Sons of Apollo (feat. Portnoy & Sherinian)

[RodrigoAltaf]

The new video for the making of Opus Maximus is up. Actually no obnoxious comments from either one of them. It was actually pretty nice that they named it after Max Portnoy for his 18th birthday.
I was afraid MP would say it is the MOST complex piece I have ever written on any band or something, but he didn't so shame on me.

Billy's solo on Opus Maximus is incredible. Aside from that, he's rather tame in the album, compared to The Winery Dogs and Mr. Big

[gzarruk]

The new video for the making of Opus Maximus is up. Actually no obnoxious comments from either one of them. It was actually pretty nice that they named it after Max Portnoy for his 18th birthday.
I was afraid MP would say it is the MOST complex piece I have ever written on any band or something, but he didn't so shame on me.

Billy's solo on Opus Maximus is incredible. Aside from that, he's rather tame in the album, compared to The Winery Dogs and Mr. Big

To me, this is great news 

The new video for the making of Opus Maximus is up. Actually no obnoxious comments from either one of them. It was actually pretty nice that they named it after Max Portnoy for his 18th birthday.
I was afraid MP would say it is the MOST complex piece I have ever written on any band or something, but he didn't so shame on me.

Well, he DID say something similar for an instrumental track (forgot the name) on TSOAD (he compared it to TDOE), and it ended up being ... meh, imo.

I guess he learned his lesson. That track on TSOAD was good but song writing is Neal Morse's strength and not crazy instrumentals. he mentioned throwing in some parts of unreleased Metropolis Part 2 which Derek played on. I wonder if he would have to give Petrucci a writing credit on that track?

I don't think they'll give any writing credit to JP at all. Same with DT not giving Derek any writing credits on SFAM (because they took out all Derekisms anyway).

[MirrorMask]

That was a joke, just an idea they had just to see if people would have noticed it. They did not actually used riffs from the Metropolis pt 2 demo on the album.

[Stadler]

Who is that (both of them)?

[Podaar]

It looks like Simone and Coen of Epica, right?

[JayOctavarium]

It looks like Simone and Coen of Epica, right?

It is.


Source: I looked it up when bosk  posted the video links

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Plus bosk said so in this post.

Coen Janssen, keyboardist for Epica. 

[bosk1]

  Been listening to them all morning after posting that.  They've become on of my most-listened-to bands over the past year or two.  Can't get enough of their sound.

[The Walrus]

*tolls the bell for Stadler*

Shame. Shame.

[bosk1]

  Orbert, did you watch the entire song from the Graspop video I linked to?

Or see 35:51 onward from this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrXRxp-sDVY

I have never just watched that one before.  About halfway through the song, he jumps off the stage and is walking back and forth between the barricade and stage while playing, hi-fiving fans, and taking selfies.    Then he crowd surfs with it on at the end of the song.  Yeah, you can't really do that with a standard keyboard rig.

Man, I REALLY wish this show had an official BluRay release.

[nattmorker]

  Orbert, did you watch the entire song from the Graspop video I linked to?

Or see 35:51 onward from this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrXRxp-sDVY

I have never just watched that one before.  About halfway through the song, he jumps off the stage and is walking back and forth between the barricade and stage while playing, hi-fiving fans, and taking selfies.    Then he crowd surfs with it on at the end of the song.  Yeah, you can't really do that with a standard keyboard rig.

Man, I REALLY wish this show had an official BluRay release.

Thanks for posting that, I already liked Epica and these days I was listening more of them, now with these posts I'm wishing I would have seen them lilve when they were in Mexico a few weeks ago.

Well, I think we were from talking about DS tweets to wether or not Keytars are cheesy to Epica's keyboard player (and curved keyboard).

[Orbert]

I watched the first link, but "35:51 onward" in the second link is like half an hour, and ain't nobody got time for that.  Also, by then I kinda felt like I'd seen enough, though I must admit that I've never seen a keyboard player crowd surfing while playing (and I still haven't).

[bosk1]

I watched the first link, but "35:51 onward" in the second link is like half an hour, and ain't nobody got time for that.  Also, by then I kinda felt like I'd seen enough, though I must admit that I've never seen a keyboard player crowd surfing while playing (and I still haven't).

