And I said to Mark, I said, you know, I said, you got some unfinished business out there with creed. And he looks and he goes, Oh yeah, I go, dude, I go, I don't care what's happened or what people have said in the past. The bottom line is you guys sold an insane amount of records. You're a new generations classic rock. And I said, all these people are sick of seeing the same bands come through every year on the same festivals and things. They said, you'd get see you. There's some big business out there. If you guys ever pulled it together again. And I'll never forget it's got he kind of like, you know, he's having a drink. He kind of looked at me, he gave me like a little smile. He goes, yeah, well, we'll see. And then like a week or two later, the, the cruises were announced and I texted him, I go, you son of a bitch. But do you feel that way? Do you feel like, you know, for you coming back together with creed and everything that's lined up? And I know the cruises sold out in seconds. They added the second one, it sold out in seconds. And now talking to some people, they're saying your your amphitheater toward this summer is like one of the hot tickets of the summer. How do you feel about all this? I mean, did it, did you expect to see this kind of reaction or is it surprising? What are your thoughts about all of it?

Well, you know, it's not surprising in the context of I knew that there was a new generation of creed fans being born. And then also, you know, the fans from the past were reengaging with creed because of everything that was going viral, you know, in started in late 2020, then in 2021, 2022, 2023, you know, between TikTok and Instagram and YouTube and and all the social media platforms, we just started having this resurgence. And it was shocking at first because I was like, it came out of nowhere. But to see the reception and to see that there was so much love out there for the band, I expected a positive reaction and a positive reception, but I didn't know it was going to be like this. You know, I had no idea. I've never done the cruise thing before. So I didn't really know what to expect there. And when I found out how fast it sold out, and then, you know, when I found out, you know, how the ticket sales are for the amphitheater tour, I was surprised that it was going that fast and there was that much demand. So yeah, a positive reception, I expected, but I didn't know it was going to be that big.

Do you do you hope to any of you guys? Well, have you guys rehearsed or been in all in the same room yet together? Because I know everybody's a little bit scattered. But and do you hope to, or do you want to do new music with creed at some point? Has there been discussion about that?

Well,

yeah, Mark and I were together a couple of days ago doing some like some secret, secret thing I can't share. But we were hanging out for a couple of days. And as we were hanging out, you know, we just began talking about how we wrote human clay. And we wrote human clay while on the road touring my own prison. And we wrote it at sound during sound checks. You know, eighty ninety percent of that record was written on stage during sound check. And you know what we do? We'd write a song and we'd get it tight and play it within three or four days of writing it because we didn't have enough material with just that one record to be a headliner, but we were headlining shows. So we didn't want to fill our set with covers. So we were writing on the fly and just playing new songs, you know, as we wrote them. And so we were talking like, you know what, that was that was a really good experience. Those were good times and both of us connected. And I could see in his eye and I was feeling it too, that, you know, I think there's going to be some writing happening. And it's going to be organic. It's going to be like, and I think it's going to be beautiful, man. If we get back to that place and that chemistry, which I think we're going to fall right back into once we start playing these songs together and we reconnect with through our relationships, through the songs that we created together, you know, I think it's only natural for us that, you know, during sound checks, sometimes in the dressing room, you know, wherever and whenever we're together, that songs are going to be born. I mean, it happened on the full circle tour. We wrote a bunch of songs during sound check during that tour. And so we're sitting on those, but I think we're all in a fresh space. And I definitely think the creative juices are going to flow. And so I definitely think there's hope for some new music.

And looking at this thing and, you know, for the Creed fans out there that are so excited about this, do you, are you looking at this whole Creed thing is more of like one step at a time, take it as a come sort of thing? Or is this do you want this to be an ongoing yearly every other year thing? Or is this just a reunion to kind of reconnect after 10 years? From your vantage point, how do you see it?

Well, it's evolved. I'll be honest with you. Initially, I was taking it like, all right, let's do the cruises. And then let's kind of see what happens from there. But the reception was so incredible. And like I explained before, everything that was going on viral, that the tour just got presented to us. And we couldn't say no, especially with the positive interaction that was happening with the band behind the scenes. And I really am hoping that all this positive energy and positive mindset and just collective mindset that this is something that we finally need to, you know, really cherish and nurture and really give our fans what they want. And that it actually benefits everything else we're doing as well. You know, there's definitely been some dialogue and some conversations about, you know, this being something that continues. And but again, there's still a little bit of that. Let's see how it goes kind of deal. So I think, you know, part of us are in the moment saying, yeah, let's, you know, the excitement of this. Let's, you know, let's make this something we do all the time. And then the other half of us is, all right, well, let's see how it goes. So with both of those, you know, headspace is kind of living together. I think that's a positive recipe. So if everyone just shows up with that, with that right attitude, I think, you know, not to sound cliche, but it is cliche. I think the best is yet to come for creed.

