YTSEJAM Digest 612 Today's Topics: 1) Re: Fans/Material etc. etc. by Michael Bahr 2) DT in the press by email_address_removed 3) Looking for Picture by email_address_removed 4) "First Time" by email_address_removed 5) Fates Providence tape... by Michael Burstin 6) Re: YTSEJAM digest 611 by "Mark A. Parker" 7) Promotional gaffes by 8) by 9) Re: YTSEJAM digest 611 by email_address_removed 10) Subscribe by "Scott Snyderman" 11) Santa Ana show... possible SPOILERS by email_address_removed (Dr. Mosh) 12) Santa Ana Show Spoilers! by email_address_removed (Michelle Garcia) 13) Coincident ? by email_address_removed.se (Henrik Gustafsson) 14) Re: YTSEJAM digest 607 by "Dan Tshin" 15) Trade request - by Randy Haskin 16) Radio Stations... by "tdb" 17) Industrial Bluegrass? by email_address_removed 18) Re: YTSEJAM digest 604 by "tdb" 19) Re: YTSEJAM digest 610:Gif, Queensryche, DT by "Dan Tshin" 20) Lillian Axe by email_address_removed 21) tapecovers by email_address_removed 22) THE PROGRESSION OF JOHN PETRUCCI by email_address_removed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 01:32:33 -0700 (MST) From: Michael Bahr To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Fans/Material etc. etc. Message-ID: > Robert and other jammers, > > This is my first posting to this daily dialog. Please tell me more about Dance > of Eternity (both the single disc import and the double disc set you refer to). > What I mean here is as follows: > > For all of you that create bootleg video and audio tapes of these guys and > others, you're infringing on the rights of the band. Now, before you all Why, then, did you just ask about how to get bootleg CDs in the paragraph above? You seem pretty contradictory to me. :) TDOE is a bootleg, Lost in the Sky is a bootleg... etc. See my discography (available via FTP from ftp.netcom.com, /pub/drkhoe/dt/discog.dt) for info on what the legit releases are. > decide to flame me for getting on your case, let me explain. While I can > appreciate the motivation to have as much material as possible, unless the band > approves, you're limiting their ability to develop and market the stuff THEY > want the public to have. Face it, the only way these guys can survive to make Well, let's examine this. I've met Dream Theater. Half the band is into bootlegs: Mike Portnoy and John Myung were both very enthusiastic about talking and trading boots with me. (For Mike, enthusiasm is an outpouring of words and a smile, for John, a raised eyebrow and the blessing of continued conversation instead of a blowoff.) Meanwhile, James Labrie and John Petrucci hate bootlegs and were a bit miffed that I had Mike and John Myung sign my bootleg CDs at the show. What, then, would the appropriate moral decision be? > new music for us all, is if they have sufficient revenue coming in from > legitimate offerings THEY choose to provide. I'll accept the possibility that > this is done solely to increase an individuals portfolio of DT material and > that any subsequent duplication for other jammers is done for free to give us Not only this... but nobody even gets into bootlegs until they already have all the band's recordings... I have all the DT, Rush, Zep, and Metallica albums, hence the desire for "more"... > all more to enjoy. I hope I'm right about this but what I believe would be > more appropriate would be to get the band and/or their label to package more of > their early work for general sale (maybe a boxed set with the demos etc.). If they do it, I'll buy it, and I suspect other bootleg fans will do the same. We've told Rush this a hundred times, but they most of all hate bootleggers. > the are lights/sound etc. including creation of tour videos and live CD's). I > think this could really help the band breakthrough to a larger audience (which > some of you seem to dread). I want them to break through because they've earned it... because I think they can actually pull off what Rush did: megastardom with no subsequent loss of integrity. While all your points have validity in their own right and you back up your position fairly well, you seem a bit misinformed as to the composition and direction of bootleg collectors and of bootlegging in general. We would suggest you practice it for a bit before condemning it with the standard lawyerspeak sermon. I don't intend this as a flame because your original message was neither a flame nor flamebait. This is just my genuine feelings on the matter, added to my experience and to the experiences of other Ytsejammers. Most of the trading is free anyway, and when money IS involved, it's to cover the cost of making