Well, no, I just meant that one song that starts at 35:51--not the entire rest of the show (unless you so choose).  Do yourself a favor and watch it.  It's just a lot of fun seeing him (and the rest of the band) have so much fun.

Well, I think we were from talking about DS tweets to wether or not Keytars are cheesy to Epica's keyboard player (and curved keyboard).

Wait, why are we talking about DS tweets in the Epica thread? 

[Schurftkut]

Bosk I warn you, do not further derail this thread any more!!

Also, if they'd release Labyrinth as the first single, all those in need of a good progmetal song would've been satified.

[bosk1]

Bosk I warn you, do not further derail this thread any more!!

[bill1971]

I watched the first link, but "35:51 onward" in the second link is like half an hour, and ain't nobody got time for that.  Also, by then I kinda felt like I'd seen enough, though I must admit that I've never seen a keyboard player crowd surfing while playing (and I still haven't).

Well, no, I just meant that one song that starts at 35:51--not the entire rest of the show (unless you so choose).  Do yourself a favor and watch it.  It's just a lot of fun seeing him (and the rest of the band) have so much fun.

Well, I think we were from talking about DS tweets to wether or not Keytars are cheesy to Epica's keyboard player (and curved keyboard).

Wait, why are we talking about DS tweets in the Epica thread? 

because Derek tweeted

"And no girly bent keyboards, we swear!"

[Ben_Jamin]

Bosk I warn you, do not further derail this thread any more!!

Also, if they'd release Labyrinth as the first single, all those in need of a good progmetal song would've been satified.

I'll say thats true. JSS vocals sound great so does that awesome string intro.

[Dave_Manchester]

I'm late to the discussion, but a shirtless Richard Wright playing the keyboard sections of Echoes in the Pompeiian ruins is possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen. And him bashing the hell out of the piano on A Saucerful of Secrets on the same video would be a close 2nd.

Keyboardists can be cool. The very sharply dressed Tony Banks (Genesis) on The Way We Walk DVD is a case in point, or Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish) on End of an Era.

[JayOctavarium]

I'm late to the discussion, but a shirtless Richard Wright playing the keyboard sections of Echoes in the Pompeiian ruins is possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen. And him bashing the hell out of the piano on A Saucerful of Secrets on the same video would be a close 2nd.

YES

[Orbert]

I watched the first link, but "35:51 onward" in the second link is like half an hour, and ain't nobody got time for that.  Also, by then I kinda felt like I'd seen enough, though I must admit that I've never seen a keyboard player crowd surfing while playing (and I still haven't).

Well, no, I just meant that one song that starts at 35:51--not the entire rest of the show (unless you so choose).  Do yourself a favor and watch it.  It's just a lot of fun seeing him (and the rest of the band) have so much fun.

Oh, I did watch it for a while, several minutes at least.  Just not the whole thing from that point on.

I'm completely torn on this.  As a keyboard player who's often wondered what it would like to front a band, or even just be able to move around while playing, I think any device which facilitates this is good.  But as a lover of watching live performances, part of me will always see it as a gimmick.  Coen strolls back and forth across the stage, seemingly just because he can.  To me, that's not just enjoying the mobility, but showing off.  Hey, it's Rock and Roll, and showcasing is a big part of that, so for many that's not a major crime.  But most guitarists don't do that.  They'll move around because it's boring standing in one place all the time, and because they can.  But it tends to look more natural to me.  During a jam, walk over here, make eye contact with the bassist and smile, make a face at the drummer, strike some Awesome Rock Poses, that kind of thing.  Coen seems like "Hey check me out!  I'm walking around, back and forth, while playing a keyboard!"

Double standard?  Absolutely.  Coen is moving around because it's boring standing in one place all the time, and because he can.  Exactly the same thing I said about guitarists.  But at some point it becomes distracting.  Most of the time, your attention is still supposed to be on the singer.  A bunch of guys walking around behind her/him doesn't add to the stage show; it confuses it.  During instrumentals, the rules are different, but it should still look natural.  Maybe that's my problem.  After all these years, it just doesn't look natural for a keyboard player to be moving around like that.  Get the fuck back to your corner and stay there!  Leave being cool to the guitarists.

Also:

If coolness was a factor, we wouldn't be listening to prog

I know, it's green.  But it's also true.

