James LaBrie Interview

The global progressive metal juggernaut Dream Theater released their 9th studio album, Systematic Chaos, on June 5th, and was received with huge acclaim. The band’s management was kind enough to grant an exclusive interview with Dream Theater Lead Vocalist, James LaBrie.

Ben: How is the current tour going for you guys?

James: Actually, this will be the first show of this leg...…we’ve been here about 4 days already rehearsing some of the new material that we are going to bring out on this US and Canada leg, and we’ve also brought out a whole new production with audio and visuals and a new lighting rig, so we had to work that all into the show. It’s pretty exciting…we’re all kind of frazzled at the same time, because there’s just so much going on, this being the first show, it’s going to be kind of like testing the waters, but it should still be great.

Ben: The song that you wrote for the new album, “Prophets of War,” is definitely one of the highlights of Dream Theater’s newest work. How essential do you feel that working with the other guys in Dream Theater for so many years has been to the development of your lyrical writing style and ability?

James: Well, I think that I was always attracted to lyrics, even as a young kid listening to bands such as Pink Floyd – Roger Waters is an incredible lyricist, and Peter Gabriel – guys like that really said a lot to me. (Neal) Peart from Rush is also one of the best songwriters out there as well. I was always intrigued by taking a stab into it, and as far back as being into bands when I was a teenager, just writing down words and trying to make the best of it. As with Dream Theater, my contribution lyrically has usually been 1 or 2 songs per album. When I’m doing my solo material, I’m writing pretty much 90% of the lyrics, and them my collaborator, Matt Guillory writes 1 or 2 songs lyrically. As you get older, you have more experience to pull from, to write about, to express and to convey, so I tend to think that your lyrics will be a little more profound. So with Dream Theater, as a band, we are all evolving individually both in the music department and lyrics.

Ben: I know that you guys play a new set every night on the past tours…any hints at some of the regular songs that we may hear in the rotation on this tour?

James: I would think that if there are any regulars, it would be more or less the material from the new album. As far as that goes, Mike Portnoy (Drummer) has been in charge of set lists from day one, from as far back as when we started the world tour for Images and Words, and he’s written every single set list. With him, it’s really important…what he does is he has on file every single show that we’ve done. When we come back to a city, when we were here last tour, or whatever tour, he knows exactly what we’ve done in that city, so he makes sure not to repeat any of the songs. It makes it a lot more interesting for those fans, as well as fans that tend to come to 4,5,6 shows – it’s great for them to come to that many shows and be able to see different songs, with the exception of a few repeating themselves each and every night.

Ben: There are some that are fan favorites that almost have to be repeated…

James: True. True. Because we’ve done that, I think that it has made it a lot more exciting and interesting not just for the fans, but also for us. I think that a lot of bands out there (and I’m not knocking them – if that’s what they want to do, then that’s great, and if that works for them, then beautiful), but for us, it keeps us on our toes, and keeps things interesting for us to be able to play different songs from the Dream Theater catalogue, whatever they are, from whatever album we want to pull from. It makes it that much more interesting for us each and every night as well.

Ben: Does it help to keep performing from getting a little monotonous?

James: Yeah, mechanical, and you put it in to auto-pilot, as so to speak. This way, I think you’re really in the moment, and you’re really trying to get the message across and are just as enthusiastic as the listeners.

Ben: Rumor has it that at one point in time years ago you had turned down offers to be the front man for both Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Can you tell us a little more about this?

James: Well, Judas Priest was just a conversation in passing with a few people in the industry – they said that there had been hints in checking me out…to be honest with you, I was already with Dream Theater, and we were already into touring with Awake at the time, and there was no way that I was going to do it. As far as with Iron Maiden, I was approached in an indirect way from their management, saying, “We are starting to audition, and the position could be yours if you are at all interested.” I said absolutely not…this was just before Dream Theater’s Images and Words album came out. So, it was never at all any in kind of process. To be honest with you, I’ll tell you a good story here – I would have never done it, because I had the experience of walking into a band when I was 22 years old, and that band being Conie Hatch in Canada. That band had a few albums out, and after the 3rd album, they invited me to be the new lead vocalist. I was with them for about a year – they were with Anthem Records, which is who Rush was with, and it was really exciting for me, but I still was just basically imitating the original vocalist. I realized, even at that young age, that being this king of a singer was not something that I wanted to be – I wanted to be the guy that was the real voice for a band. That’s why I left that band as well, and started into other bands that eventually led me to Dream Theater.

