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Category Archives: Alter Bridge

Mark Tremonti – Tremonti

You’d think if you were the prominent guitarist and co- songwriter for two major rock bands you’d have enough axes in
the fire. But not the Grammy Award winning and well respected musician Mark Tremonti. (guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge) Mark Tremonti has recently created a solo project, simply called “Tremonti”. About that later. Here’s a little background.

Mark Tremonti was born in Detroit, Michigan. His early childhood was spent living in Grosse Pointe. At the age of 11 Mark had his own guitar and totally immersed himself in music. His family eventually moved to Orlando, Florida where he attended High School met his future Creed band mate Scott Stapp. Tremonti briefly attended Clemson University but after one year returned to Florida to attend Florida State University and reunite him with Scott Stapp also attending FSU. These two college friends would go on to form the band Creed. The rest of Mark Tremonti’s bio can be found here. I highly recommend it. But this is an album review. One more thing for the bio. Click on the thumbnail below to see the uncanny resemblance Mark Tremonti and Adam Baldwin have. Tremonti is on the right. On to the thrash.

According to Wikipedia, Mark Tremonti has had the desire for a solo project since the early 2000’s when Creed was starting to wane. He envisioned a speed metal/thrash type project. Nothing ever became of this desire until 2010 when he realized he had so much material written that did not really fit the Creed or the Alter Bridge mold. So with former Submersed band members Eric Friedman and Garrett Whitlock he hit the studio to record “Tremonti“. On the album Mark Tremonti performs all of the lead singing. His backup singing has always been and enhancement to Creed and Alter Bridge but this is the first time for a lead performance. According to Tremonti, the songs on the solo project are “heavier sounding” than anything he’s done with Creed or Alter Bridge with “lots of soloing”.

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Alter Bridge – Watch Over You

01 Oct

It’s here! It’s here! As promised, the new Alter Bridge video for “Watch Over You” on their album “Blackbird“. The video was released September 13th and will premiere here in the blogosphere. The video is very well made. It’s nothing fancy just Miles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, and the rest of the guys playing the song. Be sure to check out the sunset at the end. First the lyrics in case you want to sing along, then the video to follow.

Leaves are on the ground
Fall has come
Blue skies turning grey
Like my love

I tried to carry you
And make you whole
But it was never enough
I must go

[Chorus:]
Who is gonna save you
When I’m gone?
And who’ll watch over you
When I’m gone?

You say you care for me
But hide it well
How can you love someone
And not yourself?

[Chorus]

And when I’m gone
Who will break your fall?
Who will you blame?

I can’t go on
And let you lose it all
It’s more than I can take
Who’ll ease your pain?
Ease your pain

[Chorus:]
Who is gonna save you
When I’m gone?
Who’ll watch over you?
Who will give you strength
When you’re not strong?
Who’ll watch over you
When I’ve gone away?

Snow is on the ground
Winters come
You long to hear my voice
But I’m long gone

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on October 1, 2008 in Alter Bridge, Blackbird, Music Video, Watch Over You

New Alter Bridge music video

10 Jan

I love this rock band. They have released a new music video of their song “Ties That Bind”. This song was released in the UK as a single. This band continues to rawk my face off. They just released the second U.S. single from the album “Blackbird”. The song is “Watch Over You”. I will premiere it here when it is released to the public.

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on January 10, 2008 in Alter Bridge, Blackbird, Music Video, Ties That Bind

Saturday night in Lincoln

10 Dec

Last night Robin and I had a rare night out together. What did we do with that rare night out? We went to a rock concert. Though we might look like old fogies, we aren’t. We can still bang our head, and bang our head we did. We headed out in the single digit temperatures to Lincoln, here in Nebraska, for a benefit concert called “Camp Out For Kids” featuring Alter Bridge, Another Animal, and local band Down Sumner. The venue was the State Theater, which is an old traditional theater that has been turned into a concert hall with dance floor, bar, and tables and chairs in the mezzanine seating area.

