Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge biography

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Alter Bridge is an American hard rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida. It consists of lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, all of whom are also members of Creed, alongside lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman of Slash's current solo project. Tremonti named the group after an actual bridge that used to be located in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, near his former home on Alter Road.

Despite Creed's multi-platinum success, Alter Bridge arose with only gold status with their first studio album, One Day Remains, which was released on Wind-up Records in August 2004 to generally mixed reviews. After the band's first tour, they dropped their contract with Wind-up Records in 2006 and signed with Universal Republic, releasing their sophomore album, Blackbird, which was positively received by critics, in October 2007. The band spent the next two years touring and working on other projects before reconvening in 2010 to work on their third album. Titled AB III, the album received critical acclaim and was released in October 2010 on Roadrunner Records. In January 2011, the band's first live album and concert film, Live from Amsterdam, was finally released in stores after two years of delays. A second concert film, Live at Wembley, was released on March 26, 2012.

Despite relatively low mainstream success and label support for the majority of the band's career, Alter Bridge's music has been critically successful, and the band has become known for its frequent, extensive touring and loyal fanbase. The individual members of Alter Bridge are also involved with various other projects, including solo and session work, Creed, and Kennedy's collaborations with Slash and former members of Led Zeppelin. In 2009, Ultimate Guitar Archive named Alter Bridge the 36th greatest band of the decade.

History

Formation and One Day Remains (2003-2006)

Alter Bridge lead guitarist and founder Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips were members of Creed with lead vocalist Scott Stapp since 1997. After releasing two successful albums, Marshall left the band in 2000, followed by the release of their third album in 2001. The band went inactive in 2003 following the conclusion of a controversial tour. That year, Tremonti began writing new material with plans of forming a new band with Phillips and Marshall. Being fans of Myles Kennedy's former band, The Mayfield Four, they invited him to join as their new lead vocalist. They named the new band Alter Bridge, after an actual bridge near Tremonti's home on Alter Road in Detroit, and subsequently began recording their debut album.

Citing creative differences and increasing tension between Stapp and the other band members, Creed announced its breakup in June 2004. Coinciding with this announcement was the one of Alter Bridge's formation and of their debut album and the album's lead single, "Open Your Eyes." The band members felt as if Creed had "run their course" and were determined to focus on their future with their new singer. Produced by Ben Grosse (who has also produced albums by artists such as Filter, Fuel, and Sevendust), a far cry from the multi-platinum success that Creed had previously achieved. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard charts for fourteen weeks. After "Open Your Eyes," two more singles were released from the album: "Find the Real" and "Broken Wings." Also, partially due to the fact that the album was almost finished by the time Kennedy joined the band, it is the only Alter Bridge record that does not feature Kennedy as a guitarist, although he did play guitar on several songs on the album's accompanying tour. The music was composed completely by Tremonti, who had also written most of the lyrics by himself, though Kennedy wrote or at least co-wrote the lyrics for about half of the remaining songs.

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