New interview with James LaBrie

[RodrigoAltaf]

Great job! I liked the props he gave to Portnoy.
"Mike handled those duties admirably, there's no doubt about it"
Would love to see Portnoy do a song or two with them on stage down the road but not come back to the band. Mangini is phenomenal!

Anyhow, great questions and great flow to the interview.

Thanks, man! When I was doing the transcript, for a second I had the usual tempting thought "hmmm...how about going down the Blabbermouth route and use what he said about MP as the headline?". But no, I always choose a quote that is relevant in the context of the WHOLE interview, and not a clickbait.

DT Frontman: "Mike [Portnoy] Performed His Duties Admirably"

"Gene Simmons Responds To Mike Portnoy Performing His Duties Admirably".

"Sammy Hagar weighs in on Mike Portnoy x Dream Theater feud"

[gzarruk]

About recording all the shows from the ADTOE tour: it would be great if they release something like the "Christmas gift" in the next future. I'd love to have a live version of TA!!!

TA live would be great! I wonder if these recordings are all audio only, or is there some video footage of these shows with just a couple cameras or something?

Audio only, but there's definitely some pro shot footage that hasn't been released yet that they could use (High Voltage 2011, Wacken 2015, Budokan 2017, etc).

James:

I was in a band called Winter Rose before Dream Theater, which everyone knows, or most fans of Dream Theater would know.

I did not know this.

With none other than Rich Chycki on guitar.

[RodrigoAltaf]

About recording all the shows from the ADTOE tour: it would be great if they release something like the "Christmas gift" in the next future. I'd love to have a live version of TA!!!

TA live would be great! I wonder if these recordings are all audio only, or is there some video footage of these shows with just a couple cameras or something?

Audio only, but there's definitely some pro shot footage that hasn't been released yet that they could use (High Voltage 2011, Wacken 2015, Budokan 2017, etc).

James:

I was in a band called Winter Rose before Dream Theater, which everyone knows, or most fans of Dream Theater would know.

I did not know this.

With none other than Rich Chycki on guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OobUs2zvN7o

[Madman Shepherd]

Only had a chance to glance at the interview but it looked awesome.  Glad you asked lot of deep questions instead of the same old boring surface level stuff.  Thanks for getting everybody's input as well. 

I wish I would have remembered to ask if you could ask the one burning question I have been dying to know for years.  How did James and John write Caught in a Web together?  In a band that rarely shares writing credit, that sort of stands out.

Anyway, looking forward to listening to the audio later.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Only had a chance to glance at the interview but it looked awesome.  Glad you asked lot of deep questions instead of the same old boring surface level stuff.  Thanks for getting everybody's input as well. 

I wish I would have remembered to ask if you could ask the one burning question I have been dying to know for years.  How did James and John write Caught in a Web together?  In a band that rarely shares writing credit, that sort of stands out.

Anyway, looking forward to listening to the audio later.

If/when I interview JP, I will ask him! Keep your fingers crossed, and share the interviews with Jordan and James on social media - that will help!

[Madman Shepherd]

Awesome!  Thank you!

[hefdaddy42]

Fantastic interview!

[RodrigoAltaf]

Fantastic interview!

Thanks, man!

[Mladen]

James always gives the most interesting interviews of all the guys in the band. As usual, some of it might be a bit general, but it's a pleasant read.

[Pax]

good job
lol'd at "Sometimes when you go for high notes, you stick your tongue out a lot. What's your objective when you do that?"

[RodrigoAltaf]

good job
lol'd at "Sometimes when you go for high notes, you stick your tongue out a lot. What's your objective when you do that?"

Hahah...was that too ridiculous?

[SeRoX]

Great job. Thanks for your input.

[Ben_Jamin]

I really enjoyed the interview.

[YtseJam]

Nice job! I enjoyed listening 

[RodrigoAltaf]

Thanks again guys!

[jammindude]

"Mastered by Tom Baker"?

If this is the same ass clown that mastered the self titled Queensryche album a few years ago, this will be the WORST sounding DT album in history!   

[ToT-147]

Yeah, let's get mad about the album sounding even before actually hearing it!..

[jammindude]

Yeah, let's get mad about the album sounding even before actually hearing it!..

But this isn't based on nothing.   Have you *HEARD* the QR album?    This is based on solid precedent.  I can't believe that guy even has work after that atrocity.   

[lucasembarbosa]

Yeah, let's get mad about the album sounding even before actually hearing it!..

But this isn't based on nothing.   Have you *HEARD* the QR album?    This is based on solid precedent.  I can't believe that guy even has work after that atrocity.

One album never gets equal another one, even if the same people are producing it. There's so much factors in that it's impossible to recreate the details. A lightning never strikes twice the same place. It can reach close, but not the same place 

[frogprog]

Very nice interview! Would have loved to be in the room with James, Rik and Alex...

[Architeuthis]

Yeah, let's get mad about the album sounding even before actually hearing it!..

But this isn't based on nothing.   Have you *HEARD* the QR album?    This is based on solid precedent.  I can't believe that guy even has work after that atrocity.

So was the mix bad on that album? Because if the mix is bad, there's only so much they can do as far as mastering. You can't fix a bad mix in a mastering studio.

[jammindude]

The mix (to me) sounded fine.   It was just so brickwalled that it made Vapor Trails and Death Magnetic sound like Dark Side of the Moon by comparison.