the physical item. Ever notice that when someone's buying bootleg copies from me, they pay the same for an ultra-rare collector's Rush tape from 1974 as they do for a common-bones Dream Theater Dance of Eternity copy... this is because those of us who DO offer boots for money just want to cover costs, while at the same time helping out a fan in need who has no collection to work from. There is no "royalty fee" or anything that would indicate we're making money from the content itself. Recently I offered a Rush Video Montage to the Ytsejam list. It was a single VHS tape comprised of all the unreleased pro-shot Rush video that had accumulated over the years. Over 100 people purchased the tape. I ran a profit margin of about nineteen cents on each tape. Was I a profit-hounding bootlegger? As IBM says... "You make the call." What I'm getting at is that what you've said above is good and fine... for places like the computer software industry, for counterfeiters (not to be confused with bootleggers, counterfeiters actually release counterfeit versions of regular releases by bands), for film industry pirates, and the like. What the internet bootleg community is more like, is the japanimation collectors, and the used-videogame traders, just out to help each other enjoy the hobby at a reasonable price. Besides, I bought two copies of Awake (one Japanese, one US), so I think DT won't mind my spending my money elsewhere for a little while. :) Mike Bahr, email_address_removed your friendly FAQ and discog guy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 08:56:31 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: DT in the press Message-ID: Guitar School magazine's January 1995 issue includes in its transcriptions "Caught in a Web" - if this is repeating information, sorry. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 09:07:09 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Looking for Picture Message-ID: <9412091407.AA04142@frith> I accidently deleted the last Ytsejam (610). Could someone who posted the picture of DT logo on the Ytsejam 610, email me? Thanks Christina ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 1994 09:29:44 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: "First Time" Message-ID: Hello fellow DT fans (hopefully there are some girls on the list as well), my name is BABS and this is my first posting (if it goes through). I wanted to share my first DT experience. The first song I heard was "Pull Me Under" and it just left me with this real intense feeling like you had to hear it again right away. I called the radio station to find out the bands name and went out looking for the cassette (sorry I still don't have a CD player yet). Luckily we have a real cool music store in town and they had it for me in two days. I've never seen them live, but I get a radio station out of Buffalo that aired them live from IMPACTS (a club in Buffalo). I taped/ bootlegged it and like an idiot I gave it to a guy (guitarist) that I really liked and then lost touch with him. Do you all think that it would be in "poor taste" to ask for it back? I would really like to hear them live again, so I guess that sometimes you have to humble yourself to get something you really want, eh? See ya. -BABS ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 10:10:14 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Burstin To: email_address_removed (Ytsejam SERVER) Subject: Fates Providence tape... Message-ID: For anyone interested, I just got a copy of the Fates show from Providence. The show is muffled (the guy taping it had to have it in his jacket... he was about 4 feet from the stage) but it is a show without DT, so it is their complete set list, including accoustic tracks. Anyone interested, email privatly... but keep in mind, I probably won't be able to dub it until after winter break (Jan 17) -- +--------------------------------+---------------+---------------------+ | I never bared my emotions | Dream Theater | Michael Burstin | | My passion always strong | Scarred | Brandeis University | | I never lost my devotion | Awake +---------------------+ | but somewhere fate went wrong. | Get AWAKEned today, in stores now | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ For info about Dream Theater, finger email_address_removed http://cs.brandeis.edu/USER/UGRAD/mikeb/home.