The concert was great. The local band Down Sumner opened the evening with some very good songs that I had not heard before. The band was pretty talented and very enjoyable. Another Animal was the the next band, and the level of talent and professionalism went up a bit. I have only heard of couple of their songs online and I did like them enough. I had found out that the band contains members of the rock band Godsmack which has quite a fan base of it’s own. The band was very good and I liked most of the songs they performed. The lead vocalist was very interactive with the audience which gives them a plus in my book. Another Animal played for about 30 minutes They could have played longer but everyone was there to see the next band.

Out of the tour bus into the freezing Nebraska air and onto the dark and warm stage in the State Theater came the headliner, Alter Bridge. They heated up the old theater by launching into “Come To Life” from their new release Blackbird, followed by “Brand New Start” and then the heavy rhythm of “Buried Alive. They performed many favorites such as “Before Tomorrow Comes”, “Open Your Eyes”, “Broken Wings”, and “Rise Today.” The band was very tight and gelled very well together live. Mark Tremonti who plays lead guitar was very impressive even though you could tell the guitar techs were having some problems with his gear. He would excite the crowd with his head bobbing and bone crashing guitar playing. Myles Kennedy, their lead vocalist was very charismatic and interactive with the audience. I knew this guy could sing as evidenced on the bands two albums. But seeing and hearing him perform live was a real treat. He challenged the crowd to sing as well as he “humbly” does on the range challenging “Open Your Eyes” as a sing along. This challenge reminded me of his bit performance in the film “Rock Star” in which he is given the mic out of the audience while he is singing along with the superstar lead vocalist of the fictional band Steel Dragon. Myles Kennedy did not disappoint me live as many vocalists do. The guy can sing and he has a great vocal range.

The one thing that was a sore spot was the venue’s lack of crowd security. Robin noticed the anger problems developing on the main floor before I did and almost had to push an event security staff person into doing his job. This kind of thing is going to happen when you serve alcohol to folks without self-control and no accountability from the event staff. The concert as a whole was great and very entertaining. I am still trying to regain the hearing in my left ear, which, as a young head banger, used to be an indicator of a great concert. At 48, not so much. The ringing is almost gone now. Rawk On!!

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on December 10, 2007 in Alter Bridge, Another Animal, Concert Review, Down Sumner, Lincoln, Nebraska

The righteousness of God

16 Nov

While listening to a song called “Watch Your Words” by Alter Bridge the lyrics reminded me of a passage in Romans chapter 1. In particular, verses 16 and 17. The apostle Paul writes about the Gospel and how it reveals the righteousness of God.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

What is meant by “the righteousness of God” here in this passage. Is Paul writing about the the very nature of God? For He alone is righteous. Is he writing about the righteousness expressed in His promises kept? This very term is mentioned many times throughout scripture in reference to God. But how is it used here in this particular passage in Romans 1? I went to a “new to me” bible exposition to look up how it is used here. The bible exposition is from the Puritan John Gill. In it the use of “the righteousness of God” is made clear to me. Here is what I found:

By “the righteousness of God”, is not meant the essential righteousness of God, the rectitude of his nature, his righteousness in fulfilling his promises, and his punitive justice, which though revealed in the Gospel, yet not peculiar to it; nor the righteousness by which Christ himself is righteous, either as God, or as Mediator; but that righteousness which he wrought out by obeying the precepts, and bearing the penalty of the law in the room of his people, and by which they are justified in the sight of God: and this is called “the righteousness of God”, in opposition to the righteousness of men: and because it justifies men in the sight of God; and because of the concern which Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, have in it. Jehovah the Father sent his Son to work it out, and being wrought out, he approves and accepts of it, and imputes it to his elect:

So what is found in the Gospel that Paul writes about here? The Gospel reveals the very righteousness of God that justifies men in the sight of God through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. God the Son is the author through His obedience and death, and this righteousness is revealed through God the Spirit to men.