[ToT-147]

this will be the WORST sounding DT album in history!   

It seemed to me that you were talking about the DT album..

[jammindude]

That's because you left out the "IF" qualifier when you quoted me.

[ToT-147]

Only in my quote, but I read the entire comment, and it still doesn't make any sense.. You're basically complaining about something that didn't happened yet..

[jammindude]

It's like if you heard that DT had hired Lou Reed to write their new rock opera and perform duets with JLB for the entire album.   *IF* that were true, you would immediately have your reservations even though you hadn't heard a note of the final product.  (yes, I know he's dead now, but this is hypothetical)

[ToT-147]

Except your "IF" in this is not about who's gonna master the album (that has been confirmed) but about who he is.. Either way, you are getting mad about it months before the release of the album..

Anways, as someone else mentioned before, there are many factors that make the sounding of an album, not just the guy that's doing the mastering..

And, besides this, I personally don't have any "reservations" at all about things I'm so impatiently waiting for, nor think everyone would immediately do something like that based on poor evidence.. I just don't see the point of doing that..

[jammindude]

Except your "IF" in this is not about who's gonna master the album (that has been confirmed) but about who he is.. Either way, you are getting mad about it months before the release of the album..

Not really.   I'm saying that *IF* Lou Reed had been "confirmed", you WOULD have reservations.     A known hack HAS been confirmed for the mastering job, therefore I have reservations.    That is all I am saying. 

[Willthescout7]

I didn't know Doctor Who knew how to master albums...

[Architeuthis]

Except your "IF" in this is not about who's gonna master the album (that has been confirmed) but about who he is.. Either way, you are getting mad about it months before the release of the album..

Not really.   I'm saying that *IF* Lou Reed had been "confirmed", you WOULD have reservations.     A known hack HAS been confirmed for the mastering job, therefore I have reservations.    That is all I am saying.

The one thing I take comfort in. If you are right about this guy and the mastering sounds like crap, I would think that the band would give it a listen with a stamp of approval before releasing it.   I'm sure JP knows what sounds good and what doesn't since he's had a lot of experience in production.

[nikatapi]

Except your "IF" in this is not about who's gonna master the album (that has been confirmed) but about who he is.. Either way, you are getting mad about it months before the release of the album..

Not really.   I'm saying that *IF* Lou Reed had been "confirmed", you WOULD have reservations.     A known hack HAS been confirmed for the mastering job, therefore I have reservations.    That is all I am saying.

The one thing I take comfort in. If you are right about this guy and the mastering sounds like crap, I would think that the band would give it a listen with a stamp of approval before releasing it.   I'm sure JP knows what sounds good and what doesn't since he's had a lot of experience in production.

The last few albums suggest otherwise unfortunately...

[Architeuthis]

The last few albums sound fine to me, especially TA.  Nothing wrong with DT12 or ADTOE either.

[nikatapi]

The last few albums sound fine to me, especially TA.  Nothing wrong with DT12 or ADTOE either.

Nothing wrong until you compare to the previous albums.
But still, it's good if you are not bothered by production issues. Indeed TA sounds pretty good, if you ignore the kick drum which sounds quite triggered.

[MirrorMask]

I was re-reading it and I noticed how James laid out this timetable as example:

Let's just say, since we're starting the tour March 20th, more than likely those guys would be together, from around the 12th or 13th of March rehearsing. I would come in around maybe let's just say the 16th or 17th and rehearse a couple of days and then there's a day before the show where everything's kind of like down and we're not doing anything, and then you kick off the tour.

It's just like that? no discussions about the stage production, the light show, a dress rehearsal to see how it all syncs up? If he says it of course I believe him but I thought there was more preparation time into it.

And a funny thing:

No, if I'm not sitting in my tent stretching I can go right backstage and jump around just to keep the blood flowing, and humming here and there

I misread "humming" into BUMMING, and I imagined for a moment James bumming aroud the backstage area and the closed off sections of the venue, wandering aimlessly without nothing to do asking to himself how long 'til JP finishes to shred 

[ToT-147]

Except your "IF" in this is not about who's gonna master the album (that has been confirmed) but about who he is.. Either way, you are getting mad about it months before the release of the album..

Not really.   I'm saying that *IF* Lou Reed had been "confirmed", you WOULD have reservations.     A known hack HAS been confirmed for the mastering job, therefore I have reservations.    That is all I am saying.

No, man.. I was talking all along about Tom Baker's case, not your other example.. Anyways, this is leading to nowhere.. You just think in a VERY different way from me and other people, that's all..

I was re-reading it and I noticed how James laid out this timetable as example:

Let's just say, since we're starting the tour March 20th, more than likely those guys would be together, from around the 12th or 13th of March rehearsing. I would come in around maybe let's just say the 16th or 17th and rehearse a couple of days and then there's a day before the show where everything's kind of like down and we're not doing anything, and then you kick off the tour.

It's just like that? no discussions about the stage production, the light show, a dress rehearsal to see how it all syncs up? If he says it of course I believe him but I thought there was more preparation time into it.

I guess if they do like to discuss a lot those kind of things (which maybe they don't), then it's all through virtual chats.. Besides, they already have spend lots of time together to have defined at least most of those aspects, if they prefer to be behind all of that anyway..