By Scott Iwasaki, Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Brian Yale loves Utah. "I want to buy a condo in Deer Valley," he said. "I didn't get to ski this past winter, but I love it there."
The matchbox 20 bassist makes his home in Orlando, Fla., but said he looks forward to playing in Salt Lake City. "We have some great fans there, and we like playing live," Yale said during a telephone interview as the band's bus went through a mountain pass somewhere between Boston, Mass., and Albany, N.Y. As a result, the interview was interrupted periodically by cell-phone dead spots.
With matchbox 20 playing the E Center Saturday, the Utah summer concert season is officially in full swing. And by the looks of the summer line-up so far, matchbox 20 isn't the only band that likes playing in Utah. Styx, Journey and REO Speedwagon have already come through town, and Good Charlotte and New Found Glory were here Thursday night.
Other upcoming concerts include the Foo Fighters in the McKay Events Center in Orem, Susan Tedeschi at Red Butte Garden and Phish in the new USANA Amphitheater in West Valley.
Meanwhile, Yale said matchbox 20 -- Yale, vocalist Rob Thomas, drummer Paul Doucette and guitarists Kyle Cook and Adam Gaynor -- wanted to capture the band's live sound for its new album "More Than You Think You Are."
"The album before that ('Mad Season') was very produced," said Yale, who has a degree in music and business administration. "It had a lot of things on it. When we went back to the studio for the new album, we wanted it to be more stripped down and immediate."
The band gathered in a studio in Woodstock, N.Y., to lay down the tracks. "We took nine months off after the last tour and wrote songs," Yale said. "This is the first album where everyone had something to contribute. Even Paul had a song.
"We recorded basic tracks in Woodstock -- which included the drums and bass -- and then moved to the Hit Factory studio in New York to record the vocals. It was a very rewarding experience. We wanted to capture our live feel, and I think we did."
Music has been an important aspect of Yale's life since elementary school. "I played trumpet. Then, in high school, I picked up the bass."
Yale attended Boston's Berklee School of Music, then graduated from the University of Miami. "I met Rob and Paul in Orlando and we started a band. Rob was teaching himself how to play acoustic guitar and wrote all the songs on our first album ('Yourself or Someone Like You'). We hooked up with producer Matt Serletic and decided we needed some guitarists. Kyle and Adam joined after that and got signed to Atlantic Records. And from there, things just took off."
If you go
What: machbox 20, Sugar Ray and Maroon 5
Where: E Center
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
How much: $37
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com