Interview with Mark Tremonti

by Asa Gaston

Mark Tremonti has established himself in the music scene through his intricate, versatile and advanced guitar work for Grammy award winning Creed and the more recently acclaimed Alter Bridge. One band, for most artists, is enough to stay busy. Playing for two bands leaves very little down time. But, now, Mark has taken on a third band in his solo project named simply “Tremonti” and he’s still cool as a cucumber. “Tremonti” just wrapped up a slew of shows in Europe and are now doing gigs back in the states for the time being.

CMB: You’ve just recently returned from a string of shows overseas. How was that for you guys?

MT: It was incredible. European crowds get it, they’re very, very excitable people, man. It was great.

CMB: I know you’ve found some success with Alter Bridge and the fan base there. Did they draw the same sort of attention to Tremonti?

MT: Yeah. The same markets that are big for Alter Bridge are the larger ones for Tremonti so a lot of fans are spillin’ to this one.

CMB: With your solo band, do you see you guys doing a tour in Eastern Europe in the future, maybe?

MT: If, you know, the promoters ask us to go there then we can make it happen. It’s just logistically hard to get all the way over to Eastern Europe without financial support. We’ll just have to put our minds together.

CMB: Do you enjoy playing these smaller venues? I know you’ve had a lot of experience with Creed and the big arenas and even with Alter Bridge now. Do you enjoy these smaller, more intimate ones more?

MT: I like to mix it up. I like doing these venues just as much as I like doing the arenas. I like to go back and forth between all of them. I like outdoor amphitheaters a lot too. Theaters are great.

CMB: You have 2 b-sides for All I Was. When do you guys think you’ll be able to see daylight with that?

MT: Well, the first one “All That I Got”, we were talking about putting a DVD together and putting that one on there. So, that’s going to get released first. “Gone”, we haven’t made our minds up yet about when that’s going to come out.

CMB: Are those b-sides good enough to maybe set aside for another record, or are you comfortable with just putting them out as b-sides?

MT: Well, “Gone” would be a good radio type of song. But, the direction we’re kind of going in with the next record is gonna be, hopefully, heavier and “Gone” is a rockin’ song but it’s not as heavy as we want it to be for the next record. So, it might not fit.

CMB: I really enjoyed those Groove Master Studio live recordings that you did. How many songs did you guys actually record for that?

MT: We did 12. Everything from the record. That’s the DVD. We’re gonna put that together with some live footage throughout all of our touring. We also filmed Manchester. So, kind of chop everything up and throw it in there.

CMB: The instructional video you did for “You Waste Your Time” was really good. You’ve got a lot of great solos on this record. Is it something that interests you as far as making more instructionals for solos and maybe riffs on the record?

MT: Well, I’m gonna do another “Sound and the Story” like the one I did already. I’m probably gonna do it after the next Alter Bridge record. We’ll probably film a bunch of that. Film us recording the solos and I’ll teach em all afterwards. On that one, me and Myles will do it together probably. So, we’ll teach everything there is to play on the next Alter Bridge record, if it goes as planned.

CMB:  far as new techniques or anything like that, are you gonna be providing anything to that?

MT: The bulk of that one will be a ‘How to Play This Album’ kind of thing. Then, we’ll probably have little half hour each of us teaching random licks on the side.

CMB: “All I Was” is, more or less, a metal album. For a while, if I’m not mistaken, you said if got to do a solo album it would be more middle-eastern sounding. Sort of like the Tea Party. What happened with that?

MT: I like that vibe even more than I like the heavy stuff. I can do the vibey stuff with Alter Bridge. Kind of keep it with that band and do more aggressive stuff with this band.

CMB: After this Tremonti tour wraps up, I understand that Alter Bridge is getting in the tour and you guys have a tour later on this year. With that being said, what’s on the agenda for Creed?

MT: Well, we toured extensively last year so we’re gonna take a break from Creed and focus on Alter Bridge for awhile. As soon as that tour is over, we’ll get back into writing the next record.

CMT: You guys have talked about doing an acoustic album with Creed. You also talked about releasing a song before the 2010 tour. Is there anything you guys might do in the meantime, like if you had any breaks?

MT: We have tons and tons of footage from day one until recently and lots of acoustic recordings, lots of  b-side tracks. Lots of stuff that we would like to put together in one big package. But, we haven’t met about it yet.

CMB: How do you feel about acoustic only shows with Creed or Alter Bridge or maybe tours for that matter?

MT: I’ve never been a big fan of playing acoustic, I like getting up there and rockin. To me, it’s just much more fun and life’s about havin fun. So, I like to keep it electric.

