November 6, 2025 • 18 mins
Guitar great Mark Tremonti is back on the show this week to discuss all things Alter Brdige. Yes a little Creed and Tremonti talk as well, but we can't sleep on the fact that the band Alter Bridge just put out on the heaviest and most heavy metal things at rock radio in years. Their new album will be self-titled and it hits January 9th. I'll ask about new Creed music as well.
Mark's daughter Stella has become an inspiration for many and we'll get into some details about his fight to help Down Syndrome, and how important it is.
Mark's daughter Stella has become an inspiration for many and we'll get into some details about his fight to help Down Syndrome, and how important it is.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My Attention plays and No Cutters Rock cat.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Man. Good. Look at the official hair you got going on,
kind of like this look for Mark Tremonti.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Hey, you know, I get to go home and not
shave and it turns into something lip.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I just wait, because all of a sudden you're going
to start having you know, you start having one of
these going.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I know, Well it's uh, I've had I've had the
little goatee for a while.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I just never did the mustache and then.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh, yeah, you know I like it. It's it's like
it's like Mark Tremonti's evil twin brother.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Somebody somebody has said it looks like I need to
be holding a sword.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, I get like a cane, like you have to
have a cane, and then the sword comes out of
the cane and the cane has like a snakehead or
a skull head or something, right, you know, like real
badass stuff, Mark Tremonti. I should actually say the many
faces of Mark Tremonti, not just because of the cool
new mustache you have, but because of all the different bands,
all the different music projects, all the different things that
(01:07):
you do as a whole. Mark Tremonti joining us this
week for the Cutting News Countdown and Cutters Broadcast. It's
so good to see you, my friend. Either. The last
time that you and I talked, it was like, Hey,
Creed's doing this reunion and also there's a Tremante record.
Now it's like, hey, we're past this Creed reunion that's
still a thing, and now I have this alter Bridge record.
Oh but the Tremante record was only a few months ago. Really,
(01:28):
you always have so much going on musically. It's amazing
to me.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Well, I love it and I've been given the opportunity
to do what I love. So I'm gonna make the
most of it.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Absolutely as well. You should, and why not. You're a
hell of a musician. Mark. I don't think that's I
don't think an that's I don't think that's news to anybody.
Talk to me about alter Bridge. You guys are coming back.
You just released a song, of course, called Silent Divide
and a new album. Is it self titled or is
it just called a B?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Which one it's self titled? Well, you know you call
it a B. You know, Well we did AB three
now we just have a B.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
There you go, Why not.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So yeah, you know, we you know, when you have
eight records, people are gonna lose track with with the
names of the records.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
So you have to have this reset at the album eight.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
So people don't forget what the hell these albums are
called anymore?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Is that the specific that's the number? Album eight? Is
this really Alter Bridge's eighth album?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
It is? Wow, it is.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
You know, Metallica did it on their sixth records, so
figured we're just a little bit behind the Metallica guys,
and do it on our eighth.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I don't mean to correct you, but as a Metallica
NERD is the fifth record, that's a fine.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Well, you gotta you gotta including garage days.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You're including garage days. Okay, that's that's gonna happen. See
you have to.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's one of my favorite that's one of my favorite.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Days re revisited. I had that on cassette tape. I
bought it at a little It was called The Excuse
of Company. I don't know if you remember that place
in Wisconsin when it existed, but in Madison on State Street.
I was there at like fifteen years old for some
stupid reason, probably with somebody my parents didn't know was there,
and I bought that cassette tape. They had it randomly
sitting there and this was I don't know, eight years
(03:06):
after it was out, so and man, I listened to
that so much. And then I got a Mercury Links
and I had a cassette player in it, and I
just would play that all the time.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, I remember when it came out.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I bought it a day it came out, and it
it was some super cheap, cheap, cheap thing, you know,
because it was all you know, it seems sounded like
it was covers, and it sounded like the production was
much more stripped down, so I think they charged. It's
hard to say. Nowadays, it would be like nine ninety
nine would be the deal. Back then, it was probably
(03:36):
four ninety nine, I.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Think it was. Yeah, when it did, say like the
five ninety eight EP Garage Days re revisited, I feel
like that's the right number. Maybe I'm like.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Something like that, something super super cheap. I actually had
the VHS tape too. No, there you go, cli Well, Cliff,
that was Cliff. That was Cliff the mall, Cliff the Mall.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
See, now you're like the cool friend I had in
high school, had that who had that VHS nice? Very
nice speaking of it. This was my first taste of
you when I lived there and I was going to
school there. I got I was very lucky enough. We
had a teacher who was working for one of the
local radio stations, JJO and I'll give them a shout
out A long time obviously great rock radio station in
(04:15):
the United States. Gave us tickets to go see Creed
at the Aligned Energy Center with I think it was
STP and seven Dust opening if I'm remembering this correctly.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Well my memory shot there's there were so many shows
back then. Seven Dust did a lot of shows with us.
