MIKE PORTNOY On Working With NEAL MORSE – "He Is One Of My Favourite Songwriters Of All Time"

Stereoboard.com recently spoke with drum legend Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs), who discussed his departure from Dream Theater, Flying Colors, and his musical relationship with ex-Spock’s Beard frontman Neal Morse. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Stereoboard: You made my favourite album of 2015 in the shape of The Neal Morse Band’s The Grand Experiment. You’ve worked with Neal so much over the years, is he your musical soul mate?

Portnoy: “He definitely is my musical soul mate, at least in the prog world.  He and I have now done, I think, 16 studio albums together and we’re currently in three bands together. So my relationship with him is as deep as it gets and I think a lot of it is mutual admiration and respect. He is one of my favourite songwriters of all time. I was a huge fan of what he was doing with Spock’s Beard in the mid ‘90s, but once we began working together in Transatlantic, and then on his solo material and with Flying Colors, he and I have created this bond that is musical but also personal. He’s one of my dearest friends and has helped me through some heavy times and I’ve helped him through some of his heavy times. We’ve been there for each other. We love working together.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Portnoy recently spoke with Music Aficionado about his Top 10 prog rock albums. Following is an excerpt from his rundown.

Portnoy: “There are so many newer bands I could have included, but that would make for a longer list than 10 albums. And it’s not for me to include any of my own albums with Dream Theater, Transatlantic or the Neal Morse Band. That’s for other people to decide.”

King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King

Portnoy: “You have to start with King Crimson and In the Court of the Crimson King because that’s where prog began. Some people might point to Sgt. Pepper or Pink Floyd’s Piper At The Gates Of Dawn or even some early Procol Harum, but I think this was the first true prog album.

To be honest, it’s not my favorite Crimson record, which would probably be Red, featuring Bill Bruford and John Wetton. But Crimson King is the one that kicked things off. It was the first time you had an album with these really long, complex arrangements, with the Mellotron so predominant throughout. And Michael Giles’ drumming, which was kind of like a jazz version of Keith Moon, is absolutely brilliant. So all the elements were there to launch a whole movement. I love King Crimson. Robert Fripp was constantly evolving and trying new things.”

Mr. Bungle – Mr. Bungle

Portnoy: “All right, we’re moving into the ’90s. This one is a strange choice, because Mr. Bungle isn’t a traditional prog band, but that’s one of the beautiful things about prog in modern times – it’s so diverse. This is one of my top 10 albums of all time, in any genre. It actually scared the shit out of me the first time I heard it. I literally had never heard anything that twisted and evil and joyful. It was just the most bizarre hour I had ever spent listening to music.

They took the quirkiness of Zappa and mixed it with John Zorn’s kind of avant-garde Naked City influence; in fact, John Zorn produced the album. This was Mike Patton’s venture outside of Faith No More, and it’s a masterpiece. It’s a roller coaster sonic experience, and it’s full of eclectic, diverse styles. I know every nuance of it inside and out. It’s truly one of my desert island discs.”

Go to this location for Portnoy’s complete rundown.

Prog-rock fans are in for a treat on this February’s Cruise To The Edge music vacation, as Mike Portnoy will – for the first time ever – perform Dream Theater’s “12 Step Suite” in its entirety on the cruise. The music documents the musician’s battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by the band from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: “The Glass Prison”, “This Dying Soul”, “The Root Of All Evil”, “Repentance” and “The Shattered Fortress”.

Portnoy, who is also celebrating his 50th birthday on Cruise To The Edge with an all-star career retrospective concert, says: “When I came up with the idea of writing a multi-part suite that spanned 5 DT albums, (which ended up taking 8 years to complete), it was always part of my master plan to perform it in its entirely, live on stage. Unfortunately, after completing the final piece of my conceptual puzzle, I was never able to perform this creation with Dream Theater. Now I’ve decided that I owe it to the fans to finally bring my “12 Step Suite” to life on stage as I always had dreamed. Cruise To The Edge passengers will be the first to ever see this performed live! Joining me for this very special performance will be some great friends and amazing musicians, (yes, it’s a surprise,) that I know will kick ass in helping me with my unfinished business of bringing this piece of music to life on stage!”

Sailing out of Tampa, FL February 7th, 2017, Cruise To The Edge hits Cozumel, Mexico with a who’s-who of prog-rock prodigies. Headliners YES, Kansas, Steve Hackett and John Wetton join Portnoy on the deluxe music vacation package. Over a dozen other bands are slated to perform.

Other esteemed performers confirmed include: Patrick Moraz, Bad Dreams, Neal Morse Band, IO Earth, Spock’s Beard, Alex Machacek, Änglagrd, Stick Men, Haken, Pain of Salvation, Curved Air, Electric Asturias, District 97, Scott Henderson and Focus, with more bands to be announced. In addition, famous YES album design artist Roger Dean will be aboard to talk about the back story of his unique designs and the cruise will be hosted by UK journalist and preeminent YES expert, Jon Kirkman. Watch the 2017 CTTE lineup reveal video below:

Beyond the once-in-a-lifetime intimate music experiences with iconic artists, the guests will get to partake in a wide array of activities. Beyond the sun, fun and exquisite dining, there will be Artist/Cruiser Photo Experience, Q&A Sessions, Late-Night Surprise Performances and more. This year will also feature the unprecedented CTTE Late Night Live, where fans can sign up to showcase their own musical talents in four different performance scenarios: Late Night Live Pro Jam, where you could be invited to play with a with a headline act; Artist’s Choice, featuring fans and Prog legends performing together; The Main Event, where it’s your choice to shine with fellow Late Night Live musicians and Overtime Jam, where a song of your choosing could be featured in a late-night jam.

Cabins are still available aboard the full-charter cruise starting at $999 per person (double occupancy). Children 11 and under at the time of sailing are free when sharing a cabin with 2 full fare paying adults. Government fees, taxes, and gratuities are mandatory for all passengers regardless of age. For booking and more info, visit CruiseToTheEdge.com.