Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti + Myles Kennedy Talk ‘Show Me a Leader,’ ‘My Champion’ + ‘The Last Hero’ Songs
Alter Bridge released their new album, The Last Hero, in October, and our very own Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez recently had a chance to sit down with Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy to discuss some of the key tracks on the album. In the video above, you can see the chat where the the guys discuss the formation and inspirations of the single "Show Me a Leader," the inspirational song "My Champion" and the epic title track.
Of "Show Me a Leader," Tremonti says the the song was a collaborative effort between he and Kennedy, sharing how it all came together. "I had a chorus I really loved and I played it for Myles and he was playing me a few days later an intro part that I fell in love with and I think that's what made that song special was having those two pieces put together," revealed Tremonti. "From there the song just kind of came together last moment in pre-production and Myles ran with the theme of the song."
Kennedy stated that while the band is definitely not a political one and the song does not take sides, it was hard not to be aware of the feeling of disillusionment most people were expressing about their leaders as the election neared. "We don't have an agenda, and we're just not a political band, but it was becoming so deafening, the volume of this campaign seasons, and it was hard to shut that out," said the singer.
As for "My Champion," Kennedy discussed the track being inspired by the positive messages instilled by teachers and parental figures during his youth as a "late bloomer." "I don't feel like I really hit puberty until I was almost 17," recalled Kennedy, speaking about how his voice didn't change. "I'd go to dinner with my family, and I'm 15 or 16 years old, and the waiter was still giving me the children's menu. So yeah, it was tough keeping up."
Speaking on "The Last Hero," the title track of their album, Kennedy revealed how different perspectives on leaders really fueled the song. He spoke in particular about how frequently we as humans build people up to tear people down and his fascination with that behavior. Watch Kennedy and Tremonti discuss all three songs with Toni Gonzalez in the player above, and pick up Alter Bridge's new album, The Last Hero, at iTunes.
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