I can't remember doing any shows with STP back then.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Maybe it wasn't STP. I might be thinking of a
different show, but I was for sure seven Dust in
Creed either way. Part of the reason I bring that
up because I walking down memory lane, is that the
the family, so to speak, right, joke around about all
the bands that you have, but there is a kind
of nucleus of people that work within your sort of circle, right,
(05:01):
whether it's Creed, whether it's Alter Bridge, that circle also contains,
you know, guys in Mammoth, Guys and seven Dust and
like the list goes on, whether it's management, whether it's
people playing in the background and so on. It's it's
pretty cool to see that Nicholas stick together so often.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, we have a we have a big circle of friends.
It's uh, like you said, we also have we have
all the people's side projects like Projected and then Clint
Lowry's side project, and like you said, Stepping Dust and
Mammoth and Creed and alter Bridge and Tremani and Miles
Kennedy and then Slashing the Conspirators. Yeah, it's all it's
(05:39):
all one big circle of friends. And we we all
tour together so much and see each other so much.
We're we're definitely family, you know, we get a we're
a big, big musical family.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And it's so much great music all within it. So
much great music. Thank you so alter Bridge coming back
together and one of the greatest I think quickly little
promo VIDs I've ever seen in my life of you
three obviously getting off the road with Creed calling Miles
and he's just working at a gas station. I'm like, dude,
come on, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
That was that was?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
That was Miles and tim our manager's idea. It was,
you know, they wanted to play the game where he
was when Creed was touring, he had no job, and
he was sitting there just loving the memories that he
had back on tour with alter Bridge.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And then when he finally gets to call, he's like,
yes to get out there. So hopefully that hopefully that
you know, we can keep that, uh that gag going.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And now the it's funny because obviously Miles had a
fantastic solo album there in the middle of that too.
Yeah that we you know, we were able to feature
on this show. But uh so ab self titled however
you want to do it. The new alter Bridge record
do out in January and the song Silent Divide give
you give me your take on this record just kind
of now that it's finished and people know about it.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, it's uh, you know, we we self titled it
because we think it's kind of it captures everything we've
done to this. Ay, we're not we weren't trying to
veer off in some new experimental direction. This is kind
of the core of what alter Bridge is and we
got to record it at the sacred ground of fifty
one to fifty studios out in Los Angeles, and so
(07:19):
it was a very important record to us. It was
very important for us to make sure this record was
solid because we're given the opportunity to play and record
this record there and it was, you know, a very
special record to it, something we'll never forget. So, you know,
when it comes out and we listen to the record,
just imagine these songs. Listen to them and put those
(07:41):
walls around you that you're sitting where Van Halen recorded,
you know, nineteen eighty four and all, you know, all
these big, humongous albums, you know, and imagine sitting there
when you're putting these songs together and you look and
you see the fifty one fifty necklace from the album,
you know, hanging.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know, it's.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
It made you man up when you're in that setting,
you know, you feel like you're not worthy. At the
same time, you're like, we must have done something right
to be able to get allowed in this room.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So let's let's let's let's man up and do the
make the best of the situation.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's like the guitar plane automatically has to go to
another level when you're in a place like that. I
can only imagine.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, you're like, don't make a mistake. This is this
is this is hollowed ground here exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Speaking of the guitar plane between you know what lies
beneath and silent divide to the new songs that are out,
guitar playing is on point man, between you and Miles,
like and I think that's something that maybe we forget
from time to time. It's just how good of a
guitar player he is as well. But you two together
really have seemed like you've geled something special.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, you know, me and Miles, you know what, I've
got tons of guitar buddies that I'm like, hey, let's
sit down this jam, let's show me this lick s
I'll show you this kind of a thing. And with Miles,
we don't do that, I think, almost on purpose because
I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
I don't want to play like Miles. I don't want
him playing like me.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I want to I want us to stay in our
own space because we feel each other out. I'm more
of the metal, bassed, chunky kind of player, and he's
more of the bluesy, jazzy, ethereal effect. You know, if
there's effects going on. He's the guy that does all
the effects. I'm the guy that does the straight ahead playing.
