Posts Tagged ‘military’

Mark Tremonti Talks Alter Bridge, Future Solo Project Plans + More With Loudwire Radio

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com The man of many bands, guitarist Mark Tremonti , will be the special guest on this weekend’s Loudwire Radio show with host Mike ‘Sandman’ Sanders. The rocker took the time to discuss his solo band, Creed and Alter Bridge . Tremonti, the band, are currently winding down their North American dates, with the final show scheduled for March 5 in West Hollywood. Meanwhile, Alter Bridge recently announced that they’d be releasing a new album and touring in 2013. Find out the latest on all of Tremonti’s project, including some big news about bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, in the Q&A with Sandman below: Can you share the backstory on the new Tremonti single ‘Wish You Well’ with us? Well, that song is probably the oldest song that I’ve ever put on a record. I started writing it back in 7th or 8th grade and had demos made of it, then I made another demo for the first Alter Bridge record but it never made the record. So, I’ve been waiting for this song a long time to finally get it out there. Obviously people know you from being the guitarist in Creed and Alter Bridge, but your solo album has done really well. How long was the album in the planning in your thoughts, as far as going out and putting your own record out? For years, I knew I had a lot of song ideas that would never see the light of day unless I did something about it. And then when I saw my schedule open up when Myles left on the Slash tour for about three months, I just kind of decided that was when I was going to get busy and record those ideas. We should mention that the album is titled ‘All I Was’ and, although he’s not on the album, he is on tour with you: Wolfgang Van Halen . Are you going to return him to his father someday or are you going to adopt him and keep him? He’s going to be an official member of the band. He’ll be on our next album and doing all the tours, it’s just … we’re going to have to … just like we work around the Alter Bridge schedule, this year we’ll have to work around the Van Halen schedule, as well. Fantastic. Now, I know you’re on tour for a little bit longer. What is the time table, as far as, heading back into the studio to work on your next Tremonti album? I’m not sure right now. I’m really focused on getting this Alter Bridge record written and finalized and getting to the studio and then once things die down a little bit from that I’ll see if I’ve got any breaks — again, probably when Myles is out with Slash — to get going on writing another Tremonti record. I know there was a report at Loudwire.com that had you and Myles in the studio together for at least a brief time in between his U.S. tour with Slash and then him going overseas. So, you guys have gotten a little bit of work done I’m assuming? Yeah, we’ve got about five songs that I think are album worthy and ready to go to pre-production at this point. And I guess my next question would be about your other band — the first band that brought you to prominence is Creed. Is there a future for that band? Do you see putting out another record with those guys? Well, we just toured extensively last year with Creed and did about all the touring we could do in the States and we went to South America and Indonesia and I think I’m going to take a rest from Creed and get back with some Alter Bridge music and see what happens from there. Also, I noted that you recently visited some U.S. troops over in Germany, and I’m sure that meant a lot to them. What does that mean to you, to be able to go out and support our Armed Forces? Any time you can make [members of the military] happy by just showing up and shaking some hands and talking to folks, it’s a great thing. It’s just part of one of the bonuses of what we do. People like meeting their favorite musicians and when you can go and visit somebody that’s away from their family and risking their lives for you … to make them happy, I’m all about it. Editor’s note: Tremonti just revealed to Entertaim.net that Alter Bridge are currently planning to start production on their forthcoming disc in April, with tentative plans to tour this fall. To read Tremonti’s comments on the timeline, click here . To catch Mark Tremonti on the airwaves this weekend, click below to see which stations air Loudwire Radio. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Carry Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]

