Alter Bridge Try To Move Beyond The Curse Of Creed Monday August 30, 2004 @ 05:30 PM By: ChartAttack.com Staff Whatever you do, don’t call them Creed Part II. Three-quarters of Alter Bridge may have once been members in a certain radio-rock-friendly band with a rather unstable lead singer, but they’re now determined to put their infamous past behind them with their debut album, One Day Remains. In fact, Alter Bridge aren't even going to play any Creed (or Mayfield Four, vocalist Myles Kennedy’s former band) songs at their concerts, so forget about hollering that request for "Higher." "We’re absolutely not going to play songs from either band," guitarist Mark Tremonti says firmly. Drummer Scott Phillips adds, "We want this to be a new band and we want people to appreciate it for what it is. We want them to come to see our show and the songs we wrote, instead of Creed or Mayfield Four. It’s not fair to anyone for us to do the old bands’ songs." As with any new venture by a formerly famous band, the real test comes when fans of the old band come to judge the new material. In Alter Bridge's case, the new venture already seems to be a success. "So far, most of the fans have embraced it," says Tremonti while Phillips nods in agreement. "On the Internet, we have people who were some of the biggest diehard Creed fans in the world saying that Creed breaking up was a godsend and this band is so much better in their eyes." At this point, the band dissolves into a discussion about which professions they’d be in if they weren’t in Alter Bridge and soon the entire room is laughing and bantering back and forth. While Kennedy waxes poetic on his ambitions to tour with a sock puppet show ("I’d open for Spinal Tap and I’d want you to come review it"), Tremonti says he’d be "a miserable, guitar-playing accountant." Bassist Brian Marshall says he'd be working in architecture. Phillips grins wickedly and says, "I’d probably still be working in the mall, selling knives and razors in Tallahassee." "He was the worst store manager I’d ever seen," Marshall adds. "Boxes and stuff all over the place. And I have to share a hotel room with this guy!" Phillips looks thoughtful. "Actually, I’d probably be a professional thief. Because by then I’d have been working in the mall for so long that I’d be psychotic and suicidal." Guess we can all be thankful he decided to take up the less violent pursuit of drumming. —Caitlin Hotchkiss