It's not easy to find a success story as genuine as Creed's in popular culture these days when considering all of the carefully scripted rises to glory and the falls that inevitably follow careers built on hype. If any band in recent years can claim to have ascended strictly on its own merits, it's Creed. This Florida-based band went from zero to sixty, (or, more accurately, from zero to selling more than twenty million albums) by virtue of a combination of finger-on-the-pulse songs and powerful live performances. Their debut album, My Own Prison, has sold over six million albums to date. Creed's sophomore effort, Human Clay, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and has gone on to sell more than 10 Million copies. The band's third release, Weathered, also debuted at #1, selling more copies in its first week than any other rock release in 2001, and tying the record for the longest run at the top following a #1 debut.

"With My Own Prison, I knew we had the talent to get a record deal and I knew we had songs good enough to get played on the radio, but I never had any expectations of reaching this many people," says Creed's frontman Scott Stapp.

Nonetheless, the band's success has been truly phenomenal. Creed was the first band in history to have four #1 Rock Radio singles from a debut album. On the strength of their singles, including the crushing title track and the more pensive "What's This Life For," Creed topped countless year-end charts and was recognized as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1998 Music Awards. Their debut album was also the #1-selling Hard Music album of 1998 on SoundScan's Hard Music chart.

With the release of their second album, Human Clay, Creed upped the ante yet again. "Higher," the first single from their 10-times platinum sophomore release, broke the Active and Mainstream Rock airplay records for the most consecutive weeks at #1, holding the coveted spot for eighteen weeks. Furthermore, Creed was recognized once again as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1999 and 2000 Music Awards. Human Clay 's first three singles ("Higher," "What If" and "With Arms Wide Open") again achieved #1 status, setting a record with a total of seven consecutive #1 Rock Radio singles.

"We're the type of band that functions really well under pressure and the only pressure that we recognize is our own. We definitely wanted to top ourselves [after the My Own Prison album]," says Stapp. "We wanted to make a really great record. The band's goal has always been to make records that are solid from start to finish; records that take you through an entire range of emotions." Guitarist / co-writer Mark Tremonti added, "We always kept in mind that we had to write for ourselves because as long as we are proud of it, our fans will be as well. We try not to set any other goals above and beyond that." While Stapp grants that the band's increased resources had some impact on the structure of Human Clay, it's clear that Creed's evolution is far more than just a matter of dollars and cents.

Once again, Creed has returned with an album of songs that collectively offer the listener a passionate journey of emotive energy. Tremonti and Stapp's collaborations stand among the select few that seem to effortlessly draw the listener in and truly move the spirit through the simple art of expression. The lead single, "My Sacrifice," opens with a signature Mark Tremonti guitar intro and then envelops the listener with the mood and power no other band today commands.

For Weathered, Creed once again turned to longtime friend and producer John Kurzweg to ensure that they captured the anthemic guitars, dramatic vocals and bold lyrics that have made the band's brawny-yet-intimate sound a radio staple for several years. The band also decided to invite Kirk Kelsey, their longtime live sound engineer, to co-produce the new material. Together with Kurzweg and Kelsey, Creed recorded the new album in a home studio just outside of Orlando. Drummer Scott Phillips commented, "We've done our previous two albums in home studios and have felt that this is our best creative environment where we can feel comfortable and creative as a band." Guitarist Mark Tremonti performed all of the bass guitar tracks on Weathered and a few special guests made passionate contributions to the album. On "Don't Stop Dancing," the band was joined by the Tallahassee Boys' Choir and Amie Stapp. Regarding his sister's appearance on the album, Stapp noted, "I had been looking for a female vocalist for awhile and it dawned on me that I didn't need to look any farther than home." On "Who's Got My Back?," vocalist Bo Taylor, an archivist at The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, makes a special appearance on the invitation of Creed. Taylor mentioned, "I really like Creed's music because they are asking questions that all human beings should ask as they look outside of themselves. Music touches people and Scott contacted me to celebrate where he originally came from and to reconnect with his ancestry. It speaks volumes about his character that he reached back and made this statement and it means a lot to me personally that he did this."

"I think my lyrics are very direct and understandable," says Stapp. "People can relate to that, so that's something I didn't want to move away from. At the same time, we're a little bit older and more mature now and we've been through a lot in the past few years, so we are looking to put things across in a way that reflected that." Co-writer Mark Tremonti added, "We wanted to take our sound and expand on it. I think Weathered is the most diverse, dynamic record we have written to date."

