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MIKE PORTNOY On Possibility Of Reunion With DREAM THEATER: ‘If I Was A Betting Man, I Wouldn’t Put Money On It’

Manos Spanos
In the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) was asked by TESSERACT's Jay Postones what the chances are of Portnoy ever playing with DREAM THEATER again. "If I was a betting man, I wouldn't put money on it," Portnoy replied. "And that's not my doing. I never say never and haven't closed any doors. "I'm a very nostalgic person; I forgive and forget very easily… but I think the guys [in DREAM THEATER] have made it very clear they have no interest in looking backwards. "Those guys were a huge part of my life for a very long time, so I'm open to anything, anytime. "I guess the ball's in their court. We shall see." Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 27 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). In an October 2013 interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal", DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie stated about his current relationship with Mike Portnoy: "I haven't spoken to Mike since he left the band. "Myself, personally, and the way that the band feels is we're moving forward. Mike Mangini is our drummer and he will remain our drummer until the day that we're finished doing this. It's just the way that it is. "The reason that DREAM THEATER is moving on is because we have somebody that completely clicks with the band, he understands the band and he's helping us fulfill our musical aspirations. "Mike [Portnoy], you know, he's moved on, he's working with musicians and doing the things that he wants to do musically, and I think he's happy with that. But as far as DREAM THEATER [is concerned], this is who we are and this is who we will continue to be. Mike Mangini is our drummer, and he will be."
02 min read

MIKE PORTNOY Admonishes Fan For Showing Up To Signing Wearing MANGINI-Era DREAM THEATER Shirt

Manos Spanos
**UPDATE**: Mike Portnoy posted the following message on his Facebook page earlier tonight: "Once again everyone's got their panties in a bundle and have taken a post of mine and turned it into sensationalized 'news'....ugh! "Look...it's as simple as this: do what you want, say what you want, listen to what you want, wear whatever shirt you want...It's a free world!! All I'm saying is remember there are human beings on the other side of your words and actions! "I'm into peace, love and understanding... Live and let live... "Sometimes we all get emotional, I am totally guilty of that, no question!! I am a passionate person... But I have no ill intent towards anybody and have no anger or resentments, so please don't attack me as if I do... "Can't we all get along??? Haha... "Lighten up, live and love! : )" The original article follows below. Mike Portnoy has admonished a fan for showing up to the ex-DREAM THEATER drummer's in-store signing earlier today (Saturday, July 26) wearing a t-shirt representing the post-Portnoy era of the band. Mike and his THE WINERY DOGS bandmate Billy Sheehan took part in a meet-and-greet with fans at The Guitar Factory in West Seneca, New York prior to the group's performance tonight at The Traif in Buffalo. After the session, Portnoy took to his Facebook and Twitter accounts to express his disapproval, writing: "Somebody came to my signing today wearing a 'Dramatic Turn Of Events' shirt....REALLY??? Couldn't find a DT shirt from 1985-2010? Please try to use some sensibility/sensitivity when choosing a shirt for an MP event." He added in a separate status update and tweet (both of which have since been deleted): "Sad I can't post anything on my own FB & Twitter without getting everyone jumping down my throat. Seems everyone's allowed an opinion but me." Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 27 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). DREAM THEATER's current lineup has recorded and released two studio albums without Portnoy: 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" and 2013's "Dream Theater". Asked in a September 2013 interview with "The Classic Metal Show" why he bothers still answering DREAM THEATER-related questions in interviews when he seems to get criticized no matter what he says, Portnoy replied: "Because when I get asked it, and then I say, 'I don't wanna talk about it,' then that's what goes in print and that becomes the headline and then I'm still a bad guy; there's no winning." He continued: "My problem is that I care too much and I'm too honest; to be honest, that's the problem. I wish I could say I have thick skin and I don't give a shit what people say, but the reality is I do care what people say, and I've always been that way. I read the Internet, and I care what the fans have to say, and when they tear me apart, I wish I could say it doesn't bother me, but the reality is I'm human. I guess that's the bad that comes with the good. The good is that I do care and I read the Internet and I try to be a very fan-oriented artist. But the bad that comes with that is that I'm also subject to all the ridicule and the criticism and things like that. "So, what can I say?! It is what it is, and I try my best to ignore it and try to… The reality is that for every one person that tears me apart and hates me, I see 99 other people that are supportive and get it and are behind me. And I guess that's what I really need to focus on and appreciate." mikeportnoyshirttweet3
05 min read

DREAM THEATER’s JORDAN RUDESS: ‘We’re Passionate About Making Music’

Manos Spanos
Felicity Hall of GetYourRockOut conducted an interview with keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER at the U.K. edition of the Sonisphere festival, which was held July 4-6 at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire. You can now watch the chat below. Asked if DREAM THEATER has already begun thinking about the follow-up to last year's self-titled release, Rudess said: "We haven't really gotten into serious band discussions about what's gonna happen next, although we've had little discussions between some of us about what we would like to see happen next. At the same, if I get a good idea in the middle of the night, or whatever, I'll record it onto my iPhone. I elected James [LaBrie, vocals] to kind of be the keeper of some of my ideas; I'll send him little YouTube clips of me playing something I think is cool. And then when it wraps around and we get into writing again and start our process, then we'll go back an see what we've got and kind of figure it out." Rudess also reassured fans that there are no plans for DREAM THEATER to stop making new music and become a nostalgia act. He said: "Oh, no no no. We love what we do. We're passionate about making music and as composers; that's just who we are. DREAM THEATER has never been a band that hit at a particular fashionable point and said, 'OK, that's basically it.' We're a band that really… It's important to us to write music and put it out there and to work together. And we love it. And that's why we keep going." DREAM THEATER's latest, self-titled album sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on September 24, 2013 via Roadrunner.
02 min read

