Music Spotlight: Dream Theater

I grew up listening to country music, thank God. I was considered a valuable asset in most all my music endeavors because I learned how harmonies and vocal phrasing works from greats like The Statler Brothers, Willie & Waylon, Barbara Mandrell, and Alabama. Some of you threw up a little in your mouth when I said, "Statler Brothers," but forward this video to the 2:06 mark and tell me the harmonies aren't absolutely sick:

Also, Johnny Cash introduces them, so whatever other arguments you have are rendered automatically invalid. When the grunge movement hit in the early 90's I started hearing these crazy harmonies again, but in a different place (start listening at 0:52):

There's a complex vocal thing going on in both of these instances that utilizes diminished 7ths, 9ths, and sometimes something called "the devil's triad" which makes the harmony sound slightly "off." I discovered that I had an instinctive grasp of how this worked because of growing up on The Statlers, who probably used it more brilliantly than any group before or since. Alice in Chains made it a signature of their sound. The same tools, different contexts.

I had spent the intervening years listening to heavy metal, mostly because of Van Halen, but also a slew of Christian rock bands like Petra and Stryper. The early 90's saw an explosion of experimental bands like King's X, Jellyfish, and Soundgarden. I started learning to appreciate music that was well-played, regardless of the genre. It's why my CD collection has an extensive discography of both Bruce Hornsby and Iron Maiden. The Beatles and Rush belong together because they both make music that sparks my imagination and makes me listen.

One early 90's band in particular blew my mind because they looked like a heavy metal band, but the music they played was more complex than anything I'd ever heard. It was an assault on the senses at first, almost too dense to appreciate, but something about it hooked me.

Dream Theater blended metal, jazz, pop, classical, and rock together into a mish-mash I later learned was labeled "progressive rock." This led to my discovery of many other "prog" bands like Queen, Rush, Yes,  Spock's Beard, Symphony X - all who share a similar affinity for complex arrangements and instrumentation, though none of them sound alike. I feel like I fit in with the "prog" community because they appreciate talent in musicians, well thought out and played songs, and have no problem paying attention to a song that might happen to last 20 minutes. It requires an investment in the art of music that defies the "pop" mentality of 3.5 minute, trite, disposable stuff you hear on the radio lately. It also allows an artist to jump from country to heavy metal if the song calls for it - Queen did this most famously. It is, to me, the definition of musical freedom of expression.

I finally got to see Dream Theater play live on Thursday, and meet their guitar player, John Petrucci. He was very generous as we discussed some of his guitar work and the band's new drummer. I've been a fan of these guys for 20+ years, so this was a great moment of culmination for me, given how much I respect what these guys do, and especially what they represent. They have survived this long by defying the odds, taking an unconventional path, and making the necessary sacrifices to do it their own way. Frank would be proud.

To see what I mean, listen to these two very different songs the band plays, shifting effortlessly from one mode to another. Their commitment to excellence as musicians gives them so many more tools to use than most other artists out there who survive on 4-5 chords and a few pat formulas to write with. Note: you've got to commit almost 10 minutes to this first song - another thing I like about Dream Theater. They don't chop things down because everyone has short attention spans. You have to come to them and really listen. But the payoff is that, if you do, you'll probably have a deeper appreciation for music in general. This is one of the most beautiful guitar solos I've ever heard.

 

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