Tremonti: "There's so much information out there, that it's hard to take ownership in bands these days"

Every rock fan out there knows who Mark Tremonti is by now. Be it the incredible success in the US with Creed, be it that Alter Bridge are one of best hard rock bands that emerged in the last 20 years or be it his amazing metal oriented solo project Tremonti, there are plenty of reasons and even more great music to praise this man.

As his returns with the sixth studio album of his own project, called "The End Will Show Us How" we had the chance to chat with him a bit and learn some interesting things about the making of his new record and why he considers it to be the best sounding album of his career. We also talked about the incredible success of Creed in the States, we got the latest news from the Alter Bridge camp, we talked about grunge music and why things are really difficult for new artists these days.

How are you Mark? Last time we had the chance to meet in person and conduct a backstage interview in Zagreb, Croatia as I flew from Greece to catch you playing with Alter Bridge.

Glad to talk to you again.

It's always a pleasure and a privilege to have a chance to talk with you.

Oh, thank you so much.

Let's get straight to the interview because you seem to be incredibly busy. Maybe more busy than ever you've ever been, aren't you?

Yeah, absolutely! I’ve got four active bands at the moment.

Yeah, that's kind of crazy. Let's take things one by one. And if you allow me, I'll start with Creed because you just had a very successful tour with them. You still have a couple of dates left to at the end of the year and then you tour again this summer with an even bigger set of bands to support you. So it seems that you're more active than ever since you got back together. And I was wondering what's the status? Are you looking forward to record an album and put something out or whatever?

Well, we just completed the second Creed tour and I think if we go back out, in a couple years, we'll have to come out with some new music at some point.

When we ask who's seeing Creed for the first time, most people raise their hands at the show, so it's another generation of people coming out

Regarding this impressive response you have, do you think people's perspective has changed towards Creed’s music over the course of years? I mean, there must be a lot of people who wouldn't expect your songs to still sound fresh and relevant after 25 years, and appeal to such a younger audience like they do.

Yeah, I know it seems to be different, cause a lot of younger people are listening to the band these days. When we ask who's seeing Creed for the first time, most people raise their hands at the show, so it's another generation of people coming out.

Yeah, it's incredible, isn’t it?

Yeah! We're, very happy about it. It’s something we don't take for granted.

Creed's never spent much time in in Europe. It actually benefited Alter Bridge…

How would you explain that Creed are so huge in the US, but not equally big in Europe? I always had this question…

'Cause when you build a fan base in Europe, you have to continually go and play shows and build the fan base. Creed's never spent much time in in Europe. It actually benefited Alter Bridge because we got to start fresh in Europe with Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge and Creed are kind of opposites. Alter Bridge is big in Europe and getting bigger in the United States, but definitely bigger in Europe.

I think you’ve mentioned that in the beginning with Alter Bridge you struggled to prove that you're not a continuation of Creed. With things as they are today, do you think that Alter Bridge are maybe gaining popularity and benefiting because of Creed's success in the US? Cause the audience may be getting bigger in the US, but allow me to say that Alter Bridge are still a bit underrated over there.

No, I think they're just two completely different bands. I don't know if one really affects the other these days. At first, starting out Alter Bridge in the United States was tough, because Creed was such a big band and a household name that it was tough to start something new without people relating it to that band.

We're going to see each other in March with Alter Bridge. We’re already writing the music as we speak

Since we mentioned Alter Bridge, I can't help but ask you about them. I’ve read the news that you're entering the studio in March or April to record a new album. Is this true?

Yeah, yeah! We're going to see each other in March. We’re already writing the music as we speak.

So, you're exchanging ideas with Myles as you usually do? Or do you plan to have a different approach for the next chapter of a brilliant career?

That's gonna happen when we get it together in March. We’re going to get together and start playing, taking whatever ideas we've worked on thus far and getting together and putting them together.

Alright! And among all these exciting things that are happening, you have the new sixth Tremonti album coming out in less than one month. And first of all, congrats for it!

Thank you so much!

I've only had the chance to listen to the album a few times, because I recently got the promo, but it sounds great, both in terms of songwriting and sonic wise. How would you describe it and what new does it bring to the table in comparison to the previous five albums?

