Jordan Rudess talks about going back to Dream Theater's core in the next album - Cosmo Music
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Neil Shukla sat down with Dream Theater and keyboard legend Jordan Rudess to talk about composing and the live dynamic with John Petrucci, as well as hint at what's to come on the next Dream Theater album.
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Recorded at Cosmo Music - The Musical Instrument Superstore
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I love Dream Theater man, really looking forward to the new album, great interview!!
Nice post!!! I like it! I totally agree.
Wow I love this guy. Glad to know he is the one who wrote that middle orchestra part in Illumination Theory. That section is pure beauty.
These are approachable and down to earth guys. True fans appreciate things for what they are. Not their favorite version.
This interview was done back in june of this year. I was at Cosmofest and got to see and hear Jordan the Wizard play some stuff off of his upcoming solo album and to hear him answer questions. I asked him about his inspiration for his Snarling Pig sound. A great time was had by all. He never fails to be awesome and a complete gentleman! Thanks Cosm Music and Jordan!
A once in a zillion musician. A titanic talent.
He's such a down to earth guy. He could easily be on top of a mountain throwing lightning bolts around and that'd be okay too.
Pro trick: you can watch movies at Kaldrostream. Been using it for watching loads of movies these days.
@Juelz Dante definitely, have been watching on KaldroStream for years myself =)
What an incredible musician
Oh my word such a LEGEND
The god of demos.
I can't believe the string part in the astonishing was improvised.
Wish they released a DVD. It was amazing in Albany ny
Err... I guess this must be a couple of months old because I think the new album is probably recorded by now. At least drum and guitar tracking was finished weeks ago.
yeah but jordan just started uploading bits of the new album on instagram a few days ago. i think what he means by writing process is about the lyrics
I disagree Ivan, James Labrie has also already started with recording the voice. I agree with Janne, this is an older interview.
my bad
I hope that they are going for ToT with the new album. Petrucci once said that he will use an 8-string for recording... so let's wait and see/hear
I really liked The Astonishing, even though it was a bit long and the main melody reminded me a lot of RUSH's Hemispheres. Live it was even better!
Man I hope this is like Awake with some myung lyrics (no that wasn’t a stupid john m joke) because the Awake album was majestic
I thought JM writes the lyrics of the instrumentals ??🤭
Dada shera hoeche
Pretty sure I've heard this before, this is not their first "going back to the roots" talk before an album!
Anyone remember that Laurel and Hardy episode when Hardy gets a paint brush stuck to his chin?
Gavin 5150 LOL! Agreed. Wonder what he would look like without the paint brush?
so the core of dt?So albums like Image and words,awake,falling into infinity, maybe something even closer to Metropolis Part 2.Can't wait anyway
Put the melodical 1st and the clinical or the technical part the last thing in your mind when writing the new song. In the studio while mix it all together then you develop the technical part more. Let the song grow in our mind when we try to play it than we understand how technical and clinical was it!!!
Sarebbe anche ora! Porco cristo!
Anche se gli album degli ultimi 10 anni mi son piaciuti tutti.
Yo dude, nice shirt
Its suck that's the fan didn't react just like fan and don't just want what they would want from them.. Hope. Dt. Won't feel like shadows of them.. Past is past.. Every body evolve... Keep freaking rocking YOUR WAY. TODAY... :)
They always say that before any record
I hope their next album would sound like Train of thoughts or Systematic Chaos
It'd be cool if all 5 of them just rented a warehouse for a month and jammed together every day to come up with new songs.
Like, how they usually write their albums before recording? 🤔
Q: What's the dynamic like working with Petrucci?
A: Well... me... me me me... me me me me me.... me me... John Petrucci plays some crap that's derivative of everything we've done over and over and over and over again for the last 15 years, so I play some derivative harmony just like I've done for the last 15 years... me me me me me... me me me...
Q: So what's the dynamic like with THE REST of the band?
A: Well the thing about Dream Theater as a group MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE me me me me... me me me me....
And so on and so forth... Jordan is a fucking stellar musician don't get me wrong, but this interview basically highlights exactly how each record seems to get more and more contrived as the years go on. The members are so out of touch with each other. JR can't even answer a question about the dynamic of the band as a whole without an answer that consists of 99% talking about what he does in the band.
