In a recent interview with Music Radar, Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess have revealed why the group rejected former drummer Mike Portnoy when he tried to re-join the band."Mike Mangini's life changed dramatically. He was a professor at Berklee, and he had to give notice that he was leaving. He's got a wife and two kids - the whole thing. So he came down and we started making a record. And then Mike asked if he could get back in... [shakes head]."
Keyboardist Jordan Rudess continues:
"So Mike Portnoy came to us and asked to rejoin: 'Hey, guys I've reconsidered, I've made a mistake'. It was like, 'Oh my God, you can't do this to us. You can't pull the rug out from under us like this.' It was hard. Here we went through this whole drama, and we finally found this new guy who we were happy with. At a certain point, you just throw up your hands and go, 'This can't be happening!'"
Dream Theater's new drummer, Mike Mangini (formerly of Extreme, Steve Vai and Annihilator), is said to be "a monster" in the studio, and the group insisted once again that he is a permanent band member.
Dream Theater recently brought in Richard Chycki as their producer/engineer for the upcoming album. Says Richard:
"Over the past weeks, I’ve been in the studio with long-time friend James LaBrie of Dream Theater, recording vocals for the band’s new album that is quickly nearing completion. I gotta tell ya, new drummer Mike Mangini is a monster player on the album. I worked with him on LaBrie’s solo album 'Elements of Persuasion' in 2005 and he was frightening (in a good way!) in the studio back then."
In related news: Steve Bolognese (Baptized In Blood, ex-Into Eternity) has been officially named Mike Mangini's replacement at the Berklee College Of Music. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, it is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the United States. Comments Steve:
"Mike was my drum teacher for years, beginning back in 2000. He is one of the most talented, dedicated drummers in the world, and also one of the most inspirational teachers one could ask for. Unfortunately, Mike, or any of us for that matter, cannot be in two places at once. Therefore, he has recommended me to teach his classes at Berklee. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm totally honored. Mike is obviously irreplaceable, but I'm going to do my best to share the invaluable information that Mike has taught me. It always feels great to share the knowledge with aspiring students."