Warming Up With DREAM THEATER’s MIKE MANGINI (Video)

Manos Spanos
Video footage of drummer Mike Mangini of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER warming up before a show on the band's current European touir can be seen below. Says Mike: "I have had to jump on stage with little or no warm up at for the first three weeks of this DREAM THEATER tour. Whipping into 'Enemy Inside' and 'Shattered Fortress' cold is quite a hit to the body. "This warmup I do is a way to practice polyrhythms and also tighten up the unison playing of my limbs. 12 fast double-kick notes fit in a click. My right hand designates every 19 of every other of the 12 notes. I work with some or all the odd numbers from 19 to 3 when I have time." He adds: "During one part of 'Illumination Theory', my left side does a simple 3/16 pattern while the right side switches through about 7 time signatures (depending on the interpreter). By practicing large groupings like 19/16 down through 5/16, it makes that song section pretty easy to manage and to hear as an 8 bar melody in 6/8 time." In an interview with Myglobalmind, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci stated about Mangini: "We auditioned a lot of great drummers [back at the end of 2010]; every one of them was world-class. We had a lot of fun playing with each of them and had some great jams. With Mike, it was just something really special about what was going on. First and foremost, with everybody, we wanted to see if they can pull off the songs, play them correctly, and that they it felt right musically. That's something Mike did; it felt like the band. He really gets the style and delivers in a powerful metal way. He has all the techniques, chops and sensibility; everything just flows musically. Over and above that, there were a few things, like his attitude and dedication to wanting to get everything exactly right, as well as genuinely wanting the position. Not just wishy-washy, 'Yeah, if I get it, great. If not, OK too.' Personality wise, we are all kindred spirits. I've said this before; if we ever went to high school together, we would have been friends. He is just one of us. We felt that immediate connect. He the right fit on every level." Speaking to The AU Review, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess stated about having Mangini involved in the songwriting process for the band's new, self-titled CD: "Well, it was really interesting having Mangini there for the whole process. One part of the situation was that he's a very upbeat, energized guy, so just having that personality in the room with us was a good experience for all of us. On a musical level, you know, Mike has one of the most incredible rhythmic minds, I think, of anybody. So he was kind of able to conceptualize these kind of concepts that we would just take and try to compose around. We got some really interesting results form doing that — it was fascinating for us because everyone in DREAM THEATER has a good sense of rhythm, but we never before in our history have had this kind of input where someone would say, "Petrucci, if you play a bar of seven ten times, and Jordan, if you repeat something in five and I play this, it'll all come together" — you know, we would all just smile, because it was some pretty cool wacky stuff that was just purely conceptualized by Mike. And, you know, I guess what helped the most with the writing process was just his drumming — you know, having him be there for the writing, so we could try something and have him do his thing on the drums which would lead us to compose differently."
03 min read

Video Premiere: DREAM THEATER’s ‘The Looking Glass’

Panagiotis Karagiannidis
"The Looking Glass", the new video from progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's latest, self-titled album (available for purchase here), which sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on September 24, 2013 via Roadrunner.
03 min read

DREAM THEATER: ‘The Looking Glass’ Video To Premiere Next Week

Manos Spanos
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have released the video below to promote their current tour and self-titled 12th studio album. The clip also includes footage from DREAM THEATER's video for the song "The Looking Glass", which will premiere on Monday, February 3. DREAM THEATER has invited the esteemed Berklee College Of Music to join them for a one-of-a-kind show on the band's upcoming "Along For The Ride" North American tour when they visit the Boston Opera House on Tuesday, March 25. DREAM THEATER was founded in 1985 when founding members — guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and former drummer Mike Portnoy — attended the Berklee College of Music. Also adding to the significance of this collaboration, Mike Mangini (drums), who joined the band in 2010, is a former faculty member of the Berklee College of Music. DREAM THEATER will be joined by special guest ensembles the Berklee World Strings and the Berklee Concert Choir for the second half of the set. The ensembles will layer distinct dramatic elements to DREAM THEATER's production. The World Strings are an international group of creative improvisers who play with rhythmic qualities seldom heard from string instruments. The Concert Choir stretches its repertoire from traditional and contemporary music through a wide range of genres. This special homecoming will be captured and recorded for a later release. DREAM THEATER's "Along For The Ride" tour will pick up on March 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada following the band's European tour and then continues through the end of April where it will eventually wrap up in Guadalajara, Mexico. DREAM THEATER's spirit of adventure and fearless musical virtuosity continues to reap dividends for the progressive metal titans who've just earned their second Grammy nomination, this time for "Best Metal Performance" for their single "The Enemy Inside" from their current self-titled album on Roadrunner Records. The band — John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards & continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received its first-ever Grammy nomination in 2012 for "On The Backs Of Angels" (from their "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album) in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category.
02 min read