James LaBrie: Dream Theater

The Canadian frontman on psychological demons, events that almost split Dream Theater in 1999, and his surprise fave vocalist…

Interview by Dave Reynolds

You auditioned for Dream Theater back in 1991. How confident were you of getting the gig back then?

“I was extremely confident because I trusted my voice – and because the band had contacted me asking me to audition. I was in a group called Winter Rose at the time, and we were on the verge of signing with Atlantic. But I was really into progressive music and was majorly influenced by Rush and Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis. That was the area of music I wanted to be involved with and that’s where Dream Theater were operating. I was already a fan of their first album [1989’s ‘When Dream And Day Unite’], so my wife told me that I’d be crazy not to audition.”

You recorded your first Dream Theater album, ‘Images And Words’, in 1992 and things started to happen for you pretty quickly. How exciting was that?

“It was really exciting. We started touring the album by driving to shows in a van, and we really didn’t know where things were going to end up. But we got out there and did the leg work. We started touring in September of ‘92, but it wasn’t until November that we first heard rumblings that ‘Pull Me Under’ was becoming popular on college radio. Then we went national, and it was at that point that I started thinking there might actually be some longevity in what we were doing.”

What was the greatest thing about that period for you?

“After nine years of recording a ton of demos back in Toronto, I was finally able to record an album with a record label behind it. I was able to tour that album as a professional, and that album really resonated with an audience. All of that was a dream come true.”

Right at the end of 1994 you somehow ruptured your vocal cords after a particularly violent bout of food poisoning. How scary was that?

“It was frickin’ horrible. Before that I’d been able to sing anything effortlessly. Things were really busy for the band at that time, but my recovery was very slow and arduous. The specialists I went to all told me the best thing would be not to sing – or even talk – for six months. But because we were a relatively young band, we just weren’t in a position for me to do that. It wasn’t until the ‘Train Of Thought’ tour in 2004, fully 10 years later, when I finally felt confident about my voice again. Any singer will tell you that because the voice is an organic instrument, you face plenty of psychological demons already. But because of the ruptured cords I always had to really watch what I did, and that was pretty draining. My voice would be amazing one night and not amazing the next – for no apparent reason! That really knocked my self-confidence. I’d always taken my voice for granted up to that point, so as you can imagine that was a very dark period.”

Is it true that there was some pressure brought to bear from your record label at that time?

“It is true. We’d recorded ‘Awake’ in 1994 and ‘A Change Of Seasons’ in ‘95, and when we started to put together what became ‘Falling Into Infinity’ [which was released in 1997] there was tons of pressure from the label to deliver another song like ‘Pull Me Under’. That song was really a fluke success. We didn’t purposely write that song thinking it was going to be a huge hit. It was something that just happened. We write songs that we feel make sense and ring true to us, so that whole period back then was anxious. We’d changed managers and most of our allies at our label EastWest had all left. We were working with a whole new slew of people who didn’t get the band and who were asking for a hit single. Honestly, there were a lot of dark things going on, and the pressure that was being heaped on us almost ended the band. But by the time we went in to do ‘Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory’ in 1999 we’d reached a clear understanding with the label that they were going to leave us alone. We were going to go into the studio, record, deliver the master and that would be that. If they weren’t going to allow us to do that, then we said we were done. Fortunately they got the message.”

You’ve been in the band for 30 years now. What are the best and worst things about being in Dream Theater?

“The best thing is being able to do what I love, and I’m really proud of all the music we’ve made. The only bad thing about being in a band in general is being away from loved ones when you’re touring. I’m not complaining, though. There’s no such thing as the perfect job, but I believe that what I do is pretty damn close to it.”

You do solo work outside of Dream Theater. How important is that to you?

“Those projects are absolutely vital, because they help me grow as a musician, identify with the fans differently and let them see another side of me. I have a new solo album, ‘Beautiful Shade Of Gray’, coming out in May 2022. I worked on it with [Eden’s Curse bassist] Paul Logue, and my son Chance plays drums on it, which is really cool.”

What one thing about you would really surprise Dream Theater fans?

“Probably the fact that I think George Michael was one of the greatest, most talented vocalists ever. Plus, he was also a great songwriter. Do I think he would’ve been a good fit for Queen after Freddie Mercury died? Absolutely. He would’ve been just as emotive as Freddie. George was a phenomenal musician.”

And finally, James, what would you say to Rock Candy mag readers to encourage them to listen to the new Dream Theater album ‘A View From The Top Of The World’?

“I’d tell them that they should check it out because there are some interesting nods on it to our classic albums like ‘Awake’ or ‘Scenes From A Memory’. We were into letting the songs breathe on this one, and I think there’s a good balance to the songs. It’s a very cohesive album of progressive rock and metal, so if someone appreciates those forms of music then they’re going to love ‘A View From The Top Of The World’.”