Alter Bridge: "It took us some real big chances, but we bet on ourselves and that shaped us"

Every time I think I've run out of nice words to praise Myles Kennedy-as well as for the other members of Alter Bridge-a new album comes out and an interview with him follows, forcing me to search for even more nice words to say. Because every opportunity we have to talk reminds me that it is truly rare to meet an artist with so much talent and so much success who is also as down-to-earth and humble as Myles Kennedy. And if the above sounds exaggerated, I refer you to the following lines.

This time, the occasion was provided by Alter Bridge’s excellent eighth studio album, which was not coincidentally chosen to be their self-titled one. Myles, with his familiar gentle tone and cheerful disposition, explains how the use of 5150 Studios and the ghosts of the albums that have been written there influenced the final result, and how the legacy of Eddie Van Halen "obliged" him and Mark Tremonti to bring out their best guitar playing. At the same time, he talks about the value of the "unpredictable" in music and explains why he attaches great importance to lyrics, while looking back on Alter Bridge's more than 20 years of steady presence in the music scene, he shares his thoughts on what binds the four members of the band and the unchanged lineup together, and how the way they overcame difficulties determined what the band is today.

Hello, Myles. How are you doing?

I'm good. Sorry I'm late. The last interview went a little bit over.

No, worries. It's always more than a privilege to have the chance to talk with you.

Right on. Thank you.

So, how are you?

I'm good. Yeah, just getting ready for the tour coming up and just practicing a lot. Staying busy. How about yourself?

I'm doing fine as well. Trying to see if I can find a last minute spot to catch you playing live in another country. Because I've never missed a tour of yours since 2010 and it's going to be bad if I miss this one. Well, you don't come to us, so we have to come somewhere else in Europe.

I wish we would. I don't know why we can't make that happen. Bums me out.

I'm always getting asked by promoters and I say "Yeah! You should bring them here". But I don't know what’s going on in the inner corridors of that industry…

I'll put some call, I'll talk to some people and be like "what's going on here?" (laughs)

Three Days Grace are coming this summer for the first time and I thought it would be a great fit to play together. But, it was too close to the Blackbird Festival and the logistics couldn't work…

Oh, ok!

I wish you may come here at some point, but I have no complaints. I’ve been lucky and privileged to have seen you playing live a few times in different venues and different settings. From two nights at Royal Albert Hall to Wembley and to O2. And I’m looking forward to the future for even bigger events, hopefully!

Wonderful!

You’re not going to please everyone, but if we can please ourselves then maybe we’ll please enough fans

So, you're coming back with another really solid, strong album. And twenty years later, you seem unable to disappoint your fans…

Well, I'm sure some would disagree with that! (laughs) But we're trying! We're trying, you know! We're doing the best we can, all things considered. But, just knowing you're not going to please everyone, if we can please ourselves, then maybe we’ll please enough fans. And yeah, we're pretty happy with how this one turned out overall.

Creed was such a massive band and I just assumed that this would be short-lived

And rightfully you are! Because it's another great album. And, you know, each time I try hard to be harsh on you, because, it's my favorite band, so I have to set the bar high. And all the time I keep saying "Well, this one won't be that good". And it's that good, you know… (laughs). So, really, if you take a minute to reflect and realize that it's been 22 years with Alter Bridge, how does this make you feel?

Old!

(many laughs)

It’s really crazy, man. I mean, I just can't believe, it's been over two decades and it's gone pretty quickly. But you know what? It also makes me feel really grateful, because if you'd have told me in 2004 that I would be having this conversation, a few decades in, I'd be like "Wow". I just never expected it to last that long. I think there was always a part of me that just thought "Well, we'll do a record and then they’ll probably go back"… Because they came from such success. Creed was such a massive band and I just assumed that this would be short-lived. And that's because - I don't want to say I'm a pessimist - I just don't want to get my hopes up, you know. But it turned out great. And it's been a fantastic ride that allowed me to see the world and meet all these awesome people and experience the power of music on a daily level. It's awesome.

