The real Doobies doing that thing they do

Kirk Baird

Friday, May 25, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.

What: Doobie Brothers.

When: 8 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Sunset Station's amphitheater

Cost: $25, $40, $55.

Information: (888) 464-2468.

When it comes to the Doobie Brothers, accept no substitute -- literally.

Led by the group's one-time manager, former members of the classic '70s pop-rock/boogie band recently joined forces and toured the small club circuit as the Former Doobie Brothers, among other names.

And while the title is technically true, the fact that the real Doobie Brothers were on tour at the same time made it confusing for many.

"Our fans would go watch this (imposter) band and wonder what the hell's going on," said Tom Johnston, guitarist, singer and original member of the Doobie Brothers, in a recent phone interview from a hotel room in Chicago.

The Doobie Brothers perform Sunday night at Sunset Station's amphitheater.

"Here we are out working, and then to have this go on detracts from what you're trying to do. It caused some upheaval. Not in the band itself, not with us, but everybody was really upset about it."

Eventually the real Doobies, which consists almost entirely of members from the group's early '70s lineup, including guitarists Pat Simmons, Keith Knudsen and Johnston, and percussionists John McFee and Mike Hossack, took the Former Doobie Brothers and its promoter to court and won an injunction against them.

This effectively ended the days of the faux Doobie Brothers and allowed the real Doobie Brothers to concentrate on other matters, which at the moment consists of touring in support of its latest album, "Sibling Rivalry."

The disc marks a bit of departure from the band's early work, when electric guitar-driven hits such as "Jesus is Just Alright," "Black Water," "China Grove" and "Listen to the Music" dominated album-oriented rock radio stations nationwide.

These days, however, the band's new sound is less rock and more -- can it be? -- adult contemporary, with several ballads appearing on the album.

Throw in some social commentary -- a writing style the band's not known for, Johnston says -- and in many ways this is as radical a departure for the Doobies as when singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald joined the fold in 1976, bringing with him a pop-jazz sensibility for his four-album tenure with the group.

Johnston is understandably proud of "Rivalry," which the band produced itself -- a first. When it came time to release the record, the Doobie Brothers turned to an independent label -- Pyramid Records -- for distribution, a decision that Johnston seems to regret.

Although he said he doesn't miss "getting lost in the backlog of tons of artists" that larger record companies have, he wishes the band was with a label that was better able to financially support the album.

"It really is all about money. You can say what you want, you can do what you want, if you've got a record company willing to spend the dough," he said. "Anybody, and I mean anybody can be played on the radio if you've got a record company that's willing to dump the money."

That's not to suggest that money is the only reason the band's not burning up the radio charts. Johnston, 52, said the music industry today is more "youth-oriented," which doesn't bode well for the band, considering every member is over 50.

"But," he pointed out, "there's got to be a place where music, as long as it's good and as long as it's viable, should get played, besides just classic rock (stations).

Isn't the Doobie Brothers a "classic rock band," though?

"We don't think of ourselves as a '70s band," Johnston said, "because it's now 2001, and we're doing it just as hard now as then. We have a new record out, so to me it's ongoing."

Still, he said, he is OK with the classic rock tag even though others in the band may not be comfortable with that label.

"I understand why that happens; we still play songs from that era," he said. "That's just the way it is."

For a band that's been around 30 years, it might seem time to be winding down. Johnston, however, said the band is having too much fun to call it a career, and is looking to record another album soon. Meanwhile the band will continue touring.

"We love to play live. That's the thing the band has always been about," he said.

Of course, cynics might say at this point the band is simply around to cash in on its reputation. Oddly, it's a notion Johnston didn't totally deny.

"It's what we do, it's how we make a living," he said. "So in a sense you say, 'Yes, it's for the money.' But people are still working for the money no matter where they're working."

Especially, it seems, when it comes to substitute bands.