Creed comes ‘Full Circle’

Creed has always been a band that has lived up to its name (defined as “a brief statement of belief, esp. religious,” according to The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary, circa 1981).

With its new album, “Full Circle,” the band’s first since reuniting in 2009 after nearly six years apart, the four-piece group from Tallahassee, Fla., which has sold about 35 million albums and was the first act to have seven consecutive No. 1 rock radio singles (four from its debut album, 1997’s “My Own Prison”), now has more words to add to its, um, creed.

The band’s lead guitarist said the song “Full Circle” was the first one the guys – Scott Stapp (lead vocals), Mark Tremonti (guitar, backing vocals), Scott Phillips (drums) and Brian Marshall (bass) – put together when the original foursome reunited.

“I was playing a riff, and then Scott came up with the lyrics,” Tremonti said in a recent call before the band’s show at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Wednesday.

“We just thought it was the perfect theme for the song, the album and the tour.

“Our lives have sort of come full circle (since we broke up and got back together),” the guitarist continued.

“We have all grown up and had children and were thinking it would be a shame to not do what we did in the past at the same level.

“We just didn’t look back and kept looking forward. We have been working non-stop since we got back together, but we are having a good time. We have been getting a fantastic reception from the fans at the shows, and there are no signs that we are not going to keep going.”

In conjunction with Creed’s new tour, the band has teamed up with Orphan and Fret12 to design, build and give away a custom “Full Circle” motorcycle and guitar valued at $80,000. The “Creed 2010 – Chopper & Axe Giveaway” runs until Dec. 24.

If you are going to the show at Montage on Wednesday, you will be able to see both the bike and the PRS Mark Tremonti Signature Model guitar, which Tremonti says will be custom-painted with the “Full Circle” artwork.

As for the chopper, “The wheel on the back is the biggest one they make, and it is called a ‘Full Circle,’ ” said the guitarist, who doesn’t ride and says he is more of a classic-car guy. “It is a massive, tough looking bike,” he said, “When I look at it, I want to become a rider.”

Creed fans can enter to win at any tour stop or can sign up at www.creed2010.com, and entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 24.

Mum on SilenTreatment?

The winner of the Guitar Center Online Stage KISS Competition has been named – sort of.

While the official website still says the voting is “closed” and “the final winner, chosen by KISS, will be published soon and contacted by Guitar Center,” word is that the winner is none other than Scranton-based band The SilenTreatment.

The five-member group, consisting of Anthony Giamusso (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sam Chiarelli (lead guitar), Michael Sharkey (keyboards, backing vocals), Justin Jacek (bass) and Mark Lieback (drums), got enough votes to place in the Top 5 of the contest, then, it seems, was hand-selected by the members of KISS to open the show Sunday at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Two other national opening bands will head to the mountain for the show – The Academy and The Envy – and the concert is set to begin at 6:30.

OK, I admit it, I may have missed the boat a little on the band known as Switchfoot.

While I stand by everything I wrote Saturday night about its set at Montage as a warm-up for Goo Goo Dolls – I still think they were phenomenal – I guess they are not the young, up-and-coming band I envisioned during what I thought was a breakout performance.

I should have been clued in when the lead singer, Jon Foreman, said the band would play “Lollapalooza” in Chicago the following day, but (to me anyway) that was just further validation the band was on the cusp of the big time.

Much to my amazement (and a little to my chagrin), it turns out the band has been around for quite a while (since 1996) and has been fairly popular with fans and critics, selling millions of albums, placing numerous tunes on the charts and winning nine GMA Dove Awards (the highest award in Christian music). You know, successful.

Oh, the group started as a Contemporary Christian Music band and just recently made the switch to alternative, mainstream music, I thought, so maybe that’s why I had heard of them but never heard them. Well, that’s not exactly true either. But at least it explains the “positivism, peace and love” ’60s vibe I picked up on during the performance.

Anyway, if you missed the boat on these guys like I did, do yourself a favor and pick up the band’s latest album (its seventh, by the way). “Hello Hurricane” has four or five tunes the band did Saturday night.

While you’re at it, pick up “The Best Yet,” an 18-song sampling of the band up to this new album, which you can get as a download for about 12 bucks. I have been playing both albums a lot since seeing the band in Scranton on Saturday, so, sometimes at least, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Brad Patton is the Times Leader’s music correspondent and hosts a three-hour program starting at 7 Tuesday evenings on 88.5 FM - WRKC (Radio King’s College).

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