Music

OMFG Of The Day: Mike Portnoy Quits Dream Theater

Published

14 years ago

September 9, 2010

Updated with the response from the rest of Dream Theater after the jump.

I’ve been a Dream Theater fan since 1999. Yeah, that’s late in the Dream Theater game but still early enough to catch some amazing albums and definitely enough times to see them in concert. Hell, I flew out to New York to see the Score performance. Can I see myself in the DVD? Hell no! I’m way in the nosebleeds! But I was there. Their music helped me through some of the toughest times in my life and also inspired me as a musician and as a songwriter. So to hear that Mike Portnoy, the original drummer, the voice of the band, the creator, has decided to quit has really shaken me and left me somewhat speechless. After the jump is the written explanation from Mike himself about his decision to quite Dream Theater. This was not the news I was expecting to see or ever read, but I can understand where he is coming from once I read through his statement.

Photo and story courtesty of Blabbermouth.net

Mike Portnoy

“I am about to write something I never imagined I’d ever write.

“After 25 years, I have decided to leave DREAM THEATER… the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

“To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision…it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so….

“After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER.

“Please don’t misinterpret me, I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them… it’s just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.

“DREAM THEATER was always my baby…and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985… 24/7, 365… never taking time off from DREAM THEATER’s never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was ‘off’ between cycles)… working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.

“But I’ve come to the conclusion that the DREAM THEATER machine was starting to burn me out…and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DREAM THEATER spirit hungry and inspired.

“We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a ‘hiatus’ to recharge our batteries and ‘save me from ourselves’…

“Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather… I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be…

“While it truly hurts for me to even think of a DREAM THEATER without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way…so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.

“Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DREAM THEATER and I talked about ‘always following your heart and being true to yourself’… Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with DREAM THEATER…and I would simply be ‘going through the motions,’ and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

“I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come… I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played….

“I’m sorry to all the disappointed DREAM THEATER fans around the world… I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work… I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)… but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.

“You DREAM THEATER fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me…. (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)”

Dream Theater

To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with

profound sadness — regret — we announce that Mike

Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has

decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike’s stature in

the band has meant the world to all of us

professionally, musically, and personally over the

years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major

force within this band.

While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other

ventures and challenges, we can assure you

that Dream Theater will continue to move forward

with the same intensity — and in the same musical

tradition — that you have all helped make so

successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

Fans and friends: File this episode under “Black

Clouds and Silver Linings.”As planned, we begin

recording our newest album in January 2011, and

we’ll follow that with a full-on world tour. “The Spirit

Carries On.”

All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike

the best on his musical journey. We have had a long

and meaningful career together. It is our true hope

that he finds all he is looking for, and that he

achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be

missed.

JonathanBarkan

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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Music

“He Walks By Night” – Listen to a Brand New John Carpenter Song NOW!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

John Squires

It’s a new day, and you’ve got new John Carpenter to listen to. John Carpenter, Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter have released the new track He Walks By Night this morning, the second single off their upcoming album Lost Themes IV: Noir, out May 3 on Sacred Bones Records.

Lost Themes IV: Noir is the latest installment in a series that sees Carpenter releasing new music for John Carpenter movies that don’t actually exist. The first Lost Themes was released in 2015, followed by Lost Themes II in 2016 and Lost Themes III: Alive After Death in 2021.

Sacred Bones previews, “It’s been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood’s great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they’ve struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration.

“Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as “soundtracks for the movies in your mind.” On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs “noirish” is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone.

“The trio’s free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine—the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John’s own Christine. It’s a chemistry that’s helped power one of the most productive stretches of John’s creative life, and Noir proves that it’s nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.”

You can pre-save Lost Themes IV: Noir right now! And listen to the new track below…