Announcing: THE NEAL MORSE BAND ‘THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM’

[lwpmedia]

[just showed up in my Inbox!]

THE NEAL MORSE BAND
‘THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM’
SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 11
ON RADIANT RECORDS VIA METAL BLADE RECORDS/SONY;

WORLDWIDE TOUR STARTS
JANUARY 15, 2017 IN NASHVILLE, TN

September 9, 2016 -- The journey of Neal Morse has seen three decades of musical accomplishments, the latest being the inception of THE NEAL MORSE BAND. Morse has forged many relationships over the years with his other bands, Spock’s Beard, Flying Colors, and Transatlantic. However, the most compelling and fruitful efforts have been those with drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Twisted Sister, ex-Dream Theater).

Now the current lineup of THE NEAL MORSE BAND—Morse, Portnoy, bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette—brings forth THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, a concept album to be released November 11 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY. Pre-orders for THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM begin today at 10am CT on Radiant Records’ website.

This will be the eighth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the second as a true collaboration with this current lineup. A lyric video for the song, “Overture,” premiered on PROG Magazine’s website earlier today and is now available on the band’s official YouTube page.

Clocking in at over 100 minutes, this amazing piece of prog storytelling will leave you breathless, exhilarated, amused and fulfilled in a way that only inspired music can. It will be available in various formats: a two CD package, a Special Edition with the two CDs and “The Making Of A Dream” DVD, or as three vinyl records along with two CDs.

Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND. Over the years, Morse, along with Portnoy and George, always assembled musicians as needed to support Neal’s solo music. In 2012, they held auditions to find the musicians needed to fill out the band as a permanent lineup that would write music collectively. Hubauer and Gillette joined the band after three days of auditions. The fivesome went on to release THE GRAND EXPERIMENT in 2014 followed by the ALIVE AGAIN live DVD/2 CD package in 2015.

As Neal Morse explains, “THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM is loosely and sometimes directly based on the book, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. The book’s original title was The Pilgrim’s Progress from this world to the that which is to come, delivered under the similitude of a dream, and it was originally published in 1678. The book chronicles the spiritual journey of a man from the City of Destruction to the place of Deliverance. Someone had suggested to me that I do a concept album based on this book, but I kind of forgot about it. Then when I began writing new songs last December, the suggestion came to my mind. I had never read the book, so I Googled the SparkNotes story outline and began to write some little song bits and instrumentals based on what I had read. Those bits combined with the ideas that the other guys brought to the table then miraculously exploded into this double concept album. Funny thing is, this album only really covers about the first 75 or 80 pages. Maybe we should've made a five disc collection! Well, we'll save that for later. Ha.”

He continues, “At the conclusion of the grueling recording sessions, I remember Mike saying rather prophetically, ‘Boys, I think we just made the album of our careers.’”

"I honestly think this is THE album of my career,” declares Portnoy. “Neal and I have now made 18 studio albums together, and I consider THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM the absolute creative pinnacle of our collaborations together. I've always had a soft spot for double concept albums such as Pink Floyd's THE WALL and The Who's TOMMY, and I can bravely say that I think we've created an album here that can sit side by side with those masterpieces. Bold words, I know, but after a career of almost 50 albums, I honestly consider this to be one of the defining works of my career.”

“We weren’t sure we had enough music to make a double CD, and yet it seemed as though the concept and the music wanted to go there,” bassist Randy George continues. “Ultimately, we created so much great music in the sessions that it just had to be a double album! To cap that off, we worked with a pre-imminent classic album cover artist to create painted illustrations of our concept which will grace the booklet!”

THE NEAL MORSE BAND tours worldwide almost yearly and continues to grow in popularity, attracting new listeners everywhere they go. The band has toured in North America, Central America, Europe, Israel, Mexico and India. The shows are filled with excited and extremely loyal fans, some which have regularly traveled very long distances to see the band. The band has an extensive catalog of live shows on Blu-Ray and DVD as well.

Their latest round of worldwide tour dates start January 15, 2017 in Morse’s current hometown of Nashville, TN. More dates will be announced in the coming weeks on the band’s official website.

DATE CITY VENUE

Sun 1/15 Nashville, TN TBA
Tue 1/17 Seattle, WA Triple Door
Wed 1/18 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
Sat 1/21 Whittier, CA The Center Theatre
Sun 1/22 Phoenix, AZ Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse
Tue 1/24 Denver, CO The Oriental Theater
Wed 1/25 Dallas, TX Curtain Club
Fri 1/27 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theater
Sat 1/28 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
Sun 1/29 Toronto, ONT. Mod Room
Tue 1/31 Montreal, QUE. Club Soda
Wed 2/1 Quebec City, QUE. Salle Jean-Paul Tardif
Thu 2/2 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
Fri 2/3 Washington, D.C. State Theater
Feb 7 – 11 Tampa, FL Cruise To the Edge

Wed 3/22 Barcelona, Spain Apolo
Thu 3/23 Milan, Italy TBA
Fri 3/24 Pratteln, Switzerland Z7
Sat 3/25 Aschaffenburg, Germany Colo-Saal
Sun 3/26 Berlin, Germany Lido
Tue 3/28 Warsaw, Poland Progresja Music Zone
Wed 3/29 Hamburg, Germany Markthalle
Thu 3/30 Verviers, Belgium Spirit of 66
Fri 3/31 Cologne, Germany Stollwerck
Sat 4/1 Malmo, Sweden KB
Sun 4/2 Tilburg, Netherlands O13
Tue 4/4 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Rockhal
Wed 4/5 Paris, France Divan Du Monde
Thu 4/6 Birmingham, U.K. O2 Academy 2
Fri 4/7 Glasgow, U.K. O2 ABC 1
Sat 4/8 Manchester, U.K. O2 Ritz
Sun 4/9 London, U.K. O2 Islington Academy
Mon 4/12 Tel Aviv, Israel Havana Club

Sun 5/6 Gettysburg, PA Rites of Spring festival

[SRS]

now that we have an official announcement and an official PE thread - let's post the video as well (that was first shared in the Portnoy preview thread)

[Flightwave]

I'm already winded reading the description.

