The Official Flying Colors Thread

[plap11]

portnoy is amazing, neal morse has an average voice, never heard steve morse, only heard dave laRue backing petrucci and satriani.

not sure what to think of this

[Ħ]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

[Zydar]

Day #3
 
Wrapped up the arrangement of Song #2 and moved onto Song #3...
 
Steve came in with a few ideas that hit him while in his hotel last night...we jump on it and come up with alot of great other ideas...do alot of jamming, discussing, diseceting, arranging, rearranging...man, no lack of ideas here!!!
 
Just on the verse alone, Casey was able to come up with at least 4 different melodies and approaches...all of which were equally usable and brilliant!
 
After trying every combination of riffs, melodies, progressions and arrangements, by the end of the night we end up with a very stripped down version of everything...and it was really the RIGHT decision...(funnily enough it was me and Neal...the 2 epic prog guys....that were gunning for the more simple and shorter arrangement!)
 
Anyways, this new song ROCKS!! It's kinda like a strange cross between The Chili Peppers, The Police and The Dregs!! And Dave is KILLING it with some funky bass stuff that will have Flea doing one of these ----> 
 
And yes, Peter Collins was with us again and it looks like he is now on board....we are all loving each others ideas, contributions and company...
 
G-nite!
MP

https://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?high=&m=2615272&mpage=5#2627464

[Nihil-Morari]

Peppers? Didn't see that one coming. I wonder how Mike and the Peppers sound combined.

Oh what the hell, how Neal and the Peppers is even a bigger strech.


Very interested though.

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah it's funny really, the most obvious sounds in TA's music are by far Neal's and Roine's, and there's little to no obvious influence coming from the other two, but it's interesting to watch the making of vid for The Whirlwind which shows just what a huge amount Pete contributed.

I definitely hear an "old" Marillion influence with his bass playing, especially how cutting it us on the TA records. He's a premier bassists but Marillion aren't really about energetic bass these days.

[reneranucci]

Great update, I  MP

[The Letter M]

So at this rate, it seems they are pumping out about a song-a-day, and Neal has them all booked for 10 days. So perhaps they'll get about 10 songs out, and if they're about 5 or so minutes long, we could expect a pretty good album I think!

Then again, this is just me hoping and wishing, so I could be wrong, but I'd like it to be something like that! I hope his daily updates continue!

-Marc.

[robwebster]

Getting very optimistic. This sounds fantastic, and genuinely different.

Neal Morse doesn't have a permanent home right now either, does he? So that's at least two prolific, big(gish!) name, bandless musicians, doing something very new and very exciting, and for MP it's the first creative thing he's done since leaving Dream Theater. I'm getting really interested in this, and it's starting to sound like a good new home for Mike.

[reneranucci]

So at this rate, it seems they are pumping out about a song-a-day, and Neal has them all booked for 10 days. So perhaps they'll get about 10 songs out, and if they're about 5 or so minutes long, we could expect a pretty good album I think!

Then again, this is just me hoping and wishing, so I could be wrong, but I'd like it to be something like that! I hope his daily updates continue!

-Marc.

I think your predictions are spot on considering the information we have.

[ReaperKK]

I haven't heard any Alpha Rev and I'll check them out.

I'm not a fan of Transatlantic at all but this has me interested.

[plap11]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

[reneranucci]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

That's even worse than saying he's a bad singer.

[Quadrochosis]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

That's even worse than saying he's a bad singer.

He's right though, that's one of the things that I love about Neal Morse. His singing voice sounds just like a regular person's, so it gives the music a more earthy or less overproduced kind of feeling. It's just more organic sounding.

[LudwigVan]

It's been mentioned here on DTF before, but Neal Morse's voice has that "every man" quality about it.  That in itself is a unique quality amongst the growling, screeching, hi-pitched operatics and wailing-from-martyrdom that we've become accustomed to hearing.

[skydivingninja]

These news updates have me genuinely excited. 

[ytserush]

I think the goal is more accessibility and commercial appeal (while still retaining the stellar musicianship long-time fans have come to expect) if Mike brought Peter Collins on board. Seeking major label interest?