So when it is written that “the righteous man shall live by faith”, that faith has been given by God which reveals the “righteousness of God” through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For just as John Gills writes above “this is in opposition to the righteousness of men” which does not save. Romans 1 is an excellent chapter to read about the Gospel of Christ and how it relates to sinful man. Please take time to read it again.

Below are the lyrics that prompted me to think about this subject and post this:

To truly see well
You must have faith
Oh the righteous they can’t wait
A saving grace
That we all know
Let us pray
Let us hold on

Finally and as a side bar. For those who live here in Nebraska, Alter Bridge is coming to Lincoln December 8th at the State Theater. My wife and I have tickets. We will probably stick out in the crowd. We will be the middle-aged head bangers. Maybe we’ll will see you there. Rock On!!

Picture credit

4 Comments

Posted by barrydean on November 16, 2007 in Alter Bridge, John Gill, righteousness, Romans

Music review Tuesday

10 Oct

Today I did something a bit unusual. I did not have a definite idea on what album to do for Music Review Tuesday. So while I was out and about running some errands I stopped at a local big box retailer and cruised their new music racks for something interesting to review. I selected a CD based on it’s cover art. The band is Alter Bridge. I have heard some of their songs on the local college radio station 89.7 The River here in Omaha. I really had no idea who they were or where they came from until I read the Wikipedia site. All of the band members are original ex-members of Creed except the lead vocalist. They are Miles Kennedy on lead vocals and guitar, Mark Tremonti (founder) on guitar and vocals, Brian Marshall on bass guitar, and Scott Phillips on drums. The band was formed by Mark Tremonti in 2004 after the breakup of Creed. I have listened to Creed for many years so I have heard many recognizable characteristics from these band members, especially Mark Tremonti. The name Alter Bridge was derived from the bridge on Alter Road that runs between Detriot and Grosse Pointe Park in Michigan where Mark Tremonti grew up.

Blackbird is the second album from Alter Bridge, and I will have to say that after listening through it twice now that it is definitely much better than the Scott Stapp solo work. Stapp is the troubled singer/songwriter from Creed who split with the rest of the band. But enough of that. It is yesterday’s news. Blackbird is good enough to prompt me to check out their debut album. You may see it here in the near future. The album was just released today October 9th, 2007. The first track on the album is “Ties That Bind”. This song is such a hard rock guitar song. The constant wailing on the low end strings drive the rhythm of the song and the guitar solo is awesome. It is so nice to have two accomplished guitarists in the same band, because as a result you get some incredible guitar music. Which anyone here can attest to, I love that guitar music. The lyrics to the song tell of breaking free from a controlling influence. Most likely a controlling person like a parent or a spouse. The next track “Come To Life” sounds so self descriptive of the struggles the members have been through. The music is classic Mark Tremonti with an added rhythmic harmonic presence. It sounds so cool, reminiscent of Zak Wylde of Ozzy fame. “Brand New Start” is a song that tells of starting afresh from a life of sorrow and agony. The song rings true of a passion for starting over. It reveals the great vocal talent of Miles Kennedy. The style is very similar to Brent Smith of Shinedown. They both have a great vocal range. The next track is called “Buried Alive” which is another song of life struggles and overcoming them. I am starting to see a pattern here, are you? The theme of the band is definitely overcoming life’s obstacles and reminds me of the rock band Triumph from the late 70’s and 80’s with a much heavier sound.

Album highlights are “Ties That Bind”, “Come To Life”, “Coming Home” about missing your home, “Rise Today” the album’s first single and a great rock song, “Before Tomorrow Comes” it has such great guitar effects and awesome vocals it definitely showcases the talent of Miles Kennedy “we could be so much more than we are” , “Watch Over You” which asks the question “Who is gonna save you when I’m gone, who’ll watch over you when I’m gone?”, “White Knuckles” and its fast paced head banging guitar riffs and great drumming. The album and the band as a whole are similar to Creed in some respects but different in vocals and they have a much fuller guitar sound. More importantly it Rocks!!! This component is very important to BarryDean. I give the album 4 stars out of 5. But it may go up the more I listen to it. Rock On!!!