[XeRocks81]

I'm late to the discussion, but a shirtless Richard Wright playing the keyboard sections of Echoes in the Pompeiian ruins is possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen. And him bashing the hell out of the piano on A Saucerful of Secrets on the same video would be a close 2nd.

Keyboardists can be cool. The very sharply dressed Tony Banks (Genesis) on The Way We Walk DVD is a case in point, or Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish) on End of an Era.

I don' t know that anyone's ever referred to Tony Banks as "cool" 

[ganpondorodf]

Keyboard is important to a lot of music, and often sounds cool. But the visual aspect of playing keyboards just never looks anything other than a bit dorky at best and downright embarrassing (See: keytars) at worst.

Fight me.

[RodrigoAltaf]

My interview with Derek in English: https://lotsofmuzic.weebly.com/home/derek-sherinian-keyboadist-of-sons-of-apollo-interview

[rumborak]

For the first time weŽll really get to see Jeff Scott Soto shine with a great band behind him.

lol

[King Postwhore]

For the first time weŽll really get to see Jeff Scott Soto shine with a great band behind him.

lol

Off of my aura.

[Shredzorz]

Keyboard is important to a lot of music, and often sounds cool. But the visual aspect of playing keyboards just never looks anything other than a bit dorky at best and downright embarrassing (See: keytars) at worst.

Fight me.

All rock/metal/prog is dorky and embarrassing, that's what makes it entertaining.

[Lethean]

My interview with Derek in English: https://lotsofmuzic.weebly.com/home/derek-sherinian-keyboadist-of-sons-of-apollo-interview

I read the first one, but my Portuguese is pretty limited. However, glancing over this, I think I got most of it.   I figured out the "strategic wankery" line from context and having heard them say it before.  Which is good, because what it looks like in the Portuguese translation is a bit more, um, direct...


Edit: but did he really say they have octopus pedigree?

[The Walrus]

Keyboard is important to a lot of music, and often sounds cool. But the visual aspect of playing keyboards just never looks anything other than a bit dorky at best and downright embarrassing (See: keytars) at worst.

Fight me.

Fisticuffs at dawn, sir. *leaves the bar in a huff*

[Lethean]

Keyboard is important to a lot of music, and often sounds cool. But the visual aspect of playing keyboards just never looks anything other than a bit dorky at best and downright embarrassing (See: keytars) at worst.

Fight me.

Fisticuffs at dawn, sir. *leaves the bar in a huff*

I'm down the middle, I suppose.  Most of the time, I don't really think of anything as cool or not cool; if I really like the music, that's enough, and it probably makes me think more favorably of the band visually as a result.  I don't believe I've ever actively thought that Jordan looks either cool or embarrassing with his keytar - but, I like to watch him when he brings it out, so I suppose that means I think it's cool.  I have no problem with keytars and if there's a moment in a show where it really makes sense for all of the focus to be on the keyboard player, then by all means, let's see it.

[RodrigoAltaf]

My interview with Derek in English: https://lotsofmuzic.weebly.com/home/derek-sherinian-keyboadist-of-sons-of-apollo-interview

I read the first one, but my Portuguese is pretty limited. However, glancing over this, I think I got most of it.   I figured out the "strategic wankery" line from context and having heard them say it before.  Which is good, because what it looks like in the Portuguese translation is a bit more, um, direct...


Edit: but did he really say they have octopus pedigree?

Yes he did.

[Herrick]

My interview with Derek in English: https://lotsofmuzic.weebly.com/home/derek-sherinian-keyboadist-of-sons-of-apollo-interview

Thanks Rodrigo.

 

[RodrigoAltaf]

No problem, let me know what you think of the interview - should I have asked anything else?

[The Walrus]

I think 'Octopus Maximus' would have been an even cooler song title, personally

[gzarruk]

I think 'Octopus Maximus' would have been an even cooler song title, personally

Did Mike put Octavarium nuggetz here too? 

[ytserush]

The only reason I am still paying attention to this thread is for the silliness of their comments and the entertainment that results in this thread as a result.

Same here!

I'll admit that's why I'm still here.

I may eventually get this (with the instrumental version) but I don't really have to decide until I find out about tour dates and even then I might just grab a ticket on the day of the show. Or I might not.