Dream Theater interview

interview by Jim Dalrymple

With its newest album “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” Dream Theater shows why they are still the best in the Progressive music genre.

Just off a long tour, Keyboardist Jordan Rudess took some time to speak with us about the band and the music of Dream Theater.

Tell me a bit about your new album, it sounds great.

Thank you. The Dream Theater albums are always fun to put together. This was done in New York City over the course of a bunch of months. One of the interesting things is that I got to play the iPod touch on a track. I walked in one day showing off some new technology and Mike [Portnoy], the drummer and one of the producers said, “we have to use that.” Instead of doing the normal keyboard lead, I used a program called Bebot and the iPod touch.

Using technology isn’t new for you, you’re used to incorporating technology in your music.

Yeah, I am. I take advantage of the fact that we’re going to be in the studio and I use that time to get all of my technology together. If there are new instruments or technology I want to check out, I try to get everything in the studio. That includes my computer with all of my software on it and things like the iPod touch.

I have such a strong interest in technology that I’m always reaching out and discovering and enjoying new ways to make music and trying to make use of some of these new cool tools out there.

Is that what keeps your stuff fresh?

I think it’s one of the things. We’re a progressive band and one of the things that keeps us progressive is that we try new things. There are many ways to be progressive — you could try something unusual with the music or different kinds of instruments. You can push the envelope in various ways.

Dream Theater is still in the Rock category, but there are things that we can do to add elements of freshness to what’s going on. Things like adding an iPod touch in the studio and live.

A lot of players say that if they can’t play it live, they don’t want it on the record. Your stuff can get complicated at times – how do you balance that?

That’s a very big concern of mine. In the studio, I don’t like to be limited by what I can physically do. One of the things about Dream Theater is that there are a lot of other musicians in the band filling up sonic space as well, so the good part for me — and what allows me to do what I do in the studio, live — is that by the time we lay down the keyboards it’s not like I’m going to lay down that many different parts.

On this new album there are some parts that are very orchestral. In the studio I did lay down many instruments, but even as I was doing it I knew that it would be possible to make an arrangement where I could do some advanced layering on my keyboard where I could get the job done, have it sound good and play it live.

Dream Theater doesn’t run any tracks. That’s one thing that’s different about our group – we really do play everything live. The only thing that we will run is talking samples and things like that.

Not only can you guys play complicated music live, you look like you’re having a lot of fun on stage when you do it.

I think that’s what makes Dream Theater. The fact that we can do a combination of really rocking, strong energy and play complicated music at the same time. That’s one of the things that first struck me about this group — it was Progressive Rock, but it had an element of Metal and virtuosity. I thought, wow, this is great, these guys can really play.

A lot of bands have one person that the public looks to, but with Dream Theater it seems everyone has their favorite talent in the band. That does make it more difficult?

It’s interesting in the sense that it seems to bring more people in. Some people are fans of the songs — they may really like the ballads that are very vocal, but some people go nuts when we start playing an instrumental. 

We get so many different types of fans. Some people really like the metal, but not so much the prog and visa versa. We come into this with the awareness that it can be about each guy and there are different focuses going on with respect to what the audience is looking at. 

There doesn’t seem to any outward tug of war between you guys.

No, everyone is pretty cool. This is what we do.

When you sit down to write an album, is it in your mind at all that you’ve influenced so many bands and musicians? 

There is definitely a sense of responsibility. I don’t think you can really avoid that. We try to be very true to ourselves and our music. That’s the main thing — that keeps us grounded to make the music. Quite honestly if you get caught up in all kinds of weird thoughts then the process could stop.

We get lost in the music when we go into the studio to create an album.

What’s the writing process like?

John [Petrucci] and I really feed off one another. Mike is almost like a film director — we throw these ideas around and Mike comes up with something and all of a sudden we have this whirlwind of ideas. Sometimes when a Dream Theater album is written and we start tracking, I’m like “Oh my God guys, that was nuts.”

Dream Theater has its sound, but you’ve managed to change things over the years. That can’t be easy.

For the last two albums, we went in with an open slate. We didn’t have anything that we were concerned with other than just making good music. That worked well for us. Before that we went in with some pretty strong ideas – at least conceptually.

Part of it is a natural evolution and part of it is an awareness of what’s going on around us in music. We’re not blind to the new music going on. If there is something we like, we might throw that into the mix because we’re about combining different styles anyway.


Black Clouds & Silver Linings is available now in iTunes. Learn more about Dream Theater at DreamTheater.net.