James LaBrie interview with Kyo, 2011-07-11

[ThatGuitarGuy]

Any chance of getting the stem tracks for the new CD sometime in the future?

[TheGreatPretender]

Well, if you feel like it - ask him if he pushes himself (in terms of vocal range etc) in the new record the way he did in Static Impulse, Trinity (of Eden's Curse) and in the recent live shows.

I wouldn't say he pushed himself on Eden's Curse, or Static Impulse. If you heard his "Learning To Live" performance from the other day, he reached the full range he needed to as was in the original song. So he is capable of going as high as he did back in the day, which was something he already stated, that he got his full range back. But he didn't go anywhere near as high on Static Impulse.
But yes, I would like to know if there are any really high vocals on the new album.

[Kyo]

BTW - A thought about the questions (Directed at the fellow posters).

Think long term a bit.  We'll know if there are JP backing vocals when the album comes out.  Why waste JLB's time asking him that?  Ask questions that will make the album more interesting when it comes out and still be interesting a year or more from now.

Exactly!

Probably the only cases where I'll ask something about the new album itself is when the answer influences whether some more in-depth follow-up question makes sense or not. So stuff like "does he push himself" really is a wasted question. But I might ask, for example, how long the album is, because I have a follow-up question regarding their song selection process and possible b-sides. But other than such connected things, I really want to concentrate on questions that will still be interesting when we all have the album in our hands. So certainly not stuff like which songs he wrote and what the lyrics are about. Hope you understand!

[TheGreatPretender]

What about questions like, what kind of musical direction they decided to take with the album. I mean, yeah, we'll hear it, but I'm talking about concrete direction. Like, with Train of Thought they said, they wanted to create an album that was full of really heavy, really intense songs. And with Octavarium they took inspiration from other softer, more melody related bands, and wanted to go for a traditional "Dream Theater" type album. I never would have guessed that from just listening to the album, that it was a conscious decision.

So I'm wondering what kind of direction, if any, they decided to take in terms of where they got their ideas and inspirations for the music they wrote.


EDIT: And for James specifically, I'm really curious what kind of a role he played in the music writing process of the album? Cause I know in the past, they've done albums where they'd write it all, then bring James in to record the vocals. I'm curious whether he had any creative direction in terms of the music itself.

[VioletS16]

Ask him why he cut his hair  

In more seriousness, ask him what his favourite and least favourite songs to play with dream Theater are.

I was gonna say that 

[Millais]

hmm..
which two albums does ADTOE resemble the closest too?
and i'd be interested to hear about the mastering process to see if it was any different to previous albums.

[Knguro]

1. How's the relationship with MM with the rest of the band going?
2. Are we still gonna have meet & greets before the shows?
3. Can we expect a visual production for the new tour?
4. The secret JM & MM twitter account?!?!?!?!?
5. Some countries that they haven't visit before on the list!?


At least one please! 

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

3. Can we expect a visual production for the new tour?


Please.

[Kyo]

I don't quite understand that last question. They are playing with all kinds of videos shown behind them on this leg already, isn't that what you want?


Anyway, I have a full page worth of questions in short form, I hope I'll get to ask him at least half of those, haha!


Since someone asked, the interview will be published on www.prog-sphere.com in English and on www.progrock-dt.de in German. And yes, the whole thing will be filmed, so I imagine the German version will be the original video with a translated transcript added.

[TheGreatPretender]

But assuming LaBrie won't be answering the questions IN German, we'll hear LaBrie's answers in English, in the video, right?

[Kyo]

But assuming LaBrie won't be answering the questions IN German, we'll hear LaBrie's answers in English, in the video, right?

No, actually the whole thing will be conducted in Portuguese, I'll do the translations to English and German later. 

[TheGreatPretender]

No, actually the whole thing will be conducted in Portuguese, I'll do the translations to English and German later. 

But how's he gonna answer? Does he speak Portuguese?

[Jaffa]

 

[olliemedsy]

 

[chrisbDTM]

ahh quit it with the facepalms.

But assuming LaBrie won't be answering the questions IN German, we'll hear LaBrie's answers in English, in the video, right?

No, actually the whole thing will be conducted in Portuguese, I'll do the translations to English and German later. 

this wasnt exactly a clear answer to his question

[Slain]

Is DT planning on bringing back the "Evening With" style shows anytime soon?

What song do you feel that you get into the most when you perform live?

[fadetoblackdude7]

3. Can we expect a visual production for the new tour?


Please.

This. I'd like to see even more intense lighting!!!

[Jaffa]

ahh quit it with the facepalms.

But assuming LaBrie won't be answering the questions IN German, we'll hear LaBrie's answers in English, in the video, right?

