Fischer's interviews Columbus, Ohio The beat Thursday, January 27, 2005 Jim Fischer Alter Bridge is a new band, but it isn't. The chiming introductions, power chords and pulverizing riffs are familiar, not to mention the crushing, syncopated rhythm section. Fans of Creed bought millions of copies of three records filled with such musical ingredients. But in 2003, that band called it quits. Shortly thereafter, though, guitarist/songwriter Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips reunited with bassist Brian Marshall (who'd left Creed a couple years earlier) and found themselves looking for a singer to replace Scott Stapp, whom Phillips, in a phone interview with The Beat, called "moody" after searching his mind a minute for a description both apt and unoffensive. They didn't have to search for long before settling on former Mayfield Four singer Myles Kennedy. "Scott has a ton of natural talent, but his musical background was somewhat limited," Phillips said. "Myles is an extremely creative guy. He's a singer/guitarist/songwriter. He brings a different creative force to writing." Whether it was this creative force, a desire to separate themselves from Stapp or something else, the guys never considered using the Creed name. Alter Bridge does not -- and, Phillips expects, will not -- play Creed music in concert. "It was definitely a conscious decision to say 'We're a new band,'" Phillips explained. "It wouldn't be fair for our fans to go out as Creed; it wouldn't be fair to Scott, who sang and was part of writing those songs; it wouldn't be fair to Myles. "We want people to come see Alter Bridge because they enjoy what we're doing now." Early returns suggest they do. Both singles from the band's CD Open Your Eyes and Finding the Real, have appeared on Billboard magazine charts, as has the CD itself, One Day Remains. And the band's first tour is finding receptive audiences in clubs around the country, which isn't as tough as you might think for three guys whose last band was used to playing packed arenas and amphitheaters. "We're excited about playing places we played when Creed started," Phillips said. "We feel like we have something to prove. And it's easier to connect with fans and reconnect with old fans in a club or theatre." At the same time, Phillips acknowledged, "We want this to grow, but we don't want to get back to (playing) arenas just by using songs from our old band." Ultimately, that's what Alter Bridge is about. Comparisons with Creed will always be there -- similar personnel, similar-sounding songs -- but the quartet is firm in its commitment to forge a new identity.