(09:24):
But you know, and it's kind of the same way
in the Tremaney band with me and Eric Friedman. He's
more of the bluesier.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Guy and I'm more of the metal guy.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
And I think it's good to have. It's good to
be in a band with somebody that doesn't just sound
like you. You know, and Miles is the fabulous And
Miles is an incredible guitar player. He's some of the
best vibrato I've ever heard is Miles vibrato, and he loves.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Funny thing is is Miles loves.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
To play lead guitar, and I love to sing lead
vocals because it's uh when you you know, when you
have a three decade long career and you're judged for
your guitar playing, it's like you want to just let
your guard down and sing because nobody's judging me for
my singing.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I can just sing and have fun with it.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I feel way less pressure singing than I do playing guitar.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Miles is the opposite. So when Miles is doing guitar solos, he's.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Like, I'm the lead singer getting to play guitar and
he'll just have no and that makes you better, you know,
at those when you're doing that, when you have no
pressure and you're just having fun with it, makes you
better than I think.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Pressure is probably one of the worst things for you
as a performer.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
So when it comes to vocal melody, specifically with an
altar bridge then with you two, is that something you
guys also kind of go back and forth on or
is it really just him as the lead singer of
that band.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
No, Vocal melodies are my favorite thing to write. Okay,
I was a kid. I love I love writing vocal melodies.
So it's me and Miles kind of split that duty
down the middle, you know, Me and Will. We'll create
demos that we put into a dropbox file these days.
We didn't have drop back back in the day, but
now we'll. I think on this record, we both put
(11:04):
in about eight songs and yeah, you know, we pick
which ones are going to go on the record, and
I think I think we put twelve on this this record,
so we you know, we're very uh you know, I'll
be like, all right, Miles, if you had to cut
one of yours, what's it going to be, and then
I'll cut one of mine, you know, so we're not
saying Miles you should cut one, you should cut this
(11:25):
song you wrote, Miles. So we cut our own songs
and get down to the twelve tracks, and.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
You know, it's kind of self governing almost.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah. You know that's why we've been in a band
for over twenty years. We're nice to one another.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
It's pretty incredible, right alter Bridge a band for twenty years,
create the bands for thirty years, with a little break
in the middle, obviously, but still either way. How many
records is this now for Tremonti because you guys had
a great record out at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, well we you know, between me and Miles, we
have forty records.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Record see what I'm so?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
That's nuts, man.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yeah, so we we we've each done twenty albums. So
I think I think this new record might be the
twentieth record for both of us.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Okay, wow, it's a cool milestone to hit and together.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Yeah, you know what I thought when I when I
when as a kid, uh trying to you know, dreaming
about having a record deal. I thought, you know, if
you got a record deal, and you did four albums,
that's like a that's like a full career because at
that point, oh yeah, my favorite bands had four records.
I think that was when Metallica had four records and
Megadeth had around the same and Anthrax had about the
same and Testament and I'm like, all right, all my
(12:36):
favorite bands. Uh, if you can get through four records,
that's a huge career. And then you realize four records
goes by like that when you're when you're in it,
you know, all.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Right, Yeah, if you're releasing an album every two years,
three even, yeah, that's still less than a decade.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, alter Bridge ab or Celtana will be out on
January ninth. It's a long time to wait, but I
can't wait to hear the rest of it. Silent Divide
the Courses out now. That is the current single from
alter Bridge. I know you're constantly writing and you're constantly
doing things, and I know this has been the question.
So I'm just gonna ask you while you're hearing you.