No, actually the whole thing will be conducted in Portuguese, I'll do the translations to English and German later. 

this wasnt exactly a clear answer to his question

I didn't mean to insult him, I just wasn't sure if he was joking or not.  Yes, Kyo's answer was very sarcastic, but it seemed to me that Pretender's question had already been answered by the fact that Kyo said the German version would be 'the original video with a translated transcript included', which implied (quite clearly, to me at least) that the original video would be English.

Sorry if you took any offense to my  '' Pretender.

[IdoSC]

Well, if you feel like it - ask him if he pushes himself (in terms of vocal range etc) in the new record the way he did in Static Impulse, Trinity (of Eden's Curse) and in the recent live shows.

I wouldn't say he pushed himself on Eden's Curse, or Static Impulse. If you heard his "Learning To Live" performance from the other day, he reached the full range he needed to as was in the original song. So he is capable of going as high as he did back in the day, which was something he already stated, that he got his full range back. But he didn't go anywhere near as high on Static Impulse.
But yes, I would like to know if there are any really high vocals on the new album.

Well, to me, if he keeps his voice moderately high for most of an album the way he did in Trinity and SI, it's still an improvement over most of DT's latest efforts even if he doesn't throw in another edgy note of the fifth octave. But I guess you're right

[TheGreatPretender]

I didn't mean to insult him, I just wasn't sure if he was joking or not.  Yes, Kyo's answer was very sarcastic, but it seemed to me that Pretender's question had already been answered by the fact that Kyo said the German version would be 'the original video with a translated transcript included', which implied (quite clearly, to me at least) that the original video would be English.

Sorry if you took any offense to my  '' Pretender.

He was being sarcastic? Hahahah, no, I didn't click at all.
I thought 'translated script included' would mean, script translated to English. I didn't take offense, but it really wasn't clear to me. I mean, if the German Version is the original video, which is English, then how is it the German version? What's the English Version gonna be? In German with the English Script? hahah.

[Jaffa]

The original version is English.  The German version will also be English, but with a German translation.  Thus, the German version will be the same as the original version, but with a translation. 

My understanding, anyway.

[TheGreatPretender]

Well, now that I reread it, yes, that does make sense. I guess I had a bit of a blonde moment there.

[juzzwuzzz]

I don't quite understand that last question. They are playing with all kinds of videos shown behind them on this leg already, isn't that what you want?


Anyway, I have a full page worth of questions in short form, I hope I'll get to ask him at least half of those, haha!


Since someone asked, the interview will be published on www.prog-sphere.com in English and on www.progrock-dt.de in German. And yes, the whole thing will be filmed, so I imagine the German version will be the original video with a translated transcript added.

Do you know when it will be released on prog-sphere?

[Aniland]

Tagging this so I know where to scroll to for news of a link.

[ich bin besser]

Here's the transcript: https://www.prog-sphere.com/2011/07/11/resurfacing-an-interview-with-james-labrie/

[WaterToFire]

I just read it. Seems to be a very good interview. I'm particularly interested to hear that Myung wrote one song, Breaking All Illusions.

[tri.ad]

Great interview, I really enjoy reading JLB's interviews. It's very nice of him to give away some details of the new album.

[Plasmastrike]

Wow, some really intense details in that interview. Great stuff man

[Zydar]

Great interview, it really had some interesting stuff there

Thanks!

[7StringedBeast]

Cool interview.  I found it interesting that for the set list they all picked their favorite songs and no portnoy songs ended up there.  Interesting coincidence.

[Mladen]

A very, very interesting interview. Thanks a lot. 

[Jamariquay]

So.... setlists won't rotate as much as they did, and we'll hear Voices/Take The Time/Learning To Live less often (but when we do, it'll be the complete arrangement).
The no-songs-with-Portnoy-lyrics thing was a complete coincidence.
No b-sides will be performed at this time. Focus is on the new dynamic and the new album.
Possible DVD this tour, but they haven't seriously discussed it yet.
Everyone was involved with the writing.
John Myung wrote Breaking All Illusions. Petrucci wrote BMU,BMD and Beneath The Surface (probably aren't the only ones).
James doesn't care for New Millennium. Loves singing Scarred, Octavarium and The Ministry Of Lost Souls
The whole band is moving as a unit, with every member knowing their purpose and function.

Really good interview.

[Mebert78]

Great interview!  I enjoyed it a lot.

[bosk1]

Wow.  That's some really good stuff.  Props to Kyo for asking some of the tough questions in a very respectful way.  And props to James for being candid and respectful.  He really shed a lot of light on quite a few aspects of his and the band's relationship with Mike Portnoy, dispelled a lot of myths and misperceptions, and confirmed a few things fans have only really been able to speculate about before.

[lordxizor]

Cool interview, thanks!