It took us some real big chances with some things. But we really bet on ourselves and I think that helped kind of shape us

Yeah, I know. I've been following Alter Bridge from the very beginning, from the very first album. And what I can say is that he never followed the easy road. And it must be rewarding on one hand, but very challenging on the other hand also. So would you do it all again the same way you did up to this point?

I think we would. I think, it's part of the journey, it's part of what defines you, it's part of what you draw from, it's part of what helps shape you. So yeah, we had some difficult times with business stuff and it took us some real big chances with some things. It's a long story! But we really bet on ourselves and I think that helped kind of shape us. And I think it's also been an interesting journey just because we still made it through and still like each other, and we're still the same four original members. We're all four still in it to win it. So that's kind of a miracle in and of itself.

We have confidence in what we do and confidence in each other's skills. And respect!

Yeah, that was my next question. Because, if you take into consideration that the music business has changed so much and got so difficult through the years, it's really rare to find bands with original lineups, even after a few years since their formation. So it's not to be taken for granted. So, what would you say is the element that keeps the four of you so close and together these years?

I think it's just that there's a respect and I think none of us really like conflict. None of it. There's really nobody who goes in there and likes to shake things up. I think we're all pretty mellow, surprisingly mellow actually, considering the kind of music we make. But I think that's part of why it works. There are no hyper egos. You have to have a certain amount of ego to do this. That would be disingenuous. But not the kind of ego that can tear things down and make people angry. No! We have a healthy confidence. That's the more appropriate word, the confidence in what we do and confidence in each other's skills. And respect!

Yeah. I've had the privilege to interview all four of you and I can confirm that you're all very down to earth guys, more than the average rocker, even though most of them never had your success…

We fooled you!

I knew it…

(laughs)

You’re going to this church of hard rock guitar, so you don’t want to taint the legacy

So it's album #8. And on the surface, it seems like continuation to your discography. But I can spot some differences. And I have the feeling that this whole experience of the 5150 studios kind of sparked your creativity in a way. Did this change of environment forced you to work any differently while composing the songs and sketching out ideas?

Oh yeah! Knowing we were going to start there totally inspired Mark and I to show up with our best riffs possible that we could. Because you're going to this church of hard rock guitar, essentially. So you didn't want to taint the legacy. And then, even being in the room, even when there were parts during the arranging process where we were like "where should we go here?", you couldn't help but feel inspired by the ghosts of records past. It was palpable! It was really an awesome experience.

Was Wolf there? Because he's been a fan of Alter Bridge for many years and I bet he'd have a hell of a good time being there, just in the making of a new Alter Bridge album.

He was there occasionally… I remember a kind of a funny story… he was there in the control room, listening as we were in the tracking room, in the big tracking room where the drums were set up and everything. We were working on the arrangement for "Slave To Master" and I remember we're having trouble getting the transition right. And I remember thinking at one point "Oh my God, man! Wolf, he's really seeing the process, warts and all, this is kind of embarrassing. I wish he were here for a different song where we weren't kind of having this hiccup". But, no, he’s great. And he was just so generous and we're forever grateful to him for inviting us in.

You're friends by now. You just toured with him in the States with your solo band. He was as a supporting you on the last European tour with Alter Bridge. So I guess he's part of the broader musical family by now…

Yeah, it's a family. It's totally a family at this point. I think we're all genuinely proud of him and excited for the success he's having, because he's really blowing up. It’s happening. It's great to see.

Yeah, he's lifted his game up. His songwriting and stuff with the last record.

Yeah!

So, you said that you and Mark wanted to have your best ideas while entering the 5150 studios. Did you also have some ideas that were formed during your stay there, some new stuff that came there? Or was it all stuff that you had already and you just arranged there?

