The multifaceted artist and guitarist shares how his creative journey has taken him from Creed to Alter Bridge to Frank Sinatra—and beyond.
There probably aren’t too many artists out there as busy as Mark Tremonti. Aside from his celebrated careers in alt-rock mainstays Creed and Alter Bridge, the guitarist, songwriter, and singer organizes guitar and songwriting clinics while on tour; has a line of signature PRS gear; and cut a 14-track charity record, Mark Tremonti Sings Sinatra. Did we mention he’s aiming to become a pinball kingpin, too?
Tremonti joins Cory Wong on this episode of Wong Notes to dig into his musical trajectory since the late ’90s, when he blasted to the top of the charts with Creed. The band drew comparisons to other grunge-era staples like Pearl Jam, which irritated Tremonti but pleased Stapp. Tremonti discusses the gulf between the band’s popularity and the critical backlash they received: “People can be cruel, but it’s part of the world. You gotta deal with it.”
Tremonti analyzes what makes a good riff and why everything in “the middle” is boring to him, and unveils his songwriting and demoing routines. (“I think melody is the most important part of everything,” he says.) But his biggest passion project these days is his step into classic crooner music. Inspired by his daughter to do a charity project to benefit the down syndrome community, Tremonti recorded a Frank Sinatra covers album, complete with more than a dozen musicians who played with Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.
Tune in to hear all about Tremonti’s artistic life, plus a peek at what happens during his pre-show guitar and songwriting clinics on Creed’s fall 2024 tour. Expecting him to demonstrate some ferocious warmups? Think again: “I play like grandma’s in the room,” says Tremonti.
Wong Notes is presented by DistroKid.
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The author circa 1980 with his first guitar, an Epiphone Genesis.
Our Last Call columnist reflects on a big birthday with some thoughts about living one’s best life.
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” —Allen Saunders (via John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy”)
By the time this is published, I will be 60 years of age. I’ve been writing this bit of infotainment for nearly 18 years, so it feels like I should have some life lessons to share. Let me preface it by reminding you I’m not particularly wise, nor have I accomplished much. But I have been gigging for 44 years, and I’m still standing, so here are a few tips that might help fellow musicians on the long journey.
Although ageism is the last socially acceptable prejudice, I no longer sweat it. Because music is marketed primarily to kids, I worried I’d be aged out when my hair began transitioning from black to white in my 30s. I’d dyed it Elvis black for nearly two embarrassing decades to extend my imagined expiration date. By 50, the jig was up; I’d have to dye my hair every four minutes to maintain the illusion. That’s when I realized there are two options: grow old or look creepy.
Turns out, all the anxiety and wringing of hands fearing the inevitable was a huge waste of time and bad feelings. Sure, now I wake up every morning feeling like I have been beaten by a bag of doorknobs. And on a long gig, the weight of my guitar is more important than the tone. And my hearing, vision, and stamina are no longer at their peak. But honestly, life is, for the most part, better now.
I definitely am a better musician today than when I was younger. If you put in the time playing, you will inevitably improve. The key is, you have to work to push past what you already know. A lot of players hit their plateau early and never surpass it. They built a tool kit of riffs and tricks that got the job done, started working professionally, and then stopped working to improve beyond that. If you want to get to the next level in anything, you’ll need to get out of your comfort zone. Want to play better? Do something hard you’ve never done, like learning jazz, bluegrass, or metal tunes and practicing them with a metronome.
“The key is, you have to work to push past what you already know..”
Apply the same technique to other parts of your life. Want to feel better? Get off the couch and push your body with regular exercise, even if it’s just walking for 15 minutes. Want to be better off financially? Invest as much as you can, even if it means you will not be able to afford some creature comforts in the present. Or have that super uncomfortable conversation with your boss and ask for a raise. Want a better relationship? Be vulnerable. Nobody has ever improved their life without going through something uncomfortable. Life will pay you back for the work you put into it.
There’s a common fallacy about youth's fearlessness versus the wisdom of age. I was terrified through much of my youth. I was way too concerned about what other people thought about me. I was constantly comparing myself to others. I did not know what I was doing, and I was broke. I was always scheming and planning to improve life, and then was crestfallen when it never went as planned.
Life became much easier when I learned:
• Nobody is thinking about me. (People are generally thinking about themselves.)
• Comparison is the thief of joy.
