James LaBrie interview (excerpts)

James LaBrie talking about Religion

He may be talking from the other side of the Atlantic, but from the conviction and confidence in his voice, I get the sense that this last idea is one he has spent a lot of time thinking through. Indeed I’ve long had the impression from his lyrics – tracks like ‘Blind Faith’ – that James LaBrie was a practising Christian. He again has no hesitation when I ask him to clarify his beliefs.

“I was brought up in Catholicism. My parents still go to church every weekend. When I grew up, I went to church every Saturday evening. But basically as you get older, you start to read things, observe, you become your own thinker – or at least I hope you do. I would say that today I’m a more spiritual-directed person.”

Like politicians, in an industry dominated by the culture of sound bites, it is unusual to find a prominent musician willing to unveil more than he or she has to. But warming to the topic, James LaBrie is happy to oblige, when I invite him to go a little deeper.

“My whole concept on it is that we are in a dimension that is what it is. We are put here for a purpose, but I think it’s beyond human comprehension. I don’t think it’s something that we really need to know. At this point of spiritual evolution, I think we are dealing with this stage that we are in right now. As an existence. We have to go through it. We have to live with it and we grow, so that when we go on into another dimension, it is completely beyond what we could ever conceive.”

“I really do think that there’s an entity or a creator that has brought the cosmos and has rationale. It’s not necessarily random. I think there is a purpose. There is a place that all of this is going to. I definitely feel that the consciousness that we have, there’s a reason for it. It’s not something that we completely have to understand – for every question and every answer there’s so many yet to come. Anyway without getting into it in great detail – we’d need six hours and more for that – that’s my take on it.”

James LaBrie talking about his other band

That comment offers me a seamless link to an obvious question. We are actually speaking just a day after Dream Theater announced the completion of the recording for their next album – due for worldwide release in May or June. Traditionally, members have refused to go into any details about the records until the band’s international promotional engine is fully tuned and ready to go. But I seek just a small snippet of information – an album title maybe?

“As much as I’d love to, I really can’t,” insists LaBrie,but then continues, “all I can say is that musically speaking, Dream Theater is known for its progressive stuff and is known for its heavy stuff and it’s all in there in a big way.”

“For me and the other guys, I know we’ve said it in the past, but this is probably the best album we’ve done in a long time. It’s got incredible balance musically. It’s very exciting and very dynamic. We really feel people are gonna say: ‘Oh Shit!’”

Certainly, the band’s last album ‘Train of Thought’ split fans and critics alike. The only agreement as to its merits or otherwise, was that it was easily the band’s heaviest record to date. I wonder whether in terms of direction, the new album carries on in a similar way?

“What you can say, is that there are still those heavier elements in there. But is this (record) more touching upon the diversity that Dream Theater is known for? Absolutely! Is it more progressive? Yes definitely! And I think because of that, there is more of a balanced direction going on. We’re not going to bang you over the head with a sledgehammer. This has more, I think, what Dream Theater has come to be known for since ‘Images and Words’.”

James LaBrie talking about how he nearly lost his voice

In addition to the band’s seven releases, James has also appeared on albums by Fates Warning (‘Parallels’) and Shadow Gallery (‘Tyranny’). You can also still track down copies of the only album from Canadian hard rockers Winter Rose, with whom LaBrie played in the 1980s.

Recent years have seen the vocalist develop an ever-expanding portfolio of side projects, that range from last year’s heavy metal ‘Madmen and Sinners’ album with guitarist Tim Donahue, to his part in Trent Gardner’s progressive tribute to Leonardo DaVinci. All a far cry from his first musical performances in a barber shop quartet!

“Yes, my parents told me from the age of five that I was always walking around the house singing to the songs that were on the radio. My father was then singing in a choir and also in a barber shop quartet. So he’d take me with him. It was definitely him who exposed me to this beautiful thing – the voice. It really developed my ears and passion for singing.”

“I then went through elementary school, where the music teacher took me privately (sic!). She had me working with my voice and entering singing competitions. From the ages of 10-12, I started singing even more in barber shop quartets – and then from 14 I was in rock n roll bands.”

Initially combining the roles of drummer and lead vocalist, at the age of 21, LaBrie began training with the renowned operatic vocal coach Rosemary Patricia Burns. Then after working with several Canadian bands, he became the vocalist for Winter Rose. That was, until Pierre Paradis, manager of avant-garde Canadian metallers VoiVod, approached James regarding a possible solo project. In passing, Pierre also mentioned a New York-based band called Dream Theater who were looking for a vocalist. The rest, as they say, is history.

It wasn’t until around two years ago that LaBrie decided to return to musical study, this time with a lady called Victoria Thompson. It was a decision, that he believes has enabled his voice to be “in the best shape ever”.

“She’s really helped me focus into the figure I am today,” he enthuses. “I think I’ve gone beyond where I thought I was ever going to get to. Because of the studying, I’ve become a much more confident and controlled singer.”

He goes on to explain, how a meal of pork, beans and rice, while on holiday in Cuba in 1994 almost left him for dead and has made him very precious about his voice.

“Within two hours of eating that meal, I was like deathly ill. It really hit me. I dunno if you’ve ever had food poisoning, but you literally feel like you’re gonna die. I was dizzy – almost incoherent – just a terrible experience.”

“In layman’s terms, I ruptured my vocal chords. I went to see three specialists and they all said it would take a long time to recover – yet two weeks later I had to be in Japan singing again. I must say that up until the end of the ‘Six degrees..’ tour, it was only then that I felt my voice was coming back to full strength, That was when I went back to study with this girl Victoria and I think I’m singing better than ever now – both studio and live.”