LIFE LESSONS
The post-grunge guitar hero shares parables from his time with Creed and Alter Bridge through to his solo band and beyond
SINCE RISING TO prominence as the guitarist in multi-platinum post-grunge band Creed, Mark Tremonti has seemingly made it his life goal to be one of the most impressive men in music. After Creed’s dissolution he formed the wildly successful Alter Bridge –where his reputation as a 21st-century guitar hero skyrocketed –and started his own solo project, Tremonti. He later proved himself a capable crooner by recording an excellent album of Frank Sinatra covers.
If that wasn’t enough, his work for the National Down Syndrome Society, inspired by his daughter Stella, is proof he is one of rock’s true good guys. Hammer sat down with him prior to the release of his forthcoming Christmas album, Christmas Classics New &Old, to find out who his festive king is, how he tackled Woodstock 1999, his regret at taking his shirt off for photoshoots and much more.
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
“When Creed first came out, all the bands of rock radio were kind of upbeat, more pop rock. Bands like Third Eye Blind were really big at the time, and Marcy Playground and Semisonic, stuff like that.
So, when we came out with My Own Prison, to me at the time, it was the only sombre song that was doing well on the rock charts. I think the seriousness of it grabbed people’s attention. The grunge scene had a lot of that moody stuff going on, but when we had come about, it had been years since the grunge thing really popped.”
KNOW WHEN TO MAKE AN EXIT
“Woodstock 1999 was definitely not a ‘Let’s relive the original Woodstock days’ kind of show –it was just a big festival with a bunch of modern rock bands that had more of an aggressive feel to it. We drove in just a couple hours before we hit the stage. It was a great show with a massive audience and a very receptive crowd. I remember walking to the stage and I walked by [singer/songwriter] Jewel and I was like, ‘This is cool.’ But then the Red Hot Chili Peppers came on and our tour manager was like, ‘Hey guys, let’s get out of here, because after Chili Peppers is going to be a mass exodus.’ We got in the van, which had a TV, and we were watching the show as we were driving away, and we saw everything catching on fire. I don’t regret playing the festival, though –it was one of those moments I’ll never forget.”
TAKE BOTH HATE AND PRAISE WITH APINCH OF SALT
“You have to have thick skin. Back when Creed were on the radio 24 hours a day, if a friend would call me and say, ‘Man, this person online said this or that about your band’, I’d be like, ‘Just let me enjoy myself.’ I’ve been able to live on both sides of that fence across my career; to have the very recognised commercial band that had a lot of success,
