Interview with James LaBrie (now with D/load link on Pg 5)

[HM Thnder JC]

People, I just interviewed James LaBrie yesterday, and he openly spoke about the issue with Portnoy. Also he gives exclusive details on the process to select the new drummer, and when he thinks the band will be in position to announce the replacement.  Be sure to hear the interview with James LaBrie handled by DJ JC Green, this friday at 8:00PM EST only on www.metalmessiahradio.com . It will be a blast. You can join us in the chat as well, no registration and password needed.

[Volk9]

First!

And awesome to hear

[Perpetual Change]

Looks like I'm waking up early for this shit now.

[hefdaddy42]

 

[SystematicThought]

But I want to know now!   

[ScioPath]

woooooooooo

[Martinman300]

When's that in the uk?

Edit: wait 1am, got it, fuck that.

[HM Thnder JC]

Yes, it is 8PM EST, so I guess that for europeans will be 1AM or more, but hey its friday, grab some beers and make yur own party at home I have to say that James is such a cool and down to earth guy, a true gentleman. I feel honored to had the chance to talk to him.

[wolfking]

Labrie looks fucked in that pic.

If it's half as good as his last interview we are in for a treat.

[HM Thnder JC]

Labrie looks fucked in that pic.

If it's half as good as his last interview we are in for a treat.

he cut his hair 2 weeks ago, but his profile pic on twitter (with his short hair) was way to small to be used.

[IdoSC]

Is there any chance for a podcast? Even if I'd be awake for it, I'll probably manage to somehow miss that, with all those time conversions

[HM Thnder JC]

Is there any chance for a podcast? Even if I'd be awake for it, I'll probably manage to somehow miss that, with all those time conversions

I am dealing wiht the podcast issues yet, been into interviews for 2 months. But I always upload all my shows on mp3 format to my yousendit account. What I will do is that I will edit and make an mp3 with the interview only (around 30MB or so), so I will post the link here as soon as I upload it so any interested can download it.

[Zydar]

Awesome, thanks!

[wolfking]

Labrie looks fucked in that pic.

If it's half as good as his last interview we are in for a treat.

he cut his hair 2 weeks ago, but his profile pic on twitter (with his short hair) was way to small to be used.

  No problem with your pic dude, I just meant James looks really worn out and drained in that photo.

[faizoff]

Can't wait to hear this tonight. Thanks for doing the interview.

[skydivingninja]

Is there any chance for a podcast? Even if I'd be awake for it, I'll probably manage to somehow miss that, with all those time conversions

I am dealing wiht the podcast issues yet, been into interviews for 2 months. But I always upload all my shows on mp3 format to my yousendit account. What I will do is that I will edit and make an mp3 with the interview only (around 30MB or so), so I will post the link here as soon as I upload it so any interested can download it.

Thanks.  I was so bummed that I was going to miss this because I was going to be busy this Friday night.  I've always loved James' interviews.

[HM Thnder JC]

Blabbermouth posted part of the interview's content with my consent.

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=147378

[hefdaddy42]

Blabbermouth posted part of the interview's content with my consent.

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=147378

Blabbermouth sucks ass.

[Mladen]

Blabbermouth posted part of the interview's content with my consent.

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=147378

That was pretty cool, James is great when it comes to interviews.

[Mebert78]

Didn't James say in his response to MP that he was done talking about the MP issue?  I'm worried he's gonna say something to re-piss off MP.  lol

[Algo Fonix]

Blabbermouth posted part of the interview's content with my consent.

https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=147378

Blabbermouth sucks ass.

And balls.

[faizoff]

Thanks for posting that interview snippet, sounds good. And I have to say ironically I feel sad now for some reason that I'm not able to explain about the band moving on without MP.

I mean we all knew they were moving on ahead, it's just sort of hit me I guess that it's really happening now and there will be no MP on the album.

I'm still excited for the band and cannot wait to hear their output. From some of the details that have emerged from the interview it seems like they're going to the studio to write and record the album. That part seems the same as before though obviously with some new chemistry going in. JP will most likely be at the helm of producing the album by himself as of now.

I know most people wanted a change in those 2 parts where they would prefer the band to write demos before going to the studio and getting an outside producer. I'm not complaining I'll still hear what they make.

[Ħ]

Thunder, is it gonna be recorded, or at least transcribed?  I have to miss it...

[faizoff]

Thunder, is it gonna be recorded, or at least transcribed?  I have to miss it...

