Tama Drums :: Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy - Monstrous Influences

Monstrous Influences
Interview with Mike Portnoy On His Huge New Albino Monster Starclassic Kit

TAMA: So tell us about your new set-up. Does this one also have a name?

MP: I call it the Albino Monster kit—it gets the name from the special white finish—which features the same two-kits-in-one concept of my previous Siamese Monster kit. I kept the big, busy, double-bass “Dream Theater” left side of kit. But I changed the right side to a more traditional John Bonham/Dave Grohl 5pc kit with a big 26” bass drum.

TAMA: And the next question is “What inspired you to make the change?”

MP: I did a Led Zeppelin tribute back in 2003, and TAMA built me a custom John Bonham replica kit, replicating John Bonham’s exact sizes and shells and everything. And I just totally dug playing that kit so much that I didn’t want to restrict it to this one-off Zeppelin gig.

I decided to bring it into the studio when we were making the latest Dream Theater album. I put it in the opposite corner of the Siamese monster, just hoping that I would find an opportunity to jump behind it—I ended up using it for more than half the album.

Once that happened I knew it was time to incorporate that configuration into the Siamese Monster so I could play the album songs live.

TAMA: Now the right side of your kit, the John Bonham side, is that the same dimensions as the kit that was made for you?

MP: Yep! Same exact dimensions, just different finish. When I did the Zeppelin tribute, we used acrylic shells, something TAMA doesn't normally work with. For the Albino Monster, of course, we used Starclassic Maple shells.

TAMA: On the left side, the Dream Theater side of the kit, you’re still using 22’ bass drums?

MP: Yes, along with both of my Melody Master snares.

TAMA: Did you do any changes to the “Dream Theater”-side kit.

MP: Just little changes. I increased the size of the tymp-toms because I no longer had this world of a million pedals on the right side so I was able to clear up some of the space and have a bigger tymp-tom. I took the 12” Melody Master and put it to my left as it’s no longer part of the right side of the kit. Subtle changes like that, but for the most part it’s what I’ve been using for the past few years on that side.

TAMA: Is there anything else that you can tell us about your new kit?

MP: The only thing I would add is that my drumming environment—my drum set—has a direct influence on not only the way I play, but the way I write. So when I recorded the latest Dream Theater album utilizing that smaller kit, that kit really had a big effect on my playing and on the songs that we’re written. So it was important for me to get that part of the kit into the Albino Monster to properly play these songs live. In other words, my environment, my kit, whatever drum kit I put together is in complete control of how I play. When I’m on the left side of the kit, I could be Mike Portnoy meets Lars Ulrich meets Neil Peart. Soon as I go to the right side, I’m suddenly Mike Portnoy meets John Bonham meets Dave Grohl. It directly influences how I play the drums.

You're listening to the Dream Theater track "Never Enough" featuring Mike Portnoy.

Check out the making and construction of Mike's Albino Monster
The Making of a Monster...

07-07-05: Mike's new set arrives from Japan. We have no idea what's inside the boxes. It's going to be a surprise! Eric Disrude, Mike's tech, calls from Florida. He plans to fly in the next day to get started. He is on a very tight schedule, as the tour starts within two weeks. The set has to be built from scratch, then we need to do a photo shoot, then the drums have to be rushed to the west coast for rehearsals. The clock is ticking!

07-08-05: Eric flies in, but there are some delays. He gets here later in the day (2:00 PM) along with Jerry Pratt, another tech from the band. Ace Okamoto and Terry Bissette from Hoshino are helping out too. We now have a four man crew.

We start at the beginning. Due to changes in the set-up, and repositioning of some of the drums and cymbals, a new rack must be built. From scratch! This proves to be a monumental task, as much of the Siamese Monster rack was custom made. What to do, what to do? "We need a pipe cutter", Eric says... so we bring in a couple of our own.

These work fairly well, but before the end of the day, they are worn out. So it's off to Home Depot to get a couple of new pipe cutters, as well as new power drills. This will be one of several trips to Home Depot, as we keep discovering that we need even more tools as the project progresses.

