Mike Portnoy sat down with Steve-O of 94.5 The Buzz’s The Live Addiction and spoke about his experience with Avenged Sevenfold and his fondest memories with the band (starting at 6:13 in the video).
Steve-O: [Avenged Sevenfold] are one of my favorite bands. They’re one of the bands that got me into heavier music. You played drums on their album ‘Nightmare’ after their drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan passed away. What was that whole experience like for you?
MP: “It was a really cool experience. There were basically two experiences. There was the album and the tour. The album was a really heavy emotional experience ’cause we started the album, I don’t know, maybe six weeks after The Rev was buried so it was still really fresh for those guys and, you know, everybody was really, very emotional. So, making the album was a really emotional experience and I felt really honored to have been part of that experience with them. That’s why me and Zacky got these matching tattoos. To me, it was a real amazing experience to bond with them during that period and then after that experience, you know, I wanted to be there to help them and that’s how my services got, you know, called upon for the first half of the tour. I did, I think, I guess, the first five or six months of the ‘Nightmare’ tour, basically till the end of 2010 and at that point it was just them getting back on their feet and helping them out. I don’t think I was ever going to be there for long. I was still in Dream Theater at that point and even once I left Dream Theater, you know, it was pretty established that it was just a helping-them-out phase and it was a great tour, man. I had fun with those guys and I’m so happy to see that they’ve gotten back on their feet and have blossomed to a whole new level and continue to do what they’re doing. It’s an experience I look back upon with a lot of great memories.Steve O: Can you share one of your fondest memories while out on the road without those dudes?
MP: “I could think of a million. The very first show in Montreal, that was heavy ’cause that was their very first time on stage without The Rev. For me personally, I have to thank their fans for being so open and welcoming to me because like you said, you know, for me I was walking into something that was already well established and already had a very strong fanbase and to step into that situation for me could have been very uncomfortable. But, their fans, who were still heavily mourning Jimmy’s death were so welcoming to me and I felt it right immediately from that very first show in Montreal. I think that also helped the other guys move on, move forward. The fans were always great to me and always thanked me for helping the boys out, so that first show comes to mind. Also, one of the last shows I played with them. We did a USO tour in Iraq. That’s one of the highlights also of my time with them was going to Iraq with them and having that experience which was pretty cool.
Rolling Stone Middle East got in touch with M Shadows to find out how the front-man feels about heading the Middle East, screaming, Mike Portnoy, Arin Ilejay’s possible full-time member status, Dave Grohl’s Grammy speech and more.
What prompted you guys to schedule a show in the Middle East?
– There were a couple of places on the planet that we didn’t hit during the Nightmare tour. We got over to Iraq and Kuwait to play for the troops there, but we didn’t get to play for the people in the Middle East. So when we decided to do the Asian run, we decided it would be a good time to go over to the Middle East and play Abu Dhabi. It’s always great to go and play for people who’ve never seen you. That in itself is worth going over there for.What kind of show can we expect?
– We’ll play all of the favorites. We won’t go too deep into the catalogue since a lot of people won’t have seen us before. I’m sure our production manager is trying to get all our little toys over there so that we can blow some stuff up. We’re going to put on a big, classic rock show.So is new drummer Arin Ilejay a full-time band member?
– It’s ongoing because we haven’t written with him yet. When we write a new record, we need to know that he can contribute and bring his drumming ability and style to the table, and that it’s something that meshes well with us. And if he does that – which I really hope he does because we love the guy – then he’ll be a permanent member.Do you agree with Dave Grohl’s comments at the Grammys about the importance of not digitally making everything perfect?
– I think it’s different for all types of music. I think this whole tirade to go on about how everything has to be real is a little silly. I think metal bands sound one way, rock bands sound one way, pop music sounds another way. I think there’s not very much good rock out there. Foo Fighters are a great band, there are bands like System of a Down and Metallica who are great bands. But the plethora of rock music that used to exist isn’t around right now. There’s no Led Zeppelin, no Pink Floyd, no Aerosmith. There are no up-and-coming bands doing that. I think if rock music and ‘un-digitalized’ music is going to earn respect, then people need to start writing better music, and stop writing for the radio. For a band like us, I agree with what he said, but I don’t think it’s for everybody.
Metal Insider recently spoke with Mike Portnoy and the two touched upon his experience with Avenged Sevenfold bring “refreshing,” his experience playing with the band, being with them temporarily and how he didn’t want to cut off his fan base while playing with them.
Did you want to do something that, for lack of a better term, was simpler in terms of drumming?
– Yeah, after my experience with Avenged Sevenfold, I think I was really looking for something in that vein. I did the Uproar Tour with them and we were out with Disturbed, Stone Sour and Hellyeah. And I really enjoyed that environment and that type of music that was rooted in riffs and big bouncy grooves and song oriented writing. It was a good time and fun, and I didn’t have to think so much. Not that there is anything wrong with thinking, I made a great career out of that, and I still enjoy complex music. But every once in a while you need a break and you need something new and refreshing. That experience with Avenged Sevenfold was refreshing for me, and after that experience I really wanted something in that vein. So when I heard the Adrenaline Mob songs, it was exactly the right music at the right time for what I was looking for.Is there anything else you got out of playing with Avenged Sevenfold?
– I just enjoyed the experience. Like I just said, it was fun. I didn’t have to make any decision to control anything creatively. I was basically there just to play drums and help those guys get back on their feet. But the experience was a good time and I think we served as bridges for each other. I think I served as a bridge to help them get back on their feet, to get them where they needed to go with a new, younger unknown drummer and they served as a bridge for me to get to where I needed to go to get to this next chapter in my career. So I think we helped each other to get to where we needed to go and grew from the experience.So you always had it viewed it as a temporary thing?