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 11:34:55 -0500 From: "Mark A. Parker" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 611 Message-ID: >p.s. Mike asked about When Dream and James Unite. I guess > that's his vote for the name. whoops! how'd that get in there? what disk is that? Never heard of it. Makes one wonder what everyone else in the band thinks of the idea... Dom'ny ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 94 11:53:18 -0500 From: To: email_address_removed Subject: Promotional gaffes Message-ID: Here's some more proof of the stupidity of record stores. How is someone supposed to become a *real fan* against this kind of misinformation (I only recently got enough stuff to be considered a *real fan* )? ------------------------------ DREAM THEATER Awake EAST WEST These progressive rockers gather all the essentials into *their second album* with textural complications, unexpected hooks and articulate playing in cuts like "Lie." See? Dream Theater only has two albums. -- jeremy (email_address_removed) Only waiting to die. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 94 13:13:41 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 611 Message-ID: Yay! Industrial Bluegrass! Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are all truly masterful musicians. On their latest album, _Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,_ track 8 (I don't remember the name), Roy Wooten plays an entirely electronic piece on his Drumitar. It's not a great song, in my opinion, but any reference to the Flecktones deserves a cheer. -- jeremy (email_address_removed) Only waiting to die. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 13:18:39 -0500 (EST) From: "Scott Snyderman" To: email_address_removed Subject: Subscribe Message-ID: My name is Scott A. Snyderman and I would like to subscribe. Dream Theater is my favorite band. Their music blows me away, technically and spiritually. Please send me info. Scott A. Snyderman ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 11:37:22 PST From: email_address_removed (Dr. Mosh) To: email_address_removed Subject: Santa Ana show... possible SPOILERS Message-ID: Well, went to the Sanata Ana show, and tonight I'm there at the LA show... the show was excellent. The sound was MUCH better then when I saw them during Images and Words. Song list was largely from Awake and I&W, nothing else, no WDADU stuff or special songs except for the new jam and the RIPPING/KILLER new intro to the Mirror... Fates Warning opened and kicked some serious butt! After the show, hung out with Mike Portnoy for a while. Me and him talked about bootlegs, he has copies of all the shows because they run a DAT recorder throughout the entire tour. Talked about how his record company should get the rights to WDADU and get em NOW... heheheh Talked to James and talked about the EP and ACoS, I casually mentioned that I couldn't wait to see ACoS done live, and he commented "Oh, you will eh?? When?" and then I laughed and said, soon hopefully. Talked to John Myung about not playing any song from WDADU and he said "we should move on" most of the bands attitude was that they didn't enjoy playing the earlier songs because most of the people did not recognize them so therefor there wasn't enough crowd feedback to warrant playing those songs. It's a shame I say. Still no Scarred, I casually mentioned that to all the boyz and they said basically they would play it on the next leg of the tour in the spring. The mystery still stands, is it Sherinian or Sheridian, I forgot to ask him. But his keyboard cases say Sherinian but James LaBrie called him Sheridian... After that, I went to hang out with Fates Warning... bunch of cool guys... especially Frank Aresti and Joe DiBiase. Got to talk with the master of the drums himself, Mark Zonders, and Jim... Ray was hiding somewhere... they couldn't believe the amount of stuff that goes through the YTSEJAM list.... Well, again, thanks to C-man for the passes! Tonight will be another night! -The Doc -- #$%*#$*@ REAL: email_address_removed + VIRTUAL: email_address_removed *@#$*@#$ *$%&%#$* The Dream Theater Archives: ftp.netcom.com: /pub/drkhoe/dt &*@#$*@$ **%^$#$% WWW: "ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/drkhoe/www/dthome.html" #$**@#*$ *$*$*$*# Reality Enhancement Software - Engineering Reality *$&#*#@$ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 94 12:54:42 -0800 From: email_address_removed (Michelle Garcia) To: email_address_removed Cc: email_address_removed Subject: Santa Ana Show Spoilers! Message-ID: Okay, my first time posting so here goes. Saw DT and FW at the Galaxy concert theatre last nite 12/8. OH MY GOD! It was completely amazing! I just got into DT this past year and this was my first show. I was in ecstacy. The Galaxy was tiny, 400 people so it was great seating all over. We