James Labrie – Mike Portnoy’s Departure ‘Came As A Shock’

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http://dreamtheaterall.cz/JLB_rozhovor.html

Feb. 2, 2011

As a self-proclaimed ‘Dream Theater Apologist’, I’ve spent the vast majority of the past twelve years closely following or, more accurately, obsessing over the long-running group’s various incarnations and exploits. This, not surprisingly, also includes the various solo and side projects that have invariably spawned from their notoriously creative ranks. However, despite expressing more than a passing interest in both Liquid Tension Experiment and Transatlantic (most notably the stunning Bridge Across Forever), I was ‘...curiously ignorant...’ regards to the extracurricular efforts of vocalist James LaBrie. Recently, the multi-octave frontman, always a man of many words and interesting stories, was kind enough to speak with us regarding, among many other things, the departure of Mike Portnoy and the release of his latest solo opus Static Impulse...

Todd: Taking everything into consideration, what made 2010 the perfect time for you to release Static Impulse?

James LaBrie: “Obviously the schedule of Dream Theater is a big part of the decision as to when I can see myself actually putting the time aside and properly record something like this and to give it the promotion that is necessary. (Keyboardist) Matt (Guillory) and I started writing this album in January of 2009 and we spent about a year writing it, so a lot of the time I was able to devote to the writing was while I was on tour with Dream Theater. We would exchange audio files back and forth with ideas and seeds of ideas and slowly but surely developed them into full songs. I wanted to take advantage of the time I spent on the road with Dream Theater, so whenever I was in a hotel or bouncing down the road in a tour bus, I would try to work on a melody or write a lyric. It wasn’t until we started to wind down the Black Clouds And Silver Linings tour that I realized there was a window of opportunity where it would be great for us to get into the studio and record the material.”

Todd: When recording your solo material, what type of work schedule to you typically keep? Are you able to work with everyone collectively at a central location or do your commitments with Dream Theater prevent this?

James: “I need to have enough time off so that when we’re recording it and I’m recording my vocals, I can stay focused on that and only that. Unfortunately, this time, the only time when we could get in and actually record the instruments was in March in Varberg, Sweden. I was actually in South America at that time touring with Dream Theater, so what would happen is they would finish a session for guitars, bass, drums or whatever, and then they would send me the audio files so I could listen to it. If everything sounded cool, we could move on. That was different. I wish I could have been there, but I couldn’t. About two weeks after I got back from South America, I went into the studio in Toronto alone with an engineer. Dream Theater is a priority, so when one of us does something else, it’s all done with the understanding that it simply cannot interfere with Dream Theater.”

Todd: At this point, how would you describe your relationship(s) with the current members of your solo group?

James: “Excellent. Matt and I have been working together since 1999 when we did the first MullMuzzler album (Keep It To Yourself). We have a really great relationship and we realize that we have something that we should be really proud of. Because we’ve been writing together for so long, it’s really starting to show. The albums are getting better because the songs are more cohesive and solid and memorable. My relationship with Matt is great. We’re like brothers. I have a tremendous amount of respect for (guitarist) Marco Sfgoli. This is the second album that he’s work with us on. He was on Elements Of Persuasion and this. He’s a real great, down-to-earth guy. Ray Riendeau, the bass player, we had actually wanted him to go out with us for the few shows that we did in support of Elements Of Persuasion, but he wasn’t available. He’s a really cool, amazingly talent guy who’s also a real stand-up guy. He’s very down-to-earth, well-spoken and intelligent and (drummer) Peter Wildoer, what can I say? He’s an incredible drummer, ya know? He also does the ‘screamo’ vocals very well. He’s got a great Death Metal vocal. He’s a really great guy, too. I met him in New York. All of these guys are really solid characters... They are all really great people who are very dedicated to their instruments.”

Todd: What are your current touring plans? Have you been able to play any shows in support of Static Impulse?

James: “We were going to, but unfortunately we ran up against a couple of things. We had some shows scheduled in November and December, but a couple of the guys who were coming over from Europe ran into immigration problems. We were running out of time and a decision had to be made, so we cancelled them, which was really unfortunate because everyone was gung-ho and ready to go... Next time, we’ll have to give ourselves more time so something like that can be processed expeditiously so we can get out and play this music. It would have been a great tour. The tickets had already gone on sale and were selling well. The meet-and-greets were selling like crazy. It would have been a cool tour It’s unfortunate that I had to pull the plug.”

Todd: When you are eventually able to adequately tour in support of Static Impulse, what type of set list will you be working with? Will you be including both Dream Theater and solo material within your live repertoire?