In any case, time is of the essence. So Eric decides to set up the old rack so we have a "road map" for the new rack. Much of it is the same for the the first half of the set. But when we get to the new drum section, Eric has to get creative. We had boxes of special rack fittings flown in from Japan. Parts that are fairly uncommon for the U.S. market. Hey, when you're building a rack like this, status quo just won't do.....you have to get crazy!...After scrambling to get a quick bite to eat, we start to get down and dirty. We do an inventory of parts. We discover that we do not have the Remo heads, and we only have a partial shipment of Sabian cymbals. So we get on the phone to try to find out what's going on. More phone calls, and more panic sets in. By the end of the night, progress is slow. Lots of measuring, lots of cutting. Lots of remeasuring, more and more cutting.....energy is waning. We call it a night around 10:30 PM. Tomorrow is another day.

07-09-05: Today is different. There is a sense of urgency in the air. It's do or die, we're down to the wire. It's crunch time! We start around 11:00 AM. Mike is coming in around 2:00 PM. He wants to "set" the kit, fine tuning all of the little adjustments. Those little micros that make all the difference in the world. The slightest movement of a drum can mean everything when you're flying around the drum set at blazing speeds.....with your eyes closed!!!!! Nothing can be wrong, nothing can be out of place. it must be......perfect! So we start to compile the parts, the drums, the existing cymbals, and then UPS shows up. We have the right drum heads! Hurrah! Remo comes through! Now, what about the cymbals?......We make a few more frantic calls. It does not look good....seems to be a misunderstanding......while Sabian did ship the new custom cymbals for Mike's new section of drums, they were not aware that we needed all of the other cymbals too. OOPs! No ones fault, just a misunderstanding. What to do? Mike will be here soon. We can't let him down. After a few desperate calls, Terry finds a local music store willing to let us borrow a supply of Sabian cymbals for the set-up and photo shoot. He returns in a little while with a virtual van full of beautiful, new Sabian cymbals. Though they are not exactly the correct models, they are the right sizes. They will suffice for the rack positioning and the photo shoot.

Then Mike calls. He's running late. Whew, we get a break! A few more hours to get it together. And get it together we do! 85% of the rack is together. The drums are coming together. The cymbals are coming together. Mike shows up a little while later, and we spend a lot of time on the new drum section. 26" kick, 14" tom, 16" and 18" floor toms. A Classic Rock set-up, ala John Henry Bonham. Mike has something special up his sleeve, a new plan indeed. Now, we have just one problem. How do we incorporate this unique set-up into the rack?

Eric comes through. I can see the light bulb glaring above his head....it's like a floodlight! He grabs the pipe cutter, and starts cutting like a madman....success! He creates a whole new mini rack section that acts as a coupler. It connects the larger frame section to the new section for the "Bonham" set-up. And it secures the hi-hat stand as well! Mike sits down and plays for a while. Things are smoothing out, he is comfortable, everyone is smiling!.....

Now the difficult part....we need to tear it all down and move it outside for the photo shoot. Then another snag comes to the surface. Mike special ordered his Signature "Melody Master" snares in the new white finish......but they didn't arrive in time. So we frantically wrap an existing snare drum in white wrap just for the photo shoot. Everything must match, everything needs to look the part. Then we assemble a dozen or so guys from the Tama warehouse. As Eric tears down the set, we move it outside. Then Eric and Jerry reset the kit. The photographer is snapping a zillion shots. Mike is moving around after every few shots. New angles, new positions, we try several different things

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The finished product ad & photo. The first magazine preview ad for the Albino Monster.

After an hour, it's a wrap. Now we tear down the set, bring it back inside, and Eric and Jerry start packing up. Ace drives them directly to Philly Airport. There is no time for them to even use the hotel room that was booked. It's now 4:00 AM!!! Flight leaves in a couple hours. And just when you think it's over, one more thing needs to be addressed. A huge undertaking.... The new logo stickers.....they were added to the shells at the very last minute in Japan. No time to adhere them properly, if the drums were to get here in time. So the unbelievable happens....we strip the drums down to the shells. All heads and hardware have been removed. The drums must be clear lacquer coated the next morning. Then dried, then reassembled, then expedited to LA for rehearsals. The guitar guys at Ibanez come through with flying colors! They spray and dry the drums as requested. Everything is done, the drums reassembled, packed, shipped, everything is on it's way. Another fine job, 7 days work compressed into barely 3 days!!!!! Take a deep breath....it's over...for now......