got there at 5, so excited because we were third in line at the door, but we found that dinner reservations were needed for all tables in the front floor. Argh! No one told us that when we got our so-called general admission tickets. Anyway as I said seating was great no matter where one sat but we looked longingly at the people who sat directly in front of the stage having made dinner reservations a month ago. FW was awesome, especially Monument, and some strange things kept flying out at the band members hitting them as they performed. The ghost came out with a broom and Mike Portnoy recited a going away limerick for FW. Ray kept tripping out on the fact that people were sitting down eating dinner as they played and told us to try the swordfish. They played an awesome 45 minute set. DT opened with Pull Me Under and the sound quality was great. I was in a daze most of the time especially during Take The Time (oh Petrucci!) and Voices. They also did 6:00, Lifting Shadows, an amazing acoustic of The Silent Man (did I mention it was amazing?) and a new instrumental which we had never heard. I made friends with a couple of security guys and managed to worm my way within 1 foot of stage and made such a spectacle of myself that John P. came and played right in front of me (I saw the face of God.) Oh yeah during one of the songs a couple of FW guys dressed in elf suits brought out an 18" model of Stonehenge and proceeded to dance a jig around it (hee hee!) We waited in zero degree weather for DT to come out after the show. FW came out right away and Ray had fun racing his little model car (he had also race it onstage with DT.) Three fraggin' hours later James and John M. show and stuck around to say hi and take a picture. This was one of the best nites of my life despite having to recover from hypothermia at a Denny's halfway home to San Diego. I'll never wash the hand that John Petrucci shook until I do. Thanks for listening! Michelle Garcia University of California, San Diego email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 94 22:16 NFT From: email_address_removed.se (Henrik Gustafsson) To: email_address_removed Subject: Coincident ? Message-ID: Talk about strange things Jens Johansen ( the keybordist to be (?)) once started his career in a band= =20 called " Rising FORCE ". The similarity with the thing ANDY said is somehow odd: I just picked up a CD by a band called Rising Power with 17 year old= =20 Mike Portnoy on drums. The CD is called Power For The People. It's = =20 actually not bad But i must definately be a coincident, (or this just another example about= =20 how small our world is ?) Henrik Gustafsson Dream Theater Drottninggatan 62 c 7 Q-40 Toni Holgersson 461 33 Trollh=E4ttan Just D 0520-155 98 IE-91 Fish 070- 719 89 64 Carl Orff =20 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Dec 1994 16:08:24 +0000 From: "Dan Tshin" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 607 Message-ID: >From: email_address_removed (Dr. Mosh) > >By they way, did I mention the King's X sampler I received just recently? Huh!! What? Sorry about cluttering up the DT list with King's X questions, but anyone, please e-mail me with info on how to get it... THx -------------------------------Dan Tshin------------------------------+ .. . "gO aGaInSt ThE fLoW" | _ _ | . /o--\/ ----> email_address_removed <---- | ( /V\ ) | \___/\ Shad Valley Carleton '94 SuRvIvOr %-{{>) | M | Shad WWW: http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/Shad/homepage.html | | | Shad Bio http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/Shad/dtshin.html | | =+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-=+ "Ryche" | Peace comes through thinking with our hearts and not with | words. Until then we'll light another candle for this world. | Love is the Dance of Eternity - Dream Theatre "Images and Words | ----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 10:56:21 -0800 (PST) From: Randy Haskin To: email_address_removed Subject: Trade request - Message-ID: I'm looking to trade for tapes of any performance (of B+ or better quality) of "O Holy Night" from the last tour. I also want to trade for a copy of the "Dream Theater Unplugged" tape ( which has silent man and others (?) on it). Finally, I would like to get ahold of a CD copy (or good tape copy) of the complete Majesty demos, as well as some of the vocalist demos... I can trade copies of - Dance of Eternity (2CD version) Lost in the Sky Dream Out Loud Lords Of Sound Please reply via email - thanks! Randy Haskin email_address_removed P.S. Jason, your tapes are in the mail!!!! Thanks for waiting! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 94 10:48:12 PST From: "tdb" To: email_address_removed Subject: Radio Stations... Message-ID: All this talk of radio stations... Well, what I think is wierd is that Los Angeles will be losing it's only Hard Rock station in February. KNAC ("Pure Rock") has been bought by a Hispanic station. (Maybe, we'll hear some metal from that Spanish group whose name translates to "The Victims of Dr. Brain"...) -- Tim ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 94 13:59:08 -0600 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Industrial Bluegrass? Message-ID: Does that mean they'll enlist the aid of the mighty electric rake virtuoso, Eugene Chadborne, and have Al Jourgenson produce it? :) :) For some really fun stuff that might be as close to this genre Mike was kidding about, check out Eugene's work that features the rake (especially, "Achey Rakey Heart" (you guessed it - a *fine* cover)). This man takes the common yard implement to a whole new twisted dimension - definately music for the other moods... :) obDTcontent: aaah... we too waitied outside for a better portion of a couple of hours (and a damn cold couple at that in Minneapolis) for the boys to come out after the show. And, before any of the rest came out, Derek was the first to show - what a kewl guy! They need to hire the man on full time. Not only was his playing incredible, but he's a really friendly guy - and with a character like Mike in the band, his laid back attitude and consideration of the fans (he was out twice after going back in to give us updates as to when the other members were coming out) would make him a perfect fit. This guy does not need any Bee-bop to keep him in line with the DT sound (as ever evolving as it is)... l8r! -brian ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRIAN DONNELL (DIST.COMP.SERV, UNIV OF MINNESOTA) email_address_removed (the economy sig........."finger email_address_removed" for the luxury model) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 09 Dec 94 11:25:58 PST From: "tdb" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 604 Message-ID: I saw DT and FW at the Galaxy in Santa Ana, CA last night. I won't post a set list because Tom Tubbiola should be doing that. (I think he nabbed a copy off one of the stage monitors.) Instead, I'm going to give a short-attention-span, nonmusical review... Fates Warning: Did you see any Tom Cats on stage? A limerick from Mike Portnoy. A guy in a sheet in the 11th Hour. FOOD FIGHT!!! (I had never heard FW before, but I was impressed enough that I'm going to get a couple of their albums.) Dream Theater: Dog shit on stage for JLaB. RC Car (I want to know what the postcard said) Stonehenge and dancing elves. Gave up my seat for a while so a guy on the crew could shoot some video. Mike Portnoy is a more difficult target than I thought. (They were Dream Theater - what else can I say...) -- Tim ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 15:43:00 +0000 From: "Dan Tshin" To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: YTSEJAM digest 610:Gif, Queensryche, DT Message-ID: Hi, regrards to the gif file sent by ... It's ALL black!!! Hmmm Maybe my viewer got screwd up!! I'm using Lview 3.1 says that it is 320x200x256 colours... change the value (of HSV) and you'll get something... Is there a better gif that isn't all black?? >Does anyone around here like Queensryche? I listen to their music constantly >and they are my favorite band of all time. I would like to here from all you >fellow Rychers out there. >NO ONE CAN HEAR WHEN YOUR SCREAMING IN DIGITAL!!!!!!!!! > --QUEENSRYCHE Yeah, I'm here!! I believe many on this list are also Queensryche listeners. There was a question a little while back for the address to their mailing list. It is called "Screaming in Digital", edited by Dan "shag" Birchall and the addresses: Subscription changes: email_address_removed. Contributions: email_address_removed. Administration: email_address_removed. Official Fan Club: email_address_removed. WorldWideWeb access: http://130.219.44.141/qryche/ Sorry for the not-so-DT content...But I'll make up for it: Since many people are describing their "first experiences with DT" I thought it was about time to share mine. I first heard their song "Pull Me Under" like many here!! Pretty soon after that, I saw many guitar magazines talking about Petrucci and later Myung... they called him a "god" and similar synonyms. Since I am still in high school and have not much time (nor money) to grab too many CDs I kind of put that back in my mind. I guess I