• Nobody really knows what they are doing. (We are all just trying to figure it out.)
• If you work hard and live simply, the money thing works out.
• Plans lead to a betrayal of expectation. It’s good to have a plan to motivate you to work toward something, but be fluid. Failed plans will lead you to where you are supposed to be.
• Wisdom does not come with age unless you learn something along the way. If you live your entire life with a closed mind, too afraid or too lazy to think, you are missing out.
• Probably the biggest improvement that’s come with age is I’m learning to live in the moment. Most mental health professionals agree that depression often involves ruminating on the past, whereas anxiety is caused by spending a lot of time worrying about the future. But if you can stay in the eternal now, which really is all there is, then you’re living, not worrying.
I realize this reads like a string of cliché maxims, but that doesn’t make them less true. Let me leave you with a few more.
• Forgiveness is the gift you give yourself.
• It’s okay to not be okay. Life will inevitably hurt. Good or bad, this too shall pass.
Everybody has their theory of spirituality. Mine is, if there is a higher power, how we live our life is how God experiences his creation. I want to use up all my tickets and ride every ride at the carnival. If life has a point, the point is to live it. The Titanic sinks; we in the band play on.
Keith Urban's new tour fires up in May 2025 and will feature Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins.
Dates will go on sale starting this Friday, December 13th at 10:00AM local time. Information about the “HIGH AND ALIVE WORLD TOUR” is available at www.keithurban.com with more North American dates to be announced in the coming months.
“Playing live is what I live to do,” said Urban. “Looking out from a stage and seeing people singing, forgetting about all the stress in their lives, cutting loose, and feeling ALIVE - that’s what it’s about for me. Lots of hits, new songs, things we won’t even think about until we’re onstage - and loads of guitar. We’re gonna make this tour the best night of your life!”
Twenty-four #1 songs to choose from, hits like “Long Hot Summer,” “Days Go By,” “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Somewhere In My Car,” “The Fighter,” “Wasted Time,” “Somebody Like You,” “One Too Many,” and new songs from his just released 11th studio album HIGH, and a night of music becomes not only celebratory, but communal.
KEITH URBAN’S HIGH AND ALIVE WORLD TOUR (U.S.)
May 22nd Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater
May 23rd Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
May 24th Charleston, SC - Credit One Stadium
May 30th Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
May 31st Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park Raleigh
June 12th Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
June 13th Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
June 14th Wantagh, NY - Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
June 19thColumbia, MD -Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 22nd Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 26th Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
June 27th Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
June 28th Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
July 17th Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 18th Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 19th Nampa, ID - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
July 24th TBA
July 26th Inglewood, CA - Intuit Dome
September 25th Chicago, IL - United Center
September 26th TBA
September 27th Omaha, NE - CHI Health Center
October 2nd Hershey, PA - Giant Center
October 3rd Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
October 4th Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
October 9th Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
October 11th Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by
Huntsman
October 16th Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Wellness Arena
October 17th Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Balance: producer, hip-hop artist, movie sound designer, modular synth player, and member of Jogja Hip Hop Foundation.
While the pedal builders at Sehat Effectors are in the game for their love of the 6-string, they’ve since begun exploring what effects pedals mean to other kinds of instrumentalists.
This time, I’d like to share my perspective as a pedal builder on how our effects pedals—originally crafted with guitarists in mind—are experiencing an exciting evolution in use. Our customer base spans around the globe, and as it turns out, many of them aren’t guitarists. Instead, our pedals are finding their way into the hands of non-guitarist musicians like DJs, synth players, movie sound directors, and even drummers. Yes, a drummer once used one of my fuzz pedals in a drum miking setup—quite an extreme yet bold experiment! This made me wonder: How did such a phenomenon come about?
Most of the pedals I build are fuzz effects and other experimental types, all primarily tested within guitar setups. But then I visited a friend’s studio; he goes by “Balance” onstage. He’s a well-known musician and producer here in Indonesia, and a member of the hip-hop group JHF (Jogja Hip Hop Foundation). Now, here’s the kicker—Balance doesn’t play guitar! Yet, he’s one of my customers, having asked for a fuzz and modulation pedal for his modular synthesizer rig. Initially, I was skeptical when he mentioned his plans. Neither my team nor I are familiar with synthesizers, let alone Eurorack or modular formats. I know guitars and, at best, bass guitar. My colleague has dabbled with effects experimentation, but only within the guitar framework.