CMB: Yeah, you’re a metal guy. I imagine you might get a little stir crazy.

MT: Well, I mean, I would like to record an acoustic record. If I perform live acoustically I would want to have it written acoustically and written for the acoustic show. It makes more sense instead of trying to turn your songs into acoustic songs.

CMB: Yeah, I don’t think I could do an acoustic only tour.

MT: Yeah, yeah. If it’s written for the acoustic guitar I think it could be fun.

CMB: In a previous interview you said that you believed in God, but you didn’t believe in mankind’s version of God or what mankind made out God to be. Could you maybe elaborate more on what you meant by that?

MT: Well, I just think that every has their own image of what they believe and mine probably doesn’t match up with anybody else on earth. You just gotta sleep with yourself at night and wonder. I just think of my own image of who’s judging me, who’s providing for me, who’s watching after my children and wife and family. It’s not some bishop from Rome. Organized religion, for me, has kind of turned me off from wanting to go and be associated with it. My wife and I are talking about going and taking our kids to church. We’re gonna do the non-denominational thing. Have em listen to just words of inspiration. Just positivity and nothing arcaic as going to like a Roman Catholic church, of which I was raised.

CMB: Does the vibe on the new Alter Bridge record compare to any previous Alter Bridge records or is it a new sound?

MT: It’s a new direction. Not a completely new direction. So far, all the songs we have are high energy stuff, real fun, a lot of movement. It’ll be fun to perform live. So, when we get back, I don’t know how the rest of the record will turn out. But, I’ve been working hard on the tour writing for the next record. I’ve got tons of different vibes goin on.

CMB: Now that you’re fronting your own band doing lead vocals, can we expect more lead vocals with Alter Bridge

MT: I guess we’ll see when we start getting towards the end there. So far, we’re just working out the arrangements to the songs. We don’t really sing when we’re in the studio, we just know where the melodies are gonna be and what they’re gonna be. But, me and Myles aren’t singing. Once we start really getting into pre-production we’ll figure all that out.

CMB: You guys have a lot of b-sides for Blackbird and Alter Bridge 3 and even One Day Remains. Are there any plans of making like a bulk EP?

MT: Yeah. I’ve wanted to come out with that already, I don’t know why we haven’t. I think there’s always so much going on that we just never get around to doing it. I really love the songs that we didn’t release, especially off the One Day Remains record. A song called “Cruel Sun” and “Solace” are two of my favorites that are recorded, mixed and ready to go. Another song called “Outright”… I’m sure there are a couple more I’m forgetting.

CMB: The b-sides off the One Day Remains record didn’t get released, not even as bonus tracks so that would be really cool to hear. But, even all the others are great. “The Damage Done”, “New Way to Live”.

MT: Yeah, we would like to put all those together. Maybe put them on our next DVD or somethin.

CMB: Fans forums have shown a lot of heavy requests for “Shed My Skin” and “Words Darker Than Their Wings” being included on a live set. Is that something you guys might be thinking about as far as tweaking the set list? Could you guys fit those in there maybe?

MT: We’ve practice “Words Darker Than Their Wings” probably 20 times at sound check and we plan on playing it at the shows. It’s one of those things that everybody has to agree to play it that night and I know Myles really puts a lot of pressure on himself. It it’s late in the night and he’s been on a long tour then it’s a really demanding song on him. If he’s feeling fresh we’ll do it, if we’re having a good show and his voice is feeling perfect. But, there’s some really high stuff at the end, so if he goes for that it kind of wears him out for the rest of the show.

CMB: He belts it there at the end.

MT: Yeah, and he doesn’t want to not do it because he knows people are gonna be listening for that part.

CMB: When tracking this next record, what amps are you going to be using for rhythm and for lead?

MT: It all depends. I have so many amps. Every time we get in the studio I just kind of pull out four or five and experiment with them. Whatever sound we usually get for the first song, we end up probably keeping for the rest of the record and we can always re-amp. We were gonna re-amp the amps on this Tremonti record but in the end we decided not to mess with it because we like the tones.

CMB: Do you have any new gear plans? Anything you’ve added recently?

MT: I always buy new amps and new overdrive pedals I’ve been experimenting with. If I was to guess it would be a Mesa Boogie on the next record, a Bogner Shiva or a Bogner Uberschall. I just bought a pre-amp “Gainland” by Van Weelden that’s really nice for lead stuff that I might try out on the next record.

CMB: So we could be hearing some different tones, possibly?

MT: Yeah. I’ll probably mic up four of ‘em and just see how they mix together.