And the answer is in this post by Thunder..

I am dealing wiht the podcast issues yet, been into interviews for 2 months. But I always upload all my shows on mp3 format to my yousendit account. What I will do is that I will edit and make an mp3 with the interview only (around 30MB or so), so I will post the link here as soon as I upload it so any interested can download it.

[HM Thnder JC]

Thunder, is it gonna be recorded, or at least transcribed?  I have to miss it...

And the answer is in this post by Thunder..

I am dealing wiht the podcast issues yet, been into interviews for 2 months. But I always upload all my shows on mp3 format to my yousendit account. What I will do is that I will edit and make an mp3 with the interview only (around 30MB or so), so I will post the link here as soon as I upload it so any interested can download it.

Yes, expect the link to be posted late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

[emindead]

Q: Will you consider using an external producer or will John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] or any of the other guys in the band take care of it?

LaBrie: I think we kind of all, at this point... I mean, that's still stuff that we're discussing. But I think that, for the most part, we've all given the nod to John Petrucci to go ahead and produce. I think that he is extremely competent and he knows exactly where we need to go and what we need to do and how we need to sound. I think he's more than capable of doing it and being in that position.

[Aniland]

there will be many more opinions and views and situations that normally you might not have heard from. So I think, if anything, it's gonna be very cool.

This really says something to me about the level of control that Mike had.

[phentalmyst]

HIGHLY disappointed that nothing regarding the recording process is changing and the possibility of an outside producer is slim to none.

[Ħ]

I don't know why everyone wants an outside producer.  The recent albums have had the best production quality, IMO.  Notably ToT, 8VM, and BCSL.

[Ħ]

Oh and here you go everyone:

Q: Mike was the spokesperson of the band. How will the remaining members of DREAM THEATER manage this task [going forward]?

LaBrie: Well, obviously, he was taking on a lot of those responsibilities and he wanted to be hands-on all the time, especially the interaction with fans and everything like that. So what do we do at this point? We establish the communication, we get in touch with our fans, we establish a great rapport with our fans, and we become more personable with our fans and let them hear who and what we are and let them know that we are there for them and that we appreciate who and what they stand for. So it's a matter of us communicating, it's a matter of the other four guys stepping up to the plate and establishing a great relationship with our fans on a more communicative level.

Q: So we can even see the quiet guy [presumably referring to bassist John Myung — Ed.] speaking to the press?

LaBrie: Absolutely. He already is. John Myung is much more verbal than he was and he's into it — he's up for it and he's excited. I think that one of the great things is that you're going to hear from four guys a lot more than you ever have in the past, so there will be many more opinions and views and situations that normally you might not have heard from. So I think, if anything, it's gonna be very cool.

Q: I have read in other interviews that the band has done that you are looking for a replacement for Mike behind the drum kit, but I don't sense any kind of rush or pressure in the band. Are you really looking for a replacement or do you already have one or two candidates in mind?

LaBrie: We're not rushing into it, because it's a big move for us; it's unprecedented within the band. This is our first time coming up against finding a drummer for DREAM THEATER. We do have everything in place. We don't have a drummer yet, but we have auditions for drummers all set up, and it's all ready to go within two weeks. So in two weeks we will start auditioning drummers. We already have seven guys lined up that are gonna come into the studio and they are going to play through some songs and so on and so forth. We are looking for the right chemistry, the right vibe, the right attitude, the right personality, the right look — somebody that we feel really will embellish upon what DREAM THEATER has stood for and what we plan on standing for in the future. So it's pretty exciting. We have everything in line, we have everything set up, so it's just a matter, within a couple of weeks, to start the auditions and then to eventually make the announcement who the new drummer is.

Q: So there will be open auditions then?

LaBrie: It's not open; it's already decided who's coming in. There's seven drummers that are coming in, and out of those seven, we will definitely have our drummer. They're all world-class drummers. I can't tell you who — I'd love to tell you, but I can't; I can't divulge or disclose that information. Not at this point. It's too sensitive at this point. But it will be a very intense week for us while we're jamming and playing with these drummers.

Q: I will mention one name that, personally, I think is the full package for DREAM THEATER — John Macaluso. He played with you on your "Elements Of Persuasion" tour, even by recommendation from Mike, and you even sang on one of his tracks on his UNION RADIO solo project, he's from New York, he has played progressive metal for most of his career — a lot of things in common. What do you think of him?

