Interview with Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman

Humor is a part of most happy people’s lives every single day. It’s one of those things that no matter who you are, where you’re from or how old you are, you can brighten someone’s day by making them laugh. There are all kinds of comedians that make a decent buck off of it, but very few musicians can do it and still be taken seriously. Theory of a Deadman is one of those bands that can make you laugh and cry in the same verse. They write music that anyone can relate to, whether it be about a break up or about life in general, when you listen to their music you feel as if you’re a part of their story, because you are. Vocalist Tyler Connolly spoke with Hard Rock Reviews' Aaron Manogue about why humor is such a big part of their music, their latest album The Truth Is, and their upcoming appearance headlining The Carnival of Madness 2011 Tour.

Aaron Manogue: Your single “Lowlife” has kind of catapulted your new record The Truth Is. Tell me what that song means to you or what you meant it to mean to the fans.
Tyler Connolly: Basically, it’s just one of those “Don’t judge what you don’t know” kinds of things, you know? We’ve done so many festivals and just looking out at the audience and seeing chick fights and kick ass hillbillies. And you know it’s more of a song saying it’s ok to be a hillbilly because a lot of them are our fans. That’s pretty much what it means.

Interview with Ben Wells of Black Stone Cherry

When anyone says the words "southern rock," most people think of the days back in the '70's when The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd reigned as the kings of rock n' roll with their legendary guitar riffs and serene vocals. In their day, they were pioneers in the type of sound that they brought to the music scene in combining rock, country and blues into a new breed of music. Although southern rock definitely has it's place in the rock n' roll scene today, the band Black Stone Cherry has to be the most intriguing of the bunch. The band's new record "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" is nothing short of kick ass. The boys from Kentucky have made their own musical concoction, just as their southern rock predecessors did. There's definitely still that distinctive southern rock ring to the entire album, but they've sprinkled feels of nu metal and mainstream hook throughout. The result is one of the funnest albums to listen to this year. Hard Rock Reviews' Aaron Manogue spoke with lead guitarist Ben Wells about their incredibly unique sound, the eclectic sound on their new record, and their Carnival of Madness Tour with Theory of a Deadman and Alter Bridge.

Aaron Manogue: What do you think it is that really gives your band the incredibly unique sound that you have built your reputation off of?
Ben Wells: I think the fact that we are from a small town in Kentucky and the fact that we didn't have a music scene to fit into growing up has a lot to do with the way we sound. We grew up fans of blues, country, classic rock, folk, etc. and wanted to have pieces of that in our music!

Manogue: "White Trash Millionaire" has blown up across the country and on the charts. Tell me what that song means to you and what you're saying to your fans through that song.
Wells: It's just a fun song. It means be happy with what you have. It means feeling like a "millionaire" doesn't mean you have to have a million bucks in your pocket, you can have simple things and feel like a King as long as you're happy!

Manogue: You guys have a very eclectic sound throughout "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." You go from almost a John Mellencamp type sound in "Like I Roll" to almost a Nu Metal sound in "Killing Floor." Is that something you guys intended with this record?
Wells: One hundred percent! I mean we never set out to sound like anyone in particular but we don't want to limit ourselves. An album is supposed to be a story book of songs, a listening experience. If every song sounded the same or had the same vibe we think it would get boring!

Manogue: What was the inspiration or story behind covering "Cant You See" originally by the Marshall Tucker Band on the new record?
Wells: We started doing that on our headline tour of Europe in 2009. It was just a fun thing to do live at the time. We were doing it more traditional and true to the original then, too. We ended up recording it as a demo for the album and everyone flipped over it so we had to spice it up and rock it out a little more to make it our own thing!

Manogue: Your band has a sound that holds itself well for both large arenas as well as small venues. What do you like about the two and which do you prefer?
Wells: We get asked that a lot. Both are good and bad at times. Honestly, there's few things bad with playing an arena except for the distance between the band and the audience. We prefer the fans to be real close and in our face; makes it more personal. But small rooms can suck too at times; no showers, small PA, you just have to deal with those things. We don't let them really get to us, as long as the people are rocking out, we're happy!

Manogue: You'll be playing alongside some great bands including Theory of a Deadman and Alter Bridge, H. Is there anyone on the bill that you're looking forward to playing with for the first time or maybe someone you're looking forward to playing with again?
Wells: Most of the bands on the bill we have at one point shared the stage with. It's full of great bands and I'm sure it will be like a reunion for many! Hopefully we can catch as many shows as possible!

Check out Black Stone Cherry's new album "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea!"

Interview with guitarist Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge

One of the greatest guitarists of our time, yet he’s only just getting started. Being part of two extremely successful bands by the time he is at the young age of thirty-seven, Mark Tremonti has accomplished things with his guitar that most musicians only dream of. The Alterbridge shredder has a passion for being the best, and enjoying every bit of life that is thrown at him. If you ask me, anyone who can be good with pinball machines is a master of a whole different kind. Hard Rock Reviews' Aaron Manogue talked to the ex-Creed, current Alterbridge guitarist to talk about his custom PRS Tremonti guitar, his passion for the bumpers and a possible Creed reunion next year.

Photo by: Ashley Maile 

Aaron Manogue: How did you get your start with music and what was the first guitar that you ever had?
Mark Tremonti: I started at eleven years old when a buddy of mine decided to upgrade his guitar and get rid of his old guitar. It was an imitation Les Paul, a Tara, and I bought it for ten bucks and then about a year later I sold it for a hundred bucks. I think I did pretty good on that deal.

Manogue: I was going to say, that’s pretty good business at an early age!
Tremonti: Hell yeah! I just started to try and figure it out on my own and copy what other people were doing.

Manogue: You’ talked before about how heavy metal bands were kind of a big influence on you growing up. Who was the most influential guitar player or band on you?
Tremonti: Well, it was kind of a combination of Metallica and Black Flag at the time. I remember as a kid, just picking up the guitar, those were my favorite bands. It was a combination of kind of that metal rhythm stuff but also that kind of lose punk, aggressive stuff. That type of guitar just had a lot of emotion to it.

Alterbridge Guitarist Mark Tremonti to Release "Thrash" Metal Album

Yes, you read that right. Alterbridge/Creed lead guitarist and one of today's most respected guitarist Mark Tremonti will soon be putting out a thrash metal album. He spoke with 'Robb's Metalworks' in San Antonio and spoke about his recent time away from Alter Bridge.

"I just had three months off while Myles was touring with Slash, so I figured it was a good time to get some music put together. I collaborated with Eric Freidman (Submersed/Creed) and Garret Whitlock (Eye Empire)."

It seems Tremonti has a side for the heavy that didn't quite fit with his usual band Alter Bridge, and if you ask me, this is just gold waiting to be dug up.

"All this stuff that I wanted to see the light of day that never really got used for Alter Bridge and Creed is what I'm putting on the record. There's a lot of speed metal and thrash stuff in there; riffs that I had sitting around; that I'm putting on this record. So it's definitely a heavier-sounding album."

As of now, there are no details as to when, where and how the album will be released.