Thirty-five years after the release of \u201cPocket Full of Kryptonite,\u201d Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess still sounds a little amazed that the album \u2014 and the band \u2014 have endured.<\/p>\n
Released in the summer of 1991, the album eventually sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and produced the hits \u201cLittle Miss Can\u2019t Be Wrong\u201d and \u201cTwo Princes.\u201d The latter becoming a Billboard Top 10 hit and earning the band a Grammy nomination.<\/p>\n
Now Comess and his bandmates \u2014 Chris Barron, Eric Schenkman and Jack Daley \u2014 are marking the anniversary occasion all the way through to their latest album, 2025\u2019s \u201cFace Full of Cake,\u201d by touring with two groups with whom they share plenty of history: Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms.<\/p>\n
The three bands will come together at the Levitt Pavilion at SteelStacks in Bethlehem on Tuesday for an evening of hits and \u201990s nostalgia.<\/p>\n
I recently spoke with Comess about the anniversary of \u201cPocket Full of Kryptonite,\u201d the unlikely story behind its success, the band\u2019s latest music and what Lehigh Valley fans can expect in this new interview.<\/p>\n
Q: This year marks the 35th anniversary of \u201cPocket Full of Kryptonite.\u201d When you look back at that album now, what thoughts come to mind?<\/p>\n
A: First of all, it\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s been 35 years. A lot of it is just being grateful that the music has lasted this long. We\u2019re still together, people are coming out to the shows, and the music still feels great. We really enjoy playing all those songs. They\u2019ve held up really well. I\u2019m just very grateful for the longevity.<\/p>\n
Q: What can fans expect from the band\u2019s Bethlehem performance with Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms?<\/p>\n
A: We go way back with both of those bands. We came up in New York City with Blues Traveler, and once our record took off, we did a couple of tours with Gin Blossoms. There\u2019s a real camaraderie between all three of us. We\u2019re all from the same era and we\u2019re all still around.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll be doing a 45-minute set, so we\u2019ll pack everything in there. We\u2019re doing all the hits, one or two of the new songs that we love, and we\u2019re even throwing in a cover that\u2019s been going over really great.<\/p>\n
Q: \u201cPocket Full of Kryptonite\u201d wasn\u2019t an immediate success. What do you remember about that period?<\/p>\n
A: I remember when the record came out in August of 1991, it was the same time Nirvana\u2019s \u201cNevermind\u201d was released. Our record company really wasn\u2019t making us a priority. Back then, we were out there touring like road dogs. We had our van and just kept crisscrossing the country.<\/p>\n
Then about a year into the record, we had a meeting with the record company. They told us \u201cThis record\u2019s dead. There are no hits. We want you to come off the road and make a new record.\u201d But we all felt something was happening. We were already packing clubs \u2014 five or six hundred seats around the country every night \u2014 and had sold about 45,000 records.<\/p>\n
We left that meeting pretty bummed out. I remember we were standing outside the Sony offices on Fifth Avenue with our manager, and he basically said, \u201cI\u2019ve seen this before. We can all feel that there\u2019s a buzz happening. Let\u2019s go back on the road.\u201d So we got back in our little red van. Pretty soon after that, a radio station in Vermont added \u201cLittle Miss Can\u2019t Be Wrong\u201d on their own, and the song went to No. 1 there. That really paved the way. Then Epic released it as a single and it went to the top of rock radio. Then we made the video and it went to the top of MTV.<\/p>\n
Then it crossed over to Top 40.<\/p>\n
That was it. It blew the roof off the thing. And had we not stuck to our guns and listened instead to what the record company wanted us to do, you and I wouldn\u2019t be having this phone conversation right now.<\/p>\n
Q: Why do you think songs like \u201cLittle Miss Can\u2019t Be Wrong\u201d and \u201cTwo Princes\u201d connected so strongly?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s always hard to say what makes a song a hit. There are thousands of songs that probably deserved to be hits that didn\u2019t make it. A lot of it is timing. But I think those particular songs spoke to people. In the early \u201990s you had Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the Seattle grunge thing taking over. We were a rock band, but we fell into our own niche. We had our own sound. It was a little more upbeat and fun.<\/p>\n
Even before radio, when we played gigs in New York City, songs like \u201cJimmy Olsen\u2019s Blues,\u201d \u201cLittle Miss Can\u2019t Be Wrong\u201d and \u201cTwo Princes\u201d were always the ones that got people singing along and dancing.<\/p>\n
Q: You once described making your latest album, \u201cFace Full of Cake,\u201d as being \u201ceffortless.\u201d What does that mean after being together this long?<\/p>\n
A: Everybody\u2019s getting along and the music feels good. Being in a band for over 35 years, you go through peaks and valleys. When we made \u201cPocket Full of Kryptonite,\u201d the vibes were really positive. Making \u201cFace Full of Cake\u201d felt similar. We were in the right place between us, we had a really good set of songs and the writing process was fun. We\u2019re still in a really good place right now. Whenever we\u2019re up onstage, it feels that same way.<\/p>\n
Q: After all these years, what keeps you doing it?<\/p>\n
A: I\u2019ve known I was going to be a professional musician since I was a little kid. I remember being in seventh grade and getting off the school bus one day and a friend asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I looked him in the eye and said, \u201c\u2019m going to be a professional musician.\u201d I really meant it. I\u2019ve known what I wanted to do with my life since I was a kid. That\u2019s what gets us all through life \u2014 having something you love to do. Here I am many years later and still doing it. There\u2019s a lot of gratitude for that.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there a message you have for Spin Doctors fans coming to SteelStacks?<\/p>\n
A: Come early and stay late. We\u2019re going on first, followed by Gin Blossoms and Blues Traveler. All three bands are really great, and we can\u2019t wait to see you.<\/p>\n