{"id":35784,"date":"2025-07-31T01:52:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T01:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/35784\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T01:52:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T01:52:07","slug":"rob-thomas-interview-on-all-night-days-album-tour-and-ryan-gosling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/35784\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Thomas Interview on ‘All Night Days’ Album, Tour and Ryan Gosling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tHappiness, if you ask Rob Thomas<\/a>, isn\u2019t a right. Days out from kicking off his solo tour, the Matchbox Twenty<\/a> frontman\u2019s on a high from rehearsals in Nashville, where he\u2019s so jazzed up about returning to the road that he\u2019s contemplating hitting the streets of Music<\/a> City to grab random pedestrians to serve as an audience.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter 32 years in music, the 53-year Grammy winner clearly still finds his greatest glee in performing. But, as he notes in his new single, \u201cHard to Be Happy,\u201d<\/a> such joy isn\u2019t always easy to come by \u2014 nor should it be.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think the idea that you have a God-given right to be happy is a childish thought,\u201d muses the singer, who begins The All Night Days Tour<\/a> in Atlanta on Aug. 1 before dropping his sixth solo album, All Night Days<\/a>, on Sept. 5. \u201cAs you get older, you realize happiness is earned. It\u2019s something you have to find, forge and build with the relationships you have, the people you love and the time you spend.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen you realize that, you spend more time trying to not be unhappy, but it doesn\u2019t feel like an active pursuit, 24\/7. Even in the [Declaration of Independence] you have the right to the pursuit of happiness, which doesn\u2019t mean you actually have the right to be happy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe difficult road to happiness is something listeners will relate to in \u201cHard to Be Happy,\u201d which is why the song holds relevance today despite being penned during the COVID-19 pandemic as Thomas began a follow-up to 2019\u2019s Chip Tooth Smile<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Matchbox Twenty decided to record 2023\u2019s Where the Light Goes<\/a>, Thomas\u2019 solo music was sidelined, resulting in All Night Days capturing varied time periods, influences and collaborators.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSongs like \u2018Queen of New York City\u2019 were for my solo project, then went to Matchbox, then there\u2019s songs on this record that were written during the Matchbox sessions,\u201d Thomas says. \u201c\u2018Hard to be Happy\u2019 was written in 2020 and was a general feeling at that time, but as I backed away and lived with it, it fit into an overall conversation with myself about whether I\u2019m OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe chirpy track has become the third-most-added song on U.S. Hot AC Radio. In an exclusive preview of its video shared with The Hollywood Reporter, a goofy Thomas hilariously prances around an \u201880s-style jazzercise workout video.<\/p>\n

\n\tCo-written with Todd Clark and Derek Fuhrmann, Thomas was devastated when he reached out to Fuhrmann about promoting the single, only to hear he had passed away<\/a>. \u201cHe was a really good writer and all-around great guy, so it was a shock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGrief is something that has often made it hard to be happy for Thomas. His 2019 single \u201cOne Less Day (Dying Young)\u201d came from losing friends and peers, then on 2021\u2019s Something About Christmas Time, he dedicated \u201cDoesn\u2019t Feel Like Christmas (Samy\u2019s Song)\u201d to his late Pomeranian Samy. In April, Thomas and his wife of 25 years, Marisol Thomas, lost their beloved \u201cGingey\u201d Ollie<\/a>, kickstarting a challenging new chapter of life without any of their fur babies.<\/p>\n