James: Believe it or not, I was also contacted by Styx management in 1988 about singing for them while I was singing for Winter Rose. We were approached by management (Glass Tiger) who were in co-management with Styx management. I was asked to do it, and I turned it down. I said, “Thank you very much, but no, I don’t want to do it,” and Glenn Burtnik ended up singing on that Styx album. So I’ve been asked by quite a few bands, but I knew right when I first heard Dream Theater, when it was brought to my attention, that this was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of. I knew that I could be the voice for that band.

Ben: For all of us fans, we’re very glad that you stuck with your commitment and we got to see the subsequent works that came with it. You guys have a huge global fan base. How differently do you feel fans here respond to you in the US vs. in Europe?

James: I don’t think that there is as much difference as far as the enthusiasm to how much they like the music itself. I think the difference is the live environment. When you’re playing for audiences in the states or Canada, there is a little bit more of a conservative reception to it, where as if you are in Europe or South America, it’s very animated. The fans are very vocal, very loud, just really a lot of body movement going on all the time. It’s a little different here – it’s a little more where fans in the States and Canada just tend to stand and watch, and then scream between the songs. It’s all good, though!

Ben: You have two kids, correct?

James: Correct.

Ben: How difficult is it to balance being a father and a globally heralded singer?

James: Well, first and foremost, a lot of the support comes from my wife, Karen. She’s a very strong person, and very independent, so she doesn’t need me wrapping my arms around her all the time and saying, “I’ll be there with you, and thank you very much,” Even though she knows that I’m that kind of a person, very appreciative. Without her, I couldn’t be doing what I am doing. She knows that I am a very appreciative person. There are a lot of times that I have to dedicate my energy to Dream Theater, and unfortunately, the family takes a back seat many times – I really wish that they weren’t. I think that Karen is there to keep the kids involved and busy. I think that the kids are really excited to, they know what I do. My son Chances, he plays guitar. He loves music, and he loves Dream Theater. He listens to it to the point where I go, “Jeez, buddy, you know the last thing dad wants to listen to right now is Dream Theater!” So I turn him on to bands, he’s in to bands like System of a Down, Disturbed, and Sevendust. My daughter Chloe is actually really in to singing, and she actually studies with the same vocal coach that I’ve been studying with for the last 4 years. She tends to be into more of a different style of music – she’s more into Christina Aguillera and Michelle Branch. It’s cool – it’s all about the vocal technique and abilities that she’s really in to. They’re excited – they realize what I do, but they don’t like to see me go when I do leave for any particular leg somewhere, but they realize that it’s part of our lives.

Ben: Having seen some of your live performances, I know that you have an incredibly challenging feat nightly with some of the notes that you hit. What do you do to vocally prepare for your shows?

James: On that note I should say, no pun intended, from 1995 to 2001 – well to be exact Dec 30, 1994, I ruptured my vocal chords from food poisoning down in Cuba. I saw 3 vocal/ENTs, and they all told me that it wasn’t irreparable (the damage), but it was going to be a matter of time – there wasn’t an operation that they could do (like some vocalists get for notes). They said that I’d have to wait it out, and wait for it to come back. I’d say it was more 2003 when I really felt that my voice had come back online. It was a good 8 years that I was dealing with a lot of inconsistency live. The fans were aware of it, they realized that I was going through a lot of problems, but I had never mentioned it, and I had never told what was going on, because I didn’t want any pity or anything like that. I did bring it to everyone’s attention once I knew that I was signing back like I was able to previous to the injury. I also went back to studying with Victoria Thompson (whom I was talking about earlier for technique). My voice is definitely back to what it was in the Images and Words and Awake (album) days, if not even better. It has a more mature sound to it.

James: Things that I do to keep it so that I’m consistently singing strong each and every night – I jog 3 miles a day, I take a protein called Immunitech ( a whey protein)– it really keeps up my energy. I eat a lot of bananas – potassium is excellent for the voice. I also take Zinc – it’s very good for the voice as well, so I take 1 tablet a day. Then I do my vocal E’s – I get to the venue around 3-4, just doing scales, and warm my voice up with that. Prior to the show, about a half hour before the show, I do the scale once again so that my voice is right where I want it to be, nice and warmed up. I drink a lot of water, orange juice, and get a lot of sleep. All of these things really count in keeping me in top shape. Also, I introduced a new thing…one day I was at home warming up and singing, and had some hot water and honey, (I just thought, I want some hot water…I’ll just put some honey in it, and just started sipping on this hot water and honey,) and I realized when I was signing just how much easier it was to, when I’m singing up in the stratosphere, how effortless it was to sing there. I’ve incorporated that into my live show, I’ll have what looks like a thimble up there, but it is a thermos with hot water and honey. I’ll sip on that through the performance. It keeps my voice really open. All of these things have really lent themselves to enabling me to sing consistently each and every night, and sing at my best.

