All-nighters pay off for Puddle of Mudd songwriter

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - It's 5 a.m., and while most of his neighbors in Los Angeles sleep, Puddle of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin is lounging on his couch with an acoustic guitar, a six-pack of beer and a small recording device to capture new song ideas for his rock band.

His early-bird method of songwriting has proved a success on radio. Since Puddle of Mudd's 2001 debut album, "Come Clean," the group has had five No. 1 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, tied for second most this decade with 3 Doors Down, Godsmack and Linkin Park.

But some of those hits have come at the expense of a concerned wife, who often comes down the stairs at about 4:30 a.m. to ask Scantlin, "When are you coming to bed? Are you ever coming to bed -- ever?" he recalls with a laugh.

But Scantlin knows how to make the best of the situation. On Puddle of Mudd's fourth studio set, "Volume 4: Songs in the Key of Love & Hate," due December 8 on Flawless/Geffen, the musician used his wife's complaints as inspiration for the song "Pitchin' a Fit."

"She's my little muse," he says, noting that new track "Keep It Together" is another love song written for her. "I get a song out of any mood that my wife is in."

In contrast, the first single from "Volume 4" -- the follow-up to 2007's "Famous," which has sold 363,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- is the sexually charged rocker "Spaceship." The track is No. 11 on Mainstream Rock, No. 11 on Active Rock, No. 15 on Heritage Rock and No. 33 on Alternative. "Spaceship" premiered on AOL Music's Noisecreep blog in mid-October and has sold 10,000 downloads, according to SoundScan.

The band embarks on a North American tour of small arenas in January and February.

Meanwhile, Scantlin says he's already busy working on the group's next album.

He collaborated with his bandmates -- including guitarist Paul Phillips, who rejoined the band in February after leaving in 2005 -- for several songs on "Volume 4." And he's willing to do it again for future material -- if, of course, they can stay up past their bedtime.

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)