Hit Parader (March) Alter Bridge Finding Their Way by Eric Nash It hasn't taken Alter Bridge long to claim their rightful place at the top of the rock and roll standings. Virtually from the instant their debut disc: One Day Remains emerged as a chart-topping mega-hit, this high-profile ensemble consisting of guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips, bassist Brian Marshall and vocalist Myles Kennedy has been basking in their quick ascension up the rock ladder. But, quite honestly, little of this recognition should be much of a suprise to the four musicians involved...or to their fast-growing following. With Tremonti, Phillips and Marshall sharing a musical root in the multi-platinum band Creed, there was already a large and focused fan-base from which to draw, and with Alter Bridge's sound expanding upon the Creed musical precedent (as well it should, since Tremonti wrote virtually all of that band's material) super-sized success was a near guarantee from Day One. Just don't try to convince Alter Bridge's members of that. "We didn't take anything for granted," Tremonti said. "Just because Creed was successful, we realized that didn't mean anything for Alter Bridge. Lightning struck us once, we weren't sure if it would happen again. We're just so happy to be in a band where everyone gets along and the focus is just on making great music." Hmmm....kinda sounds like Tremonti was taking a rather apparent swipe at former creed bandmate/vocalist Scott Stapp. And while no one within the Alter Bridge camp has yet to reveal the entire reason that their former band-- one that sold a combined total of 20 million copies of their first three albums-- broke asunder at the peak of their career, it seems that most fingers (at least on the Alter Bridge side of the equation) point squarely at Stapp. When confronted directly about the breakup, Tremonti was surprinsingly diplomatic, perhaps due to the fact that over a year has now passed since Creed's demise. "It's hard to say exactly what caused the breakup ," the guitarist said. "Even now as I look back on it, I think it was just a case of spending too much time together and just getting on each other's nerves. A band is like a marriage--a four-way marriage--and things can just fall apart. There was a lot of arguing, but that's the way it goes. I'm not going to speculate that Alter Bridge is ever going to be as commercially successful as Creed. That was truly a phenomenon. But I do feel confident that our music is every bit as good--if not a bit better." To no one's surprise, the media has had a recent field day drawing comparisons between the music featured on One Day Remains and the material that rocketed Creed to the top. While Tremonti admits that he didn't radically change his writing approach with his new band, he does quickly add that he was able to try things in Alter Bridge that may have been vetoed in Creed. But with the tempestuous Stapp out of the picture, the guitarist has felt free to explore more daring musical patterns and present more challenging instrumental outbursts. "The comparisons between the two bands are not only expected, they're welcome," Tremonti said. "Creed will always be a big part of who I am as a musician, and I have no desire to cast that aside. The goal with Alter Bridge was to draw upon what we knew best and begin to transform it into something new. Obviously, in Creed Scott played a major role. I'd come up with song structures and then turn those over to him for some more work and for the lyrics. Thus, the finished product reflected a lot of his beliefs and his personality. This time, I've been able to reflect more of my own musical philosophies--with Myles adding a great deal with his words and vocals." Indeed the emergence of former Mayfield Four frontman Kennedy (a band that opened for Creed seven years ago!) has helped pave the way for Alter Bridge's desired artistic evolution. Bringing in a style and sound all his own. Kennedy's strident vocal power has allowed even the band's most Creed-like material--especially their debut single, Open Your Eyes--to take on a life all its own. For his part, the unassuming vocalist realizes that Alter Bridge respresents his chance-of-a -lifetime, and he's prepared to do everything in his power to help lead his contingent to the rock and roll promised land. "As soon as I hung up the phone with Mark after our first conversation, I sensed this was an incredible opportunity for me," Kennedy said. "To be honest, I was shocked when he first contacted me. I was in a band that had opened for Creed seven years ago, and we really hadn't stayed in touch over the years. It's strange how some things just stick with people--and I'm certainly glad that they do! I was surprised that Mark even remembered me. When his call came, I was in Seattle, working on a solo album, but there was no second-guessing. As soon as I heard the music that these guys were working on, I knew this was a band I wanted to join." "Having Myles join us opened so many doors for me as a writer," Tremonti said. "His talent transcends any style; it was also very liberating. As soon as I began to realize that Creed was coming to an end back in 2003, I started to think about the kind of person I wanted to work with, both in terms of talent and approach. Myles just fit the bill in all accounts. It was a benefit for us that the record label kept Creed's breakup totally quiet for about six months. It allowed us to find someone like myles and get him into the mix so that Alter Bridge could hit the ground running." Running, indeed! With One Day Remains fast-approaching the platinum sales level, it seems clear that these guys have wasted little time in revving their careers back into high gear. But instead of instantly returning to the giant arenas that Creed called home for much of their lives, Alter Bridge have chosen --at least for the time being--to go a radically different route. They've hit the club circuit where they're been performing in front of packed houses of only a thousand people. While Tremonti knows that even now the band could probably fill halls four or five times that size, he's more than happy to follow a slow, steady path to success. "I think we're doing this the right way," he said. "We don't want to shove this down anyone's throat, or assume that everyone is going to jump immediately on board. We can really follow our hearts and do what we want musically. What I'm feeling is kind of strange--It's almost a combined level of excitement and fear about starting over. This band won't go out on stage and play Creed songs because to our way of thinking that wouldn't be fair to the fans. Hopefully, they'll grow to love this band as much as they loved Creed." (They give the cd a 4 star rating on another page)