The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[Stadler]

I'm actually in on 4, 5, and 6.   Do we have any inkling what 7 is?   An album of 70's British band covers with Barney Greenway and Nick Bowcott? I can't wait for a rocked up version of "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo, or Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".

Sorry, I need to get some air.     

[RodrigoAltaf]

I'm actually in on 4, 5, and 6.   Do we have any inkling what 7 is?   An album of 70's British band covers with Barney Greenway and Nick Bowcott? I can't wait for a rocked up version of "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo, or Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".

Sorry, I need to get some air.   

No idea...maybe another band with Billy Sheehan and Neal Morse?

[pg1067]

Do we have any inkling what 7 is?   An album of 70's British band covers with Barney Greenway and Nick Bowcott? I can't wait for a rocked up version of "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo, or Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".

 

Nick Bowcott?  There's a name I haven't heard in about a million years.

And the only thing I ever heard Barney Greenway do was one of the worst things ever, so...you're probably right.

[DragonAttack]

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

That....was fun!  Yeah, I'd love to tour his home as well.  Also...I can just imagine what it would be like to be 'stuck' with Mike at home all of this time

[IDontNotDoThings]

5. Transatlantic - Studio album #5 (Info Coming soon)

This is the only one I'm hyped about.

[ytserush]

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.

BPMD is the only one I won't be getting. Depends on what the last one is though.

[TAC]

I'm not interested in one goddamn thing on that list.


How can someone who ruled my music world for 20 years fall of the face of my musical earth?

[425]

Very excited for new TA and NM solo. Hoping, though it seems unlikely, that the mystery project is NMB4.

So... I'm basically interested in Neal, I guess.

[The Letter M]

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...)

Eh, I am only kind of interested in SOA. I heard the single and thought it was OK. I might get it eventually.

I've already got the BRNO video, and it's a pretty great show! Glad to own it!

Flying Colors is always an auto-buy for me, and the London show had a great setlist, so I am looking forward to getting this one, hopefully in the summer (anytime BUT June - already too much new music coming out then, even without Steven Wilson).

Transatlantic's fifth album is THE album on this list I am looking forward too. It's been a long six years since Kaleidoscope, and knowing that they've been working on this one since last September has kept me on the edge of my seat!

The Neal Morse solo album was quite a surprise, but I'll be interested to see what Neal can do these days without the NMB behind him. I'm sure he's still got all the great chops and musical motifs that he's well known for.

And the mystery album? Like 425 said, I doubt it'll be the Neal Morse Band, considering they haven't even begun writing yet, though Bill said that they were originally planning to meet this Spring. Even if writing began in earnest by summer, the album wouldn't come out in 2020. And if this last album isn't LTE or TDW, I'm sure it's something entirely new. Part of me hopes it's something with Petrucci or Rudess, but that would be a dream. I suspect it might be something with the likes of Paul Gilbert, who has done a several live cover bands with Mike, but I don't think anything in the studio.

Whatever it is, I hope it's original music and NOT another covers project. Those always seem to be the ones I am least interested in!

-Marc.

[Zydar]

Yaay for Neal Morse and Transatlantic at least. Flying Colors and SoA never did interest me.

[Fritzinger]

MP is really working on quantity. I personally don't care for any of his projects that don't involve Neal Morse by now.

I am really looking forward to some new epic Neal Morse material though.

[emtee]

I'll buy #5 & #6 but the intensity of anticipation I used to experience has been gone since BC&SL. I give him credit for constantly moving forward and being so prolific but there hasn't been an OMG type of release for a very long time. Something that really moved me and demanded constant spins over several months.

[SleeperAwake]

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...)

1. Solid, if unspectacular. Much like the debut.
2. Finally got around to ordering this last week.
3. No interest in this whatsoever.
4. FC is a bit inconsistent for me, but when they connect... yeah, I'll probably end up picking this up.
5. Extremely excited for this. Can't wait!
6. Looking forward to this one as well.
7. We'll see.

[MinistroRaven]

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...)

1. Solid, if unspectacular. Much like the debut.
2. Finally got around to ordering this last week.
3. No interest in this whatsoever.
4. FC is a bit inconsistent for me, but when they connect... yeah, I'll probably end up picking this up.
5. Extremely excited for this. Can't wait!
6. Looking forward to this one as well.
7. We'll see.