\n\tNavigating such obstacles is something the couple, who run animal rescue organization Sidewalk Angels Foundation<\/a>, have taken in stride since meeting at a Matchbox Twenty afterparty in 1998. Within years of their nuptials, Marisol began experiencing debilitating health issues that eventually saw her diagnosed with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. She continues facing health struggles, which often makes it \u201chard to be happy,\u201d for Thomas.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe honors their enduring love in the sweet, stirring ballad \u201cThrill Me,\u201d<\/a> co-written with Tim Lopez from Plain White T\u2019s and partly inspired by Shania Twain.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI used to love \u2018You\u2019re Still the One\u2019 and that sentiment,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cThe reason why [relationships] sometimes don\u2019t work out is because people are ever-evolving. If you\u2019re lucky, both of you evolve in the same direction, or are willing to accept the changes happening to each other. When that happens, it\u2019s magical.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s like with happiness: Commitment and staying together is something people have to agree on and work at a bit. But I don\u2019t prescribe to the idea that it takes work all the time. If that\u2019s the case, don\u2019t get married, dude!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCo-produced by Greg Wattenberg, All Night Days marks Thomas\u2019 first album since leaving Atlantic Records for Universal Records<\/a>.\u00a0Songs written during Matchbox Twenty\u2019s sessions include blood-pumping banger \u201cI Believe It\u201d (penned by Wattenberg and Thomas\u2019 bandmates Kyle Cook, Paul Doucette and Brian Yale) and heart-wrenching \u201cNo Good at Loving You,\u201d inspired by marriage.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s someone else who Thomas has loved almost as long as Marisol \u2014 his 1999 \u201cSmooth\u201d collaborator Carlos Santana. Thanks to the Grammy-winning track, Santana and music mogul Clive Davis became lifelong mentors who \u201chelped me center myself, to get where I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring Monday\u2019s production rehearsals, Thomas felt the lighting wasn\u2019t right for \u201cSmooth.\u201d \u201cSo, I wrote to Carlos saying, \u2018Hey man, what color is \u201cSmooth\u201d?\u2019 Thirty seconds later, he writes back, \u2018Diamond ice.\u2019 \u00a0I said, \u2018That\u2019s beautiful. Thanks for your help!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs well as \u201cSmooth,\u201d Matchbox Twenty hits and new tracks, Thomas\u2019 setlist will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his solo debut, \u2026Something to Be<\/a>. The album spawned Grammy-nominated hits like \u201cThis Is How a Heart Breaks\u201d and \u201cLonely No More,\u201d plus John Mayer collaboration \u201cStreetcorner Symphony.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, 20 years later, did Rob Thomas find \u2026 something to be?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think the becoming is in the searching,\u201d he reflects. \u201cThere\u2019s no destination or peak to get to. When we started out, nobody knew who we were, but we\u2019d play the college club and it felt fucking awesome. Then you get signed and you\u2019re playing radio festivals, but at noon, and it\u2019s like, \u2018Who cares? This is still fucking great.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf that had been the peak, I would\u2019ve happily looked back telling people, \u2018I was in a band, we had a good run and it was fun.\u2019 It still just feels fun. When you\u2019re looking ahead trying to figure out [something to be] or that destination to get to, you\u2019re not looking at your feet and appreciating the moment you\u2019re in \u2014 and the little wonders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a lesson for his son from a previous relationship, Maison Thomas-Eudy, who\u2019s 27 and carving out his own musical path. While A Great Big World is joining Thomas on tour, Maison\u2019s L.A. pop rock trio The Lucky will also open select shows, including one at Fountainebleau Las Vegas<\/a> on album release day.<\/p>\n

\n\tMaison \u2014 who played guitar on several All Night Days songs, including the snappy standout title track \u2014 is also Thomas\u2019 new guitarist, thanks to previous guitarist Frank Romano suggesting the Berklee graduate as his replacement.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Thomas, it\u2019s a \u201cweird\u201d adjustment hugging Maison goodbye as he heads off with the band each night, instead of sticking with him. It was a different story during Matchbox Twenty\u2019s 2024 Australian tour, when the two bonded during shopping trips, movies and poolside lunches.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe solidified the friendship part of our relationship in Australia,\u201d says Thomas. \u201cWe got to know each other and who we are now. He\u2019s one of the closest people in the world to me and one of the best humans I know \u2014 so kind and thoughtful. I couldn\u2019t ask for anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMaison, meanwhile, credits Thomas for instilling key lessons in building a fruitful music career.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s taught me a lot about effort, what it takes to succeed, to always work on being better and never say you can\u2019t do something,\u201d Maison tells THR. \u201cI almost said \u2018No\u2019 to filling in for Frankie because I thought his shoes were too big to fill, but I\u2019m glad I said \u2018Yes\u2019 because I\u2019m having a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter wrapping the U.S. leg of the tour at L.A.\u2019s YouTube Theater<\/a> on Sept. 6, Thomas will tour Australia and New Zealand. He\u2019s also preparing to mark 30 years since Matchbox Twenty\u2019s 1996 debut, Yourself or Someone Like You.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a newly resurfaced interview clip<\/a>, a 25-year-old Thomas credited \u201cpenis size\u201d for setting Matchbox Twenty apart from other new rock bands. But ultimately, it\u2019s chart-toppers like \u201c3AM,\u201d \u201cLong Day\u201d and \u201cPush\u201d that laid the foundation for the group\u2019s legacy, fanbase and subsequent records. With Doucette admirably encouraging Thomas to dedicate ample time to All Night Days, Thomas doesn\u2019t anticipate anniversary celebrations commencing until mid-late 2026.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEnd of next year is when we\u2019ll really start things, then the next year we\u2019re going out properly and doing special things,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re not interested in making another album right now because we might kill each other, but maybe we\u2019ll come up with a song or two. We also want to have some fun with old live recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, there\u2019s one recording that still needs to go down. After Ryan Gosling repeatedly belted out \u201cPush\u201d<\/a> in 2023\u2019s Barbie, fans remain eager to see Gosling perform the song with Thomas.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cListen, if I could\u2019ve done that, I would\u2019ve already left Mari and be with him right now,\u201d laughs Thomas. \u201cHe\u2019s an attractive man.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLet\u2019s see about getting Ryan Gosling to the show to sing with us,\u201d Thomas then instructs his manager, who promptly takes note ahead of the tour hitting California, where Gosling resides. \u201cIf that happened, you\u2019d be witnessing the bromance of the ages. He would eclipse my love of Taylor Kitsch. Sorry Taylor!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKitsch may drop in Thomas\u2019 man crush rankings, but one thing\u2019s for sure \u2014 a Rob x Ryan collab wouldn\u2019t make it hard to be happy for fans.<\/p>\n