Buying now!

[Jubal]

THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM

...because "On The Threshold Of A Dream" was already taken.

[SRS]

Pre-ordered - better hurry if you want to try to get in on The first 200 pre-orders will receive a 5" x 7" exclusive framable photo of an actual lyric sheet signed by Neal Morse!

[miamiscot]

That first song sounds really good.

[JKL2000]

Pre-ordered - better hurry if you want to try to get in on The first 200 pre-orders will receive a 5" x 7" exclusive framable photo of an actual lyric sheet signed by Neal Morse!

Hey, Scrotum: a framable photo of an actual lyric sheet, signed by Neal! You know you need that!

[SRS]

Hey, Scrotum: a framable photo of an actual lyric sheet, signed by Neal! You know you need that!

for sure! - and you know the way it is worded...is the photo signed? or is the lyric sheet signed and it will be a photo of the signature

well hey I was going to buy this anyway - just makes for extra fun to get in and get something special!

[Staun]

Done.

[JKL2000]

for sure! - and you know the way it is worded...is the photo signed? or is the lyric sheet signed and it will be a photo of the signature

I wondered that too. LOL

[infandous]

I have zero interest in the signed lyric sheet (however they did it). I'll get the album when it's released, and will more than likely enjoy it (as I have nearly every NM album over the years).

With Neal, you always know what you are getting, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I just wish they'd tone down the hyperbole just a bit (looking at you Portnoy!). I think that sort of thing turns off a lot of people......possibly potential new fans. Heck it turns ME off, but I'm already a fan so it doesn't really matter in my case. I realize that bands always hype their new album in some fashion, so it's to be expected. I just wish they'd let the listener decide how great it is or if it stands up to the greatest concept albums of all time. As much as I love NM and company, I have to say I doubt very much it reaches such levels.

That said, I have no doubt I'll enjoy it regardless and it's good they are so excited about it.

[progmatist]

The album comes out on Veteran's Day, and he's actually coming to Phoenix. Aren't I one fargin lucky bastage.

[BravadoNJ]

since TGE came out early last year i have been engulfed in Neal Morse's albums.
this new cd sounds like the ultimate concept from the ultimate progressive mind of today.
i don't mind having high expectations for Neal Morse- because he delivers!

[Haruspex Carnage]

i'll give this a whirl when it's around but i expect this to be fairly and typically embarrassing vocally and lyrically.

[Steve983]

Neal Morse albums always sound great to me at first and then I get bored and sell them on Amazon. Yes its great but I've heard it all before.

[Rufus]

Neal Morse albums always sound great to me at first and then I get bored and sell them on Amazon. Yes its great but I've heard it all before.

Thanks sharing your wisdom!

[Sean]

As opposed to yours?

[Zonefish]

I listened to the promo video, and, as a Morse fan, I don't hear anything that is any better (or worse) than most of his solo output. It feels same-samey (again, not a bad thing, but certainly not his Close to the Edge or Quadrophenia (as Portnoy gushes). The overture sound like it could have been on any of his past solo or TA work. I will still buy it and still enjoy it, but I wish he would stop trying to manufacture "epics." It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

[Nearfest2]

So is Neal saying that he wrote the album based on reading the Cliff's Notes online and never read the actual book? Sounds like high school all over again.

[Nearfest2]

With Neal, you always know what you are getting

I think you mean "You always know-ooh-WHOA-ooh-WHOA!"

[moecurlythanu]

I don't have any skin in the game on this...I have most of the Neal SB CDs, but none of the post-Neal and no Neal solo. Nonetheless, I gave the clip a listen because of the Portnoy hype, and...I've heard this a hundred times before. Not just from Spock's, but many other bands as well. It's very much Prog-by-the-numbers, and unless the rest of the album is markedly different from the clip, I'd say Portnoy needs to get out more.

[JKL2000]

since TGE came out early last year i have been engulfed in Neal Morse's albums.
this new cd sounds like the ultimate concept from the ultimate progressive mind of today.
i don't mind having high expectations for Neal Morse- because he delivers!

"the ultimate progressive mind of today"

Plus, he has a personal relationship with Jesus.

[wilcox660]

Disc 1:

1. Long Day

2. Overture

3. The Dream

4. City Of Destruction

5. We Have Got To Go

6. Makes No Sense

7. Draw The Line

8. The Slough

9. Back To The City

10. The Ways Of A Fool

11. So Far Gone

12. Breath Of Angels



Disc 2:

1. Slave To Your Mind

2. Shortcut to Salvation

3. The Man in The Iron Cage

4. The Road Called Home

5. Sloth

6. Freedom Song

7. I'm Running

8. The Mask

9. Confrontation

10. The Battle

11. Broken Sky / Long Day (Reprise)

[Gruno]

The album comes out on Veteran's Day, and he's actually coming to Phoenix. Aren't I one fargin lucky bastage.

I might actually be at this show, also.

[Henning]

Hi Forum,

I don't mind the hyperbole - it's Neal Morse, after all, and it wouldn't be him without that kind of stuff :-)

No matter what people say, this new one sounds like fun, and Neal always delivers quality music, so the album is an auto-buy. But even better, I'll be able to see him live for the first time since the Whirlwind tour, and his shows never disappoint.

So that will be fun!

Henning