It's just constantly trying to find different approaches to songwriting and do something unique and tell a dynamic story throughout the records. It's got a lot of different flavors on there. Definitely something we're happy with.

And then what about the title? How did you end up naming the album "The End Will Show Us How"? I know there’s a title track, but is there something that you wanted to state by naming the album like that? It’s quite an unusual album title I’d say…

I went through the songs and I didn't have an obvious album title going on, so I went through all the lyrics. When I finished the lyrics I just read through each line and when I came by "The End Will Show How" I thought it was very thought provoking and had a cool meaning behind it. So I thought that I would take that theme and run it through the entire record, the whole theme of the end…

Whatever decisions you've made in life will all become clear in the end if they were right or wrong…

Could you elaborate a bit on the meaning of that theme?

Yeah. It means at the end of the great clarifier, whatever decisions you've made in life will all become clear in the end if they were right or wrong…

All right! As always, you with your solo albums - because with Tremonti you are the lyricist - the lyrics seem dark, but with a glimmer of hope somewhere there for the listener or maybe offering something to take away as a lesson. Are there any common themes among the lyrics of the songs of the album this time around? And what are the main topics you wrote about this time?

Each song is different. You know, we would just have to go song by song. There's positivity and darkness in everybody's daily life, so it just kind of tells a story like a normal ups and downs of life.

"I think it's the best sounding record I've ever made

As I told you, I’ve only listened to the album few times, but till now it seems to me like one of your best soundings albums you've made. You agree with that?

Yeah, I think it's the best sounding record I've ever made. Sonically, it's the best I've had, so I'm very happy with it.

Given the fact that you once again collaborated with Elvis for the sound and the production of the album, how do you think you resulted in having the best sound as you mentioned? Did you change something during the procedure? Did the songs lead you to that path? How do you think that outcome came to be?

Elvis bought a new mixing new board. His new board is a Wonder Audio console, and it just sounds fantastic.

So it's just because of the console? Or is it also because that by now, six albums down the line, you also have distinguished your sound and you know better what you want to achieve with your sound in Tremonti?

I think it has a lot to do with that as well, because we've been dialing in the tones for years and years now as a team. But I think the console is really the main difference between the last record and this record 'cause we approached the recording process pretty similarly.

You have such a trademark sound by now that you only sound like Mark Tremonti. But, I always like to dig in regarding influences and see if I'm right about them. And when I listened to the riff of "Just Too Much", I sensed a bit of an Alice In Chains vibe, so I wanted to ask if Jerry Cantrell could have been an influence back in the day for you?

Yeah! I love Alice In Chains. I think Jerry Cantrell's an amazing songwriter and one of the best of our generation.

Soundgarden is one of my all-time favorite bands. Nirvana was a great band. Alice In Chains… There has been a lot of great-great music out of that era

Totally agree with you! Generally, I wanted to ask about the Seattle scene and bands like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam in the 90s, if it had an impact on you as a composer or as a guitar player, and as a singer. Because, you know, both Creed and Alter Bridge - thank God Tremonti not yet - have been characterized as post-grunge bands. And I'm not even sure what this could even mean…

Yeah, I know… I loved a lot of the bands of that scene. Soundgarden is one of my all-time favorite bands. And just like everybody else, I thought Nirvana was a great band. Absolutely! Alice In Chains… There has been a lot of great-great music out of that era.

I just got to watch the interview you did with Rick Beato and I enjoyed it a lot. I know you don’t really need it, but it seems gives great exposure to artists, as I got people telling me "your guy Mark Tremonti is on Rick Beato". How was it for you?

It was great! Rick has built an incredible following and he just tells a great story as he's a great interviewer and I think he's become kind of the mouthpiece for rock, you know? And he gets so many great interviews that it's an honor to be part of it.

It was very interesting what you were discussing about how different music business and being successful was back in the day than in today's environment. You're a man that has lived both sides of the story. So would you say that "rock is dead" as the famous quote of Gene Simmons says? Or is it somehow turning around? Or your tour with Creed could be a proof that rock will be back again in the frontlines of music business?

