MIKE PORTNOY Quits DREAM THEATER

Axlin16

Looked around, couldn't find out anything on it, I guess it's pretty fresh. If anyone here listened, fill us in on what happened, thx.

I don't know if he'll stray much from what he's already said. Obviously he wants to do this solo thing and has lost interest in DT. The biggest reason it's significant is this is the first time a founding member, or at least in a bazillion years, has had this kind of "i'm gonna leave the band" kind of dissention in the band. Plus for years Portnoy has been the Lars Ulrich of the band. He's THE voice and THE representative for those guys.

I think they take a break, reevaluate and come back with Portnoy in toe. I mean come on, has DT ever taking longer than 2 years break in-between albums in like 20 fuckin' years? They've got to be running on creative fumes at this point, 'cause they're always trying to out do the last album, do something bigger, more elaborate. It's gotta get tiring.

Axlin16

Looking around...

Some points from other DT forums on what Portnoy said on the show...

-Portnoy felt DT needed a 2-year break
-Felt they needed to re-ignite the flame
-Band disagreed
-DT wanted to start the new album in Jan., with or without Portnoy
-Just a strong disagreement between Portnoy and the band
-He wanted a break and they didn't
-Still love each other
-Both were tore up over the decision
-Compared DT to Alice In Chains break, felt DT needed that to re-charge (you need 13 fucking years? Damn Mike, you been talkin' to Axl Rose about your vacation plans?)
-Says the debate over his departure has been in talks for a year
-Says he's not leaving DT for Avenged Sevenfold, doesn't want it to be misconstrued
-DT has made it clear the door is always open for Portnoy's return
-Says there are drummers who can replace him, but he doesn't know who's gonna be the "voice" of the band now, says the band is gonna have to step up "500%" to cover his ground
-He thinks he'll be back at somepoint, despite the band now looking for a "perminate" replacement

That's what I got. Got it from internet forums so take it with a grain of salt. Thx to the guys over there at DTforums.org for keeping track of it all.

jamester

MIKE PORTNOY Thought He Could Control DREAM THEATER, Says Keyboardist RUDESS - Nov. 25, 2010
U.K.'s Classic Rock Prog magazine recently spoke to the four remaining members of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER — guitarist John Petrucci, vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess — about the surprising departure of the band's drummer and founding member, Mike Portnoy. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the August 30 meeting between the DREAM THEATER bandmembers in a New York City hotel room when first learned that Portnoy wanted to take a break from the group:

Petrucci: "It's definitely a bit surreal and I'm okay, but it's just so weird how things change. Basically, we went into a meeting expecting to talk about details of the studio and when and where, and it took a whole different turn. We were supposed to go into the studio in January and we had actually extended our break a bit so that Mike could finish out the rest of the year [as the touring drummer for] AVENGED SEVENFOLD. Then he brought up that he wanted to take a hiatus. There wasn't anything that led up to it in our minds and it kind of shocked us, you know?! We weren't expecting that at all."

On Portnoy's only proposed solution — for DREAM THEATER to go on an indefinite hiatus, believing that a break would help to rekindle his enthusiasm for both the DREAM THEATER machine as well as his relationship with the other members:

Rudess: Yeah, he was saying a few years, three years, five years, or whatever. I really believe that's what might've been best for him and I'm sure he doesn't want to let go of DREAM THEATER. Why should he necessarily have to? Of course, there's the reality that there are four other guys who also happen to have DREAM THEATER as their lives. I think a lot of the problem was with us personally, but to me the vibe within DREAM THEATER was fine. I mean, so you've got John Myung who wasn't really socializing with us at all anymore, but as I said to Mike, 'Tell me how it's any different to when I first joined this band.' I don't see it. And I've really got no problem with him doing what he's doing with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. I think it's pretty cool going out and playing with a really successful rock group. I just have a little bit of a problem with him thinking that he could control DREAM THEATER. It's like a captain who is trying to command his ship when he's not even standing on the ship. And all the other guys are just sitting there , cruising along with a guy saying, 'The captain has left the ship. Okay, boys, here's what we're going to do: You're going to take a break.' And they're, like, 'But wait a minute, we're standing on the ship.' But Mike remains our very good friend and I think there's a lot of love there between everyone, really, when it comes down to it. He may have been a little tired of us, but the bigger picture is that we're all brothers."