Most of it was stuff that we arranged there, but there were parts of songs where it's like "well, where do we take it from here?" that we created on the spot. So there was a demo for a song, I think we released that not too long ago, "Playing Aces" that when I came in, I had the riff and the verse and the pre-chorus, which I thought was almost strong enough to be a chorus, but everybody was like "Oh, we could maybe let's try and come up with another part that could be an actual chorus". And I was like "Great!". So, I remember the four of us and Elvis as well, the five of us, putting our heads together for that section. And then Mark had a cool part that became the bridge. And so it's just an example of how we worked. And with "Silent Divide", same thing. And "Slave to Master"… "Slave to Master", that's whole second-half was something that was born in that studio. So yeah, we showed up with the meat and potatoes, Mark and I did. And then when we needed to kind of sprinkle the accoutrements, the studio was there to help inspire us.

Bringing in the riffs and the songs, we hoped that if Eddie Van Halen’s spirit was somehow part of the whole listening, that he would nod his head and approve it

All right. One thing that stands out, in my opinion, is the impressive guitar work. I think it's one of the best and the most impressive guitar-driven hard rock albums that I've listened to the last years. Because, you know, the role of the guitarist has changed a bit in the modern rock world. You rarely find any guitar heroes anymore. But you and Mark fire on all cylinders on this album. Did you somehow want to make Eddie Van Halen proud maybe, even subconsciously?

Yeah, I think we wanted to. Like I said, bringing in the riffs and the songs, we hoped that if his spirit was somehow part of the whole listening, that he would nod his head and approve it. I think deep down inside, we just didn't want to show up and not do justice to what that means to us, that room, that legacy. And yeah, it really inspired us. It really helped inform us. It was a really awesome opportunity.

Well, it's not a surprise to me, because I know that both you and Mark are very different, but both great guitarists in your own way. You’ve both proved that in many different outlets and different situations.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

So, another thing that I really like in this album is the production. I think it's your best sounding album, I guess, since "Fortress". Was there any conscious change made to approach this album sonically? Or was it the studios and the gear? Or maybe it just came out this way?

I think a lot of it was the studios and the gear. And maybe the thought process that Elvis had. It's funny... I've been reviewing the songs, getting ready for this tour. The list is all put together, so I've been practicing along with the albums. And it's interesting, you really get a feel when you do that. You hear how each record sounds and is mixed and is mastered. And I will say that this one and "Fortress" kind of jump out to me sonically, there's a certain thing that they both have. And there's elements of "Pawns & Kings" as well, but there's a certain rawness to this that I like. It's not overly produced, it sounds good, turned up. So, I think a lot of that is attributed to Elvis's approach and what he wanted to achieve sonically. But, I think the sound of 5150, like the way the drums sound… because the drums were tracked there. We tracked the rest of it back at Elvis's studio, the same place we always track at… but the drums were done there. And you can hear that in the sound of the drums.

We’re all proud of how "Slave To Master" turned out. But that was hard. It was a labor of love

Yeah, I think you can. Let's go to the songs, but let's approach this differently. Instead of me telling you my favorite tracks and asking about them, what about you telling me your favorite tracks, while making the album and now that it's almost out there? I mean, the ones you enjoyed making the most or the ones that challenged you the most, whatever...

There were a lot of challenging ones. I mean, we're all proud of how "Slave To Master" turned out. But that was hard, that was a whole thing and ended up being a nine-minute song. So, that's one of our favorites. It was a labor of love.

Another one that turned out great, there's a song called "Hang By A Thread", which is kind of a ballad, which turned out better than I thought it was going to be. Once again, it was a case of everybody coming together. The verse and intro and pre-chorus, those were all ready to go. But then as a band, we managed to finish the song. And so, that’s definitely a favorite in that respect.

And "Silent Divide"! Once again, it's a fun riff to play.

Rue The Day". I like that riff. That's a real heavy riff. When Mark sent the demos that was a riff that really got stuck in my head

But yeah, it's always a hard question to answer. They’re all like children.

Yeah, I know. Of course, I won't be an exception and like most people I guess will do, I’ll pick "Slave To Master" as a favorite. Because, you know, that three-minute double solo with you first and Mark then, I think that's fantastic. Really, how did you react when you realized that it's nine minutes long?

