================================================ Subject: Fw: article From: "]\\[][G}{T§TÖ®]v[" To: Date: Thu 12 Jul 2001 20:40:09 -0400 ================================================ Another Way-back article... assuming that the server lets it go through... {=o/ ¤]\[][G}{T§TÖ®]v[¤ ----- Original Message ----- From: sTePh To: Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 4:20 PM Subject: article hey guys here is an article i found..i dont think it has been posted on the list yet so here it is: THOUGH "overnight success" is a phrase that's too often tossed around frivolously, in the case of Creed, that characterization is entirely accurate. Building on the intense local following that greeted its modestly produced, do-it-yourself debut album, the band rocketed to stardom within the span of a few months. While some have leveled accusations that the group slyly co-opted the sound of pioneering Seattle bands, Creed's music has obviously tapped into the hearts of millions of fans. Thus far, the group's popularity shows no signs of waning. Actually, Creed's geographic roots can be traced to the Deep South. Raised by strict, God-fearing parents (his father was a Pentecostal minister who insisted that electric guitars were the devil's instrument), frontman Scott Stapp grew up in a household where music was pretty much limited to singing hymns. Upon reaching his mid teens, however, Stapp began to chafe against the strictures of his upbringing. Rumblings of discontent began while the then-15-year-old was attending Lake Highland Prep School, in Orlando, Florida. There, he met an aspiring guitarist named Mark Tremonti, and though their burgeoning friendship was delayed when Stapp's father moved the family to Tennessee, the seeds of a partnership were sown. At around age 16, Stapp came under the sway of U2's The Joshua Tree, an album that inspired him to further question the nature of the beliefs with which he'd been indoctrinated. After a brief tenure as a law student at a small Tennessee Christian school, he decided to run away from home. In part because he knew Jim Morrison had lived there - by now his love of U2 had extended to the Doors - Stapp headed for Tallahassee, Florida, where he began toying with the idea of becoming a songwriter. By chance, his friend Mark Tremonti had just returned from Clemson University, in South Carolina, to begin studying for a finance degree at Florida State. That summer, in 1995, Stapp and Tremonti reunited and committed themselves to a pursuing a career in music. With the addition of Scott Phillips on drums and Brian Marshall on bass, a fledgling rock band was born. Dubbing themselves Naked Toddler, the four aspiring musicians honed their instrumental skills playing cover songs (a favorite was Radiohead's "Creep"), while Stapp and Tremonti took stabs at penning original material. Pooling their earnings from dead-end day jobs - as well as a regular club gig that netted them $500 a week - the band itched for a chance to record some demos. In 1996, that opportunity came. Getting help from local promoter Jeff Hanson - whose friend, John Kurzweg, owned a recording studio - the rechristened Creed used their savings of $6000 to put together enough songs for a full-length CD, titled My Own Prison. Upon completing the album, the group formed its own label, Blue Collar Records, which released the CD in April of 1997. Instantly, My Own Prison began generating a substantial buzz on the local scene. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Hanson - who by now had become the band's manager - radio stations in Tallahassee put the album into heavy rotation, and within a mere two months, the CD had garnered regional sales of nearly 5,000 copies. Creed soon found itself being courted by several major record labels. Ultimately, the band turned down offers from corporate behemoths Atlantic and Universal (both of which insisted on a year's delay before reissuing the album) in favor of a start-up company called Wind-up Records. The choice proved to be inspired, as Creed - who was Wind-up's first client - benefited from a massive promotional campaign. Following the re-release of My Own Prison in August of 1997 (Tool producer Ron Saint-Germain remixed the album), Creed embarked on a national tour structured to cultivate a grass-roots following. A key element in Wind-up's marketing strategy was to send promotional representatives to every city in which the band played, where CDs, posters, tickets, and other paraphernalia were distributed to local radio stations and retailers just prior to the band's appearances. By the end of 1998, it was clear that the efforts of Creed (and of Wind-up) had paid off in ways neither the group nor the label could've anticipated. My Own Prison spawned four No. 1 singles - the title track, "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One" - on Billboard's Rock Radio chart, a feat which no debut album had ever achieved. Moreover, the group managed to play to more than two million fans worldwide before the year was out. When the group was named Rock Artist of the Year at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards show, it's likely no one was surprised. Evidencing a strong work ethic (frontman Stapp is known to spend as much as 15 hours a day immersed in promotion-related work), Creed barely took time to draw breath before beginning work on a follow-up. After contributing songs to two special projects - a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" for the soundtrack to the film The Faculty; and a version of "Riders on the Storm" for an upcoming Doors tribute album - the band retreated to Florida to begin work on its second album. After finishing up the CD in late summer, Creed tantalized its fans by playing some of the new material during a series of festival performances in Europe. The band also headlined at Woodstock '99, and delighted the crowd of 200,000 by inviting former Doors guitarist Robby Krieger to join them for covers of "Roadhouse Blues" and "Riders on the Storm." Released on September 28, Creed's new album, Human Clay, finds the group working from a slightly broader stylistic palette, while taking care not to stray too far from My Own Prison's signature sound. Thus far, the album has received generally favorable reviews, and its first single, "Higher," has already become the band's fifth No. 1 hit. On September 25, Creed embarked on a tour that will take them to more than 30 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. laters steph To unsubscribe or change your preferences for the Creed-Discuss list, visit: http://www.winduplist.com/ls/discuss/form.asp