Drumeo has uploaded a new video featuring DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy breaking down his approach to playing one of the band’s most iconic songs, “Pull Me Under”. Check it out below.
Portnoy shared with Drumeo: “It was only announced that I’m rejoining DREAM THEATER a few weeks ago at the point of filming this, so playing this now feels like riding a bicycle. The muscle memory is just there for life; it’ll be there forever.”
He also posted on social media: “I had such a blast at Drumeo! We filmed sooo much content that will slowly be revealed over the coming months… here’s the first of MANY songs/videos to come! I hadn’t played this song in over 13 years! The song that started it all for us… #WhenDreamAndMPReunite #Drumeo #MikePortnoy #DreamTheater”
During a question-and-answer session at last month’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s “Metalmania III” in Los Angeles, Portnoy discussed how his return to DREAM THEATER came about: “Well, it’s been 13 years now, and it’s crazy how time flies. During the pandemic, I reconnected with [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci. When everything was in lockdown and all my bands couldn’t tour, and DREAM THEATER couldn’t tour, John Petrucci was working on a solo album and asked me to play on it. From there, we decided to do another LTE [LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT] album with [DREAM THEATER keyboardist] Jordan Rudess. Shortly after, John asked me to join him on tour. It felt like we were reconnecting naturally over the last few years.”
He continued: “With almost 40 years of history together, our families grew up side by side. Our wives played in a band together, our kids grew up together, even sharing top bunks on tour buses. My daughter and John’s daughter have lived together in New York for the past four or five years. So, beyond the music, there’s a deep family connection that made this feel like the right time.”
Regarding the next studio release from DREAM THEATER possibly following up on 1999’s concept album “Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory”, Portnoy commented: “We haven’t discussed it yet, but that would be the obvious choice. Sometimes, because it’s obvious, we might choose something else. But who knows… It would definitely be exciting to revisit, but we’re starting fresh, reconnecting, and entering the studio with a new perspective. We’re in a different phase of our lives now — we were in our 40s when I left the band 13 years ago, and now we’re in our 50s and 60s. It’ll be interesting to see how we navigate this new chapter together.”
