If one were to speak with Myles Kennedy specifically about the special songs he's had a hand in crafting over the years, the conversation would take hours. That's because the Alter Bridge singer/guitarist, who also more than dabbles as the vocalist for Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash's band Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, has put his stamp on a variety of not only hits, but tracks that carry meaningful weight to his fans.
Older tunes such as "Brand New Start," "Isolation" and "Come to Life" still resonate today. The uplifting message of "Rise Today," a flat-out rocker such as "Metalingus" (the one-time theme entrance for World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Adam "Edge" Copeland) and the always inspiring "Blackbird" mesh with newer tunes such as the presidential election inspired "Show Me a Leader," demonstrating how much Kennedy's talents have made their way across five Alter Bridge studio albums and live efforts such as Live at Wembley and the two-month-old Live at the O2 Arena + Rarities.
A founder of The Mayfield Four, Kennedy received a big boost within the public eye by virtue of an appearance in 2001's "Rock Star." The movie, inspired by the journey of Tim "Ripper" Owens' assignment in rising from relative obscurity to replacing Rob Halford in 1996 as the vocalist for Judas Priest, featured Kennedy unveiling his vocal talents when his character was brought on stage by the character played by Mark Wahlberg.
While Kennedy mixed duties with Alter Bridge and Slash, he also found time to write songs with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham and had an opportunity to be part of Slash's other group Velvet Revolver, which never materialized. His oft-forgotten jazz background has even inspired his forthcoming solo album Year of the Tiger that will be released next year and features Kennedy playing a variety of instruments.
But first, Kennedy joins guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips when they kick off a U.S. tour today in the group's home base of Orlando, Florida. The trek comes to the Aztec Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 3 with All That Remains and Sons Of Texas (tickets here), a visit that will mark Alter Bridge's first San Antonio appearance since it headlined the Aztec on Sept. 25, 2016.
Kennedy phoned Alamo True Metal on Tuesday, just prior to Thanksgiving, to discuss as much as we could in 20 minutes. Click here to listen to our conversation. For last year's chat with Phillips, click here.
