Alter Bridge

Interview date

24 Octobre 2013

Interviewer

Blaster of Muppets

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Brian Marshall (face to face)


Hi Brian, thanks for taking some time to talk to auxportesdumetal.com. How’s the tour with Halestorm going so far?

The tour is going great. This is our seventh show. So far, we’ve done three shows in a row then a day off, and three other shows in a row… So it’s been a bit hard for Myles, his voice is getting a little tired, being so quick out of the box… but it’s alright. Playing arenas in the UK with Shinedown and Halestorm and then being back here in France at le Zénith, it’s great. Our record sales have improved; we’re doing better here, in Europe, than we’re doing anywhere else in the world. Our fanbase is growing… So it’s great to be back here and play with such high caliber bands as Shinedown in the UK or Halestorm, with two powerful singers right before Myles. And Myles felt a little bit like he had to step up his game, you know (he smiles)…

Do you choose the bands you tour with or is this decision taken by the record company?

Yes we do have a word concerning the bands we go on tour with, we want to have a good mix of audiences… We like Halestorm fans to show up at our concerts and Halestorm enjoys that our fans show up at theirs. So yeah, we have a lot of input... We just try to stay along the same guidelines as our own fan base and see what would be a good match. So we throw out names… But we knew Halestorm, we all kind of knew each other, we’ve met before and those guys are good friends of ours.

Congratulations on "Fortress" which is obviously a very special album and you must be very proud. Were you conscious it would be that good while you were working on it?

It’s a difficult question to answer… When we all got together, we were just so focused on the composition of the songs, we really didn’t conform to any previous styles, arrangements or anything like that. We just felt like “if the shoe fits, wear it, if it feels good, play it”, you know what I mean? It’s true that the album works as a complete journey, a complete piece, it flows together… we’re very happy with it. When some songs were finished, they were longer than the usual typical song, you know, but they felt good, we didn’t want to edit them or change them in any way, we felt it was the right thing to do. So yeah, we’re very satisfied with the way the album turned out.

How did you contribute to the writing of this particular record?

We’re writing together. We all have our input, at the end of the day, it’s a complete collaboration. We talk about things. Of course, I’m in charge of the bass lines… Mark comes up with some riffs, or Myles comes up with a riff, Myles writes the lyrics on his own, he needs to be in some dark depressing place to do that. He said he would go to a hotel in the worst part of Orlando to write the lyrics, he actually said that numerous times, I don’t think he ever did... (laughs)

What are your own favourite new songs and why?

I really like “Fortress” because I think it’s different, a little bit more prog… It takes you on a journey, it’s a longer song. “Calm the Fire” is a great song too. I really like the changes in “All Ends Well”, the ending is completely different than the rest of the song, I really like that… I also really like “Cry of Achilles”, I think it’s probably one of my best works to date, it’s epic and it was a challenge and it’s great to challenge yourself when you write a song.

Why only four songs from the new album on this tour? Is it because it’s just been released?

Yes, you’re right. It’s probably a bit early to throw out too many new songs for now… But you know, I’m ready to play any song, any night… But really, all in all, with the set that we play which is around one hour and forty-five minutes, I think we have a pretty good mix of all our albums and the fans will enjoy it.

Does this mean there will be another leg for this tour with more new songs?

Yeah, probably in the summer. We’ll be back for festivals in Europe, mostly. Maybe Hellfest… that would be great.

Did you put everything you had on “Fortress” or have you saved some material for a future release (an EP, an expanded edition of “Fortress”…)?

There are two songs that we recorded. One was called “Outright” and I think it ended up as a bonus track somewhere… The other never fully got a title, I think. That was all the material that was recorded. We had lots of other ideas that we actually tried in pre-production or kept for later.

You shot a video for “Addicted to Pain”. Is there another video coming soon? What song will be chosen as your next single?

I’m not sure which single is going to be released here next but I know that in the US, the next single is going to be “Cry Of Achilles” and we’re probably going to shoot a video for it there. But I think that in Europe, the label wanted to release a different song, so I don’t know what it’s gonna be… we’re in the middle of it right now.

Creed reunited a couple of years ago. Are there plans for this band in the near future?

There are no plans for the moment. We haven’t talked to Scott since the last Creed show. Before that, there was a brief writing time when we got together but right now, it just seems like everybody’s doing different things. There’s no break up or anything, we’re just doing different things. We’ll see what happens…

Any other projects for you or the other members of the band?

Well… raising my son. I had a baby last January so I’ve been pretty busy with that… But I have interest in music in general, so if anything comes up while Myle or anyone else in the band is doing something else, I’ll be interested. It could be metal or country music, I just love playing music so I’ll see what comes up.

How do you feel about the nickname “The Sloth”? Can you explain how this nickname became yours?

I don’t know why that turned out on my Wikipedia page… It’s just not true. It has a negative connotation, right? It makes me sound lazy, I don’t want to be lazy (laughs). My nickname is B Marsh, that is accurate (laughs).

What’s next for Alter Bridge after this tour?

We’ll have a short break and then we plan on getting back together in January and February, touring in the US and Canada. Then, after that, I’m not sure but it’s mainly gonna be touring…

You released two DVDs from your previous tour. Have you planned to record some shows on this tour for another live album or is it too soon for that?

Yes, we already have plans. We’re filming backstage stuff… we have a film crew coming out pretty soon. I’m sure we’re gonna record at least one show, but mostly what we’re doing is recording interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. So the next DVD will have both a documentary and a live performance.

A Spinal Tap moment you’d like to share with us?

Well, yeah, I’ll tell you about the first time we came to Paris, we played a show and there was barely anyone there. At the end of the show, you know we high fived the five or ten people in the audience, we threw some picks out and Scott threw a drumstick and we heard it hit the floor… (laughs). That’s a Spinal Tap moment!

Anything you’d like to say, a message, a thought, something I didn’t ask you and you wish I did, this is your chance:

Will you buy me lunch? (laughs) No seriously, I would just like to say that this past year with all the changes that I’ve gone through in my life, waking up spiritually, being sober, having a baby, has been an awakening. It has really opened doors to all my capabilities. And you know, anyone can do that… I thought for years that I was this person and I really wasn’t until I put a lot of things down, I let a lot of things go… and I think it opened up my mind musically. Now, I’m just really proud to be a part of all this and I’m excited for what’s to come.


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