Bush's Gavin Rossdale: My Mistake Was Trying to Impress Critics

Bush’s Gavin Rossdale: My Mistake Was Trying to Impress Critics

2011-10-17

Story by Anne Erickson

Bush has No. 1 alternative rock song with, ‘The Sound of Winter’

Gavin Rossdale once gave into the temptation of letting the critics rule his art. But, with the latest resurrection of his alternative rock band Bush, Rossdale understands the people who love Bush are the focus of his inspirations, and that’s what he was thinking of when writing and recording Bush’s latest album, the Bob Rock-produced Sea of Memories.

“One mistake I made in my past: In my attempt to impress my critics, I’d try to understand what (they thought) was wrong with the band,” Rossdale told the Boston Herald. “But I rectified it. I made the audience who love Bush become my muse, my focus. Why would you go toward the negative? Why wouldn’t you go toward the positive? So you imagine the faces of the people in the crowd that were wowed by the band. I kept them in mind when I would write a song.”

That mindset apparently works like a charm, as “The Sound of Winter,” the debut single off Memories, is the No. 1 song at alternative radio in the U.S. week. That makes it the first self-released song to ever go No. 1 on the chart, according to Bush’s Facebook page.

Bush are currently touring clubs throughout the U.S. alongside Chevelle and Filter, playing songs new and old. While small clubs might seem smell from the post-grunge guys’ early days of rocking out arenas, Rossdale, 45, is okay with that. “It’s far more authentic and correct for this time,” Rossdale said. “It would be wrong for us to attempt to try and play arenas. It’s about relaunching the band and connecting with the fans, and I don’t know how you do that in a cavernous place. There’s something very magical about playing these large clubs”

Rossdale added that, “You look out and there’s a sea of people. It looks massive and it feels like 100,000 ’cause it’s so intense. The bands I looked up to never played arenas. My favorite bands never made it to arenas.”

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.

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