I was surprised! And some of that's my fault! Because, initially my guitar solo was only supposed to be very short. And then when we got in and started working on the song, when we started tracking I was like "I'm really enjoying playing this guitar solo". And I'm like "Hey, Elvis, can you double the section I'm supposed to be playing? Can you just fly that?". He's like "Well, sure!». I was like "yeah, that’s great!", because I want to play it longer. So I ended up extending the song and pushing it past 9 minutes. So that's my fault. But yeah, we didn't go into it like the demo. I had a demo for it initially that was five minutes long performance. I don't even know if it was that long. But then once everybody got their hands on it and it turned into this epic.

Yeah. Do you plan to play it live?

We will play it live eventually. I don't think we're going to start out of the gate with it, because we're in this weird position now where we have so many songs that are long. And so that's the delicate dance. But I hope we do. I want to play that one.

I think you have this beautiful headache of a good band that has too many good songs to choose from when it comes to setlists for your live shows…

(laughs) Yeah, that's a good headache to have. Compared when we first started playing, we had to play covers, the first album side board, like doing Zeppelin covers and all that. So it's nice to have our own, yeah…

Well, you can go full circle and say "we cannot choose what to play, so we play covers again"...

(laughs) Yeah! Exactly!

Unpredictability is very important

Another standard track, in my opinion, is "Scales Are Falling", which is maybe the most diverse song on the album. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I sense some Alice In Chains vibe, even some Mastodon vibes, it’s almost a proggy tune. So how did it come about? And of course, tell me if what I'm saying is just bullshit!

No, no! That was a demo Mark had musically. And then when he sent it, I was like "I'm not sure how I'm going to come up with a vocal line for this. How I'm going to come up with a melody and a lyric?". But it's one of those things where something that I use is the first listen rule. So, I remember sitting in a hotel room playing the demo and I think I had my phone and I just started singing the first thing that came to mind. And it all just kind of flowed. It just happened. It was just kind of like "okay, well, that was a lot easier". It didn't overthink it. I stayed in the moment.

And what I like about the music is that the phrasing is kind of odd… [editor: Myles sings a part of the guitar melody] It's just kind of unpredictable. And I think unpredictability is very important. I think that's part of… as humans you hear a chord progression or you hear something, though you might not be familiar with it exactly, you kind of know where it's going to go, because you've probably heard versions of it before. And anytime you hear something and you're like "I did not know that was going to go there", there's something enticing about that and intriguing. And then you want to go back and listen again. So, that's a whole thing and that song has that feeling.

Some people say "they're not heavy enough to be touring with this band" or "they're too heavy to be touring with this other band". Sometimes that's difficult. But at the same time, that's our calling card. That's our sonic hallmark and it's who we are

Yeah, I like that unpredictability that you use from time to time with your music. Now, I wanted to ask you about something else. I conclude my review of the album, mentioning that you prove once again to be the very best at this very unique sound that you represent. And it's a very fine and difficult balance when it comes to your style of music, because you are not considered retro and you're not considered modern, but you're both in a way. And you're not a rock band, nor a metal band, but somewhere in between. So first of all, would you agree with that?

I appreciate hearing that. Because it feels like, through that description, maybe we're in our own little neck of the woods we've got our own little spot. And then I think that all you can hope for is to try and create something that's specific to you and it's unique to you, and that's your way of communicating.

At times, it's been hard along the way, because people don't know how to where to put it. Like "they're too heavy". And like with touring they’d say "they're not heavy enough to be touring with this band" or "they're too heavy to be touring with this other band". So it's sometimes that's difficult. But at the same time, that's our calling card. That's our sonic hallmark and it's who we are. So, yeah, I appreciate hearing that. I don't shy away from it.

I think that you’ve achieved a perfect balance. A perfect combination. And I don't know how else to express it. But, I was also thinking about what you said of it being difficult, because the music industry wants artists to tick specific boxes these days, so to put them on a Spotify playlist. I guess this must have been an obstacle sometimes, regarding touring and other things.

