The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[ytserush]

I’ve come to the conclusion that MP is the Adam Sandler of Metal. His best work is behind him, and all he wants to do nowadays is just projects for fun with his friends with maybe an occasional uncut gem every now and then.

I've come to the conclusion that I have a really hard time getting in to any of MP's projects that don't involve Neal Morse. Neal knows how to utilize MP's ability. All the other projects just simply don't. In DT MP had JP to keep him grounded and to capture his ability.......Neal does the same for him. In all the other one's MP is largely unchallenged and I think that's a detriment to him. On top of the fact that IMO the talent in TNMB (& DT for that matter) far outweighs the talent in his other projects.

I don’t think it’s a matter of MP not being utilized in his various projects. He’s just the drummer and he does his thing pretty much no matter what. His projects rise and fall on the strength of the collaborators IMO, and right now for me it’s basically Richie Kotzen and to an extent the guys in FC who are the only collaborators who seem to have anything interesting to offer. Richie is a strong writer. Casey seems to have some songwriting strengths too, though I don’t love everything FC does.

I’ve almost given up on Neal Morse TBH. He hasn’t made a prog album that I’ve enjoyed outside of FC since Testimony. I just can’t get into NMB or most of his solo stuff. Maybe TA still has some magic up its sleeve though.

One thing that seems to separate TWD and FC from his other projects is those songs seem to have been a little bit more crafted rather than just putting a bunch of guys in a room for a week or two and putting down whatever you come up with on tape and calling it an album. Mike loves going to that well because it worked for LTE and the first two Transatlantic albums, but I don’t think it’s really worked too well outside of those albums.

For me, I have to like nearly all of the other band mates or collaborators.  It's OK it there's one that's a X Factor or someone I'm not into but any more than that is generally a red flag for me that I might not like it.

[Architeuthis]

Has anyone watched the latest TNMB dvd Live from The Great Adventure tour?  Mike Portnoy's performance is just stellar on that! 

[Trav86]

I’ve pretty much given up on following him anymore. It’s the same formula..put some random dudes together, half-ass write some songs really quick and play a bunch of covers. Wash, rinse and repeat.

[Stadler]

For me, I have to like nearly all of the other band mates or collaborators.  It's OK it there's one that's a X Factor or someone I'm not into but any more than that is generally a red flag for me that I might not like it.

That's a fine line, though.  I know for me, if I took a hard line on that, I would have missed out on the wonderful Neal Morse, and with that logic I would have liked The Winery Dogs much more than I actually do.   I think this is an important point, because I suspect that there's at least a degree to which Mike views these projects as a way to "open up" guys to a wider audience.  I think it fails though, because the logic that "so-and-so would be huge if only people heard them" is flawed from the get-go.

[MinistroRaven]

Happy birthday MP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDdcax-SD2E&feature=youtu.be

[frogprog]

Happy Birthday Mike! Thanks for all the musical pleasure you have given me over the years!

[MoraWintersoul]

Happy birthday Mike! Thanks for everything 

[Elite]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvoqtNeQ5uQ&feature=emb_logo

The hell are they thinking?

[Stadler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvoqtNeQ5uQ&feature=emb_logo

The hell are they thinking?

Man, that does NOT get better with repeated listening.   That makes me sad.

[ReaperKK]

I know I just listened to it again this morning

[ytserush]

Has anyone watched the latest TNMB dvd Live from The Great Adventure tour?  Mike Portnoy's performance is just stellar on that! 

Still have to get that. Falling behind again.

[ytserush]

For me, I have to like nearly all of the other band mates or collaborators.  It's OK it there's one that's a X Factor or someone I'm not into but any more than that is generally a red flag for me that I might not like it.

That's a fine line, though.  I know for me, if I took a hard line on that, I would have missed out on the wonderful Neal Morse, and with that logic I would have liked The Winery Dogs much more than I actually do.   I think this is an important point, because I suspect that there's at least a degree to which Mike views these projects as a way to "open up" guys to a wider audience.  I think it fails though, because the logic that "so-and-so would be huge if only people heard them" is flawed from the get-go.

In my case, based on what I like, I don't think I've missed much. I don't know if it's a hard line or not. It just seems to work out that way for me.

As far as music goes I've almost always trusted his judgement with regard to the projects/bands he's involved with. (But I don't listen to  a lot of metal as much as most people around here so my field narrows considerably on that front.)

I knew who Neal Morse was years before (1995?) he did an album with Mike. (Same with Tony Levin, Billy Sheehan and Tony MacAlpine.)
Had no idea who Casey was though and I love his work with Flying Colors and I know the name Richie Kotzen but really wasn't a fan of the bands was involved with, but I do like him in Winery Dogs which inspired me to get one of his solo albums.

The exposure to a wider audience seems to work for me when the music isn't "metal-based."

Somewhat, related:
Not really a huge movie guy.  but in a very general sense I would agree with his taste in movies as well although there are exceptions.

