know what you do. Listen, I don't I
don't pretend to know you, Morio. I don't know what
kind of clamed that Stine stuff you might be up
to with that, you know, But sometimes if you have
(04:59):
a drone, you might be filming something. You might need
to run away really quickly from that scene. Exactly. You
can just leave the drone right there. That's exactly at sea.
I like we're on the same page. We're on the
same page right there. Man. Hey, well, congratulations on everything.
I look forward to here in the album. And have
a great performance at the Thanksgiving Day parade, and I
hope and make it. Uh, you're you're part of your
viewing pattern this Christmas again, man, I'd always make about you.
(05:21):
You're no, you're officially part of the cannon of holiday movies,
and worry about it. I love it, I love it.
We'll listen to something about Christmas time on I Heart
Radio or wherever you stream music. Rob, thanks for checking in.
Thanks okay, you too, buddy. Take care with Mario a
little petty
Come on Mario a little bit. It's up here on
Mario Lopez joining me now on Zoom. Grammy winning artist
and songwriter Mr Rob Thomas, Welcome to the show Man.
How you then? How all right man, I'm good to
see you again. I'm doing well. Nice to see you.
Congrats on your first Christmas album something about Christmas Time.
It's a great title right there. What made you want
to make a holiday album at this point? Well, yeah,
(00:22):
I think every year I want to make a Christmas album,
but I never think about it until it's Christmas, right,
Like you're sitting by the tree and it's too late. Yeah,
and then it's like somebody, you know, finally let me
know that if I want to make a Christmas recor
to have to do it in the summer. So I think,
you know the way that everything worked out, this was
honestly the first summer that I wasn't on the road
or wasn't in the studio making a record. Like it
was just there was a perfect window to be able
(00:42):
to do it. And uh, and I knew that, you know,
I could. I could get all my friends that played
with me because I knew they were home too, Because
everybody was isolating at home during the summer, so I
could get you know, Brad Paisley, and I could get
Ingram Michaelson, I get all those people to come into
Oh that's great man. Yeah, exactly the same with Christmas
movies too. They're usually shot in the summertime. We don't
get to make them. Yeah, you would know about that, Yeah, exactly. Um,
(01:02):
the album does a lot of people don't know that that.
You're probably annoyed because every year around the exact same time,
I call you to let you know that I'm watching
Holiday and handcuffs. I love that you're texted and let
you know I love it. I love it. I appreciate that, man,
thank you. Um, it's for us. The album, it doesn't
include the usual standards. So how did you choose what
you were going to record? Well, I mean I wanted
(01:23):
originally to do, honestly, a whole, just all originals, and
then Atlantic Records let me know that they don't know
if they could really get to sell a whole, a whole,
you know, group of songs that nobody's ever heard before Christmas. Um,
so I wanted to do half originals and so all
the covers, you know, except for have Yourself a Merry
Little Christmas, which is, you know, that's a standard standard.
But they're all just songs I grew up with, you
(01:45):
know something about Christmas Time by Brian Adams and that
Spirit of Christmas with Ray Charles Uh, Dolly Parton, I
believe in Santa Claus. They were just all songs that
meant something to me that a lot of them just
didn't feel got enough love. Yeah, yeah, there are a
lot out there, You're right that that don't get enough love.
The single there's and there's so many great Christmas records
that are out right, you know, and that have done
that traditional route. Like John Legend just a year or
(02:06):
two ago put out like what is I think the
quintessential classic Christmas record, you know, like the Crowner record,
And so I felt like that's been done. I wanted
to figure out, like, what what would make it have
my own personality if I did a Christmas record? Well,
the single small Town Christmas? Is is that an original? Yeah?
That's an original? Okay? Okay? And what made you want
to focus on that being the single? Um? You know,
(02:28):
it just it? I think it just kind of in
company accompanied the the what the whole record is you
know what I mean, as far as I mean the
record itself, there's a little melancholy in there, because I
think the Holidays has a little melancholy. Right. You get very,
very excited, there's a lot of joy, but then there's
also a lot of you know, regret and you and
thinking about friends that aren't around, or thinking about friends
that you're missing. You know, there's those feelings kind of
creep up in the holiday too. So I wanted the
(02:49):
record to have kind of all of that. But I
I live. I live here in Westchester and New York,
just outside of the city, and it's like it's like
a postcard. As soon as it as it just feels like,
you like, you know, just an ideally Christmas up here.
So that's my small town Christmas. It sounds like Westchester.
It just sounds like like the setting this movie. Um,
you're gonna be performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Deep Parade, right, Yeah,
(03:10):
that's crazy. Have you've done that? You did that? Right?
I have? Man, it's cold. Every time it's early, it's cold. Um, hey, Mario,
what did you sing? I did not say that, you know,
I I was doing different kind of performing on that
one right there. Don't listen to these rap bastards. Um,
so good luck, good luck on that, Rob. Is it
true you're working on a solo album at the moment.
(03:31):
I'm always working on a solo album. I'm actually you know,
I just did the song with with with Carlos, who
did a song called move just recently with him an
American authors, and I did the Christmas record, and I'm
working on some new stuff from Matchbox twenty maybe just
you know, for like four or five new songs to
go around with a tour. And uh, it's just you know,
the way the pandemic kind of set everybody back. By now,
I was I was gonna tour with Matchbox in put
(03:54):
out that music, and by now I would be talking
to you about that solo record, and and now everything
just kind of gets pushed down the road a little bit, right.
You know, one day I'll you'll whatever songs I've written now,
and then any of the songs I write to beat it,
those will be the songs that wind up on the record. Okay, awesome,
Well I look forward to that. And and now of
course that the holidays around the corner, we teamed up
with a good friends Macy's for Macy's Wishless Wednesday, because
(04:16):
Macy's has some They really have incredible gifts under twenty
bucks and Black Friday deals going on right now. Plus
it's about to be the best Thursday ever with Macy's
ninety five Thanksgiving Day parade tomorrow. Um, I know, I'm
adding some shoes and maybe some boots. Right there, there's
a drone for eleven ninety nine that I can hook
up the kids with. What's on your wish list? Rob?
(04:37):
You know what's funny you mentioned that because I was
thinking about that eleven rone, because you could get an
eleven nine nine drone and if if you lost that thing,
you could just get another eleven, especially with kids and
if they're gonna there's a lot that I've already been
lost on the name which is ready and expect. You know, like,
I don't know what you do. Listen, I don't I
don't pretend to know you, Morio. I don't know what
kind of clamed that Stine stuff you might be up
to with that, you know, But sometimes if you have
(04:59):
a drone, you might be filming something. You might need
to run away really quickly from that scene. Exactly. You
can just leave the drone right there. That's exactly at sea.
I like we're on the same page. We're on the
same page right there. Man. Hey, well, congratulations on everything.
I look forward to here in the album. And have
a great performance at the Thanksgiving Day parade, and I
hope and make it. Uh, you're you're part of your
viewing pattern this Christmas again, man, I'd always make about you.
(05:21):
You're no, you're officially part of the cannon of holiday movies,
and worry about it. I love it, I love it.
We'll listen to something about Christmas time on I Heart
Radio or wherever you stream music. Rob, thanks for checking in.
Thanks okay, you too, buddy. Take care with Mario a
little petty
Host
Mario Lopez
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