Smash Mouth bring their hits to Kitchener for Oktoberfest concert
Paul DeLisle of American party band Smash Mouth is originally from Exeter and he’s looking forward to playing in Kitchener at Bingemans Oktoberfest.
“It is such a cool place,” says DeLisle, 55, the band’s bassist. “We played Kitchener at the very beginning — when we were with Blur, the second show on the tour. I would go to Kitchener when I was a kid to watch my cousin’s hockey and lacrosse tournaments.” Exeter is north of London and east of Grand Bend.
DeLisle’s dad was a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot so the family moved to different bases including Exeter, Detroit, and then San Jose, Calif.
“I grew up in Mountain View, just north of San Francisco,” says DeLisle, who grew up in the “era of AM radio,” listening to bass heroes like James Jamerson and Donald (Duck) Dunn during the reign of Stax and Motown music.
The bass was always going to be his first choice.
DeLisle is also an avid surfer but that’s not how he met Smash Mouth’s characteristic frontman vocalist Steve Harwell who was once with rap band F.O.S.
“Steve is not a surfer,” he notes with a laugh.
DeLisle and Smash Mouth’s guitarist/songwriter Greg Camp met Steve Harwell in the bars when they were playing in early 1990s cover bands.
“I could see Steve from the stage. I liked that guy. Steve was always good for a laugh. He and I were friends before we even started the band.”
Smash Mouth formed in 1994 and has gone through several personnel changes over the years.
Guitarist Greg Camp returned to the band in 2017. Camp writes 95 per cent of the songs with DeLisle contributing a few songs per album.
“Greg is not necessarily collaborative,” admits DeLisle, adding he will demo a song to the best of his ability before bringing it to Camp for thumbs up or down.
“If Greg starts working on one of my songs, he champions it and he makes it better. Steve’s quote is “Greg builds the car. I drive it.”
“We are collaborative in the sense that we are all supportive,” says DeLisle. “We know what each other’s strengths are and what we bring to the table — Steve in the way he interprets it. Obviously, he has a very recognizable voice.”
DeLisle says there is a dynamic between he, Harwell, and Camp despite the fact they come from very different backgrounds.
“I am a little bit older than them,” he notes. “I really do not have anything in common with Steve — besides having fun and rock music. He likes motorcycles and NASCAR. I am a surfer and skateboarder. We come from different worlds. In a band situation, this can very much be a positive. Steve is nothing like us and that’s the point. I hate to use the word “chemistry” but the three of us just have this thing. Unless there is the three of us it just doesn’t sound like us. It is our voices together — like the intangible.”
Smash Mouth is known for its chameleon music vibe from 1990s grunge of “Stoned” to the speed metal of “Let’s Rock” and “Heave-Ho,” the melodic balladry of “Waste,” acoustic ska drama of “Pedrino,” the pure pop of “Walkin’ on the Sun” or rap ’n’ rock song sensation “All Star” which has now taken on a life of its own, featured in movie comedy movie from “Mystery Men” to “Shrek.”
They also had a hit with their cover of Neil Diamond’s “I’m A Believer,” also featured in “Shrek.” In return for the favour of generating song-royalties, Diamond wrote “You Are No. 1” for the band. The track also featured DeLisle’s two-tone music hero/pal Ranking Roger from The English Beat and General Public.
That remains a career highlight. But it would not have happened without “All Star.”
“I remember when Greg made the first demo of “All Star.” I went to this bar that we hang out at and we are playing pool. He comes running up to me and he says, ‘Come out to my truck right now.’ He was playing “All Star” and “Then the Morning Comes” which was also a huge hit for us. But “All Star” seems to have this generational thing going for it.”
Smash Mouth albums have achieved multiplatinum status.
That began with their 1997 debut
album “Fush Yu Mang” based on a slurred line from Al Pacino in “Scarface.” “FYM” also featured hit single “Walkin’ on The Sun.” Sophomore album “Astro Lounge” with hits “All Star,” “Then the Morning Comes,” and ? and The Mysterians cover, “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” catapulted Smash Mouth to instant stardom.
In 2017, the band released an acoustically treated version of “FYM” to mark their 20th anniversary.
The band is also known for their signature cover songs including War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”; Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”; The Beatles’ “Getting Better” “(for “Cat in the Hat”) and “I Wanna Be Like You” from “The Jungle Book” and Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.”
“We have our rule for covers,” notes DeLisle. “There are times where we have been asked to do them for movies. One: You cannot make it sound exactly like the original. Two: You have to make it better or different. You have to put your own stamp on it. That is what we mean by “Smash Mouthing it.”
Two decades on, DeLisle still can’t believe his luck.
“We had this record that did not have a deal and then Interscope (Records) picked it up. Three weeks later we had a big hit with “Walkin’ on the Sun.”
“My life just changed for the better overnight,” says DeLisle. “It was so exciting, such an adventure. I was such a huge rock and roll fan. I appreciated it and really felt very grateful. We felt like we won the lottery which in a way we kind of did.
“I could not believe it. I had been trying my whole life. I was so used to all of my bands failing. I was sort of just predisposed to that. All of a sudden we had this big hit so that was incredibly exciting.
“We almost sort of span a couple of generations obviously because of the “Shrek” movie. Our music is clean, the songs are timeless, and the songwriting is pure. These are also the kind of songs that tend to age well. We are a complete good time party show from start to finish.”