James: “No. I don’t want to do that. It will be all solo material. It’s funny because when our tour was still scheduled, our first show was going to be in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 26th. About a month prior to that, I posted on my Twitter account asking who wanted to hear only the solo material and who wanted to also hear Dream Theater material. It was amazing! I took a poll, and I have around seven thousand Twitter followers, and out of the hundreds and hundreds of responses to that one thread, maybe two said they wanted to also hear Dream Theater material. Most of them said ‘When I want to hear Dream Theater, I’ll go to a Dream Theater show and when I’m out to see a James LaBrie solo album tour, that’s exactly what I want to hear’, which is cool. I totally agree with that and can see where they’re coming from. It’s been really cool to have all these different boards to sound off on so we can get real and true indication of what all the people are thinking.”

Todd: Has a replacement for (departed drummer) Mike (Portnoy) been found? Are the auditions now finished?

James: “We’ve already completed the auditioning process. At this point, it’s all just a matter of us coming to a decision and announcing it when the time is truly right. The auditioning process took place in October in New York and unfortunately, I can’t really speak of it any further than that. It happened and we’re now moving forward... Once everything can be revealed and known to the fans, we will definitely be putting the word out.”

Todd: Were there any obvious precursors to Mike had become displeased or, at the very least, wanted a change?

James: “Absolutely not. And I think that’s why it came as such a shock to every one of us. It wasn’t like we were all bangin’ each other’s heads, not seeing eye-to-eye or wanting to be in the same room with one another. None of that was going on. Everything was cool. It was quite simply a surprise. Mike had mentioned that it wasn’t something that was spur-of-the-moment. He just doesn’t operate like that. When he mentioned to us that he had been thinking about it off and on over the last year, it was obvious that he had been having these feelings for quite some time, wanting to separate himself from anything regarding the future of Dream Theater. It was simply something that we didn’t see coming in any way, shape or form. It was just an absolute surprise.”

Todd: Would you describe the relations between everyone as ‘stable’ prior to Mike announcing he was leaving?

James: “I think we got along a lot better than most other bands, ya know? You hear about some bands fighting and scrappin’ offstage and whatever. That’s not to say that we didn’t have our differences over the years. We’ve been together for over twenty five years. It’s bound to happen where you have a difference in opinions and don’t see eye-to-eye. We’re five individuals with our own idiosyncrasies and personalities. Let’s face it; when you’re around someone long enough, you either need to learn how to deal with it or it becomes something that has to be confronted. We’ve always been able to work through any difficult periods and come over to a stronger situation... I wish him the best. He’s a great drummer. He’ll always be involved with something, no doubt about it. He’s not the type of person who can just sit at home and twiddle his thumbs... It’s impossible”

Todd: Taking into consideration the rigorous nature of your schedules as both a member of Dream Theater and a solo artist, how do you reconcile the necessary separation from your family? It must be very, very difficult...

James: “We try to establish as much balance as possible. You have to consider both. I would hope that the more important of the two would be your family, but in order to provide all the things that make for a good life, you also have to consider your professional side. It’s a matter of having an understanding between you and your better half... You realize that everyone has to make sacrifices and one of those is being away from your family from time to time each time we go away on tour. I’ve always jokingly looked at it as if I’m a glorified salesman, ya know? ‘Dad has to go on the road for a month now and promote the new album’. It’s no different than being a computer engineer and needing to go out to meet with clients to make sure their systems work better (laughs). It’s a matter of communication and keeping a healthy communication between you and your wife and kids. And the same goes with keeping a consensus within the band as to what will keep the band in good standings with our fans. You have to keep the awareness alive and kicking, but at the same time, you don’t want to burn out, ya know? We’ve been doing this for a very long time and kinda know what works for us and definitely what doesn’t work for us. To be honest, for about four weeks we’re fine, but anything beyond that, like when we did six weeks with Iron Maiden in the summer... that’s a long time. Originally, my family was going to come out for a week, but because of summer camps and whatever other programs they were involved with at the time, it just wasn’t that easy. Eventually, I just saw them for the day when we were playing in Toronto. It made for a long six weeks, so generally we try not to do anything beyond four weeks at a time.”

Todd: How did (ex-Max Webster vocalist/guitarist) Kim Mitchell become involved with the recording sessions for Elements Of Persuasion? Am I correct in understanding that he was ultimately unable to perform anything?

