DREAM THEATER Singer Says Seven 'World-Class' Drummers Will Audition For Band In Two Weeks

On Wednesday, October 6, DJ JC Green of Metal Massiah Radio conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie about James' new solo album, "Static Impulse", and the recent departure of DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. The entire 25-minute conversation will air tonight (Friday, October 8) at 8:00 p.m. EST only on www.metalmessiahradio.com. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below (as transcribed from the raw audio file by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

Q: Mike was the spokesperson of the band. How will the remaining members of DREAM THEATER manage this task [going forward]?

LaBrie: Well, obviously, he was taking on a lot of those responsibilities and he wanted to be hands-on all the time, especially the interaction with fans and everything like that. So what do we do at this point? We establish the communication, we get in touch with our fans, we establish a great rapport with our fans, and we become more personable with our fans and let them hear who and what we are and let them know that we are there for them and that we appreciate who and what they stand for. So it's a matter of us communicating, it's a matter of the other four guys stepping up to the plate and establishing a great relationship with our fans on a more communicative level.

Q: So we can even see the quiet guy [presumably referring to bassist John Myung — Ed.] speaking to the press?

LaBrie: Absolutely. He already is. John Myung is much more verbal than he was and he's into it — he's up for it and he's excited. I think that one of the great things is that you're going to hear from four guys a lot more than you ever have in the past, so there will be many more opinions and views and situations that normally you might not have heard from. So I think, if anything, it's gonna be very cool.

Q: I have read in other interviews that the band has done that you are looking for a replacement for Mike behind the drum kit, but I don't sense any kind of rush or pressure in the band. Are you really looking for a replacement or do you already have one or two candidates in mind?

LaBrie: We're not rushing into it, because it's a big move for us; it's unprecedented within the band. This is our first time coming up against finding a drummer for DREAM THEATER. We do have everything in place. We don't have a drummer yet, but we have auditions for drummers all set up, and it's all ready to go within two weeks. So in two weeks we will start auditioning drummers. We already have seven guys lined up that are gonna come into the studio and they are going to play through some songs and so on and so forth. We are looking for the right chemistry, the right vibe, the right attitude, the right personality, the right look — somebody that we feel really will embellish upon what DREAM THEATER has stood for and what we plan on standing for in the future. So it's pretty exciting. We have everything in line, we have everything set up, so it's just a matter, within a couple of weeks, to start the auditions and then to eventually make the announcement who the new drummer is.

Q: So there will be open auditions then?

LaBrie: It's not open; it's already decided who's coming in. There's seven drummers that are coming in, and out of those seven, we will definitely have our drummer. They're all world-class drummers. I can't tell you who — I'd love to tell you, but I can't; I can't divulge or disclose that information. Not at this point. It's too sensitive at this point. But it will be a very intense week for us while we're jamming and playing with these drummers.

Q: I will mention one name that, personally, I think is the full package for DREAM THEATER — John Macaluso. He played with you on your "Elements Of Persuasion" tour, even by recommendation from Mike, and you even sang on one of his tracks on his UNION RADIO solo project, he's from New York, he has played progressive metal for most of his career — a lot of things in common. What do you think of him?

LaBrie: Oh, well, it goes without saying John Macaluso is a fantastic drummer; he's an incredible talent. He reminds me of the current-day John Bonham — he's just got a really cool, Bonham-esque kind of feel to him, but at the same time he can also play in a very progressive outfit as well and get into more syncopated areas of drumming with ease. Yeah, I had the pleasure of going out and bringing him out on tour with me throughout Europe on the "Elements Of Persuasion" tour, and he is fantastic — there's no doubt about it; he's quite capable. Whether he is one of those seven drummers or not, I can't tell you. [laughs] But without a doubt, the guy is a fanstastic drummer. He's extremely talented. I love his playing, I love his style, and he's a great guy.

On Mike Portnoy's recent online posting in which he accused LaBrie of being "insensitive" and "disrespectful" for proclaiming in a recent interview that the remaining members of DREAM THEATER were "not sad at all" about Mike's departure from the group:

LaBrie: I'm not going to start getting into justifying who I am or where he's coming from or anything like that. I don't wanna go in those areas — I wanna keep everything positive. If something is being interpreted as being negative, that's very unfortunate. It was never ever intended to be, and I think that if anyone was to read my words within the interview from "Used Bin Radio", they would realize that in no way was I insinuating anything that was negative or insensitive.

Q: Do you plan to begin working on the new [DREAM THEATER] album in January, just like it was planned before Mike's departure?

LaBrie: Yeah. I mean, at this point I think everything is lending itself to stay within that schedule; I don't see, at this point, why it would change or why it would be delayed. I think that we're all very much ready and looking forward to getting back into the studio and creating some music. So at this point, definitely, I think January is still the reality.

Q: Do you think the absence of Mike's input in the studio as a songwriter and producer will give [DREAM THEATER] more freedom or pressure in the process?

LaBrie: I don't think there's gonna be any pressure. I think, if anything, it could change the dynamics within the band, it could change the way that things in the past always developed as far as the songs and the writing process. I think, yeah, definitely, there's room for change. I'm sure that, to some extent, it has to change, it has to be... It's a new chapter in every sense of the word. So I think that, definitely, it's quite possible that in many areas — in that area, in the approach to the sonwriting process — there's room for change, and more than likely there will be.

Q: Have you already decided how the writing process will be for the new [DREAM THEATER] album? Will you write in the studio as you have recently done or do you expect to change that process?

LaBrie: I think that we're gonna still go along with getting into the studio as a band and writing within the studio so we're all there collectively within the same room. So I think that that will go down as it has for the last several albums.

Q: Will you consider using an external producer or will John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] or any of the other guys in the band take care of it?

LaBrie: I think we kind of all, at this point... I mean, that's still stuff that we're discussing. But I think that, for the most part, we've all given the nod to John Petrucci to go ahead and produce. I think that he is extremely competent and he knows exactly where we need to go and what we need to do and how we need to sound. I think he's more than capable of doing it and being in that position.

JC Green's entire interview with James LaBrie will air tonight (Friday, October 8) at 8:00 p.m. EST only on www.metalmessiahradio.com.