Mark Tremonti Talks ‘A Dying Machine’ + More – Interview

2018-06-06

Story by Anne Erickson

Mark Tremonti chats with Anne Erickson about the new Tremonti album, ‘A Dying Machine,’ and more in this exclusive interview

Mark Tremonti is back out front with a new album, “A Dying Machine,” with his solo band, Tremonti. Mark has been releasing albums with Tremonti for a while now — since 2012, to be exact — and he says this one is his favorite. After years of playing lead guitar in Alter Bridge, Tremonti is now a full-fledged vocalist with Tremonti, and it’s easy to hear that hard-won confidence all over “A Dying Machine.”

Mark spoke with Anne Erickson about the new album (out Friday, June 8), why he was surprised to craft a concept record this time around and the status of new jams with Alter Bridge.

Listen to the interview via the Audio Ink Radio iTunes podcast.

Anne Erickson: Congratulations on the new album, “A Dying Machine.” It’s really cool that “A Dying Machine” is a concept album! What led to that decision?

Mark Tremonti: I was on tour last year and started playing around with the title track of “A Dying Machine,” and that was kind of the seed that planted the whole concept. That song came together successfully, and I didn’t want to lose the mood of that. It was never something on my radar, whatsoever. I never really dug into concept records too much, other than a couple in my collection. It wasn’t something I thought about doing.

What makes you excited to take the tunes off “A Dying Machine” on the road?

I think it’s our best record. It’s my favorite, so far, and I know live it’s going to be a lot of fun to play. When the record comes out, I hope people feel the same way about the record as I do.

Tell me about the novel that you are writing in conjunction with the album.

I’m working around the clock, trying to finish it! It’s my first time doing something like this. Once I finish first manuscript, it’ll have to go to copy editing, so maybe three weeks there, and then six to eight weeks from once I get it finished to getting it printed and ready to ship.

You’ve been known for a long time as a guitarist and songwriter, and now, you’re really coming into your own as a frontman in Tremonti. Do you feel more comfortable singing leads on this record than your first albums with Tremonti?

Yeah, when you do the first record…I was a little nervous to do it for the first time. I’ve been a songwriter since I was a little kid and always thought my voice wasn’t strong enough to make my ideas reach their full potential, so I always put it on somebody else, so I finally took that first step. When it’s something you put on the back burner your whole life, it was kind of nerve-wracking. But, once I took that first step, I got more confidence, and now, I don’t second guess myself.

What’s ahead for new music from Alter Bridge?

We recorded a couple of shows in Europe with an orchestra, so we’re putting out a DVD with that later this year.

What about original music?

Our new album will probably come out late next year. We’ll probably record it sometime early summer, and then I’ll be back on tour with Tremonti next summer, and following that, we’ll get the release out with Alter Bridge.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Interviews, Metal, Music, Rock

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