His idea of spontaneity these days is, "Oh we were working on The Illumination Theory, and John said play a beautiful melody, so I did. That's improvising!" The melody itself may have been improvised, but having that string section was deliberately planned. In their minds, they were thinking, "It's emotional because classical music and film scores!" In reality, it comes off like a Hallmark card, they're just telling you to feel emotional right there. And with The Astonishing, they were like "Hey we had that Hallmark bit on the last record, but it was only three minutes long. We have to make up for that. Let's make our next record 2 hours long, and have it play off like the people who right the Hallmark cards wrote a Disney musical!"
Compare that with songs like Blind Faith or Misunderstood, which actually evoke emotion. The difference? They were actually experimenting with different sounds and tones on the keyboard and the guitars, the mix wasn't cluttered with a bunch of crap that didn't need to be there, the rhythm section was dynamic, and the vocals were fucking powerful!
As much as JR and JP talk about all the freedom they have these days, that's ironically what's limiting them now. The only thing they use that freedom for is to keep doing the same thing over and over again. I don't think they need Portnoy back in the band so much as JP and JR need to put their egos aside, and actually work with a producer that's not afraid to tell them "NO!" when they start doing the same old shit over and over again. Sometimes the adversity that comes with working with somebody who is on the outside looking in, and not afraid to set boundaries, will go a long way toward developing one's creativity as ironic as that may be. It's painfully obvious that Dream Theater is at a point where they need that now.
I would love DT to get back to "groove" based progressive metal like Awake. Or maybe even try a different guitar tone. Petrucci's tone hasnt changed since Systematic Chaos.
HOW ABOUT MAKING THE TRILOGY OF METROPOLIS
"METROPOLIS PT. 3"
Love this band and all the guys in it... but it will never be the same without Portnoy. It’s like Zeppelin without Bonham. No matter how good Mangini is, and without a doubt he’s one of the top drummers to ever live and far beyond the skills of Portnoy. But Portnoy was such a big part of the writing, recording, producing and overall feel of the band that I don’t think they could ever go back to their “core”. With only 3 original members of 5... it just won’t be the same ever again. And that’s ok! I am very excited about this new album.
Only 2 original members of 5, but apart from Mangini the lineup has been the same since what, 1999?
Peter Wheeler when he says “original members”, he means the members that outlined DT’s core sound, and let’s face it La Brie is far more responsible for that than Dominici
Their decline started way before Mike Portnoy left. Really they haven't been the same since Kevin Moore left. Still love em though.
remember MIke left the band
That’s subjective, their sound obviously began to change album by album after Moore left, but there was a massive shift from Black Clouds to Dramatic Turn. Don’t confuse personnel change with the band developing their sound
Yeah just play pull me under......
Literally every fucking album they talk about how it exemplifies everything that is Dream Theater. Like, that might not be wrong, but they could at least stop talking about it as if it's news or noteworthy.
True, they have become part of a generation of musicians that have become saturated in terms of ambition and the urge to progress and push their boundaries is gone. They don 't do it on purpose of course, but this is kind of what can happen when you surround yourself with people slapping each other on the back and telling one another how great they are. It hurts though, seeing as they are incredibly gifted. Maybe get another singer and shake things up a bit..... who knows.....
DT told the same "going back to the roots bla bla bla" with the selftitled album...were they lieing????
But the self titled album is pretty much what DT is, most of the songs are really good!
@@lmntdtmlnd ADTOE is I&W 2, anyway.
'Surrender to Reason' and 'The Bigger Picture' are criminally underrated. Melodic, progressive, heavy- and no extended jamming or solo sections. They would have been loved if included on older albums.
Yeah I'd say they definitely accomplished going back to their roots with the self titled album.
He should shave D:
They need a break. They really do.
Mike Portnoy was the loudest voice when it came to the band taking a break after constant touring and recording. Except the rest of the band didnt think so and fired him. Nobody in the band hates Portnoy more than Labrie does and Labrie has been the most vocal about the whole situation regarding Portnoy's departure.
Yes, I know. I'm definitely one of those people who fell off with DT after Portnoy left. Just everything about the group dynamic and sound changed immediately after he departed, and it's just sad that they're not really on good terms. For what reason, I'm not 100% sure, because the Johns started this group with Mike in 1983! There's no way they hate him that much. At any rate, I think they need a break. To recharge and experience some things outside of DT. Just my opinion anyways.