And you know, that is one of the cool things about the music industry now, because years ago, decades ago, it wasn't really like this. When people had another band or two outside of a band, it was always like viewed as well, there must be a problem or whatever. Now it's the norm. I mean, I can't think of anybody that doesn't have at least two bands they're doing at the same time. So even for you, you've got your solo career, four solo records, and then you've got creed, if you want to do it. I mean, Trimanti, if I counted all up, Mark Scott, like four things, because now I'm curious what you think of this. He's now a crooner doing Sinatra. You must have heard

him doing that. It's incredible. I'm, I think, I think he just kills it. And he just continues to just blow me away. When he sets his mind to do something, he gets it done. He always does it a class top notch. And I'm so proud of them for that. And, you know, I mean, it's incredible. The causes that he's supporting for Stella and the Down syndrome foundations. But the whole Sinatra thing is, I think it's just super cool. And he looks cool doing it, man. And he sounds great.

Yeah, did you ever think he'd, I mean, you know, I remember when he first started singing a little lead vocal, he was always telling me how he's always apprehensive about it. And now he's out there, you know, doing Sinatra. I mean, when you first met him, did you ever think he had that in him to be a lead singer like that? I'll be

honest with you. No.

And I'm not going to get

into details of why, but, you know, I think you're right. I think you characterized it right. I think it was just a little bit of apprehension. I think it was a little bit of fear. But I think it was always in him. He just had to get to the place where he felt comfortable and confident and marks the kind of guy that when he wants to do something, he practices behind the scenes and prepares. And, you know, I think he did what he had to do to get his confidence to the place where he owned it. And he sure did. And I'm proud of him and excited for him and happy for him that he's doing exactly what he wants to do in every area of his life.

And for you as a singer, how, I mean, I'm listening to higher power. I'm listening to tracks on this record. I pulled up some stuff on YouTube of you doing some live stuff recently. Your pipes sound exactly like they always were, which is amazing because although you're certainly not old by any stretch, you've been at it for a long time. For you vocally, what's your regimen like to maintain and what's it going to be like for you to dig into the old creed stuff again? Is there is there going to be, you know, some stuff you have to work on to do that? Or is that just going to come right back to

you? Well, you know, I still sing those songs and have for years. And I think the key for me is, you know, sobriety suits me well. And it suits my instrument well. You know, my body is my instrument. So keeping that in the best condition that I can and, you know, not doing anything that that affects my vocals in a negative way has really made me a better singer, you know, way better singer than I was, you know, even back in the day when I was just a throat singer, you know, now I've learned how to properly sing and I've taken vocal lessons from some of the greatest teachers ever, you know, namely Seth Riggs and really learned proper technique and form. And so, you know, working on my craft and my instrument as a singer has definitely benefited me and made me better than I was in my youth. And one thing too is with being healthy and trying to stay fit and protect my instrument, it's really enabled me to even expand on my me being a performer. And that's something else that I take pride in, is not just, you know, my vocal performance, but my physical delivery and my physical performance on stage. And really getting in the moment and being able to deliver the vocals how I need to deliver them, but also deliver them in the context physically that matches the emotion of the song. And so, you know, there's more than just singing, there's also performing and I think just staying fit and healthy keeps that going. And, you know, and for me also, you know, really finally stepping into something that I've always done behind the scenes, but never really, you know, slap my name on it in terms of, you know, producing and arranging and finally claiming that aspect of my creative ability has been something that, you know, I really got to put forth on this record, something that I've done behind the scenes on all the records. But this one, you know, I finally owned it. It's something that I'm definitely looking forward to getting into more in the future because it's something that I love to do. I love the behind the scenes stuff. I love the studio stuff. And I'm looking forward to, you know, working with other artists and helping them develop and make records.

Yeah. And you co-produce the new record, Higher Power, that's coming out with Marty Fredericks in, who's obviously a super talent as well. And Scott Stevens, who you had mentioned before. So that's, that's awesome. You know, and last thing Scott, I'll let you go on this. You know, you talked about how important music was to you and how much it helped you as a kid and how therapeutic it was for you. And I think many people who love music and dedicated their life to it, whether it's what I do on the other side of it or what you do as a performer, whatever the case may be, they feel the same way. And they all have those records, those singers, those people that they go back to, those records that are like a warm blanket that they, they listen to when they, you know, when they want to, you know, go back and they need to just escape for a little bit. So for you growing up as a kid, what were those singers? What were those records? What were those bands that you still call on now when you want to escape and listen to stuff that isn't your own music? Like what's the, what's the stuff that you still love and listen to that held up for you from when you

were a kid? Well, if we're talking about records that I hold on to from a kid, I mean, you too, Joshua Tree has been a mainstay. It's a record that, you know, comforted me and was like a warm blanket. Like you said, during some, you know, really tough times as a kid, I don't think I took that cassette out of my cassette player in my car or in my house for like three years in my teens. You know, Def Leppard pyromania was a record that I got into when I was, you know, nine, 10, 11 years old. And that record really set the tone and inspired me to want to be in a rock band. You know, so I got a credit Def Leppard for planning that seed in me as a little boy to want to be, you know, and do what I do today. And, you know, the doors were tremendous influence on me. I always say this, loving the doors and being a fan of Jim Morrison in the band was a double-edged sword as a young person because, you know, it definitely helped, you know, along with how Bono approached lyrics, you know, the way that Jim Morrison approached lyrics in terms of them being able to stand on their own as a piece of art, even outside of music, you know, that was something that I took away from the doors.