With all the success that you had this summer with
(13:12):
the other band, is there is that a thing that's
going to continue with potentially more touring and maybe even
a new song or two or ten.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, you know, when we did all this touring, we
were so busy that there was no way for us
to really put stuff new music together, and the tour
was already on sale, so to jump off tour to
record an album.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Would have been wouldn't have been the right move.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
But now that we have all the time going forward,
I think promoters and agents and managers are all like,
all right, you got to have something a driver for
the next tour.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
You can't just go out and do the same thing.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So there's either got to be some incredible package you
put together or new music. So I've been working real
hard on trying to put together new ideas so I
can get together with Scott and Okay and start start working.
You know, But it's it would it would probably have
to be you know, the middle of the next next year
(14:07):
before we we start doing that.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Well, yeah, I can't imagine there's anything gonna happen tomorrow. Yeah,
you know, Scott's still promoting his amazing solo album too.
Like I said, so much good music between everybody involved,
it's absolutely wild. On top of that, i'd be uh,
I'd be sad if I didn't mention it. You have
a you have a foundation that you do and and
Alter Bridges only show of the year just happened. What
(14:30):
a month ago, a month and a half ago, with
your uh with with your charity for Down syndrome.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yeah, yeah, that's uh, that's my that's my new mission
in life. That's my favorite thing to do. It's uh,
it's been a game changer for me. It's kind of
giving me a purpose. I almost feel like all the
Creed success and all the Altar, all the things I've
done at to this point were kind of a to
get me to have the platform to.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Do what I'm doing now.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
You know, it's just kind of it feels like it
was all meant to be. And uh yeah, when I
was really lucky. You have the Ultra Bridge guys donate
their time, and Mammoth Mammoth came and donated their time,
and at the Galla last year, Three Doors Down donated
their time, and then I think Daughtry is doing it
this year, and.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Everybody's just been so generous. Tonic has done it as well.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Creed performed acoustic at one of the golf events. At
this point, we've raised millions of dollars and we we
opened up the first Lifespan Downstndrom Clinic in the Southeast
and and it's in its first two years. We have
over four hundred families that are that are patients now
and it's, uh, that's way more important than any of
(15:42):
this other stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
That's really incredible, Mark, really incredible, Thank you so much.
The foundation is named.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
What uh well, we partner with the National Downstenter.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Okay, because the event is called Rock for down Syndrome.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yes, that's that's the golf that's the golf event, okay.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
And then all the Sinatra shows are all for for charity.
They're all for the National Downstairroom Society. We do the
we do the show here in Orlando where we raise
as much money as we can for the clinic itself.
And that's the clinic is called the Smile with Stella
Trimoney downst Room Clinic, and it's we partner with advent Health,
which is one of the biggest healthcare providers in the country.
And at the last meeting we had, they were they say,
(16:24):
we're breaking out of the seams in the building.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
We need to find a bigger building because it's just
growing so quickly.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
It's a great problem to have.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah, it's uh, like I said, my favorite thing to push.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Yeah, I could watch the video that you'd put out.
I don't know, maybe a month or two. I maybe
a few months ago now with you and Stella, and
I'm just like, warms my heart. Man, I don't know.
There's something about it. As a father myself, and you know,
obviously long time in the music industry, my wife and
I have made a missions to do a lot of
charity work here and it's just it's so it's so
cool to see it, really is well.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Thank you very much. She's uh yeah, she's changed my life.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
I've had so many friends tell me like, you're a
different person since she's been born.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I you know, I don't.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
She's you know, she's just she's changed so many of
my friends. Everybody's just she's just a ray of sunshine.
So it's been it's been great.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
She seems like it. Mark, You're doing great work, man.