was content with my Queensryche, King's X, Galactic Cowboys, and other assorted stuff (I still am!!) Soooo... My local library has a collection of CDs and tapes and I put in a request for Dream Theatre. I saw WDADU!!! Yeah, get this, at this library where I can't get much Queensryche (namely Rage) they have WDADU. I had a listen and really enjoyed their playing (I won't ramble on about it.) Ne-ways. A few weeks later the I&W CD arrives and I dub that. It seems that DT needs quite a few listens before I could really enjoy it. Now, that was about a month or two ago. Now I am really blown by their playing. Their music is just incredible. The rhythm is tight and Petrucci's playing astounds me!! I *try* to play his stuff... (cough, hack) but I'll mostly sit back and listen away. Right now I&W is my favorite CD and I have been recommending it to my friends. I haven't gotten AWAKE and am planning to do so soon...the local stores don't have it though :( Well there's my .02! -------------------------------Dan Tshin------------------------------+ .. . "gO aGaInSt ThE fLoW" | _ _ | . /o--\/ ----> email_address_removed <---- | ( /V\ ) | \___/\ Shad Valley Carleton '94 SuRvIvOr %-{{>) | M | Shad WWW: http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/Shad/homepage.html | | | Shad Bio http://www.civeng.carleton.ca/Shad/dtshin.html | | =+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-+=+-=+ "Ryche" | Peace comes through thinking with our hearts and not with | words. Until then we'll light another candle for this world. | Love is the Dance of Eternity - Dream Theatre "Images and Words | ----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 18:36:50 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Lillian Axe Message-ID: Anyone know of any online mailing lists, fan clubs, etc for Lillian Axe? If so, please E-Mail me or reply.. Thatx, this is VERY inportant to me. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 21:16:47 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: tapecovers Message-ID: Anyone have acopy of a program that prints tape covers? I have a PC with no pagemaker or anything like that. I have tons of non-DT stuff, and I want to computerize it, but I don't have a program. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 23:23:19 -0500 From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: THE PROGRESSION OF JOHN PETRUCCI Message-ID: Well guys our English 1101 teacher let us do our research paper on anything that we wanted to so of course I picked John Petrucci. So I thought that I would share it with some of the other world's biggest DT fans. Without further a due (sp -5). THE PROGRESSION OF JOHN PETRUCCI By: Trey Ashcraft If you were to ask someone today what is the most popular style of music, they would probably say, "It's like grunge or alternative or something dude." With so many bands that play these styles of music, it is refreshing to hear of an explosive new band called Dream Theater and the man behind them, who lit the fuse, John Petrucci. Over Dream Theater's short three album career, Petrucci has already proven himself to be an excellent and versatile guitar player. Petrucci started off on guitar like most guitarists do, by sitting up in his room all day just learning songs (Stix 37). In Petrucci's high-school, there were four or five different bands, so there were always "Battle of the Bands" shows (96). These regular live shows gave Petrucci an introduction to performing on stage, which is not easy. It was also in high-school that Petrucci realized he had talent and chops but really lacked direction and mimicked other players styles (Prown 96). He then took two years of music theory in high-school and decided to attend school at The Berklee College of Music for one year: "I went to Berklee and learned more about the theory end of things. And I think I'm still searching for an identity, but as I get older and get more experience from life, my own style is starting to come through. (96)" On Dream Theater's most recent album Awake, one can definitely hear his influences, but at the same time parts of his works are very original. While at Berklee, Petrucci, and long time friends, keyboardist, Kevin Moore and bassist, John Myung, met drummer, Mike Portnoy to form the core of Dream Theater. After their first album Dream Theater added their current singer James LaBrie. Influenced by bands like Rush, Yes, and The Dixie Dregs, Dream Theater became the newest addition to the progressive rock genre. Dream Theater plays very precise, textured music using odd meter riffs and lightening quick doubled keyboard