On DREAM THEATER's decision to carry on without Mike Portnoy:

Petrucci: "You know, we've known each other for a long time, 25 years-plus, and I love Mike. One of the first things I said was that I was trying to understand where he was coming from and that I don't judge him. Everyone is their own man and I get it. But from my perspective and from that of the other guys, you could take those same elements mentioned by Mike, the fact that we've been a band for 25 years, that this is something that we have built up and that we love, as a reason not to stop it or even take a break."

Myung: "We love what we do and we didn't want to wait around as things became unstable. What was initially a four-month break suddenly turned into a hiatus, then changed to a year and four months, which then could have turned into anyone's guess."

Petrucci: "It was an extremely emotional moment and the whole thing to me is very heartbreaking and very sad. You know, you walk around afterwards going, 'Is this really happening?' It's almost like that feeling when somebody dies. You feel like you're in some kind of weird, limbo dream state and it's hard for me to imagine this band without him. But I think the whole beauty of DREAM THEATER is the collective nature and everybody has their talents. I think we've always been about more than just one individual and that's part of our strength. Of course we are going to miss Mike a lot, but we move forward, as is our right."

On the fact that DREAM THEATER is replacing more than just a drummer — Portnoy was the band's mascot, chief interviewee, driver of concepts, selector of setlists and was always at the forefront when the band was deliberating over a musical direction:

LaBrie: "Yes, Mike was all about those things and not to simplify it or belittle it, but that will just have to be something that we allocate to each and every one of us to take over. So that will be a major difference in the band. Instead of one person handling all of those responsibilities, it's going to be spread out over four others."

Rudess: "I guess we're excited about being able to look at all the cool stuff Mike did and spread them around a bit. We've got an amazing team of managers and tour managers, we're all very capable guys and we're not scared. This is not rocket science. This is not curing cancer, this is a rock band, and I think we can handle it."

On whether in a few years time, when all this turbulence has subsided and Portnoy feels sufficiently recharged, he would be welcomed back in DREAM THEATER:

Petrucci: "You know, I've played with Mike for so long and we have done so many things together that at some point we will play together again, and we told each other that. It would be ridiculous to think that we won't play together again. That's kind of silly. Whether it's in DREAM THEATER or something else or we reunite down the line, who knows?! If that's the way the planets align and things work out in both of our lives, then I'm certainly open to that. But in the meantime, I think we owe it to ourselves to carry on with focus and intention. Right now, we have to find an ass-kicking drummer…"

Excerpts from Mike Portnoy's interview from the same issue of Classic Rock Prog magazine can be found at this location.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … nt=Twitter

jamester

MIKE PORTNOY: I Tried To Rejoin DREAM THEATER But Was Rebuffed - Dec. 20, 2010
Ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has revealed that he made a recent attempt to rejoin his former bandmates but was rebuffed by the group he formed and led for 25 years. Writing on his official forum, Portnoy states, "Just for the record, this is indeed true..

"Fairly recently, I reached out to the guys to try and make amends and offered to reconcile for the sake of having peace back in our lives… (plus I know how much it meant to a lot of the fans…)

"I figured it was still possible to try and save us, because they hadn't made any announcements yet or begun any public activity with another drummer… but sadly, they declined my offer (well, actually their lawyer did… they didn't even tell me themselves….)

"Sorry, gang, I honestly gave it my all…

"So now the fans on my Twitter and Facebook can please stop asking me to go back to DREAM THEATER… I tried, and the door is now shut… The ball is now in their court, not mine…

"I'm not crying or looking for mercy by posting this… I am merely trying to set the record straight as that is always the most important thing about my relationship with you guys… No BS, no spins, nothing to hide… and for better or for worse, I tell it like it is… I've also recently seen some people accuse my online activity of 'looking for attention or media coverage,' or 'looking for sympathy,' but it's honestly none of the above… I merely value having an open and active communication with my fans… Always have, always will… It is the cornerstone of everything I've done since day #1 with DREAM THEATER…

"This was posted here FOR YOU GUYS to know about... here on MY message board on MY website... If it ends up on Blabbermouth or wherever else, that is THEIR choice to spread, I did not request it or send out a 'press release'...