Absolutely!

If I was an actor, I wouldn't want a bad script to have to perform. And I feel the same way with the lyric

Another thing I adore about Alter Bridge in general – and once again with this album - is that your lyrics were never a secondary matter. They're always well-written, they have something to tell, even though you prefer to keep them ambiguous in a way. So you always seem to address dark subjects, either on a personal or a social level, and then leave either a light on or a thought to get you out of it. Is it important for you to keep your lyrics up to a certain level?

Yeah, it's paramount for me, because I have to sing them. It's like a script. If I was an actor, I wouldn't want a bad script to have to perform. And I feel the same way with the lyric. I want a good melody and I want a lyric that I believe in and that I understand.

And so with this record, I kind of got in the weeds. You know, it's some heavy subject matter and a lot of it is about seeing a certain dynamic and how do you navigate that? How do you deal with that? Do you become that? Or do you rise up and take the higher road. And that's what you're alluding to. It's the light.

It could just be another angry, heavy band singing about "FU and I'm gonna kick your ass". And that to me, that's cliché. But, also, that's not how I choose to live my life. You know, I wasn't taught to do that. I was taught to try and be a decent human being and try and have some empathy and try not be a negative, bad person.

So, that's part of the dance with this. Because it's heavy music. And in heavy music, you don't want necessarily to hear lyrics about "Oh, it's a great life and it's a great day. Look at the sunshine!" with a heavy riff like we have on "Rue The Day", right? That not going to work… (laughs) So, how do you tell the story with the intensity, but then cap it off where you're still listening to your better angels?

Tapping into previous albums and songs we haven't played, I think fans want to hear that and we want to give that a shot as well

Yeah, I get it. So, back to the live performances, would you consider making "an evening with" tour in the future playing without support acts and a more extensive set of songs, maybe with deeper cuts? Have you thought about that?

Yeah, we talked about it. I mean, it would make sense given this point in our career. We just have to facilitate how we pull that off, like with all logistics and all. But it's going to be exciting to do it in the next few years I think, because we now have eight records and, we'll see how we navigate moving forward. But tapping into previous albums and songs we haven't played, I think fans want to hear that and we want to give that a shot as well.

The moral of the story is "you might be surprised with what fate has in store for you"

So, to conclude this interview what would this kid, about 40 years ago, think right now, that he’s jammed with Jimmy Page and recorded at Van Halen’s studios, and has been a wingman of Slash and all that? Cause that kid picked up the guitar because of "Eruption" and "Whole Lotta Love"…

It's really crazy. I really don't think I would have believed it, because I live in Spokane. And Spokane is not a mecca of entertainment. There aren't a lot of opportunities for entertainers here. So, if you would have told me that all of this would have happened, I don't think I would have believed it. But looking back now 40 years after the fact, I'm grateful I heard "Eruption" that afternoon and then heard "Whole Lotta Love", and it lit the fuse that would eventually lead to all these opportunities. And so I think the moral of the story is "you might be surprised with what fate has in store for you". And roll with it, because it could be awesome.

I it’s more than well deserved. We're lucky and happy to have you playing your music…

Thank you.

So, just to close this interview, since you're not coming for a show here, let us know if you're coming for some vacations, because we're known for our hospitality. We’ll be happy to have you here!

I love that!

Just let me know!

All right, I might hold you to that.

I’m not talking about the typical tourist stuff. I’m talking about places with beautiful nature that are even better to see.

Amazing. Well, I might take you up on that. That's because that's someplace I've always wanted to go. So I'll talk with Selena and be like "hey, you know, what do you think about this side?"

Just let us pay back a little of the debt that we owe you for the music you’ve offered through all these years…

Thank you. You’re too kind!

Thank you Myles. It’s always such a pleasure for me. Cause your music means so much to me.

Thank you, Chris. And always a pleasure to talk with you.