[The Letter M]

Day #4
 
Today we spent the day working on one of the songs that pre-dated the sessions as the bulk of it was assembled from bits that Neal & Steve worked on when they got together to meet and write a bit together in early 2010...
 
Although the majority of the song was already arranged, we inevitably added minor changes to the arrangement and parts, but also completely rewrote the song's chorus based on new approaches Casey sparked...
 
So far this is the only "epic" we've written (clocking in at around 10 minutes...OK, not "epic" by mine and Neal's standards, but pretty lengthy by most other "normal" band's standards!)
 
This one really brings to mind a bit of the sound and arrangement of Kansas' Carry On Wayward Son or Yes' Roundabout....but of course it's all US....
 
Day #5
 
We actually were able to bang out two songs today....both on the shorter, more poppy side...
(I may as well now dispell any notions that this is a full-blown "Prog" project, because that's not really the case...It really is a very "song-oriented" project...but of course with an emphesis on great musicianship, style diversity and inevitable proggy overtones...)
 
Anyways, the first song is something Casey had brough in which I LOVED...
Very Beatles/Queen/Jellyfish...TOTALLY up my alley....(but the funny thing is that people that don't really know me or my taste would never peg me as such a fan of psychedlic pop kind of stuff...in fact, at one point Casey was cracking up because he sees me as this long haired, tattooed, heavy metal guy...but I was totally excited to be playing a Ringo groove and singing 3 part harmonies!) 
 
The 2nd song of the day was something Neal woke up with this morning and presented to us (yes, this project is filled with at least 3 gifted songwriters that can just bang out a song or idea within hours!)
 
Neal presented to us the verses and choruses he came up with and from there Steve created an instrumental bit and then we used a bridge that Casey had...and of course Dave, Peter and myself are making chord changes & arrangement suggestions all through the process, so even when 1 person brings a "song" in, by the time the 6 of us are done with it, it's truly become a collaborative effort....and it really does sound that way...you can hear a bit of all of our influence in every song we've written so far...
 
This latest one may be one of the most commercial-sounding songs I've ever done in my life, but it is QUALITY music folks!!! (for instance, fans of Kevin Gilbert's work are gonna love this project....)
 
I am truly enjoying how refreshing it has been making music with such talented musicians/artists as Neal, Steve, Dave & Casey...
 
...and it also is yet another notch in my belt of trying something new, as it doesn't sound anything like DT or Transatlantic or A7X or LTE or OSI...one of the most important goals in my career has been to always have an open-mind, an open-ear, try different things and work with artists I admire and respect...and this project is a home-run in helping me continue to achieve that goal in everyone of those areas!
 
MP

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Man, I'm actually getting more excited about this after each update.

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah, Mike really seems like he's locking into something positive here.

[Nihil-Morari]

Great update again. Man I love those studio updates!

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

And I just read this. What the hell? Average voice, and you say Steven Wilson isn't that? If I had to make a list of 'normal voices', SW would really be the leader of that list.

[Birch Boy]

Just saw this thread, but knew about the group since it was announced. I know the Morse's are good and obviously Mike Portnoy is, but I'm not familiar with Dave LaRue's music just based on me never hearing the name before. I'm excited for this anyway.

[pogoowner]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

And I just read this. What the hell? Average voice, and you say Steven Wilson isn't that? If I had to make a list of 'normal voices', SW would really be the leader of that list.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. Steven Wilson is a great writer, but his voice is hardly anything special.

[Birch Boy]

neal morse has an average voice

ummmm no

im not saying hes a bad singer, hes great. just sayin hes voice doesn't have a special sound to it like steven wilson or myles kennedy. just sounds like an average voice

And I just read this. What the hell? Average voice, and you say Steven Wilson isn't that? If I had to make a list of 'normal voices', SW would really be the leader of that list.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. Steven Wilson is a great writer, but his voice is hardly anything special.

I don't know what you're talking about, Sigz as a beautiful voice.

[Nihil-Morari]

  Nice.

But don't you mean Stave?

[Birch Boy]

Sigz = Steven Wilson

[Nihil-Morari]

True, but Staveoffzombies = really Steven Wilson, and has been for a longer time 

[skydivingninja]

Man I really want to hear this album.

