VOX: Let's start at the beginning, which always seems like a good place to begin. How did you guys come together?

Chris Henderson: Me and Todd, we always played together, it seems like. Even when we were 13 or 14, we would kick stuff around, usually at one or our houses. It just kept going from there - we ended up playing parties, stuff like that. Brad and Matt we hooked up with a few years later.

VOX: What is the music scene like in Escatawpa [Mississippi] for a band starting out?

CH: It's non-existent. The only rock and roll bands there are cover bands or the casino bands that play in Biloxi. There are 7 or 8 that make a living playing the casino scene. For the most part, though, it's not good, especially if you want to play our own tunes.

VOX: What do you think of the current music scene? Where do you guys get the best vibes?

CH: Toronto is great, and San Francisco is really cool. The vibe in New York City is amazing - it's unlike any other place. LA is interesting, but it's a little too fast -paced for me. You have to ride the bus to get anywhere in LA. I like to be able to walk all over or take the subway. You can't do much of that in LA.

VOX: What's behind the title of the record, "The Better Life"?

CH: It's what we're looking for. It's really what everybody is looking for. I mean, you know, we want the record to do well, make a little money and achieve a little success. It's not what we're all about - the music is the most important thing, but we want to be in a situation where we can just make music and not have to worry about how we're going to make ends meet. We're looking for the better life, just like everybody else.

VOX: Kryptonite has been a huge hit. What's the song about?

CH: A father figure…someone that somebody looks up to, and their asking the question, you know, "You look up to me, what if I slip up?" What if that person does something bad and damages that image? Kryptonite is the bad thing. And if you do that bad thing, will that person still look at you in the same light? It's a tough question, from both angles.

VOX: Are you into the Internet? Do you see it as an important medium for the band?

CH: Absolutely - you can get in touch with fans right there, immediately and find out what they're thinking. We do read the e-mails, when we can, and we try to respond. Obviously, we're too busy to respond to all of them, but we try. We want the fans to know that we appreciate their support.

VOX: What should fans expect from a 3 Doors Down live show?

CH: Expect more than what you expected. We want to give people their money's worth and get wild for them. There are so many shows that come through every town - we want ours to be memorable to them. You get a lot of energy.

VOX: Now you have a touring drummer - what made you decide to get [singer] Brad [Arnold] out from behind the drums and just sing?