We'd love to see it and we love to hear it.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
You're very welcome, all right. Alter Bridge January ninth, twenty
twenty six self titled album for alter Bridge and touring
of course next year as well.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Absolutely, we got we start January. It's about it's about it.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Eight over eight weeks is the first tour in Europe,
and then we'll come over here to the States in
the I think spring, summertime to and some festivals.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I think.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Some temple was just announced. I saw that.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah, a lot of a lot of stuff's going to
continue to be announced and we'll I think we were
planned through the end of next year.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So yes, we get a lot of tours.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Awesome. There is a show in my hometown of Green Bay,
Wisconsin that I cannot wait to see that in May,
so I'll be looking.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Forward to that for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Absolutely, Mark TREMONTI of a million bands, but today alter
Bridge joining us. Thank you, my friend. It's so good
to see you.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Thank you, thanks for having me Carter's Rock Cast. Don't
forget to tune in exactly
My Attention plays and No Cutters Rock cat.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Man. Good. Look at the official hair you got going on,
kind of like this look for Mark Tremonti.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Hey, you know, I get to go home and not
shave and it turns into something lip.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I just wait, because all of a sudden you're going
to start having you know, you start having one of
these going.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I know, Well it's uh, I've had I've had the
little goatee for a while.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I just never did the mustache and then.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh, yeah, you know I like it. It's it's like
it's like Mark Tremonti's evil twin brother.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Somebody somebody has said it looks like I need to
be holding a sword.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, I get like a cane, like you have to
have a cane, and then the sword comes out of
the cane and the cane has like a snakehead or
a skull head or something, right, you know, like real
badass stuff, Mark Tremonti. I should actually say the many
faces of Mark Tremonti, not just because of the cool
new mustache you have, but because of all the different bands,
all the different music projects, all the different things that
(01:07):
you do as a whole. Mark Tremonti joining us this
week for the Cutting News Countdown and Cutters Broadcast. It's
so good to see you, my friend. Either. The last
time that you and I talked, it was like, Hey,
Creed's doing this reunion and also there's a Tremante record.
Now it's like, hey, we're past this Creed reunion that's
still a thing, and now I have this alter Bridge record.
Oh but the Tremante record was only a few months ago. Really,
(01:28):
you always have so much going on musically. It's amazing
to me.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Well, I love it and I've been given the opportunity
to do what I love. So I'm gonna make the
most of it.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Absolutely as well. You should, and why not. You're a
hell of a musician. Mark. I don't think that's I
don't think an that's I don't think that's news to anybody.
Talk to me about alter Bridge. You guys are coming back.
You just released a song, of course, called Silent Divide
and a new album. Is it self titled or is
it just called a B?
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Which one it's self titled? Well, you know you call
it a B. You know, Well we did AB three
now we just have a B.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
There you go, Why not.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
So yeah, you know, we you know, when you have
eight records, people are gonna lose track with with the
names of the records.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
So you have to have this reset at the album eight.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
So people don't forget what the hell these albums are
called anymore?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Is that the specific that's the number? Album eight? Is
this really Alter Bridge's eighth album?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
It is? Wow, it is.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
You know, Metallica did it on their sixth records, so
figured we're just a little bit behind the Metallica guys,
and do it on our eighth.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I don't mean to correct you, but as a Metallica
NERD is the fifth record, that's a fine.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Well, you gotta you gotta including garage days.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
You're including garage days. Okay, that's that's gonna happen. See
you have to.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's one of my favorite that's one of my favorite.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Days re revisited. I had that on cassette tape. I
bought it at a little It was called The Excuse
of Company. I don't know if you remember that place
in Wisconsin when it existed, but in Madison on State Street.
I was there at like fifteen years old for some
stupid reason, probably with somebody my parents didn't know was there,
and I bought that cassette tape. They had it randomly
sitting there and this was I don't know, eight years
(03:06):
after it was out, so and man, I listened to
that so much. And then I got a Mercury Links
and I had a cassette player in it, and I
just would play that all the time.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, I remember when it came out.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I bought it a day it came out, and it
it was some super cheap, cheap, cheap thing, you know,
because it was all you know, it seems sounded like
it was covers, and it sounded like the production was
much more stripped down, so I think they charged. It's
hard to say. Nowadays, it would be like nine ninety
nine would be the deal. Back then, it was probably
(03:36):
four ninety nine, I.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Think it was. Yeah, when it did, say like the
five ninety eight EP Garage Days re revisited, I feel
like that's the right number. Maybe I'm like.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Something like that, something super super cheap. I actually had
the VHS tape too. No, there you go, cli Well, Cliff,
that was Cliff. That was Cliff the mall, Cliff the Mall.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
See, now you're like the cool friend I had in
high school, had that who had that VHS nice? Very
nice speaking of it. This was my first taste of
you when I lived there and I was going to
school there. I got I was very lucky enough. We
had a teacher who was working for one of the
local radio stations, JJO and I'll give them a shout
out A long time obviously great rock radio station in
(04:15):
the United States. Gave us tickets to go see Creed
at the Aligned Energy Center with I think it was
STP and seven Dust opening if I'm remembering this correctly.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Well my memory shot there's there were so many shows
back then. Seven Dust did a lot of shows with us.