Ben: On that note, for all of those future aspiring lead vocalists reading this, what scale do you feel is the most important for a new singer to practice?

James: I think that you should always keep it in your comfort zone when you are practicing. I’ve heard some pretty crazy warm-ups from vocalists over the years where I’ve literally walked by dressing rooms and heard people screaming before they go onstage, literally AAAGGGGHKKKGKKHHHH – I’m going, “Oh My God, you’re ripping your chords there!” With me, I like to keep it in the mid range, so for me I don’t go above a G or an A while I’m warming up. When I’m singing, I’m up singing in C#, D, F, and G, depending on what we’re doing. I think it’s really important that when you are warming up, you should ALWAYS remain in your comfort zone and not push it, and then maybe 5 minutes before I go on, I take it up a little higher into As, Bs, and Cs, so that it will respond, but that’s it. When you’re warming up, keep it in the comfort zone. Let it awaken.

Ben: There have long since been rumors of another James LaBrie solo album since “Elements of Persuasion.” Is the next album in the works, and if so, how is it coming along?

James: A lot of the material is written – I have to finish writing the melodies and lyrics for it, so I’ll have this done by 2010 (laughs). I think that the problem with the Dream Theater thing, I’ve been really busy. When we took a break after we shot the DVD Score at the Radio City Music Hall, we all went away for 6 months off, and I really wanted to spend that time with the family. I just wanted to get away from it all. I know that the label basically wanted me to take a month off and then get back in the studio and start recording my next solo album, but I said “No, I can’t do that, or I’m just going to burn out mentally and emotionally”. At this point, the songs are pretty much written, it’s just a matter of Matt Guillori and I sitting down and being comfortable with where the melodies are going, and then sitting down and taking the time to pen some lyrics. Then we could have it out. Realistically, I can’t see it coming out until 2008, and I couldn’t even tell you then at that. I can tell you that we’re definitely going to do another one, and the material that we have written is very exciting. It’s a great progression from where we left off with Elements of Persuasion. It’s just a matter of time to get us all together and get into the studio again to record it. I definitely want to work with sound engineer Rich Chycki again…he mixed the last album, and since then engineered and mixed the last Rush album, “Snakes and Arrows.” That’s a great album. So I definitely want to do another album – it’s just a matter of finding that window of opportunity and going for it.

Ben: I have to ask the question that everyone has been wondering…where exactly do you go when all of the other guys in the band go off on their 5-10 minute instrumental jams?

James: There are two places that I go…behind Petrucci’s amp, there is a chair sitting there. I’ll sit down if it’s a short instrumental interlude so that I can get up and walk onstage again really quickly. If it’s something where there is a lengthy instrumental section, then I’ll go off the stage. Basically what I do is I’ll do stretching. I’ll keep myself really loose and limber. Then I sip on a thermos of hot water and honey over there and do some jumping jacks… keep the blood flowing so that the energy level is being maintained, so that I don’t go back out and feel disconnected.

Ben: SLC was skipped on the last tour due to inclement weather, and passed on the 2 tours prior to that. The Utah Dream Theater fans here are almost rabid for their opportunity to get to see you guys again. Does DT by chance have any “Special plans” for the show here?

James: You know, I know that it has been quite some time since we’ve been back there. Mike has always been in charge of the set lists. I think with the new production that we have out with us…the video screens and visual is going to be incredible, as well as the audio and the lighting rig – it’s really immense. I think that because we haven’t been there for quite some time, we can basically pick whatever songs from whatever albums, and it should be received quite well. When was the last time that we were there? I can’t even remember?

Ben: ‘97 or ‘98, I think.

James: It has been quite a while. We were also informed that the governor is a huge fan. I think he might be coming out to the show as well. One of our agents just sent us an email saying that he was a huge fan! It’s going to be exciting. All that I can say to this, really, is Mike has it on file, and he knows exactly what we played in 1997, so he’ll make sure we play something else and not that. With the new production, it’s going to be incredible, and it’s been long overdue, for sure.

Ben: Speaking of inclement weather, I understand that you are a skier. Have you ever skiied the “Greatest Snow on Earth” here in Utah?

James: No, actually last winter, my family and I went to Stove, VT and Lake Louise in Alberta. We’ve been talking about coming down to ski Aspen and Deer Valley. I get the ski Canada magazine that lists all of the resorts. I’ll have to take you up on that and maybe the whole family can make it down there. I’d like to take them to a couple of different resorts each and every winter, and that’s what we’ve been doing for a while. We definitely have to get down there.

Ben: Do you want to say anything to your fans in SLC?

James: Wake up, we’re on our way! It’s going to be great – I’m sure they are going to be going pretty crazy since it has been so long since we’ve been there, and we’re pretty excited too!