[ReaPsTA]

The studio updates are perfect.  Gives a sense of what the project/music is like and the energy in the studio without giving away anything really substantive.

Listening to some Alpha Rev.  I'm not sure how sold I am on this guy's voice, but I like his sensibilities in terms of melody and delivery.  It sounds weird, but the key is how he's mixed.  In New Morning he sounds very good.  But I heard another song Phoenix Burn where he sounded like crap.  He has a somewhat similar Timbre to Neal Morse, which means they'll compliment each other well.

I won't lie, I really like hearing Neal sing, so I'm kinda bummed he's taking more of a back seat vocally, but that's okay.  McPherson makes this more interesting/new/different.

Robwebster brought up a point that I think is really interesting.  Neal Morse doesn't have a band.  Portnoy doesn't have a band.  They seem to bring out the best in each other musically and personally - maybe if they made a full time bind together it would work out well for them.

[The Letter M]

The studio updates are perfect.  Gives a sense of what the project/music is like and the energy in the studio without giving away anything really substantive.

Listening to some Alpha Rev.  I'm not sure how sold I am on this guy's voice, but I like his sensibilities in terms of melody and delivery.  It sounds weird, but the key is how he's mixed.  In New Morning he sounds very good.  But I heard another song Phoenix Burn where he sounded like crap.  He has a somewhat similar Timbre to Neal Morse, which means they'll compliment each other well.

I won't lie, I really like hearing Neal sing, so I'm kinda bummed he's taking more of a back seat vocally, but that's okay.  McPherson makes this more interesting/new/different.

Robwebster brought up a point that I think is really interesting.  Neal Morse doesn't have a band.  Portnoy doesn't have a band.  They seem to bring out the best in each other musically and personally - maybe if they made a full time bind together it would work out well for them.

Also, if Roine still holds The Flower Kings on the back-burner, and doesn't stay too busy with Agents Of Mercy, he "technically" doesn't have a band... soooooooooo...

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

Everything I have heard and read about this project excites and titillates me.

And some of you desperately need to check out the Dixie Dregs ASAP.

[SoundscapeMN]

Kevin Gilbert, Jellyfish. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this.

[glaurung]

I'm starting to get excited for this.

[Perpetual Change]

Man, this project sounds like it's going to be awesome.

[The Letter M]

Day #6
 
Man, what another productive day!!!
 
Start off with a few cool riffs Steve showed us...pretty HEAVY (relatively speaking of course) and put together a really cool song that's totally upbeat and seriously groovin...
 
The initial arrangement had a chorus that Casey and I sang together and had a pretty cool Queens Of The Stone Age vibe and then broke into a really cool breakdown section in the middle where Casey went into a bit of a Bono meets Jim Morrison spoken section..
 
After laying down a demo version and taking a break, we were about to put the song to bed when Neal voiced a few concerns and we ended up completely rewriting the chorus and omitting the spoken section...once again, another example of 5 very creative minds (6, including peter Collins) really being able to bounce ideas, thoughts and concerns off of each other and come out with something that is the best for THE SONG...
 
We take a dinner break during which Peter entertains us with stories from his career, including some cool insight into the Rush albums he made...
 
After dinner, I suggest taking a look at a few songs Neal had that I really was in love with....but after much discussion, we all agreed that the project is really benefitting from us collaborating on everything and not using any "completed" songs, so instead we dig into the pile of ideas that Neal & Steve jammed on last year...
 
We stumble on a few progressions and melodies that were really beautiful and decide to work on them as we were on our 8th song and hadnt yet had anything that was "ballad-esque"...what ended up coming out a few hours later was an incredibly beautiful piece of music that in a perfect world would be a tremendous hit...
 
Casey and Neal collaborated on some absolutely inspired lyrics and Casey's voice on this song is so unbelievably emotional...he delivers the song with so much character and conviction that we were all REALLY moved when we sat in the control room listening to the playback...
 
Powerful stuff!
 
MP

Wow... 8 songs in six days... these guys are on a roll! Gotta admit, this is sounding better all the time!

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Sweet!