CHARLIE DOMINICI - New Interview

CHARLIE DOMINICI - New Interview Available





recently spoke with DOMINICI / ex-DREAM THEATER frontman Charlie Dominici. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

BMG: Overall, what can you tell us about O3: A Trilogy, Part Three? Was it always your intention for Dominici to evolve into a legitimate Progressive Metal project?

Charlie Dominici: "Basically, the new album is the finale for the O3: A Trilogy. It’s a natural progression of the story where everything comes to a head. It’s a trilogy…there’s three different parts and the difference between them is very distinct. Obviously the first album was completely acoustic with just me, and no overdubs whatsoever. The second album was with a full band and was very Progressive, but not really very Metal and the third album is full-blown Progressive Metal. I had planned on it getting heavier all along. It started out kinda black and white, like life, ya know? In the old days, years ago, things were simpler, things were slower. There wasn’t a lot goin’ on, but as the world got more complicated, there was a little more Technicolor, things got a little bit more rushed, there was a little bit more activity and there were more frequencies of incidents and problems. If you fast forward to today, everything is spiraling out of control. So it seemed natural that the music would go from one level to another notch up and then kick up even higher for the third part. It’s just like if you went and saw Lord Of The Rings or some other trilogy. The bottom line is that the story is there. The only reason the first part is the first part is because as I was writing it, I realized that I didn’t have a band and was going to have to do it acoustically or wait for who knows how many years. So I decided not to wait. And then, as I was writing it on an acoustic guitar, even though it was acoustic and the songs were ten or eleven minute Progressive Metal songs, I realized that I had forty or fifty minutes of music but wasn’t even to middle of the story yet. So I said ‘Maybe it’s gonna be a double album’, but I didn’t wanna do a double album of acoustic music, so I said ‘I’ll find a band…I know I’ll find a band and maybe I’ll do it in three parts…’. I had a pretty good idea that three parts would be enough. Actually, three parts almost wasn’t enough. It was very challenging to warp the story up for the third part.”

BMG: What are your current touring plans? I would assume you’ll be touring in support of O3… as much as humanly possible…

Charlie Dominici: “Well, you can assume that all you want. I’d like to assume that as well, but the fact of the matter is that I have no idea. A lot of people just don’t realize how it works, ya know? It’s not up to me if I tour. I’m not the one that’s going to lay out thirty or forty grand for buses, a crew, hotels and food. These people want to know that the people that they are hiring are going to be able to bring in revenue. It’s just like making a film. Before a studio goes out and spend two million dollars, they have to know that the film’s going to gross twenty million dollars. That’s why they go after the main actors who are the big box office draw. And right now, we’re not a big box office draw. We’re really just a relatively new band, so I have to take a wait and see attitude with it. I don’t know what’s going to happen or if it’s going to happen. The band is a year and a half old and for all intents and purposes, we have one album under our belts that’s been released. I personally think it’s a little bit of a sleeper. People are just really beginning to tap into it and a lot of people still don’t even know about it. Now, we’re about to release the third part which is the second full band album, so it’s still a relatively new project. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I could get a call to open up for METALLICA at the Garden or it could just be just a tour for us to be the opening act, which in that case, we’ll have to pay to play and I don’t know if I’m really up for that. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that. But I’ve got no choice, ya know? That’s the business.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.