Zachary Alford 2009
The No Doubt Vault recently caught up with Zachary Alford. Zachary was Gwen’s drummer for her solo tours to promote “L.A.M.B.” and “The Sweet Escape.” We thought an interview with Zachary would give fans an interesting insight to what it’s like playing in Gwen’s solo-band, how that band got together, as well as learn some of the other artists Zachary has worked with over the years. Enjoy!
- How were you approached to play with Gwen?
Actually Gwen started conceptualizing her band around Gail Ann Dorsey, the bassist. She approached Gail first and luckily for me, she had the sensitivity to consider who Gail might like to play with, since the lock between bass and drums is very important. So it was really Gail who requested I do the tour. I then spoke with Ray Woodbury who was in charge of putting the band together, and he had just seen me play with the B-52’s a month earlier and he was completely sold on having me in the band, so there was no audition or anything.
- How long did you guys have to rehearse before the tours?
About a month. 3 weeks of getting all the material together, and then a week with the dancers and the lights and sound.
- Did Gwen’s fans seem different from other fans of bands
you played with?
Well, they were younger, especially in the states. In Europe and other places Gwen’s fan base wasn’t so largely made up of kids under the age of 13. And I’d have to say her audience was more of a female audience than other groups I’ve worked with.
- Had you any prior professional experience with any of the
other musicians on the tour?
Yeah. Gail. She and I met on David Bowie’s Outside Tour of ‘95 and played together in his band for 4 years. We’ve also done a number of other projects together over the years, so she and I have a really good rapport together.
- How did Gwen’s band mesh together so well? You all came
from such different backgrounds/bands.
I guess the credit goes to Ray. He’s a musician himself so he has good instincts for knowing if musicians can work together, and he also knows good musicians! Everyone in the band has had enough experience to be versatile and adapt to the situation, and yet still have their own voice within the context of the music. But aside from that everybody’s personality fitted together as well, which is what comes through when you see the show. It’s like we’ve been playing together for years because we actually like each other!!!
- What was your favorite song to play from Gwen’s solo
records?
One of my favorites was definitely “Luxurious”. I just love sitting in that slow pocket, grooving. It actually got better on the second tour!
- Has Gwen expressed any interest in doing future solo
records/tours or did it seem like this last tour was it?
She said very definitively that Sweet Escape would be the last one. But you what they say: never say never. But I’m really glad she got back to her No Doubt roots because that’s really who she is, and the world needs more of what comes from that chemistry. It also shows how loyal and down to earth Gwen is as a human being. She doesn’t forget where she came from. And I’m happy for Tony and Adrian and Tom cause I’m sure they have a lot more music they want to make as well.
- Who are some other artists that you have worked with in
the past?
Well, I’ve played with the B-52’s for 20 years. I’ve also worked with Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie.
- What are you up to now?
I’m actually in Japan getting ready to tour with Tomoyasu Hotei.
- Where can we see/hear you now?
If you’re in Japan you can see me at any of Hotei’s shows! The tour dates are on my MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/zacharyalfordmusic
The No Doubt Vault would like to take this time to thank Zachary for taking the time to do this interview for us. Please make sure and check out his myspace page, it has a very cool blog about what life has been like for Zachary in Japan and is filled with great photos!
