Dream Theater Singer Says Last Week’s Drummer Auditions ‘Were Phenomenal’ (excerpt)

On October 26, vocalist James LaBrie of progressive metal giants Dream Theater was interviewed by “Démentièllement Vôtre” on Québec City’s CKRL 89.1 FM radio station. The interview has now been posted online at this location. It can also be streamed using the audio player below.

When asked about Dream Theater’s current status following the recent departure of drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy, LaBrie said, “Dream Theater, we’re communicating a lot to one another — John Petrucci [guitar], myself, Jordan Rudess [keyboards] and John Myung [bass] — we’re staying in close contact with one another. Obviously we just did the drummer auditions last week in New York. So right now we’re going to take our time and really be sure of the decision that we make, which is one of the most important decisions ever made within the band. So right now it’s all about preparing for the future and making sure that the next chapter will be an exciting and really amazing ride. So that’s what we’re taking care of at this moment in time.”

Regarding how the drummer auditions went, LaBrie said, “[The auditions] were phenomenal. I mean, it was something, obviously, unprecedented for this band, and it is for most bands, but it was just a really unique and very surreal experience for us. But I can’t really comment on it any further than that other than that we’re moving forward and everything is very positive. And that’s about it. It’s really touchy as to what we can really talk about in that area right now.”