Labrie has done the most shit talking about portnoy IMO, everyone else just seemed apathetic about the whole thing but I know that JP and Portnoy are still friends, as with Myung and Rudess.
Not really feeling Mangini's drumming. it feels lacking in energy and 'feeling' like Portnoy would know when he could really start pounding the drums or ease off with lighter touches. He added a lot of dynamic to DT apart from the offbeats and time changes. Portnoy was a Genius in that respect.
Can't agree with you more. Let's hope they manage to turn it around with this new album they're making.
The sad reality is that the only person in the band with harsh feelings towards Portnoy is LaBrie (maybe Myung but he's the silent man so no real way to know it just doesn't seem likely) and as badly as LaBrie is underperforming, he is the voice of Dream Theater. That being said, I find it really ironic that the person everyone wants back in the band is being held back by the person the least amount of people want in the band. As drastic as it sounds, I think they should retire in about 5-10 years, then do some sort of legacy tour under a different name with Portnoy. I'm about 80% sure we'll get another Liquid Tension album and maybe that could break some ice.
i'd rather believe kevin moore than JR when mentioning DT & we in one sentence..
I saw god last year! ...He was playing keyboards with Dream Theater. ;-)
Greetings from Vienna!
His chin bush is getting almost as out of control as John's wilderness beard.
The Astonishing is my least favorite thing DT has done, but with as much as they invested in the whole thing, and the live presentation, i can't believe a live DVD/blu-ray never came out of it. They've released one from almost every album tour except that one.
JayTor2112 I am guessing an official release never came out because of Jame's poor singing. I saw it live in Lakewood, Ohio and listened to numerous bootlegs from the tour and James diction was awful. It's a shame, he focuses too much on power instead of singing the songs correctly and with decent diction. My cousin went with us to Lakewood show and had not listened to the new cd and could not understand James 80% of the time.
If you listen to the past tours, James live vocals have gone downhill again since DT untitled release. He did this during the 6 Degrees tour, vocally sounding bad, but then went back to working on his vocals between 6 Degrees and Train of Thought; ans sounded great on the Train of Thought Tour. He needs to do that again or simply hang it up since he does not contribute playing an instrument.
Fans can be forgiving for musicians if their voices are getting worse (i.e Geddy Lee) due to age as long as they are contributing by playing an instrument. I hope James turns it around for this next cd and tour.
Impossible to go back to DT's core without Portnoy and Moore
I was a hardcore DT fan. When MP left, that was one of the saddest moments in my life. I bought the following two albums after MP left but definitely you can feel that emptiness on the songs. After watching Luna Park I completely retired from DT-land. Simply that wasn't anymore the most amazing metal-prog band of all time. MP was DT.
That's your opinion, and you're entitled to it of course. To me, John Petrucci IS Dream Theater!! If he left, I'd stop listening to them...but as long as JP is there, I'm there! That's my opinion, and it differs from yours, and that's perfectly fine.
And Portnoy quit on the band.
If you don’t like them anymore, that’s fine. Plenty of us left who do.
I did that too🙄
I left too. MP brought more than just drums. He was the heart and without him, it’s not the same. I always agreed with MP that they needed a creative break. I’ve stayed with some groups after similar personnel changes but DT lost too much. Much like Styx without DeYoung. Too big a hole to be filled.
Trying too hard to get the old fans back, once again they're going back to the roots like the selftitled album and a dramatic turn of events.This can happen only with portnoy and without labrie on stage, and also a couple of years of resting to come back fresh
Portnoy is filled with ego and narcissism. How come everyone needs to be rest and be fresh but Portnoy? He has played the same boring "stale" stuff on every project he has done. Where is his freshness?? Full of himself ego driven tool.
Portnoy is a great drummer but has proven to be a bit of an egotistical ass. Adrenaline Mob was an embarrassing follow-up project.
Portnoy is my favorite drummer, but people need to move on and accept that he's not in the band anymore. I myself think Mangini is great replacement. Also, those Portnoy fanboys most likely don't listen to Portnoy's side projects like Winery Dogs or Sons of Apollo. Instead, they complain that DT is not like how it was back in the day. It makes no sense...
Oh FFS! All you folks droning on about MP...it is never going to happen. Get the f#$k over it.