[ytserush]

Happy Birthday Mike! Thanks for all the musical pleasure you have given me over the years!

What he said!

[RodrigoAltaf]

Apparently Mike is working on something related to the Ramones now...

[MinistroRaven]

Apparently Mike is working on something related to the Ramones now...

Released a couple of minutes ago

If you’re gotta be stuck at home in quarantine for a few months, there’s no better family and no better place than Camp Portnoy!
Enjoy this fun video courtesy of Mike, Marlene, Melody, Max, Mickey, Mini & Mittens Portnoy...
(And RIP Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee & Tommy...and thanks Marky, Richie & CJ Ramone) #GabbaGabbaStayAtHome
https://youtu.be/CvIJIRCypGE

[faizoff]

That was great!

[cramx3]

 

[TAC]

That was actually really cool.

[JayOctavarium]

I want to see Mike record an album of Punk covers like this


Or do a serious of quarantine punk covers

[MoraWintersoul]

That was so fun.

[Podaar]

Thank god he ran out of blue dye.

Fun video!

[Fritzinger]

Okay, that was fun (although I hate punk music)... and since it's actually meant as a joke and not to be taken seriously, it's way better than that weird BDSM cover.

[New World Rushman]

We're all getting by, just selling Daddy's sticks!

 

[Stadler]

As critical as I was of the BPSTD whatever thing, I LOVED that. Fun, relevant...  I thought that was really neat. 

Anyone catch the photo at the end?  Was that a young Mike with the Ramones themselves?  That's pretty darn cool, if so!

(Also, anyone from the forum ever actually been in that library room?   I'm debating a "Blacklist-style" break in at some point.  Not to steal anything, but to just roam around for an hour until security gets there, then just dash across the back yard and hope I make it to safety!)

[New World Rushman]

...
Anyone catch the photo at the end?  Was that a young Mike with the Ramones themselves?  That's pretty darn cool, if so!
...

From MP's Facebook:

I was the BIGGEST Ramones fan on earth back around ‘80/‘81 (Look at my jacket in this photo - which they all signed BTW)
Saw them play many times back then, but this was taken New Years Eve ‘81/‘82 where I was taken backstage and met them in their dressing room!!

[cramx3]

Wow that's pretty cool

We're all getting by, just selling Daddy's sticks!

 

That gave me a good laugh too, it's nice to see people joke on themselves like that 

[Stadler]

...
Anyone catch the photo at the end?  Was that a young Mike with the Ramones themselves?  That's pretty darn cool, if so!
...

From MP's Facebook:

I was the BIGGEST Ramones fan on earth back around ‘80/‘81 (Look at my jacket in this photo - which they all signed BTW)
Saw them play many times back then, but this was taken New Years Eve ‘81/‘82 where I was taken backstage and met them in their dressing room!!

I had that exact same... hairstyle when I was that age ('82 was when I saw my first concert). 

[MoraWintersoul]

Always loved seeing that photo. I bet he saved that jacket for Max and Melody to wear when they were that age. 

[Elite]

That was actually really cool.

Copy that. Really fun thing to watch.

[hefdaddy42]

The only song on that list I like is Saturday Night Special (I'm a Skynyrd fan) but after that, I think I'll stick to the original.

I would not have taken you for a Skynyrd fan.

Will wonders never cease?

[Adami]

The only song on that list I like is Saturday Night Special (I'm a Skynyrd fan) but after that, I think I'll stick to the original.

I would not have taken you for a Skynyrd fan.

Will wonders never cease?

hah, my musicals tastes are more varied than people assume. You'll find on my Ipod everything from black metal to Enya, to Laday Gaga and Billie Eilish, to Skynyrd and some Bob Seeger, to Dream Theater, Frank Sinatra, Disney songs, Backstreet Boys. Etc.

[hefdaddy42]

I like most of that as well.

[TAC]

Probably the best thing he's done since leaving DT.

[MinistroRaven]

From his FACEBOOK:

Finishing up my drum tracks today for Neal Morse’s upcoming solo album...as I mentioned in previous posts, I used 3 kits on this album: my Bonzo kit for the big anthemic sections, my Ringo kit for the more subtle groove sections and finally my A7X EU kit (pictured here) for the proggier more difficult sections...
.
This album will bring the total of MP releases in 2020 currently now up to 7!!
1. Sons Of Apollo - MMXX (Out now!)
2. The Neal Morse Band - Live in Brno (Out now!)
3. BPMD - American Made (Out June 12th)
4. Flying Colors - Live in London (Info Coming soon)
5. Transatlantic - Studio album #5 (Info Coming soon)
6. Neal Morse - new solo album (Info Coming soon)
7. One more cool album that will be announced very soon...
(No it’s not LTE3 or TWD3...)
.
I may not be able to tour in 2020, but nothing will slow me down!

[Adami]

Well, I guess if he's really just interested in a numbers game, then he's doing awesome!

And of those 7 things, I am interested in one of them. I guess possibly two, depending on what the last thing is.