Mark Tremonti and His Band Visit U.S. Troops Stationed in Germany

American Forces Network – Photo Courtesy of Russell Toof Over the years as a member of Creed and Alter Bridge , guitarist Mark Tremonti has taken the opportunity to play for and meet members of the military, and now that he’s out on the road with his own self-titled band, that tradition continues. Tremonti and his bandmates Wolfgang Van Halen, Eric Friedman and Garrett Whitlock made a detour to the Warrior Zone in Heidelberg, Germany on Feb. 5, where they took the time to sign some autographs, talk to members of the military and take a few photos. Tremonti himself also spoke with American Forces Network’s Russell Toof about his experiences visiting the military. In a video interview (posted below), the Tremonti frontman says there was never any hesitation once a visit was requested. “Who’s going to say no to that,” asks the guitarist-singer. “We definitely wanted to come out here to see everybody.” He added, “Anytime you can make someone happy that’s away from home and bring any kind of joy to any rock and roll fans that are out here, away from their home, away from their country, it’s great to help out in any way we can.” Tremonti says he’s made it a point over the years to invite military personnel to their shows to meet and visit with them. He concluded, “I know they’re doing everything they can for us. I know they’re away from their families and friends, so it’s gotta be tough. So we respect the hell out of ‘em.” Watch Mark Tremonti’s Interview With American Forces Network [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tremonti-wish-you-well-video/” title=”Next: Watch Tremonti’s ‘Wish You Well’ Video” align=”center”]

Daily Reload: 2013 Grammy Awards, Device + More

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – The 2013 Grammy Awards saw the Black Keys , Halestorm and Trent Reznor  take home golden gramophones. Check out the full list of Grammy winners in the rock categories here. [ Loudwire ] – David Draiman ‘s Device unveil teaser video for self-titled debut album. [ Loudwire ] – Corey Taylor , Maynard James Keenan , Dave Navarro + more weren’t too happy with the 2013 Grammy Awards. See why they offered their criticism here. [ Loudwire ] – Navy SEAL who evidently shot Osama bin Laden talks about the military use of Metallica and Demon Hunter ‘s music.  [ Loudwire ] – Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello joins LL Cool J, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Travis Barker + more for 2013 Grammy performance. [ Loudwire ] – It was 50 years ago today that the Beatles recorded the majority of their ‘Please Please Me’ album in a 13-hour session. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Pearl Jam ‘s upcoming Wrigley Field show is the fastest-selling concert in the ballpark’s history. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Did Jack White drop an F-bomb during his 2013 Grammy performance? [ Diffuser.fm ]

Korn’s Jonathan Davis Receives U.S. Flag Flown in Afghanistan From Air Force Supervisor

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Korn frontman Jonathan Davis is an avid supporter of the U.S. military, as evidenced with his continued USO meet-and-greets and performances for U.S. servicemen and women and his participation in the recent ‘ Wounded Warriors ‘ short film. The singer’s support continued during a special meeting set up at the ShipRocked event in late November. United States Air Force Shift Supervisor Michael Bowser attended the cruise performance, where he was finally able to meet his hard rock hero and present him with a flag flown over an Afghanistan base on Sept. 11, 2012. Video footage of the presentation may be seen below. Bowser said he also collected flags for Five Finger Death Punch and Sevendust , who were also among his favorite bands, to present to them, as well. He told Davis, “Hopefully this can give back to you guys what you’ve given to me, because if it wasn’t for rock music I wouldn’t get through deployment.” A moved Davis responded, “I know lots of people and I know the s— you all are going through. This is amazing. This will definitely be displayed at our studio.” Just last fall, Davis was presented with the uniform of Marine Lance Cpl. William H. ‘Billy’ Crouse IV by his brother Ryan Rothman. Crouse was killed during a bombing in Afghanistan. It’s expected that Bowser’s flag will be displayed alongside Crouse’s uniform and other gifts that band has received from the military over the years. Watch Korn’s Jonathan Davis Receive a U.S. Flag from Air Force Supervisor Michael Bowser [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korns-jonathan-davis-visits-wounded-troops-and-takes-bomb-disposal-training/” title=”Next: Jonathan Davis Visits With Wounded Troops + Takes Bomb Training” align=”center”]