Thank you!!
Been a DT fan since '92. I've remained even through Portnoy's departure. But "The Astonishing"...just didn't do a thing for me. I consider it a bad album, like "Van Halen III" bad. I listened to most of it once. It's pretty much a Jordan Rudess album with members of Dream Theater playing the parts he couldn't conjure up on all of his keyboard programs. I love Jordan's musicianship and talent, but that was NOT a Dream Theater album as I've known them. Please, DT, get back to Prog-Metal...cuz this "Easy-Listening Over-the-Top Piano/Keyboard Sleeper" shit has got to go!
All due respect.. getting back to the core would include Portnoy in on song writing and limiting the noodling at 225bpm
Assuming he is married - How does your wife allow you to have a beard like that?
Adolph Zuckerjew ..last I knew, he is still married. Maybe she likes being tickled with it. Hahaha
Maybe he's a man and doesn't look at his wife like she's his mother. "How does your wife allow.." Precisely why I'll never be married. Men these days..
"...back to Dream Theater's core..." to me means bringing back Kevin Moore. :0)
You can keep cutting off vital limbs like Moore and Portnoy and still walk but eventually you can't make the long jump anymore.
I'll be the devil's advocate here. Not the best interviewer. He seems nervous and not in control of the conversation. He's mostly stammering throughout.
The astonishing is the most boring album of all time.
Ra S I disagree, for me its their most interesting album since Octavarium.
I think the main ploblem with Asthonishing is that the focused too much on the concept part and became a simple story with
clichés and did not get me like, i dunno the way Metropolis part 2 got me.
Probably said a gojillion times, but I preferred it when it was called “2112.”
Agreed 100%. Boring over produced metal opera with way too many layers reverb and shit... Anyways, the jam was lost when Portnoy left. Now it's only over produced taste less soap metal opera. DT, BRING THE JAM BACK FFS !!!
The Astonishing could have been edited down to a shorter length, and the cheesy/derivative story certainly does the album a disservice. In terms of the actual music/songwriting- I think it contains some of DT's finest work to date.
There's only one way to get back to that core. Get Portnoy back in the band and replace LaBrie with someone who can sing in tune and hit the notes.
Without Mike Portnoy, Dream Theater cannot return to their core. Don't get me wrong, The rest of the band is amazing (yes, even Mangini), but ever since Portnoy left Dream Theater isn't Dream Theater. The songs are more generic metal, the drumming is technically proficient but devoid of soul or heart, and the overall composition is kinda boring.
I listened to A Tragic Turn of Events a half dozen times and have barely returned to it. I have only listened to Self Titled 13 once and found nothing inspired about it. I've yet to finish 'The Astonishing' in one sitting, and I've tried dozens of times. They're all good albums, but they're not Dream Theater.
And yet, when I'm writing, I almost always put on Metropolis Pt II or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. I listen to any Dream Theater album from Images and Words to Black Clouds and Silver Linings and jam out, invariably in love. Dream Theater - or more specifically the stretch with Portnoy, Myung, Petrucci, Rudess, and Labrie - is my favorite band and line up of all time.
But the last three albums? Meh. They're alright, I guess.
I'd honestly say since Kevin left. After A Change of Seasons.
I hate when one member leaves...suddenly people say it's not the same band!! No...it's STILL Dream Theater, but a slightly different version!! To me...if John Petrucci left, THEN you can say "it's not Dream Theater!" Personally, as a fan of DT from the very beginning, I actually prefer Mangini! To each his own. Let's leave it at that. But...we can ALL agree that DT is an outstanding band!
@@billyreynolds4749 you just contradicted yourself. But I dont disagree.
As far as I'm concerned, John Myung and Kevin wrote their best songs haha
Well I am a huge fan of drums in metal bands (Dream Theater and Rush are my two favorite bands, try and find out why), so I notice a difference in drummer more than the average listener would. I'm sure Sherinan was a big deal for keyboardists, but for me Dream Theater was their best between MEtropolis Pt II and Black Clouds and Silver Linings.
Translation: after writing this extremely cheesy cringe-worthy soap opera of an album we need to somehow get our metal fusion fans back cuz they obviously hated that shit. Look at LaBries album, i mean we gotta at least try and match that, cuz it fuckin slams man.