If you’re into vintage rock with a progressive flair and great drumming within the context of an exciting power trio, you need look no further than the prodigious Mike Portnoy.
An original member of Dream Theater (he played with them for a quarter century) and more recently manning the skins for Adrenaline Mob, Flying Colors, Transatlantic and about 300 other bands (give or take a hundred) — Portnoy has turned his focus on the Winery Dogs, a three-piece unit with guitarist Richie Kotzen and bassist Billy Sheehan.
We had the opportunity to chat with him about the new band and where it’s headed. We also touched on other projects, namely Flying Colors, as well as his superb drumming. When it comes to renowned rock and roll drummers, Portnoy has joined the ranks of his heroes Neal Peart and John Bonham as a force to be reckoned with.
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Mr. Portnoy, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to Vintage Rock.
No problem. I love nothing more than talking about myself (laughs).
I know you’re just about to embark on the Winery Dogs tour, right?
Yes, this week I happen to be home with a July 4th hangover — not from drinking, from family and events here with the holiday — but we begin rehearsals next week and then head over to Japan to kick of the tour there.
I assume that’s because the Winery Dogs CD was released there first?
Yes, the album came out there first. Here it drops July 23rd. Basically, the album was first picked up by a Japanese label before the U.S. deal was in place, so for whatever business reason, they got the initial release and as a result of that, they get the initial shows. From there, we go to South America then to the States to begin up here.
And how long do you think you’ll be out?
As of now, we have dates all through October and that’s even without the album out in the States yet, so we have about four months set on the calendar. I’m sure once the album drops here then the dates will continue to get added on through the next year. I mean, we’re already booked on the Monsters of Rock cruise, which is next April, so obviously we’re intending staying out throughout 2014, so we’ll see where it takes us.
For a musician like you with so many things in the pipeline and all these Winery Dog dates, you must really be committed to this project.
Yes, as you say I do have a lot of different things in the pipeline, but the Winery Dogs is obviously something I think has a lot of potential. We’ll ride it as long as we can, as long as there’s people wanting to see the band, we’ll get out there and play. I’m committed to the Winery Dogs for sure.
I really love the new album and, dare I say, it’s not only really well played but the songs have commercial appeal.
I take no offense to the word “commercial,” and I agree this might be the most accessible record or band that I’ve ever been a part of actually. It’s the truest straight-up rock band that I’ve ever been a part of, in a good way.
Can you relate how it all came about. I know Eddie Trunk was involved in suggesting Richie Kotzen and that it came out of a project you and Billy Sheehan were trying to put together with John Sykes.
Billy and I were working with John on something completely different, just so people understand that John wasn’t part of the Winery Dogs. Mainly, we were working on John’s music and it just never took off. So once that stalled dead in the water, Billy and I still wanted to do something, to get to work at that point and yes, our good friend Eddie Trunk suggested, “Why don’t you give Richie Kotzen a call,” and it was a brilliant suggestion.
I think he fits in perfectly. You guys sound so tight and seamless.
Richie is the full-on real deal. He’s a triple threat — guitar player, singer, songwriter — just amazing and it was all so perfect. So Billy and I reached out to Richie and we started from scratch, the three of us wrote everything together and that’s how the Winery Dogs began.
And recording the album progressed just as organically?
We basically wrote everything live together and tracked it in Richie’s studio together and the whole recording process was very quick, and I don’t say quick because we skipped anything, it was quick because the three of us have a tremendous productive work ethic so we worked very quickly together; it all happened so naturally.
I also understand there is another Flying Colors record coming out. (Editor’s note: Flying Colors is composed of Portnoy, Steve Morse, Dave LaRue, Casey McPherson and Neal Morse)
That Flying Colors record probably won’t be out until the end of next year. We laid the ground work for a second album, already wrote some songs together and tracked some stuff. But Flying Colors is very much a project because everybody’s so busy with other bands, most specifically Steve with Deep Purple, so we’re kind of at the mercy of so many different schedules that we have to do a little when we can, slowly accumulate it and hopefully at this rate, a follow-up record will be out at the end of 2014. But I also have a Transatlantic record coming out end of next year and a Flying Colors DVD about to come out too, plus a Portnoy, Sheehan, MacAlpine, Sherinian live DVD as well coming out. There’s constantly something in my pipeline but the Winery Dogs is going to keep me the most busy and on the road for the next six to 12 months.
Obviously coming from the situation you did, playing in a high-profile, well-respected band for so many years, and playing as you do now as a journeyman drummer, are you conscious of this change daily or just getting on with the getting on of playing?
Playing for 25 years in one band, that’s a quarter of century dedicated to one band, so of course, no I haven’t always been the way it is presently. But after that 25 years in one band, I’m definitely at the moment enjoying spreading my wings and enjoy playing in so many bands with so many incredible musicians who I respect and admire, and each of these things I do is very different musically. So that is satisfying for me to experience my various musical sides. Who knows, I could end up settling down with one band again or I might never, the future is impossible to predict. I’m just living for the moment.
And your drumming itself — has it changed, and if it has, how has it?
That’s a two-sides-of-the-coin thing really. I mean, I’m constantly changing and evolving because I’m playing so many different kinds of music these days. In Transatlantic, I play these 30-minute epics; Flying Colors, I’m tapping into more Radiohead, Muse meets The Beatles; Adrenaline Mob was hard rock groove-oriented; Winery Dogs is full-on classic rock power trio stuff on a small John Bonham kit. In every one of these cases, I’m getting to do something different, playing different styles on different sized kits in different bands, and I’m able to get into the head space of so many different kinds of drummers. So, on the one hand, I’m constantly changing and evolving. On the other side of the coin, no matter what I’m doing, it still feels like me. It sounds like Mike Portnoy no matter what I’m doing, which I feel is important — to have a style, sound and voice that is recognizable in everything I do while still morphing and trying different things.
I’d say it’s all working out very well for you indeed.
I’m just following my heart and my heart wants to make music. I don’t make decisions based on business; I don’t make decisions based on money; I make decisions based on what I want to do artistically. This is where I’m at, playing in all these great projects and bands, with the greatest musicians on Earth. It’s a dream position to be in.
