Paul Doucette

Paul Doucette
Birth name	Paul John Doucette
Born	(1972-08-22) August 22, 1972 North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Genres	Alternative rock, pop rock
Instruments	Guitar, drums, percussion, piano, vocals
Associated acts	Matchbox Twenty, The Break and Repair Method, Tabitha's Secret

Paul John Doucette (born August 22, 1972) is an American musician best known for being the rhythm guitarist, drummer and backing vocalist of the band Matchbox Twenty. Doucette is also the frontman of his own band The Break and Repair Method.

Early life

A native of North Huntington, Pennsylvania, a suburb 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Doucette graduated from Norwin High School in June 1990.

Career

Matchbox Twenty

Main article: Matchbox Twenty

After moving to Orlando, Doucette met Rob Thomas and Brian Yale and became part of the band Tabitha's Secret. The trio went on to form what would become Matchbox Twenty, which he is credited with naming. For their first three albums, Doucette was the band's drummer as well as claiming songwriting credit on "Could I Be You" from More Than You Think You Are and co-writing credit on a number of other songs.

With the departure of rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor during Matchbox Twenty's first hiatus, Doucette took on rhythm guitar duties with The Break and Repair Method drummer Ryan MacMillan taking over on the drums for the compilation album Exile on Mainstream. Prior to this, Doucette had been primarily playing guitar and piano with his solo project The Break and Repair Method and believed it would be beneficial to keep a member of the band's original lineup at the front of the stage. Whilst touring, Doucette plays rhythm guitar on stage (as well as occasionally playing the drums) while most drum parts are played by a touring drummer, with the current being Stacy Jones. Gaynor's departure from the band also allowed Doucette to contribute with backing vocals on the band's studio recordings. Doucette returned as the band's drummer for their fourth studio album North as well as remaining on rhythm guitar duties.

Doucette has also co-designed the light shows of Matchbox Twenty's previous tours. For the promotional tour of their fourth studio album North, Doucette has taken a backseat role in production.

Solo career

After the release and supporting tour of Matchbox Twenty's third studio album More Than You Think You Are, the band went on a hiatus to allow members to pursue individual projects. Doucette began film composing in 2004 when he composed the score for the Nickelodeon film Shredderman Rules, featuring the song 'Better Days'. Doucette continued to compose film scores and won the 2005 Rhode Island Film Festival award for Best Score for the film Just Pray.

Whilst away from Matchbox Twenty, Doucette continued to write and create music. Doucette wrote and released a solo album under the moniker The Break and Repair Method titled "Milk the Bee". The album displayed Doucette away from the drums on guitar, piano and lead vocals and featured a string of featured artists including guitarist Rusty Anderson and Matchbox Twenty touring members Matt Beck and Ryan MacMillan. The band toured a number of small venues with American singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson. After a series of dead ends when seeking a record label, "Milk the Bee" was released in 2009 during Matchbox Twenty's second hiatus. In 2009, Doucette was awarded with BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year.

Personal life

Doucette was previously married to Moon Unit Zappa, daughter of American musician Frank Zappa. They have one daughter, Mathilda Plum, who was born on December 21, 2004. It was announced in January 2012 that Doucette and Zappa would be seeking a divorce.

Doucette currently resides in California.

External links

• Official Matchbox Twenty website
• The Break And Repair Method MySpace