Well, right now it seems that our style of music is really becoming popular again. You know, it makes us hopeful it will continue that way. I think the biggest challenge is having new rock bands following our footsteps, because there's such an over saturation of music throughout all the streaming platforms. It’s hard to really get a foothold in the business these days.

Back in the day we used to spend all of our hard money on a handful of bands and those bands became your favorite. You’d buy their posters and their CDs and spend your allowance and your 9 to 5 dollars on it

Can this change somehow? Is it in the listener to change the way he listens to music? Is there something that can change industry wise? How can this over saturation turn around in your opinion?

I don't think it's gonna turn around. I think there's just gonna be more ways to hear music. It’s good and bad, but it's tough for the artist, like I said, to really be focused on. Because, there's just so much information out there, that it's hard to take ownership in bands these days. Because back in the days we used to spend all of our hard money on a handful of bands and those bands became your favorite. You’d buy their posters and their CDs and spend your allowance and your 9 to 5 dollars on it. And you loved these bands and you felt like you were a part of them. But nowadays it's just a different way of consuming music. I don't think you take that ownership of the bands anymore.

Then again there seems to be a younger generation that is attracted to your music, especially if we take into consideration, that Spotify and all these platforms give new exposure to artists like you. So, let's assume you are now introduced as an artist to a new generation of listeners that tend to create playlists to listen to music. And you'd have to choose three songs from each of your bands – Creed, Alter Bridge and Tremonti - that kind of define your career so far. Which ones would you choose so that they get a first glimpse of what Mark Tremonti is about as a musician, as a songwriter, a guitarist etc...

I'd say "My Own Prison" because it began Creed’a journey and then "Higher" which is kind of our trademark go to song that everybody knows and is close with. And then "Time" is one of my favorite Creed songs that showed kind of the last record we had. It’s my favorite tune off of that record.

From Alter Bridge, I'd say "Blackbird" which is our favorite song from Alter Bridge. "In Loving Memory" is a song that means so much to me, cause I wrote it for my mother, and it's just another fan favorite. And then maybe "Cry Of Achilles", which is my favorite song to play live with Alter Bridge

With Tremonti, I'd say "A Dying Machine", the title track from of one of my favorite records we've done. Let’s say "Leave It Alone" since it’s the opening track of my debut record. And then "The End Will Show Us How", the title track from my newest record.

Now, you are about to tour Europe with your solo band. I was looking at the dates and what struck me was that while I was taking a look at a couple of posters of festivals like Graspop and Hellfest, your name was side by side with Myles on them. It's really awesome and strange the same time, but I had a thought. Would you consider taking your solo projects and tour together in Europe sometime in the future?

It would be a lot of fun. I’d love it. I think it would make Alter Bridge fans very happy.

Yeah, I am one of them, so that's why I thought of it… So, would you consider it?

Yeah, we’d take it into consideration. We just wouldn't want it to track from the Alter Bridge coming up tours… We want people to want to come out and see those Alter Bridge shows because they haven't seen us in a little bit. But if they had already seen us together it might water that down a bit…

I have all of these different projects because I'm passionate about all of them and I just wanna keep them all going, because I love them all

Different schedules, different bands and projects. Is it hard to juggle all of the four bands you’re in? Myles has also three projects... So is it hard for you to juggle all of them? Is it necessary to have so many outlets because of the way that the music industry works and you have to keep all these projects and bands?

It's a lot of work, but it's something I love to do. But it's not because of how the industry works, it's just how my career turned out, you know? I have all of these different projects because I'm passionate about all of them and I just wanna keep them all going, because I love them all.

Yeah, I understand it! So, of course, I have to ask you if there is any chance to see you in Greece. Because we've talked about it a lot, but it just has doesn't happen. You only played once here with Tremonti on a festival. So do you have any indication of maybe inside information that Greece is in the plans to visit?

I'll always be pushing for it. As I’ve told you before that's one of my favorite shows ever. We played with Iron Maiden and the crowd was just awesome. We loved it, so yeah I would love to see that happen again.