Untitled Document

Integrity, commitment, and energy are indicative of Creed -- of Stapp and fellow 
songwriter/guitarist Mark Tremonti, and the driving rhythm section of bassist 
Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. The dedicated fans go the extra mile 
as well: relentlessly bombarding radio stations with requests, and driving hundreds 
of miles to see the band perform. Creed has been in charge of their own destiny 
since their 1995 advent. They recorded My Own Prison for less than $6,000 in the 
home studio of producer John Kurzweg. Two months after it’s 1997 release, the 
disc had sold over 3,000 copies. Remixed by Ron Saint-Germain (Tool, Soundgarden, 
311) and re-released on BMG-distributed Wind-up Records, My Own Prison quickly 
became the #1 track at rock radio. Started by former high school classmates Stapp 
and Tremonti, Creed began playing dates in their adopted hometown of Tallahassee. 
"Most of the bands were playing cover songs so we kind of stood out," Stapp recounts. 
"We played four-hour gigs with 20 originals, and 20 covers. Our goal was to replace 
a cover with an original every week and that’s what we ended up with -- four hours 
of our own songs." The songs were the products of the Stapp/Tremonti bond. Brian 
and Scott Phillips have a free hand in creating the bass and drum parts. Tremonti, 
too, notes the remarkable facility of the songwriting process, an outgrowth of 
the bond he and Stapp formed first while jamming in Mark’s dorm room at Florida 
State University. "I’ll get a chord sequence or a melody line going - I have literally 
hundreds of them that I’ve come up with in the past or am currently working on 
- and when Scott adds the lyrics, it֦s amazing how well they fit." An impassioned 
video game addict as well as a Les Paul master, Tremonti is the perfect balance 
for Stapp; after brainstorming new material, the pair turn the songs over to Marshall 
and Phillips. With influences from Metallica to Jim Morrison, and R&B to Black 
Flag, Creed’s music is rich in texture. It shines through from the dazzling guitar 
and drums interplay on "Ode", to the graceful six-string work on "Pity for a Dime" 
and the insinuating bass line of "Illusion". Combined with the vocals on "My Own 
Prison", the result is memorable. The full-born assault of "Unforgiven" gives 
way to the syncopated rhythms of "Sister". Throughout the record, there’s a palpable 
sense of cohesion. Creed is a young band, but somehow they play together like 
seasoned pros. While theirs is an egalitarian spirit, they found their collective 
voices in Stapp’s highly personal lyrics. He grew up singing in church and also 
nurtured a Southerner’s love for Elvis. But in his late teens, Scott became increasingly 
disillusioned with the strict religious dogma of his youth, later to be influenced 
in his writings. Initially turned on to heavy rock by Def Leppard’s Pyromania, 
he soon began his personal search. Down on his luck, Scott ended up for a week 
living out of his car. After gaining his bearings, Scott turned to music. With 
Creed, he began focusing his energies and gaining in self-reliance and creative 
partnership. He found, too, that his experience provided ample material for lyrics. 
Take the stunning title-track to "My Own Prison", for example. "I wrote it about 
4:00 in the morning," Scott says, "I realized I was building up reasons to blame 
people. I was getting bitter. I’d come from a fairly wealthy family and I was 
eating noodles every day. I’d felt betrayed by the people at my school. Writing 
the song was a turning point. I realized that I’m responsible, we’re all responsible 
for our lives." Now on an extensive national tour, Creed continues to live up 
to their promise. And it seems likely that they’ll gain new followers to join 
their swelling ranks.