DREAM THEATER Energized By New Label

July 27, 2007

Larry D. Curtis of Deseret Morning News recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy.

The quintet is touring to support its new album "Systematic Chaos" on a brand-new label, Roadrunner Records. And Portnoy — a driving force behind DREAM THEATER since it formed in 1985 in Boston at the Berklee School of Music — says the band is energized by its move.

"Right now we have the freedom to call our own shots," he said by phone. "When we signed that deal with Atlantic (Records) we were kids, we had no leverage. We found ourselves, finally, after 14 years as free agents."

"Roadrunner is the best label out there for the type of band we are," he said.

And the type of band it is might have been part of the problem for a label that just didn't quite know what to do with such non-conventional music. At times sounding like driving heavy metal and at other times launching into epic songs and concept albums that aren't exactly tailored for the iPod generation, DREAM THEATER can be a tough sell.

"A band like ours can't rely on mainstream outlets," Portnoy said. "We rely on the passion and devotion of our fan base."

One constant over what Portnoy calls the band's "sustained journey" is a level of respect it has always been given by other musicians, even when it didn't quite fit in. "I think the type of music we play, which is sometimes uncool and unfashionable, we were never given much acceptance but we were always respected as serious musicians. Love us or hate us, you can't ignore us."

Read the entire article at DeseretNews.com.

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