So, my visit to his studio was a chance to study and research how guitar effects pedals could be adapted to a fundamentally different instrument ecosystem. The following is an interview I did with Balance to get a deeper understanding of his perspective.
As a modular synthesizer user, aren’t all kinds of sounds already achievable with a synth? Why mix one with guitar effects?
Balance: Some unique sounds, like those from Hologram Effects’ Microcosm or the eccentric pedals from Sehat Effectors, are hard to replicate with just a synth. Also, for sound design, I find it more intuitive to tweak knobs in real-time than rely on a computer—direct knob control feels more human for me.
Are there challenges in integrating guitar pedals with a modular synthesizer setup? After all, their ecosystems are quite different.
Balance: There are indeed significant differences, like jack types, power supplies, and physical format. Modular synthesizers are designed to sit on a table or stand, while guitar pedals are meant for the floor and foot control. However, they share a common thread in the goal of manipulating signals, eventually amplified through a mixing board and amplifier. The workaround is using converters/adapters to bridge the connection.“If you’re a saxophonist who buys a guitar pedal, it’s yours to use however you like.”
Are you the only modular synth user combining them with guitar pedals?
Balance: Actually, I got the idea after seeing other musicians experiment this way. Effects like fuzz or distortion are iconic to guitar but absent in synthesizer sound options. I believe signal manipulation with fuzz or distortion is a universal idea that appeals to musicians creating music, regardless of their instrument.
This brief chat gave me new insight and sparked my curiosity about different frameworks in music-making. While I’m not yet tempted to dive into modular synths myself, I now have a clearer picture of how fuzz and distortion transcend guitar. Imagine a saxophonist at a live show using a pedalboard with a DigiTech Whammy and Boss Metal Zone—absurd, maybe, but why not? If you’re a saxophonist who buys a guitar pedal, it’s yours to use however you like. Because, in the end, all musicians create music based on their inner concerns—whether it’s about romance, friendship, political situations, war, or anger. Eventually, they will explore how best to express those concerns from many angles, and of course, “sound” and “tone” are fundamental aspects of the music itself. Good thing my partner and I named our company Sehat Effectors and not Sehat Guitar Works. Haha!
Featuring updated circuits for maximum fidelity, intuitive controls, and true stereo capabilities, this pedal offers a rich chorus effect with tube-like overdrive.
Rotary speaker cabinets impart a one-of-a-kind type of chorus effect. This pedal faithfully recreates the swirling textures and vintage warmth of those rotary cabinets. Tucked inside Keeley's laser cut aluminum case is a brand new set of circuit boards delivering the finest tone we've ever achieved.
Key Features of the Rotary
- Sculpt your rotary tones with our finest sounds to date
- Updated circuits for maximum fidelity
- Simple and intuitive controls for live and studio use
- New LED speed indicator - Become one with the sound
- True Stereo for perfect integration in modern rigs
- True or Buffered Bypass - Switchable on the fly
Sculpt Your Sound:
- Blend: Find the perfect mix between dry and wet signals for a subtle warble or a full-on sonic whirlpool.
- Drive: Dial in tube-like harmonic saturation that adds depth and character to your tone!
- Mid Boost: Three different EQ curves to fatten up the stereo chorus effect.
Rotary in Motion:
- Dual Speed: Choose between two distinct rotation speeds for classic slow warble or a more dramatic, fast chorus effect.
- Brake: Instantly slow down the rotation for a cool "stopping" effect, adding a dynamic touch to your playing.
- Adjustable Ramp: Control the speed transition between slow and fast for smooth or dramatic soundscapes.
- Large Speed Knob: Easily control the rotation speed for intuitive adjustments on the fly!
Seamless Integration:
- Light Show: Set the mood with the optional pulsing LED that reacts to the rotary effect, adding a touch of visual flair to your performance.exclamation
- Stereo Everywhere: This pedal boasts stereo ins and outs, allowing you to create lush, expansive soundscapes that perfectly complement modern rigs.
- True Bypass or Buffered Bypass: Choose between transparent signal switching or a buffered bypass for maintaining pristine tone in complex pedal chains!
Stunning Design for Effortless Use
- The Rotary is built with artfully designed circuitry and housed in a proprietary angled aluminum enclosure, ensuring both simplicity and durability. Like all Keeley pedals, it’s proudly designed and manufactured in the USA.