Mike Portnoy (dream theater)

Drummer RICHARD CHRISTY Performs With DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy; Video Posted Online

Former ICED EARTH/DEATH drummer RICHARD CHRISTY has posted the following message at his website:

"I'm so honored to have been invited to play a drum solo with one of my all time favorite drummers Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER.

I was so nervous because not only was the show in front of a huge crowd at Jones Beach Ampitheater in Long Island, New York, but also sitting next to me would be a true drumming legend!

I met up with Mike before the show and we hung out on his bus and mapped out our drum solo. The solo went really well and I had a blast ripping it up with Mike on his massive drum kit!"

Check out the video footage, as well as a slew of photos at this location.
http://www.richardchristy.com/drum_corner.html

DREAM THEATER Drummer MIKE PORTNOY To Issue In Constant Motion Instructional DVD; Sneek Peek Available


http://www.hudsonmusic.com
has issued the following details for their upcoming instructional DVD release: MIKE PORTNOY - In Constant Motion:

Mike Portnoy Stays In Constant Motion - Triple Disc Set From Husdon Music...

Only at Hudsonmusic.com - exclusive footage of Mike's upcoming DVD - In Constant Motion. In fact - we are so excited about this upcoming release - we decided to give the world an exclusive look at footage from the DVD's - before its gone to print (check out the time code rolling on the clips!). We've selected a few minutes worth of footage (out of the nearly SIX HOURS of footage!) to give you an idea of what is to come from this instructional introspective into Mike's recent work.

Featuring three discs with over seven hours of instruction, live and studio performances and insights on the numerous projects he has been involved with, In Constant Motion is Mike Portnoy’s latest DVD release from Hudson Music. In Constant Motion is the DREAM THEATER drummer’s first DVD since his award-winning video, Liquid Drum Theater, was released in 1999 and covers music from the last three Dream Theater albums as well as several of Mike’s outside projects, including tribute bands Yellow Matter Custard (The Beatles), Hammer Of The Gods (Led Zeppelin), Amazing Journey (The Who) and Cygnus & The Sea Monsters (Rush). With such a wealth and diversity of instructional and performance material, In Constant Motion is recommended for drummers of all interest and ability levels.

Disc 1: In the Dream focuses on music from the last three Dream Theater albums, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Train Of Thought and Octavarium; featuring complete band performances of six songs from these albums as well as new studio performances of the drum tracks and Mike’s in-depth analysis of each song.

Disc 2: On the Side covers all of Mike's recent activities outside of Dream Theater and includes many live and studio performances with TransAtlantic, OSI, Neal Morse, John Arch, John Petrucci/G3, Fates Warning and Overkill, plus live performances from all four tribute bands and a detailed look at Mike's own influences.

Disc 3: Bonus Material contains four additional, exclusive Dream Theater tracks filmed on the band's 20th Anniversary tour, three live drum solos featuring duets with Charlie Benante, Jason Bittner and Richard Christy, a tour of Mike’s infamous "Albino Monster" drumkit and bonus clips including unreleased live solos, studio footage and more.

In addition to state-of-the-art, studio-quality digital audio and video, In Constant Motion also includes special features such as:

• PDF transcriptions of selected performances, key grooves and fills.
• Camera-switching option on three in-studio performances.
• Complete Discography, Videography and Photo Gallery.

Be sure to look out for In Constant Motion - coming mid-March 2007!

A "sneek peek" is available at this location.

Drummer Mike Portnoy - New DREAM THEATER Album Is "Heavy And Technical, Powerful And Dynamic; All Of The Elements That People Expect"

Tama.com has a new interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. In the interview, he talks about the new Dream Theater album Systematic Chaos, his Albino Monster, the upcoming G3 tour with guitarist John Petrucci, his new instructional DVD In Constant Motion, working with Neal Morse and more. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Tama: What is Dream Theater up to these days?
Mike: "We've been in the recording studio since September 2006. And we are, at this moment, completing work on the new album. We're actually mixing it right now, and we should be finished in about two weeks. So come mid-February, the album will be done, and it's gonna be out in June."

Tama: How would you describe the direction of this album?
Mike: "Heavy and technical, powerful and dynamic, all of the elements that people kind of expect out of a Dream Theater album. All of the styles and sounds are intact, but we wanted to make it a real sonic explosion. It's very dramatic and aggressive. I don't know all of the above adjectives fit [laughs]."

Read more here.