LaBrie: Oh, well, it goes without saying John Macaluso is a fantastic drummer; he's an incredible talent. He reminds me of the current-day John Bonham — he's just got a really cool, Bonham-esque kind of feel to him, but at the same time he can also play in a very progressive outfit as well and get into more syncopated areas of drumming with ease. Yeah, I had the pleasure of going out and bringing him out on tour with me throughout Europe on the "Elements Of Persuasion" tour, and he is fantastic — there's no doubt about it; he's quite capable. Whether he is one of those seven drummers or not, I can't tell you. [laughs] But without a doubt, the guy is a fanstastic drummer. He's extremely talented. I love his playing, I love his style, and he's a great guy.

On Mike Portnoy's recent online posting in which he accused LaBrie of being "insensitive" and "disrespectful" for proclaiming in a recent interview that the remaining members of DREAM THEATER were "not sad at all" about Mike's departure from the group:

LaBrie: I'm not going to start getting into justifying who I am or where he's coming from or anything like that. I don't wanna go in those areas — I wanna keep everything positive. If something is being interpreted as being negative, that's very unfortunate. It was never ever intended to be, and I think that if anyone was to read my words within the interview from "Used Bin Radio", they would realize that in no way was I insinuating anything that was negative or insensitive.

Q: Do you plan to begin working on the new [DREAM THEATER] album in January, just like it was planned before Mike's departure?

LaBrie: Yeah. I mean, at this point I think everything is lending itself to stay within that schedule; I don't see, at this point, why it would change or why it would be delayed. I think that we're all very much ready and looking forward to getting back into the studio and creating some music. So at this point, definitely, I think January is still the reality.

Q: Do you think the absence of Mike's input in the studio as a songwriter and producer will give [DREAM THEATER] more freedom or pressure in the process?

LaBrie: I don't think there's gonna be any pressure. I think, if anything, it could change the dynamics within the band, it could change the way that things in the past always developed as far as the songs and the writing process. I think, yeah, definitely, there's room for change. I'm sure that, to some extent, it has to change, it has to be... It's a new chapter in every sense of the word. So I think that, definitely, it's quite possible that in many areas — in that area, in the approach to the sonwriting process — there's room for change, and more than likely there will be.

Q: Have you already decided how the writing process will be for the new [DREAM THEATER] album? Will you write in the studio as you have recently done or do you expect to change that process?

LaBrie: I think that we're gonna still go along with getting into the studio as a band and writing within the studio so we're all there collectively within the same room. So I think that that will go down as it has for the last several albums.

Q: Will you consider using an external producer or will John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] or any of the other guys in the band take care of it?

LaBrie: I think we kind of all, at this point... I mean, that's still stuff that we're discussing. But I think that, for the most part, we've all given the nod to John Petrucci to go ahead and produce. I think that he is extremely competent and he knows exactly where we need to go and what we need to do and how we need to sound. I think he's more than capable of doing it and being in that position.

[John94]

In more important stories...

How short is his hair?

[faizoff]

The reason people are clamoring for an outside producer I think is more for the song arrangements and song ideas rather than the production values. If you compare the Falling Into Infinity album and the demos, you can hear the difference of some of the same songs and how differently they're arranged and edited. That is the role I suppose people want and not necessarily just how the album sounds sonically.

[phentalmyst]

I don't know why everyone wants an outside producer.  The recent albums have had the best production quality, IMO.  Notably ToT, 8VM, and BCSL.

its not the sonic quality i'm after. i think they need an objective ear when it comes to arrangements. i'm all about long epics, but they have to make sense in some way. i can't get into ANYTHING from SC and BCSL because everything just seems rushed and the flow is just...off...TO ME. i think they should demo new stuff and/or bring in an outside ear. not doing either really hurts their potential for growth, IMHO.

additionally, it just seems odd to go right into the studio with a brand new drummer without working on the chemistry before being on the clock. but ok...

[Ħ]

I guess I'm just afraid of another FII...

[Nick]

The reason people are clamoring for an outside producer I think is more for the song arrangements and song ideas rather than the production values. If you compare the Falling Into Infinity album and the demos, you can hear the difference of some of the same songs and how differently they're arranged and edited. That is the role I suppose people want and not necessarily just how the album sounds sonically.

This. It is important to remember that many bands will put the responsibility of recording on a producer, effectively making him an engineer as well, however that has NOT been the case in recent DT history as MP and JP have been producing and have left the engineering up to professionals.