"Anyways, onward and upward...

"I've got a lot of great music and ideas waiting to come out of me and alot of exciting collaborations in the works....so goodbye 2010...bring on 2011!"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD issued a statement late on Friday (December 17) regarding the dismissal of Portnoy, who played on the band's latest album, "Nightmare", and toured with them during the past year following the death last December of original drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. The band's statement read in part, "For the past few months, we've been blessed with Mike Portnoy's talent and humanity. When Mike agreed to tour with us, it was only through the end of 2010. We always knew we'd need to find another solution for 2011 and beyond. And it's time for us to take that next step."

As for why Portnoy himself was not their man, the statement said, "[Portnoy] is a brilliant writer, producer and of course drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as AVENGED SEVENFOLD with Mike Portnoy. We take a lot of pride in AVENGED SEVENFOLD being about something greater then any individuals."

Portnoy himself broke the news via his Facebook page on Thursday, following several days of rumors about his status.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that the band was not happy about the public way in which Portnoy's split with DREAM THEATER was played out, which may have soured Portnoy's relationship with AVENGED. "We were actually a little more shocked," M. Shadows said. "We felt that maybe both parties could have handled it a little more internally without being so press release-happy about what had happened between them. Because we're a band that, really, when it comes to news all over web sites or this or that about bands, you know, we don't tweet much, we don't try to put ourselves out that much, and all the drama and controversy wasn't something that we wanted at all."

In an interview over the weekend with LA Weekly, AVENGED manager Larry Jacobson said, "The plan had always been for Mike Portnoy to play with the band through 2010. Nothing changed there but it was confusing (because) Mike gave interviews suggesting he may be touring with the band beyond 2010."

Axlin16

So in other words, basically what this comes down to is Portnoy thought he was leaving DT for a better gig, A7X, they decided they don't want to continue with him, now he comes crawling back to the DT guys, the bridge has already been burned.... now he has no job.

Great move!

monkeychow

Yeah...it's interesting...cos like A7X seem to say they always looked at it as a temp job for him but I guess he thought he'd be in for good.

I mean i guess in his defence, who are they going to find better than him? But then it sounds like for them the issue is finding someone who can blend into the band and not be considered an outside seperate star.

jamester

Free MIKE PORTNOY Tribute Album Released - Dec. 26, 2010

Independent musicians, graphic artists, and a computer graphics demogroup have collaborated on a grand scale multimedia tribute to Mike Portnoy, in celebration of over a quarter of a century of highly influential musicianship. Mike Portnoy's early investment into the Internet, as well as his relationship with the global fan base, created a fad-transcending musical community that continues to grow past the post quarter century mark.

Mike Portnoy has always possessed a strong commitment to bringing a diverse lineup of "under the radar" support bands on the road. These tours introduced hundreds of thousands to some truly genre-defining music, and inspired a new generation with music that would have otherwise remained outside the public view. "Mike, over the years, has fueled an online community with tireless energy and effort, of which it has been a pleasure to be a part of. Members of the community feel that paying some of that energy forward is the least they could do to show their appreciation," says compilation producer Anthony Morse.

The multimedia tribute appears in the form of a free three disc digital album, interviews, and some stunning music videos graphically generated by the legendary Greek demogroup Andromeda Software Development.

