Originally published in Chicago Music Zine · August 1998
James LaBrie of Dream Theater and The Explorer’s Club
InterviewJames LaBrie3 min read
Phill Ryan: What’s your approach to singing on this as opposed to Dream Theater?
James LaBrie: This is much more immediate. As in, this is what we have, this is what we want you to do. So there wasn’t so much a time of building it, or forming it into something mature, not to say that it’s immature, but the way I like to work. The great thing about doing something like this is, here it is, this is what they’ve given me, this is what they want but they want me to put my whole self into it. So you really have to become professional. Not to sound conceited. But you got to get to what they’ve expected from you. So I went in there and approached it like that. The way I like to do it when I’m writing with Dream Theatre is, I’m writing with the guy’s, we’re forming a melody, we’re forming the lyrics, and I’m forming at character that works that vocal. So when it comes time for me to record, I’m completely immersed within that zone.
PR: Looking at the whole progressive rock scene as it is right now, what would be your take on the scene as it is right now?
JL: Well, I think it’s making a comeback in one sense, that more bands are taking the progressive approach to compositions. But, I think that it’s being received, in the industry standard of approach, that radio, and video (MTV) are not respondent to it as much as we would like to see them. Unfortunately, it’s still taking a back seat and I think it’s still difficult for bands. We are very fortunate, in a sense that we have sold a lot of albums and we continue to sell a lot of albums and we continue to grow our fan base worldwide. We have been out for almost year now for this tour. Playing many different markets of the world and it’s really paid off.
PR: What can the fans expect from ‘Once in a Lifetime’?
JL: When we were on our last European tour we did two nights were we did camera shoots and the mobile unit, out back, recording it. We had Kevin Shirley, who did our last album, out overseeing the whole thing. We did one night in Rotterdam (not sure about the spelling, sorry) which was more of an acoustic setting, and the second night was done in Paris and most of , if not all, of ‘Once in a Lifetime’ was from the Paris show. What it was, we did a three and a half hour show. We did an hour and forty five minute. Took a fifteen minute break, had some orange juice, we’re like a soccer team you know in the back room trying to regenerate our energy. Went back out, did an hour and forty five minutes. So, it came out amazing. Kevin took it. Mixed it, and mastered it.
PR: Do you think that in the future, that Explorer’s Club would ever get together and tour?
JL: That would be extremely difficult. The only way I could ever ever see something like that happening, would be if that went through the roof and stated selling millions. And that they made the calls and that was something made so far in advance that everybody sectioned off this week or two so that could say that the time for this.
PR: Is there any chance of any other project that you might be working on?
JL: At this point it’s very likely. I can’t say at this point, but there might be something really cool that I might get involved in. As well as the other members of the band that they might get involved in. So, yeah that’s highly likely.