I will call it now, prepare for new LTE

[HOF]

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...)

1. Solid, if unspectacular. Much like the debut.
2. Finally got around to ordering this last week.
3. No interest in this whatsoever.
4. FC is a bit inconsistent for me, but when they connect... yeah, I'll probably end up picking this up.
5. Extremely excited for this. Can't wait!
6. Looking forward to this one as well.
7. We'll see.

I will call it now, prepare for new LTE

My money is on solo album where he sings and plays most of the instruments (maybe with some guest musicians to round it out).

[gzarruk]

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...)

1. Solid, if unspectacular. Much like the debut.
2. Finally got around to ordering this last week.
3. No interest in this whatsoever.
4. FC is a bit inconsistent for me, but when they connect... yeah, I'll probably end up picking this up.
5. Extremely excited for this. Can't wait!
6. Looking forward to this one as well.
7. We'll see.

I will call it now, prepare for new LTE

He said it isn't LTE 3 or TWD 3.

Honestly, I'd let LTE hopes die for good.

[MinistroRaven]

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...)

1. Solid, if unspectacular. Much like the debut.
2. Finally got around to ordering this last week.
3. No interest in this whatsoever.
4. FC is a bit inconsistent for me, but when they connect... yeah, I'll probably end up picking this up.
5. Extremely excited for this. Can't wait!
6. Looking forward to this one as well.
7. We'll see.

I will call it now, prepare for new LTE

My money is on solo album where he sings and plays most of the instruments (maybe with some guest musicians to round it out).

That{s possible too. Take a look:

[Adami]

Is that a fretless bass? No way he mastered that.

[HOF]

Is that a fretless bass? No way he mastered that.

With five strings too. Who knows what a cooped up MP can accomplish in a month with nothing else to do.

[pg1067]

"Portnoy Plays Jaco"!

[bosk1]

Probably not "mastered,"  But I would bet he can play pretty decently.  He's a fantastic musician, generally, and can likely easily pick up a lot of instruments and pick up basic competency pretty quickly just by translating already-existing knowledge/skill-sets.  And he has had years to noodle around and further develop skill.  Combine that with his obsessive nature, and him being locked up for a couple of months like most of us, and I bet he's pretty good.

[Adami]

Probably not "mastered,"  But I would bet he can play pretty decently.  He's a fantastic musician, generally, and can likely easily pick up a lot of instruments and pick up basic competency pretty quickly just by translating already-existing knowledge/skill-sets.  And he has had years to noodle around and further develop skill.  Combine that with his obsessive nature, and him being locked up for a couple of months like most of us, and I bet he's pretty good.

I can only base it on what I've seen. He seems to be a decent punk type bassist. You know, hammering on those root notes.

When I point out this, it's just that fretless is quite a bit more difficult to play smoothly. I have one and can get around it, and it's easy enough to get by on, but it's not just that all good musicians can quickly become good at other instruments.

Of course that also might not be a fretless bass. Just looked like one in that pic.

[romdrums]

Do we have any inkling what 7 is?   An album of 70's British band covers with Barney Greenway and Nick Bowcott? I can't wait for a rocked up version of "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo, or Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".

 

Nick Bowcott?  There's a name I haven't heard in about a million years.

And the only thing I ever heard Barney Greenway do was one of the worst things ever, so...you're probably right.

Next time I see Nick Bowcott at work, I'll ask him.

[KevShmev]

He's probably learning the bass so he can add himself to his list of favorite bass players that includes everyone he has played with except John Myung.

[gmillerdrake]

He's probably learning the bass so he can add himself to his list of favorite bass players that includes everyone he has played with except John Myung.

 

[Stadler]

It's also the Ramones, which isn't a knock, but rather, to say that rhythm and repetition are the key elements, and as a cross-genre drummer, he's got those two in spades. 

If we're talking about the Ramones video - and, because it's Adami, even if we're not - I don't think that's a fretless bass. It's got the fretmarkers, and unless those are just scribes, most fretless basses I've seen don't have even those.

[Stadler]

Do we have any inkling what 7 is?   An album of 70's British band covers with Barney Greenway and Nick Bowcott? I can't wait for a rocked up version of "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo, or Slade's "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me".