"Honor Thy Drummer: A Tribute to Mike Portnoy" contains three digital discs, two new, and a bonus 2009 retrospective disc featuring choice selections from the previous digital release "MPF 2009". "Honor Thy Drummer" features a diverse range of styles and approaches, drawing inspiration from Mr. Portnoy's award-winning approach to music, created by acts inspired by his musical influence. The resulting music seamlessly crosses many musical boundaries weaving from heavy time-spanning progressive metal to concise folk.
The "Honor Thy Drummer" multimedia collection is available for free download at www.spaceprog.com. It contains the digital album in MP3 format, a digital PDF booklet featuring photos, lyrics, and bios of the contributing artists. Two of three interviews with contributing artists RELOCATOR, IN PROGRESS, and S.A. ADAMS are included, and shed light on their collaborations with progressive metal superstars Derek Sherinian, Mark Zonder, and Mike Portnoy himself, all of whom play on the artists' tracks featured in "Honor Thy Drummer". The third interview will be released in January.

The scope of this endeavor reaches across the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and the American continent. This project, fueled by the hard work and dedication of all of the participants, resulted in a quality work free to the world, and without the complications of revenue generation. The collection is, simply put, a high quality independent project available freely to all that desire the audio/visual experience.

bigbri

Portnoy fucked up--plain and simple. He thought he could find mainstream success with a seemingly hip new rock band in Avenged Sevenfold. Then, when it leaked out how he fucked over Dream Theater, they thought, "what's stopping him from doing that to us?" So, they said, see ya.

Besides, it's quite obvious he's a control freak. He probably tried that in A7X.

jamester

MIKE PORTNOY, STEVE MORSE, NEAL MORSE, DAVE LARUE Join Forces In New Project - Jan. 3, 2011
Drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, TRANSATLANTIC), guitarist Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE, DIXIE DREGS), multi-instrumentalist Neal Morse (TRANSATLANTIC, SPOCK'S BEARD), bassist Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS) and vocalist Casey McPherson (ALPHA REV, ENDOCHINE) have joined forces in a brand new project. The as-yet-unnamed band has just entered the studio to begin work on a new album, due later in the year.

Regarding how the new project came together, Neal Morse said, "Last April I got together with Steve Morse to do some writing and to see what would happen with a collaboration between the two of us and how I went down to his house in Florida and spent some days with him, getting to know him and writing some music and we had a really good time. So we've been talking about doing a project together for a while."

As for the musical direction of the new project, Neal said, "We're all going to get together and work from scratch with no pre-prepared material and see what comes out.

"I'd like to do something different. Something to make it very different from like my solo stuff or TRANSATLANTIC.

"There are some demos and some things that Steve and I did in April that we've worked on and so we'll have some things to start with, but I think the plan is to get together and see what happens and write in the room."

He added, "We're all excited about the project, but it is a bit of a mystery as to what will come. The vision is to do something a little more song-oriented and not quite so riffy, as one might expect. But still, of course, having the musical elements that people like Steve Morse, Dave LaRou, Mike Portnoy, and myself can provide."

Although Neal is hoping to release the album this year, he was quick to point out that there is no firm timetable set for the completion of the new project's debut.

"We've mapped out about 10 days [in the studio for the project's first session]," he said. "We'll see what happens and see how much we can get done, if we can't get the basics down enough for an album then we'll have to continue on later.

"Everyone's schedules are a bit in flux and their very busy people so I don't know how long it will take us to actually finish and release the record."

jamester

DREAM THEATER Hits The Studio - Jan. 3, 2011
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have officially entered the studio to begin work on their first album without drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, writes on his Twitter profile, "First day in studio [and] the dawn of a new era for DREAM THEATER. Can't wait to get the music flowing."

DREAM THEATER has yet to announce a replacement for Portnoy, who left the band last September. Petrucci recently stated about the group's drummer search, "Auditions went great and we do have someone but we are spending some time getting everything in order before making an official announcement. Let me just say that we are all incredibly excited about our choice and just bursting at the seams to let the world know!"

DREAM THEATER will co-headline next year's edition of Classic Rock magazine's award-winning High Voltage festival, set to take place Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, 2011 in Victoria Park, London, England. The band will headline the main stage on July 24. High Voltage 2011 will mark the first U.K. performance of the group's new lineup following the departure of Portnoy.

Just days after it was announced that he'd been dismissed as the touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, and was rebuffed.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band this summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and has toured with them since early summer.

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