CMB: Over the past few years you’ve expressed interest in the blues style of playing. Could you see yourself doing a more blues structured cd?

MT: It would be years and years down the road ‘cause I’m not confident in my blues playing. I see other guys do it well and I’m not there yet so I’ll stick to what I know best.

CMB: It seems like you incorporate that more and more in your playing. I didn’t realize how much blues stuff was in “You Waste Your Time” until I started playing it.

MT: Well, all pentatonic stuff sounds bluesy, but when you start playing it fast it sounds different.

CMB: Do you try to incorporate that more?

MT: I just write. I don’t really think about it when I’m writing. I don’t really think about trying to accomplish anything or hitting any certain goals. With every record I want to make sure I’m not just repeating the same licks I’ve always done. I want to find some kind of melody in my head that makes me feel some kind of emotion when I play it and not just playing licks by reflexes, you know.

CMB: In “New Way to Live”, I heard a lot of emotion in that solo. That was very bluesy, to me.

MT: Yeah, yeah. I try to put as much emotion as I can unless it’s just a shredding, mean sounding song. Then, I’ll just try and make a mean sounding, fast solo. If it’s an emotional song, then I like to write an emotional solo.

CMB: Awhile back, you said that tapping wasn’t your forte. Has your position changed on that?

MT: I still haven’t got any tapping stuff under my belt. It’s funny, I was just in the back lounge saying ‘I need to learn a new lick’ and Wolfgang showing me a Paul Gilbert tapping lick right before we finished up.

CMB: It seems like you got that left hand down really well. You’ve played a lot of stuff without hardly picking.

MT: The legato stuff has been my bag for many years. I gotta figure out how to not do so much of it, you know.

CMB: I remember you saying that, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t working on that secretly.

MT: I’ll still play a lot legato stuff. I’ve just played my favorite legato lick so many times now I gotta tear myself away from it.

CMB: You mention you’re a big fan of Derek Trucks. Have you gotten to hang out with him at all? Or see him live?

MT: No. The closest I ever got was back in college when he came through and played at our local bar. I think I might of caught the beginning of a set. Back when I was too young and dumb to realize how blessed I was to watch Derek Trucks. I think I was just at a bar wanting to drink and hang out in college. This was way before anybody really knew who Derek Trucks was when he was very young. Now, I think he’s my favorite living guitar player. Jeff Beck’s up there too, not that I would learn any Jeff Beck or even try to learn any Jeff Beck’s stuff I just love listening to it.

CMB: Derek Trucks uses a lot of slide. Could you envision yourself maybe using that?

MT: Well, I sat for a while trying to learn some of Derek Trucks stuff. Even if he’s using a slide I’ll play it without the slide. It kind of gives it a different vibe from my take on it.

CMB: What’s the latest piece of music you’ve written that you’re excited about? And could you describe it?

MT: I don’t know, they’re all so different. It depends on what mood I’m in.

CMB: Before Blackbird came out, you were really excited about that in your description.

MT: Yeah, I don’t have any Blackbirds going on right now. But, that usually happens when we’re all together in a room putting stuff together.

CMB: Where would you like to go on vacation?

MT: Hawaii is nice, relaxing. Somewhere warm. I like Key West a lot, it’s relaxing down there. Let’s stick with Hawaii. If travel wasn’t so far, Australia is great.

CMB: In a 2011 interview, Myles said that you have weird eating habits.

MT:  Myles said that? I’m just picky. I eat tons of chicken. He’s got the weirdest eating habits. He might as well be a cow eatin grass. That’s all he eats are weird vegetables and grass.

CMB: I heard he eats healthy.

MT: He eats healthy as hell, but it’s nasty!

CMB: Well, that’s all I have for you. As a soldier myself, I gotta make a shout out to all of our brothers and sisters overseas. Is there anything you might want to say to the troops?

MT: We admire, respect and love our troops. I’ll do anything I ever can for em. I got my American flag on almost every one of my guitar straps.

CMB: I’ve noticed that. We you went to South America, I noticed you were wearing that American flag on your shirt. I thought that was pretty cool too.

MT: A lot of troops will give me flags and I’ll put the stuff on my guitar straps.

CMB: Really? Are they actual patches?

MT: They’re patches. They’ll say, you know, I flew over Afghanistan, however many missions, and this was always with me.

CMB: That’s fantastic. You learn something new every day. Well, that’s all we have. I appreciate you taking the time out to do this.

MT: Thank you guys.

Tags: Mark Tremonti, Dereck Trucks, Creed, Can You Take Me Higher.

Category: What's Up?