I can't remember doing any shows with STP back then.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Maybe it wasn't STP. I might be thinking of a
different show, but I was for sure seven Dust in
Creed either way. Part of the reason I bring that
up because I walking down memory lane, is that the
the family, so to speak, right, joke around about all
the bands that you have, but there is a kind
of nucleus of people that work within your sort of circle, right,
(05:01):
whether it's Creed, whether it's Alter Bridge, that circle also contains,
you know, guys in Mammoth, Guys and seven Dust and
like the list goes on, whether it's management, whether it's
people playing in the background and so on. It's it's
pretty cool to see that Nicholas stick together so often.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, we have a we have a big circle of friends.
It's uh, like you said, we also have we have
all the people's side projects like Projected and then Clint
Lowry's side project, and like you said, Stepping Dust and
Mammoth and Creed and alter Bridge and Tremani and Miles
Kennedy and then Slashing the Conspirators. Yeah, it's all it's
(05:39):
all one big circle of friends. And we we all
tour together so much and see each other so much.
We're we're definitely family, you know, we get a we're
a big, big musical family.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And it's so much great music all within it. So
much great music. Thank you so alter Bridge coming back
together and one of the greatest I think quickly little
promo VIDs I've ever seen in my life of you
three obviously getting off the road with Creed calling Miles
and he's just working at a gas station. I'm like, dude,
come on, you know.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
That was that was?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
That was Miles and tim our manager's idea. It was,
you know, they wanted to play the game where he
was when Creed was touring, he had no job, and
he was sitting there just loving the memories that he
had back on tour with alter Bridge.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And then when he finally gets to call, he's like,
yes to get out there. So hopefully that hopefully that
you know, we can keep that, uh that gag going.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And now the it's funny because obviously Miles had a
fantastic solo album there in the middle of that too.
Yeah that we you know, we were able to feature
on this show. But uh so ab self titled however
you want to do it. The new alter Bridge record
do out in January and the song Silent Divide give
you give me your take on this record just kind
of now that it's finished and people know about it.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, it's uh, you know, we we self titled it
because we think it's kind of it captures everything we've
done to this. Ay, we're not we weren't trying to
veer off in some new experimental direction. This is kind
of the core of what alter Bridge is and we
got to record it at the sacred ground of fifty
one to fifty studios out in Los Angeles, and so
(07:19):
it was a very important record to us. It was
very important for us to make sure this record was
solid because we're given the opportunity to play and record
this record there and it was, you know, a very
special record to it, something we'll never forget. So, you know,
when it comes out and we listen to the record,
just imagine these songs. Listen to them and put those
(07:41):
walls around you that you're sitting where Van Halen recorded,
you know, nineteen eighty four and all, you know, all
these big, humongous albums, you know, and imagine sitting there
when you're putting these songs together and you look and
you see the fifty one fifty necklace from the album,
you know, hanging.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
You know, it's.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
It made you man up when you're in that setting,
you know, you feel like you're not worthy. At the
same time, you're like, we must have done something right
to be able to get allowed in this room.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
So let's let's let's let's man up and do the
make the best of the situation.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's like the guitar plane automatically has to go to
another level when you're in a place like that. I
can only imagine.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, you're like, don't make a mistake. This is this
is this is hollowed ground here exactly.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Speaking of the guitar plane between you know what lies
beneath and silent divide to the new songs that are out,
guitar playing is on point man, between you and Miles,
like and I think that's something that maybe we forget
from time to time. It's just how good of a
guitar player he is as well. But you two together
really have seemed like you've geled something special.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, you know, me and Miles, you know what, I've
got tons of guitar buddies that I'm like, hey, let's
sit down this jam, let's show me this lick s
I'll show you this kind of a thing. And with Miles,
we don't do that, I think, almost on purpose because
I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
I don't want to play like Miles. I don't want
him playing like me.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
I want to I want us to stay in our
own space because we feel each other out. I'm more
of the metal, bassed, chunky kind of player, and he's
more of the bluesy, jazzy, ethereal effect. You know, if
there's effects going on. He's the guy that does all
the effects. I'm the guy that does the straight ahead playing.