Creed's reputation for dynamic and passionate live performances has led to consistently sold-out shows. Over the past four years the band has played to more than four million fans worldwide. "We were out on tour for a long time and wherever we went, there were people telling me how much certain songs meant to them and how they felt so close to them," says Stapp. "That means more to me than any other kind of attention. It's important to feel as if you're doing something worthwhile and in this band, with Mark and Scott, I feel like I am." On a similar note, drummer Scott Phillips added, "Our success has been dictated by the fans. They are the most important thing in the band's life. The three of us feel blessed to have such a great following of people. It's amazing to me when I sit behind the kit during a show and see the passion and emotion displayed by the audience."

In January 2002, Creed embarked on a world tour that will bring them to over one million fans throughout the year. The year began with a trek across North American arenas in January, after which they touched down in Australia and New Zealand in July. The band will then return to the U.S. for a Summer / Fall stadium tour. When asked before the tour about his feelings on getting back on the road and in front of the band's fans, guitarist Mark Tremonti replied, "Personally, I can't wait to get back on tour. It is something I truly enjoy and can't live without. It has been too long since we played a full blown show." Scott Phillips mentioned, "It's been over a year since we've had a chance to perform in front of a crowd. Our experiences in previous years have been amazing and we can't wait to continue that feeling."

In 2000, Creed's presence on television and their impact on end-of-year award shows were undeniable. The band released their VH1 Behind The Music special, taped and released VH1's Storytellers with The Doors and garnered numerous awards. In November, Creed earned two awards at the Radio Music Awards and the fans bestowed four awards on the band at the My VH1 Awards. They also received the award for Rock Artist of the Year, for the third year in a row, at the Billboard Awards in December. The writing team of Mark Tremonti / Scott Stapp kicked off 2001 by winning a Grammy Award for the band's composition, "With Arms Wide Open," a deeply personal song that was inspired when Stapp learned he was going to become a father.

Stapp is also continually besieged with requests to help with a variety of fund-raisers and charities and helps whenever and wherever he can. He has started his own charity, the "With Arms Wide Open Foundation" in an attempt to help underprivileged children and to be able to give something back to the communities that have supported Creed.

Bayside lead singer/rhythm guitarist and founding member Anthony Raneri has been waiting 10 years—since he formed the rock group in Queens, N.Y. in the winter of 2000—to make an album like Killing Time, which represents a number of firsts for the band named after his hometown.

The album is the band's debut for new label Wind-up Records after four releases on Chicago-based indie Victory Records, including Sirens and Condolences (2004), Bayside (2005), The Walking Wounded (2007) and Shudder (2008), steadily growing their following through tireless touring. Recording their latest at Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, N.Y., and Water Music in Hoboken, N.J., with renowned producer Gil Norton [Foo Fighters, Counting Crows, Pixies, Jimmy Eat World], Bayside finally had the time and resources to fulfill their creative vision.

The group turns Raneri's acoustic songs into full-blown, deceptively complex rock epics that touch on bitter endings (like that of his marriage on the first single, "Sick, Sick, Sick," and the angry, full-throttle rocker "The Wrong Way"), fresh starts ("The New Flesh"), band camaraderie ("It's Not a Bad Little War," "Sinking and Swimming on Long Island") and even a hopeful ballad, complete with a 20-piece orchestra and a horn section ("On Love, On Life").

"This is a new chapter, a new beginning for us," acknowledges guitarist Jack O'Shea, who joined the band in 2003 and has played on all five of their albums. "This feels like our debut release. Gil really encouraged us to push the boundaries of what we do, and not to become timid. Having that kind of encouragement from someone so accomplished really gave us the confi dence to be more creative."

One can hear that in O'Shea's various guitar sounds, from the Dick Dale/Link Wray surf guitar rumble which opens "Already Gone," to the gnarled, twisted solos in "Sick Sick, Sick" and "It's Not a Bad Little War," to the pneumatic rush of "Sinking and Swimming on Long Island" or the frenetic jam that ends "The Wrong Way."

"We wanted to make a big, detailed record, but still retain the pop sensibility that makes us who we are," states Raneri about the studio process. "Gil helped us stay on an aggressive rock track without losing sight of the music's commercial appeal, its ability to get on the radio. To achieve that balance was the plan."

For Bayside, the rest of its career leading to this moment feels like Killing Time, according to Raneri. "We had the time, the producer, the label to support it and fans who are ready to hear it. Everything was in place for us to make our masterpiece."