 

Nick Bowcott?  There's a name I haven't heard in about a million years.

And the only thing I ever heard Barney Greenway do was one of the worst things ever, so...you're probably right.

Next time I see Nick Bowcott at work, I'll ask him.

Well, make sure he knows I meant it with great respect.     

[Adami]

It's also the Ramones, which isn't a knock, but rather, to say that rhythm and repetition are the key elements, and as a cross-genre drummer, he's got those two in spades. 

If we're talking about the Ramones video - and, because it's Adami, even if we're not - I don't think that's a fretless bass. It's got the fretmarkers, and unless those are just scribes, most fretless basses I've seen don't have even those.

Mine does. A a number of them do, just have the lines. I honestly would be lost without them haha. While many do not, and the pros seem to prefer without, plenty do have the lines, just not protruding.

[HOF]

It's also the Ramones, which isn't a knock, but rather, to say that rhythm and repetition are the key elements, and as a cross-genre drummer, he's got those two in spades. 

If we're talking about the Ramones video - and, because it's Adami, even if we're not - I don't think that's a fretless bass. It's got the fretmarkers, and unless those are just scribes, most fretless basses I've seen don't have even those.

The picture in question is not from the Ramones video but a separate post teasing the mystery project TBA.

[TAC]

Any chance this is something with Myung? I mean, they're neighbors right? Do you think this down time could've given them an opportunity to re-connect? Maybe that's why he's holding a bass?

[gmillerdrake]

Any chance this is something with Myung? I mean, they're neighbors right? Do you think this down time could've given them an opportunity to re-connect? Maybe that's why he's holding a bass?

If I recall correctly Mike mentioned in an interview earlier this year that his family and JMX's family spent New Years Eve together. I remember reading that and feeling happy for him that they had hung out.

[TAC]

Any chance this is something with Myung? I mean, they're neighbors right? Do you think this down time could've given them an opportunity to re-connect? Maybe that's why he's holding a bass?

If I recall correctly Mike mentioned in an interview earlier this year that his family and JMX's family spent New Years Eve together. I remember reading that and feeling happy for him that they had hung out.

This past NYE? I don't remember that. I know he spent the previous one with JP right?

[pg1067]

Probably not "mastered,"  But I would bet he can play pretty decently.  He's a fantastic musician, generally, and can likely easily pick up a lot of instruments and pick up basic competency pretty quickly just by translating already-existing knowledge/skill-sets.  And he has had years to noodle around and further develop skill.  Combine that with his obsessive nature, and him being locked up for a couple of months like most of us, and I bet he's pretty good.

I can only base it on what I've seen. He seems to be a decent punk type bassist. You know, hammering on those root notes.

When I point out this, it's just that fretless is quite a bit more difficult to play smoothly. I have one and can get around it, and it's easy enough to get by on, but it's not just that all good musicians can quickly become good at other instruments.

Of course that also might not be a fretless bass. Just looked like one in that pic.

Ditto that.  I have one, and it's a whole different animal (and, of course, it's best used on particular types of songs).  Back in the day, I wanted a double neck fretted/fretless and also a double neck 5-string/8-string.

If we're talking about the Ramones video - and, because it's Adami, even if we're not - I don't think that's a fretless bass. It's got the fretmarkers, and unless those are just scribes, most fretless basses I've seen don't have even those.

The bass in the Ramones video is definitely NOT a fretless bass.  The one under discussion is in a picture in MinistroRaven's post at 7:43:20 PM PDT on 4/28/20.  For whatever reason, that picture is not displaying on my computer (and maybe not yours either), so I had to check it on my phone.  It's definitely a fretless.  Also fret line guide markers on fretless basses are not all that uncommon (although really good fretless players don't need them).

[gmillerdrake]

Any chance this is something with Myung? I mean, they're neighbors right? Do you think this down time could've given them an opportunity to re-connect? Maybe that's why he's holding a bass?

If I recall correctly Mike mentioned in an interview earlier this year that his family and JMX's family spent New Years Eve together. I remember reading that and feeling happy for him that they had hung out.

This past NYE? I don't remember that. I know he spent the previous one with JP right?

Yeah...it may not have been 'on' New Years......he may have said New Year's party or something. I just recall him pointing out that they had spent all night together at a New Years party.

[TAC]

I thought that was JP though.