(09:24):
But you know, and it's kind of the same way
in the Tremaney band with me and Eric Friedman. He's
more of the bluesier.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Guy and I'm more of the metal guy.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
And I think it's good to have. It's good to
be in a band with somebody that doesn't just sound
like you. You know, and Miles is the fabulous And
Miles is an incredible guitar player. He's some of the
best vibrato I've ever heard is Miles vibrato, and he loves.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Funny thing is is Miles loves.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
To play lead guitar, and I love to sing lead
vocals because it's uh when you you know, when you
have a three decade long career and you're judged for
your guitar playing, it's like you want to just let
your guard down and sing because nobody's judging me for
my singing.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I can just sing and have fun with it.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I feel way less pressure singing than I do playing guitar.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Miles is the opposite. So when Miles is doing guitar solos, he's.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Like, I'm the lead singer getting to play guitar and
he'll just have no and that makes you better, you know,
at those when you're doing that, when you have no
pressure and you're just having fun with it, makes you
better than I think.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Pressure is probably one of the worst things for you
as a performer.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
So when it comes to vocal melody, specifically with an
altar bridge then with you two, is that something you
guys also kind of go back and forth on or
is it really just him as the lead singer of
that band.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
No, Vocal melodies are my favorite thing to write. Okay,
I was a kid. I love I love writing vocal melodies.
So it's me and Miles kind of split that duty
down the middle, you know, Me and Will. We'll create
demos that we put into a dropbox file these days.
We didn't have drop back back in the day, but
now we'll. I think on this record, we both put
(11:04):
in about eight songs and yeah, you know, we pick
which ones are going to go on the record, and
I think I think we put twelve on this this record,
so we you know, we're very uh you know, I'll
be like, all right, Miles, if you had to cut
one of yours, what's it going to be, and then
I'll cut one of mine, you know, so we're not
saying Miles you should cut one, you should cut this
(11:25):
song you wrote, Miles. So we cut our own songs
and get down to the twelve tracks, and.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
You know, it's kind of self governing almost.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah. You know that's why we've been in a band
for over twenty years. We're nice to one another.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
It's pretty incredible, right alter Bridge a band for twenty years,
create the bands for thirty years, with a little break
in the middle, obviously, but still either way. How many
records is this now for Tremonti because you guys had
a great record out at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Yeah, well we you know, between me and Miles, we
have forty records.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Record see what I'm so?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
That's nuts, man.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yeah, so we we we've each done twenty albums. So
I think I think this new record might be the
twentieth record for both of us.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Okay, wow, it's a cool milestone to hit and together.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Yeah, you know what I thought when I when I
when as a kid, uh trying to you know, dreaming
about having a record deal. I thought, you know, if
you got a record deal, and you did four albums,
that's like a that's like a full career because at
that point, oh yeah, my favorite bands had four records.
I think that was when Metallica had four records and
Megadeth had around the same and Anthrax had about the
same and Testament and I'm like, all right, all my
(12:36):
favorite bands. Uh, if you can get through four records,
that's a huge career. And then you realize four records
goes by like that when you're when you're in it,
you know, all.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Right, Yeah, if you're releasing an album every two years,
three even, yeah, that's still less than a decade.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, alter Bridge ab or Celtana will be out on
January ninth. It's a long time to wait, but I
can't wait to hear the rest of it. Silent Divide
the Courses out now. That is the current single from
alter Bridge. I know you're constantly writing and you're constantly
doing things, and I know this has been the question.
So I'm just gonna ask you while you're hearing you.
With all the success that you had this summer with
(13:12):
the other band, is there is that a thing that's
going to continue with potentially more touring and maybe even
a new song or two or ten.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, you know, when we did all this touring, we
were so busy that there was no way for us
to really put stuff new music together, and the tour
was already on sale, so to jump off tour to
record an album.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Would have been wouldn't have been the right move.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
But now that we have all the time going forward,
I think promoters and agents and managers are all like,
all right, you got to have something a driver for
the next tour.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
You can't just go out and do the same thing.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So there's either got to be some incredible package you
put together or new music. So I've been working real
hard on trying to put together new ideas so I
can get together with Scott and Okay and start start working.
