Q&A with Brian Marshall of Alter Bridge Wednesday, February 16, 2005 Maybe this band won't get sued for being lousy By Jason Wilson 981-3341 Inside Out www.roanoke.com/ entertainment/insideout/music/18656.html After butting heads with vocalist Scott Stapp one too many times, bassist Brian Marshall quit Creed in 2001. To help him deal with the emotional damage the acrimonious breakup caused him, he built his own recording studio and formed not one, but two bands - Grand Luxx and Head Heavy. After the release of 2001's lackluster swan song "Weathered," Creed disintegrated. Before long, Marshall received a phone call from his ex-band mate, guitarist Mark Tremonti, who had continued to play with Creed drummer Scott Phillips, asking if he'd be interested in starting over. He was, with that call prompting the three - with the addition of ex-Mayfield Four vocalist Myles Kennedy - to form Alter Bridge. Marshall spoke with us after a sound check for Friday's performance at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston, in support of the band's debut record, "One Day Remains." (And if you want to hear them live, you're too late - the band's Saturday night concert at Cattle Annie's in Lynchburg has sold out.) Q: Creed was a band that people unconditionally loved or absolutely hated. With a band that big, a backlash was inevitable. Do Alter Bridge fans love y'all but can't stand Creed because of Scott Stapp? Brian Marshall: We're hearing that a lot. He burned a lot of bridges, pun not intended! They liked the music but he left a bad taste in their mouths. He agitated a lot of people; they could see right through him. We love talking to our fans, and the clear message is they like everything now. We all do. Q: What's the major difference between then and today? A: This is how I wish Creed turned out. Getting back together after all the crap we went through has been great. After Creed, Mark and Scott clung together very tightly, and when they called and wanted to jam, it made me very happy. There's true friendship here, and where before there were always compromises made, that's gone now. To reach the success of Creed with Alter Bridge would be awesome. We're out to win our fans back one at a time. Q: How is the tour going? A: It's going good. We've been going steady since August. We've been to Europe twice and heading over again in March. Tonight we're in Boston. The shows are getting close to sold out. Starting out as a new band, we didn't want to ride the coattails of Creed. We're obviously proud of our past, but we're just as happy to get back to our roots. Q: What's the worst aspect of being on the road? A: The traveling: the airports; getting up at all hours. I don't mind being in point A or B, it's just getting there (laughs). And with the band, crew and wives on it, there's like 18 people on the bus. It gets hard to sleep. Q: Lastly, what's the most embarrassing "rock star" thing you've ever done? A: That's a tough one. Hmm ... (thinks for a moment, then laughs). That'll have to remain top-secret information!