Myles Kennedy talks new Alter Bridge album

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Live rocking. Sven Mandel

Florida band release sixth record

The hard rock world has been blessed once more with the recent release of Alter Bridge’s newest album, Walk the Sky. Alter Bridge , are a supergroup that originates from Orlando, Florida. Made up of the former members of Creed (Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall) and fronted by amazing vocalist Myles Kennedy, it didn’t take long before the group hit all the right notes and set the stage for rock ‘n’ roll today.
I was fortunate enough to gain an interview with Myles, where we discussed the new album, looking back at old projects, and what the future held:

So how does it feel to release Walk the Sky, which I believe is the band’s sixth studio album?

“Yep, sixth one. It’s been great; we’ve been pretty blown away with the reception of the record so far. Anytime you put a lot of effort into something that the fans gravitate towards, it’s always rewarding. So, yeah, everyone’s pretty ecstatic right now.”

Now, I know a few albums from Alter Bridge have had anniversaries lately: Blackbird, AB III, Last Hero – what’s it like looking back at those albums and their success?

“It’s just incredible to know that after 15 years, we’re still doing it. We were just talking about that the other day, that with each record you always wonder if it’ll be the last. We’ve had those talks, you know, ‘cause I really don’t take anything for granted. This is the music business, and oftentimes shelf lives of bands expire rather quickly after a few records, so, the fact that we’re into our sixth record now and we’ve built up a pretty loyal fanbase that continues to be all about these records is something that we’re definitely very grateful for. So, looking back on all those records, just reminds you how lucky you are to be this deep into your career.”

So, having those experiences and putting everything together, you and the band, what’s that feeling like?

“It’s pretty good for us at this point. We’ve done it for so long, we kind of have a system in place. It works well for us, understanding everybody’s goals, what everybody’s strengths are. So, we utilize that and it helps make the process run smooth. I think that after 15 years of making records and writing songs together, I feel like we got it pretty dialed in so far.”

And with that connection, is there anything about the latest album that stood out to you?

“To me, there are very crystalized arrangements and we veered away from doing as many of the epics as we’ve done in the past, and that’s definitely a hallmark of the band, which we started on Blackbird. We wanted to try making the record the way that we used to, the songs are shorter and get to the point. That’s one of the elements of the record I think that separates it . . . with that being said it’s still very much a guitar heavy album – that’s what we do. I think the other thing was how we choose to write it where Mark and I wrote a lot of the songs separately this time as opposed to coming together, just because of our schedules. So, it was a bit of an experiment in that sense, but we feel like it worked out really well.”

What’s the focus for the band moving forward with the release of this new album? Just touring?

“Yeah, touring for the next year. That’s the plan, is just to get to as many places as we can worldwide and continue to establish our presence. That’s the thing, as a rock band you got to get out there and hit as many places as you can just to build your base. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”

So, looking back at everything you’ve done, whether it’s collaborating with Slash or releasing a new album with Alter Bridge, do you feel that you’ve set the level, or do you still want to do more as an artist?

I think that there’s always going to be things that I’m going to want to try, things I want to do musically. I think a lot of artists have those itches that need to be scratched but I’m also very aware of not over-satiating people with just too much material and so I’ve got to be very aware of that, and know when to kind of step back for awhile and make it so that there’s not too much Myles out there. So, it’s a delicate balance that I’ve managed to skate by for the last ten years, but I got to figure out moving forward, how I intend to continue to tour and make records?  And if it’s going to be as intense as it’s been for the last decade? So, like I said, it’s a delicate dance I manage to make work.

On top of the new album, Alter Bridge will be kicking off a 2019 European Tour on Nov. 12th. For more details on the album, the tour, and everything in between, you can visit their website at alterbridge.com.

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