You know, But it's it would it would probably have
to be you know, the middle of the next next year
(14:07):
before we we start doing that.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Well, yeah, I can't imagine there's anything gonna happen tomorrow. Yeah,
you know, Scott's still promoting his amazing solo album too.
Like I said, so much good music between everybody involved,
it's absolutely wild. On top of that, i'd be uh,
I'd be sad if I didn't mention it. You have
a you have a foundation that you do and and
Alter Bridges only show of the year just happened. What
(14:30):
a month ago, a month and a half ago, with
your uh with with your charity for Down syndrome.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Yeah, yeah, that's uh, that's my that's my new mission
in life. That's my favorite thing to do. It's uh,
it's been a game changer for me. It's kind of
giving me a purpose. I almost feel like all the
Creed success and all the Altar, all the things I've
done at to this point were kind of a to
get me to have the platform to.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Do what I'm doing now.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
You know, it's just kind of it feels like it
was all meant to be. And uh yeah, when I
was really lucky. You have the Ultra Bridge guys donate
their time, and Mammoth Mammoth came and donated their time,
and at the Galla last year, Three Doors Down donated
their time, and then I think Daughtry is doing it
this year, and.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Everybody's just been so generous. Tonic has done it as well.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Creed performed acoustic at one of the golf events. At
this point, we've raised millions of dollars and we we
opened up the first Lifespan Downstndrom Clinic in the Southeast
and and it's in its first two years. We have
over four hundred families that are that are patients now
and it's, uh, that's way more important than any of
(15:42):
this other stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
That's really incredible, Mark, really incredible, Thank you so much.
The foundation is named.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
What uh well, we partner with the National Downstenter.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Okay, because the event is called Rock for down Syndrome.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yes, that's that's the golf that's the golf event, okay.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
And then all the Sinatra shows are all for for charity.
They're all for the National Downstairroom Society. We do the
we do the show here in Orlando where we raise
as much money as we can for the clinic itself.
And that's the clinic is called the Smile with Stella
Trimoney downst Room Clinic, and it's we partner with advent Health,
which is one of the biggest healthcare providers in the country.
And at the last meeting we had, they were they say,
(16:24):
we're breaking out of the seams in the building.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
We need to find a bigger building because it's just
growing so quickly.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
It's a great problem to have.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yeah, it's uh, like I said, my favorite thing to push.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Yeah, I could watch the video that you'd put out.
I don't know, maybe a month or two. I maybe
a few months ago now with you and Stella, and
I'm just like, warms my heart. Man, I don't know.
There's something about it. As a father myself, and you know,
obviously long time in the music industry, my wife and
I have made a missions to do a lot of
charity work here and it's just it's so it's so
cool to see it, really is well.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Thank you very much. She's uh yeah, she's changed my life.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
I've had so many friends tell me like, you're a
different person since she's been born.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I you know, I don't.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
She's you know, she's just she's changed so many of
my friends. Everybody's just she's just a ray of sunshine.
So it's been it's been great.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
She seems like it. Mark, You're doing great work, man.
We'd love to see it and we love to hear it.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
You're very welcome, all right. Alter Bridge January ninth, twenty
twenty six self titled album for alter Bridge and touring
of course next year as well.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Absolutely, we got we start January. It's about it's about it.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Eight over eight weeks is the first tour in Europe,
and then we'll come over here to the States in
the I think spring, summertime to and some festivals.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I think.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Some temple was just announced. I saw that.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah, a lot of a lot of stuff's going to
continue to be announced and we'll I think we were
planned through the end of next year.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So yes, we get a lot of tours.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Awesome. There is a show in my hometown of Green Bay,
Wisconsin that I cannot wait to see that in May,
so I'll be looking.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Forward to that for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Absolutely, Mark TREMONTI of a million bands, but today alter
Bridge joining us. Thank you, my friend. It's so good
to see you.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Thank you, thanks for having me Carter's Rock Cast. Don't
forget to tune in exactly
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