The Goo Goo Dolls plan to begin recording the follow-up to 2002's Gutterflower in the spring in hopes of releasing the record next fall. "We were out on tour for so long it was just ridiculous," says frontman Johnny Rzeznik of the schedule. "We just need a little break."

Rzeznik spent the past two months building his own studio in Los Angeles, and he is now producing the new album from Toronto singer-songwriter Andy Stochansky, formerly Ani DiFranco's drummer.

"You get to take more time with artists that you love," Rzeznik says of having his own studio. "You can actually put the time and the effort into it, and get an amazing sounding product out of it."

Rzeznik approached Stochansky after he heard his new demos. "I just feel a lot from his songs," Rzeznik says. "He makes me feel like, 'God, why didn't I write that?' . . . I said to him, 'They're great songs. We just need to tighten up the bolts and polish them a little bit.'"

"I flew down to hang out with him and the two of us re-arranged and talked about production and jammed and just hung out," the multi-instrumentalist Stochansky says. "He has a great knack for pop."

Rzeznik also plays guitar and sings back-up on the record, which also features Goo Goo Dolls drummer Mike Malinin. The album is due out in the spring on Arista Records.

Rzeznik's first outside production was with young Texas singer-songwriter Ryan Cabrera, whose Atlantic debut is due in March. "He's in a vein of Jason Mraz," says Rzeznik. "This studio is a direct reaction to Ryan's record, because I did that at my house . . . and my neighbors all hate me."

KAREN BLISS
(November 25, 2003)