Newsted Unleash Hard-Hitting ‘Soldierhead’ Video

YouTube Simple. Sweet. Badass! There’s nothing too out of the ordinary for the first video from the band known as Newsted as ‘Soldierhead’ is a traditional performance clip, but it packs a powerful punch. Jason Newsted and his new group offer up a rapid fire, hard-hitting performance of ‘Soldierhead’ that shows exactly what they’re all about and serves as a bit of a proving ground before the band ever hits the concert stage. After watching the video, there should be increased anticipation for whenever Newsted takes the stage. The bassist-frontman exclusively tells Loudwire, “I think [‘Soldierhead’] probably came to me in like 10 minutes and I got the main riff down and then the lyrics just came to me and I said ‘this is going to be the one’ and I had it done by that night and it just showed up, because I keep chasing it, man.” As expected with that title, the track comes from a particular point of view. Newsted added, “‘Soldierhead’ is for all of our military service personnel guys and girls … You hear such crazy stories about all of that and I met so many thousands of soldiers in my life traveling around the world and they’ve always been so supportive of the metal, so that’s my tip of the hat to them. I’m glad that everybody loves the song for what it is, because it can represent something for all of us as they represent us.” ‘Soldierhead’ is featured on Newsted’s debut ‘ Metal ‘ EP, which is available now via iTunes . Watch Newsted’s ‘Soldierhead’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/jason-newsted-touring-wont-charge-meet-and-greets/” title=”Next: Jason Newsted Shares His Thoughts on Touring” align=”center”]

All That Remains Raise Military Morale During Marine Corps Base Visit

Razor & Tie All That Remains are major fans of America’s servicemen and women, and, as they discovered during a trip to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, the love and respect coming back at them from the troops was definitely mutual. According to the Camp Lejeune Globe , the band recently dropped by to share their respect for the community, families, and service members of base. Singer Phil Labonte says, “It’s cool to be able to do something like this and give back to the Marines.” Labonte himself was briefly a part of the Marine Corps as a mortar trainee before medical issues forced him out, but the rocker’s wife has served three deployments. He says, “I don’t rate. There are Marines out there who have done some real things. My wife is a Marine. She has deployed to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once. She’s done all the real stuff. I don’t count.” “The military is voluntary,” says Labonte. “It makes the commitment more valuable. We were at war for the past 10 years. People don’t join just for college anymore. [Service members] definitely have my support.” The band recently released the new single ‘ Stand Up ,’ which has already become a favorite amongst service members. Cpl. Eric Mascio stated, “This is what I workout to everyday. On deployments, we listen to it all the time. It’s the same music as our mentality. The military is a big fan base for metal bands.” Melissa Patterson praised Labonte for his dedication to the military, adding, “It’s awesome he’s a former Marine. As the saying goes, ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine.’ He’s keeping it real and bringing it back to the men and women he served with. He hasn’t gotten too big for the Marines.” The group staged a meet-and-greet during lunch hours, with many of those in attendance bringing guitars, posters and uniform caps for the band members to sign. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/all-that-remains-phil-labonte-talks-military-religion-a-war-you-cannot-win/” title=”Next: Phil Labonte Discusses the Military” align=”center”] ?

All That Remains Go Militaristic in ‘Stand Up’ Video

YouTube All That Remains offer a militaristic theme in their video for new single ‘Stand Up’ from their latest album, ‘A War You Cannot Win.’ Clearly, a battle theme is woven through multiple elements of the release as  whole, from the lyrics and the audio to the video and the visual. The video fuses performance footage of ATR playing their instruments in the middle of the woods  – they shot the vid on location in New Hampshire — and they are somewhat obscured by plumes of smoke. The action and scenery switches to a battlefield, with soldiers and armed military men in combat brandishing weapons and engaging in ground missions. But is it really a battlefield or is it those same woods? Food for thought… You might get a little dizzy when watching the video, since it often switches to the perspective of one of the combat men. You’ll feel like you are behind the rifle scope, as he seeks out his prey or enemy. It might make you a little bit queasy, since you move when he moves for many of those scenes. But there really is nothing cooler than a metal band ripping through a galloping guitar solo in the middle of the woods, while images of gas mask-wearing armed forces are spliced throughout. It leaves you wondering if it’s the band being hunted and, if so, by whom? We won’t give it away. Watch All That Remains ‘Stand Up’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/all-that-remains-phil-labonte-talks-military-religion-a-war-you-cannot-win/” title=”Next: ATR’s Phil Labonte Talks Military, Religion + More” align=”center”]