and guitar runs to create epic melodies (Widders-Ellis 77). The precision, difficulty, and length of Dream Theater's music, quite frankly, puts other bands to shame. In fact, Dream Theater's music has gotten so complex that the band members find normal instruments restraining. Petrucci has switched from a six-string electric guitar to a seven-string Ibanez Universal, Myung has switched to a six- string bass, and Portnoy's drum kit gets larger every day. Unlike some guitarists, Petrucci is not afraid to show off his considerable ability and is proud of his technical skills (Stix 34). Using a variety of different techniques, Petrucci adds melody, mood, and texture to his songs. "Petrucci also plays with just as much emotion and soul as guitarists who use simplicity as there emotional conduit" (34). Some of the techniques you will find Petrucci using are sweep picking, alternate picking, chromatics, and arpeggios. Along with all of these abilities, Petrucci is also known as one of the fastest soloists in the business and could be the savior of shred guitarists. When he was asked why he played fast, Petrucci responded: "You can get exhilarated from it. Sometimes I'll hear guys play so good, so tasty, and the band is cooking along and they are as high as they can go and as intense as they can get; in Dream Theater that's when I'll just push it over the edge and start ripping. (40)" Even though Petrucci is a great soloist, he is also a model figure of restraint. It would be possible for Petrucci to indulge in a solo in every Dream Theater song, but instead, one of the other band members steps fourth and takes a solo, or the whole band will perform a unison instrumental jam. By now, Petrucci has probably influenced his fair share of young guitarists or made someone purchase a guitar and start practicing. When asked who his influences were, Petrucci proudly cites many of todays best guitarists such as Steve Morse of the Dixie Dregs, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Al Di Meola (Prown 90 and Stix 34). Out of all of these guitarists, Petrucci notes that it was Steve Morse who had the greatest affect on his playing: "I was listening to typical metal stuff when I was younger, like Sabbath, Priest, and Maiden, and then some one played me `The Bash' by the Dregs and I had never heard anything like that before (Prown 96)." So far, Petrucci and Dream Theater have received a number of awards from the guitar magazines. In the 1993 readers poll for Guitar For The Practicing Musician, Petrucci received the awards Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year and Most Underrated Guitarist (30, 86). Petrucci was also Guitar World's pick as the 53rd Most important person in guitar (Tolinsky 72). In the 1993 Guitar For The Practicing Musician reader's poll, Dream Theater was awarded Breakthrough Band of the Year, Album of the Year (Images and Words, Atco), and Songwriters of the Year (86). Dream Theater's second album, Images and Words, was also voted the fourth greatest shred album of the modern era by Guitar World (Tolinsky 67). Despite all of his success, Petrucci is very modest about his accomplishments, still maintains a sense of humor, and still has a love for music. After Petrucci heard he was the 53rd most important person in guitar he said: "Being looked at as a guitar hero is very flattering, but being singled out away from the rest of the band doesn't appeal to me. I'd prefer to have people view me as a talented musician in a good band--not as some flashy soloist. (B.T. 72) " After Petrucci made this comment the interviewer jokingly replied, "Not a chance." (Tolinsky 75). Also, in an interview, Petrucci did with Guitar For The Practicing Musician he was asked what life on the road was like and he made a comment on Parisian showers: "They have a nozzle, but nothing to hold it up; you'd think the French might have figured this one out by now." (Prown 90) As for his love of music, Petrucci said, "If we have two or three weeks off and I don't write something new, the time seems wasted" (Widders-Ellis 80). After years of hard work and excellent guitar work, Petrucci has risen through the ranks of the elite guitarists to become a poster boy for the "Practice makes perfect" slogan. He has also helped launch Dream Theater to the tops of the charts with his deadly rhythms and flashy solos. With this in mind, one should remember that Petrucci is only 26, this is just the beginning of his career, and just the tip of the iceberg of his life as a guitarist. ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 612 *************************