– Yeah, I think all along my purpose was to help them get back on the road and pay tribute to The Rev, and that’s all it was ever going to be. I think once I left Dream Theater, the whole thing became very side tracked. I think the press and the media blew everything up and made the whole thing about me. It was never supposed to be about me and I never intended for it to be about me. I was always there to help them and pay tribute to Jimmy and then move on. I was never joining the band, that was never the intention. Once all the controversy and drama surrounding Dream Theater came up, it was obvious that we all just needed to move on and get back on focus to what the original intention was all along.********************
And you’ve always been very hand-on with communicating with fans, even in the pre-Facebook and Twitter days. Has that been important to you from the beginning?
– Yeah, it’s been crucial to me, even in the very, very early days in the mid-eighties when Dream Theater was still Majesty. [….] I’ve always been very hands on with that. And now in the age of social media with Facebook and Twitter, I think it’s an incredibly valuable tool keeping in touch with the fans, hearing what they have to say and keeping them informed. I’ve always been about that and that’s not going to change now even though I’m not in Dream Theater. I will still apply that mentality and that personality to everything I do.But it’s not like it hasn’t hurt me. It’s been a great thing because I’m very in touch with the fans and I can keep them involved day to day. But it has hurt me in a way because I am so open with the fans a lot of times, things I say get blown up and taken to other places, other websites, that try and sensationalize everything and blow things up and try and make mountains out of mole hills. And all I’m doing is just trying to stay in touch with the fans. I know with Avenged Sevenfold, they didn’t like the social media. Once I was touring with them I wasn’t going to just cut off my fan base because I was playing in a band that wasn’t very open. I needed to still have that open relationship with the fans. So even when I was with Avenged, I needed to have that outlet and that relationship with the fans, I wasn’t going to just cut them off. I know once everything went down with DT and I was still trying to be open with the fans and still trying to explain things, the media just took it and blew it up to such ridiculous proportions. It went places where it really didn’t need to go, but all I was doing was what I’ve always done. Trying to be very open and straight forward and no bullshit, no strings attached with the fans. I’ve always valued that relationship and that’s something that’s never going to change.
Thanks Jonathan for sending this in.
Zoiks! Online recently conducted an interview with Mike Portnoy about the Adrenaline Mob’s “Omerta” which is out in stores now. The website invited fans to submit questions to be asked and an Avenged Sevenfold asked if Mike would ever work with the band again. This is what he had to say:
Z!: @nala_gates wanted to know if you would ever collaborate with Avenged Sevenfold again if they asked?
MP: Sure, if they asked. I had a great experience with them. I loved their fans, they were always so great and open and welcoming to me. Yeah I look back with fond memories of the experience and if they ever needed my help or service I’d be glad to help them again.
Mike Portnoy recently spoke with Noisecreep about Flying Colors, Adrenaline Mob and reflected on his time with Avenged Sevenfold.
Now that you’re far removed from your time filling in for A7X, how do you look back on it?
– It was a great experience. The Dream Theater thing overtook the spotlight, and that was never the intention. The intention all along was to be there to serve them and [late drummer] Jimmy’s [Sullivan] memory. It got overshadowed in the end, which was never my intention. The media hype blew everything else up, so I totally understand their need to go with younger drummer. I come with history and baggage. As much as I love those guys, I tweet and stay in touch with my fans on Facebook, whereas they are more private. It makes total, total sense to go with someone new and young.
Mike Portnoy is gearing up for the release of the album “Omerta” in which he recorded with new band Adrenaline Mob and he recently spoke with Ultimate-Guitar about Avenged Sevenfold’s influence in attitude that he brought into the studio and into recording the album.
You did the Adrenaline Mob EP back in August 2011. You dug the experience and wanted to follow that up with a complete album?
– Those guys approached me. Mike Orlando and Russell Allen were already working on the material for a while before I became available with my career and life. Once that happened Russ reached out and said, “Hey, check this out. Would you have any interest in being involved with it.?” And from the minute I heard the first 30 seconds of “Undaunted” I was onboard. One of the things I wanted to get into after my experience with Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold. I knew I wanted to have something that was balls out groove-oriented hard rock metal and not a progressive edge. Just something that was fun and energetic and as soon as I heard the material Russ and Mike had cookin’, it was totally obvious to me that I wanted to be involved.Did you bring any of that Avenged Sevenfold attitude to Omerta?
– Absolutely. Adrenaline Mob came to me right after my experience with Avenged finished up so I was totally in that headspace. I had just done the Uproar tour with those guys and I was surrounded by bands like Disturbed, Stone Sour, Hellyeah and Halestorm. I just thoroughly that scene and that style and I just had such a great time with Avenged playing music that was just fun to play and you didn’t have to put your thinking cap on in order to execute it. You could literally just get up there and play music that has that bounce and Adrenaline Mob definitely has that bounce and the groove and the riffs. So it was really the perfect band at the perfect time for where I was at.
Thanks Jon for sending this in.
Mike Portnoy will be doing a signing in Springfield, MA at Daddy’s to benefit tornado relief and they’ve got your chance to grab a pair of his custom A7X touring sticks. If you’re attending read below to find how you can get your hands on a pair.
My signing at Daddy’s in Springfiel d MA this Sunday is to raise money for Tornado Relief.
Being there is a $10 “donation” at the door, I am going to offer something special:The first 36 people wearing DT shirts get my custom DT touring sticks and the first 36 people wearing A7X shirts get my custom A7X touring sticks!! C’mon out and help raise money for this great cause!
Thanks Arron for sending this in.
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