James: “Originally, I had called Kim and asked him to play the solo on the song “Slightly Out Of Reach”. He initially agreed to come, but eventually, he saw that he had so many other commitments where he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to come in and do the song justice, not in the Kim Mitchell fashion, at least. He was completely honest with me. He said ‘I can’t really give you what you need for this song. I can’t give you what you were looking for’. And I appreciate and respect that, so we got Marco to do the lead for that song and he did an incredible job. I completely respect Kim and think he’s a great talent. I love everything that he did with Max Webster and a lot of his solo albums are still great. I think Akimbo Alogo (1984) was his best. He’s a great talent and is a big-time DJ here in Toronto at Q107. It’s a huge station and he does a great job. I know he still goes out there on occasion. I respect him and we’re still in contact once in a blue moon. He’s a good guy.”

Todd: What type of impact will the departure of Mike have on the songwriting dynamic within Dream Theater?

James: “It might shift the dynamic as far as the involvement. There may be a bit more involvement from (bassist) John Myung. Basically, (keyboardist) Jordan (Rudess) and (guitarist) John (Petrucci) are the main contributors to the music, so a lot of that is going to remain the same, but there might be some more involvement from John Myung and myself, ya know? We’ll just have to get in there and start feelin’ things out. This is a whole new chapter for us or a whole new dynamic, as you put it, for us to be going into. If anything, I think it will be overwhelmingly positive, very exciting and something different. It’s going to be very different and a new experience for all of us. I think it’s going to bring up a lot of things that might not have otherwise been noticed or known. There’s a certain potential that it brings and that’s why I do my solo albums, ya know? My inspiration is that I get to reveal who James LaBrie is outside of being the singer for Dream Theater and who I am as a writer and producer and a singer. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds within the studio.”

Todd: Compositionally speaking, how does the songwriting processes for your solo material differ from the processes within Dream Theater? Is it simply a matter of having an increased level of creative control or input?

James: “My involvement in Dream Theater is that I write the occasional vocal melody and I write the occasional lyric for a song. With my solo material, it’s Matt and I writing everything whether it be the musical ideas such as riffs that I have or sending him lyrical and melody ideas that create a riff or vice versa. It’s really a fifty-fifty thing where were both throwin’ ideas back and forth. We take the cream of the crop of those ideas and slowly but surely form them into songs. For Static Impulse, we started writing in January of ‘09 and were pretty much finished writing in December of the year. It was an almost year-long process because I was doin’ it while I was on the road with Dream Theater in hotel rooms and then sending it over... It was a matter of utilizing the down time while I was touring with Dream Theater so I could get my ideas to Matt so he could develop the ideas even further. That’s the writing process. It’s definitely a very different experience because it’s two people and not me sitting in a room with four other guys. It’s just me and Matt and we’re the soundboard for one another and nothing else. Marco definitely got involved in some of the ‘riffage’ with the song “Over The Edge”, but aside from that, it was Matt and I who wrote and developed the rest of the album.”

Todd: Have you found that not ‘playing an instrument’ has made it difficult for you to capture your song ideas?

James: “I played the drums from when I was five until I was seventeen, but I don’t play guitar or piano. When I’m getting ideas together, my inspiration comes when I’m jogging or when I’m out driving. Basically, I have a recorder beside me at all times. Actually, when I’m driving, I’ll just take my iPhone, push the record button and sing whatever the idea is (laughs). Or, if it’s a melody idea, I’ll just sing the melody into it and send the audio file to Matt and say ‘Here’s another idea. Put this one in the vault’. But I don’t literally sit down and play the piano or guitar. My son is starting to show me a few things on guitar, but I think I’m still a long ways away from sitting down, strumming the guitar and rocking out. To be honest, we have a really nice piano in the house and I guess I’d rather learn how to play the piano really well... It’s such an amazing instrument for a vocalist.”

Todd: When the group once again begins touring, are there plans to continue with the An Evening With format?

James: “It’s definitely something we’re going to talk about, but I think it’s a bit premature to answer something like that. It’s something we’re going to entertain or at least discuss. It’s definitely a conversation that needs to be had. And if we don’t go ahead and do An Evening With, I think we would have only one opening act and then do a two hour or two hour plus set... That’s what our fans want and we know that. Our fans are coming to our shows to see Dream Theater and they want to see a lot, so we’re going to do as much as we’re comfortable doing. I know that eventually and inevitably the idea for An Evening With will come up again. Is it something that’s going to happen on the next tour? I don’t honestly know. Rest assured, it’s a conversation we will have. We’ll be talking about it again once we begin recording. Those types of topics always come up.”