Indeed, Killing Time takes everything Bayside has learned in its decade in the music business and puts it on display for all to hear. On "Mona Lisa," another song Raneri wrote about his ex("Someday, I'll forgive you/But it still hasn't happened yet"), he tried an experiment in writing. "I half-jokingly call it my greatest accomplishment," he laughs. "It was an attempt to write a song with as many chromatic key changes in it as possible, without it sounding like mathematics. I was sure it would never make the album, but everyone seemed to love it."

There are also glimpses of the hard road Bayside has traveled to this point in "It's Not a Bad Little War," a song about being on the front lines and trenches with your bandmates ("We are the only friends we ever had"), and "Sinking and Swimming on Long Island," about all the ones that got left behind ("The harder you work/The harder you fall/You wake up one day/With nothing at all").

"Seeing Sound" has an operatic, almost Queen-like vibe, refl ecting Raneri's own love of Broadway show tunes, while the dramatic "On Love, On Life," is driven by piano and acoustic guitar, with pop tunesmiths Bacharach and David and Welsh crooner Tom Jones as the touchstones. The title track shows off the band's metal chops, with ominous Blue Oyster Cult overtones.

"I really think this album has the best elements of all our previous releases," says O'Shea, whose own guitar heroes include metal speedsters like Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine as well as Slash, along with such jazz-rock muses as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Allan Holdsworth, Al DiMelola and John McLaughlin. "It's the most representative of what we've always gone for as a band. It encompasses what our fans like best about us." With 10 songs weighing in at 38 minutes, there is no filler on Killing Time, an album, while not a concept, with songs that are organically connected and of a piece, like Green Day's American Idiot or Nirvana's Nevermind.

"We were trying to make the perfect album," says Anthony. "We've been trying to make this record for 10 years. We finally had all the elements we needed to do it. We wanted these to be the 10 best songs we've ever written."

"Now I don't ask for much/But this could define a lifetime" - "It's Not a Bad Little War"

"Everything has been leading up until right now," says Anthony. "Killing Time is about new beginnings, changes. This is our moment, the album we were supposed to make. A lot of bands that came up with us, we've watched form, get signed, get huge and then disappear. And we're still here... People continue to listen and care. We're living the dream." On Killing Time, that dream becomes reality.

"We're all just excited about the possibilities of what the next year holds for us," concludes Jack. "We've always approached our career with a cautious optimism. We hope for the best, but we're OK with whatever happens. We roll with the punches... but this time it all seems so much more tangible."

Since their formation in 1999, SEETHER (Shaun Morgan - Vocals/Guitar, Dale Stewart - Bass/Vocals, John Humphrey – Drums, and Corey Lowery Guitar/Vocals) have become one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world.  Originally from Pretoria, South Africa, SEETHER has released 7 studio albums, four of which have gone Platinum and one that is certified Gold along with a live concert DVD that has sold over 500,000 units for total worldwide sales in excess of 7 million.  The consistent hit makers have quietly amassed 15 #1 singles, 19 Top 5 multi-format hits overall resulting in US singles sales that top 17 million, a level of success few artists working today can match.  The relentlessly hard-working outfit has averaged 100 performances a year, crisscrossing the globe, emerging into headlining mainstays and featured performers on many of the world's biggest rock festivals.  With over 550 million video views and three million Facebook fans, Seether's powerful online presence is solid proof of their hard won, fiercely loyal worldwide fan base.

Wind-up Entertainment, one of the largest independently-owned music companies, was founded in 1997. The company was responsible for establishing and breaking many multi-platinum and diamond artists over the years. Wind-up Records continues to develop and build a great young roster of alternative artists, such as Civil Twilight, The Virginmarys, Young Guns, The Griswolds, Strange Talk and The Revivalists. The roster also includes amazing singer-songwriters Five for Fighting, Jillette Johnson and Genevieve. True to its history, great rockers like The Darkness, Filter, James Durbin, Aranda and our newest signing, Crobot, will keep Wind-up Records a powerhouse in the rock world. The Company also has Wind-up Publishing, which includes many of its label signings and 251 Management which represents careers of music artists and television personalities.

Writing original compositions on the piano is something that I enjoy very much.  I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to listen - it means so much to me, you have my heartfelt thanks.

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I can be reached at anita.l.parks@facebook.com.

"We're too far out/We're in too deep/And we've got miles to go before we can sleep...And if it takes us all night long/We're going back where we belong."
~Where We Belong

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