Prog Stars Portnoy & Morse

Duo together again promoting Morse’s solo album, Momentum

Interview: Sarah Locke

October 2012 Issue

Let’s not be modest- Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy are true superstars in the progressive rock world. 

Portnoy (Dream Theatre, Avenged Sevenfold, Adrenaline Mob) and Morse (Deep Purple, Spock’s Beard) have been working together on various projects for 12 years, beginning with the Transatlantic project.

“There’s such a depth of music to Neal’s catalogue,” Portnoy says. “I’m so happy to be playing with him in his solo band. Obviously he and I have Transatlantic and Flying Colors together, but it’s a joy to be playing all of his albums.”

Portnoy says the Jacksonville show is going to be one of heroic proportions, referencing Morse’s seven or so albums to choose and perform from.

Morse comments on the touring musicians for this particular tour.

“I’ve got this new band from the open auditions I held in spring so we’ve got some amazing players. It’s really going to be the best of the best.”

The open auditions were documented and posted on YouTube, a fresh and interesting approach to the whole process. The guest musicians include: Randy George, Paul Gilbert, Adson Sodre, Bill Hubauer, Eric Gillette, Wil Morse, Chris Carmichael, and Rick Altizer. 

A strong and solid foundation and band, no doubt, but it truly is the history and relationship between Morse and drummer Portnoy that gives this project that extra spark.

Portnoy talks of the common threads that hold the duo together.

“There’s a lot of mutual respect there and a lot of common musical vision that we share. I think we’re both very passionate people and artists and we’re both very much grounded in common backgrounds.”

“Yeah, except that I’ve never listened to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon all the way through, which horrifies Mike,” jokes Morse.

 Momentum’s official release was on September 11^th and is considered to be Morse’s second non-concept album. The album contains six songs and has a total playing time of 61 minutes. Although it’s a change of pace for the widely known prog rock front man, he still couldn’t fully keep away from his usual epics, with track “World Without an End” coming in at 33 minutes- his longest to date.

“Thoughts Part 5,” a continuation to a saga that began more than 10 years ago, is also included on the album- surely a pleasant surprise for Spock’s Beard fans. 

If you’d like to get a taste of their talents, don’t miss the show on October 3^rd at Jacksonville’s Murray Hill Theatre. You can also visit their websites for additional gigs and events at www.mikeportnoy.com and www.nealmorse.com