DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess and drummer Rod Morgenstein (DIXIE DREGS, WINGER) will appear at the Berklee Performance Center for a show on June 17th. Admission is $8 in advance (discount applied at checkout), $12 day of show, general admission. Go to this location for additional information.

Rudess is featured in a new interview with Loudwire.com. An excerpt from the discussion is available below:

Loudwire: You’ve got one album cycle under the belt with (drummer) Mike Mangini and he had to get up to speed with that last record, but how’s he progressing within the framework of the band?

Jordan: "Having Mike in the room with us as we were doing the writing and everything was such a wonderful thing. The man has such a strong energy and such a great player that it made a big difference to our process to have him there, have him contributing ideas."

"The way I see it is like, he’s such a specialist in his area. He’s got such a rhythm math brain and that addition to what Dream Theater already has in the composition department was so cool, ’cause we’ve been able to do things I’ve never done before. There’s some stuff on the album that I’ll rhythmically is very, very cool."

Loudwire: With a new piece to the puzzle, does it give you a renewed sense of energy at this point in the band’s career?

Jordan: "Oh for sure. Anyone who’s heard this album or stopped by the studio, you’ve just got to smile at the drumming, it’s so outrageous. He does some fills that are like, ‘Oh my God!’ (laugh) I can’t help but almost laugh."

Loudwire: You guys are such great musicians all around, but what is the studio like for you? Are you continually amazed by what you and each of your cohorts come up with?

Jordan: "That’s an interesting question. I feel so lucky to work with all these people. They all have really good taste and they’re completely professional. I know that it’s the kind of thing where you can be assured that if you’re not involved every step of the way, whoever takes over will do a fine job. So it’s really a comfortable situation to know that everyone is really up on their game."

"You know one thing with Dream Theater is that we haven’t let go of the reins at all. Sometimes when you hear bands that have been around for awhile, it’s like, ‘Oh, you know, their stuff years ago was really more on top of it’ or whatever. But I feel with Dream Theater everyone is still so energized and excited about what we do. We all still practice hard and nobody’s lost their spirit or energy. We just really keep the wheels firmly in motion."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Roadrunner Records has announced the new album from the legendary Dreasm Theater. Dream Theater – the first self-titled collection in the Grammy-nominated band’s nearly three decade career – arrives on September 24th.

Dream Theater was recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with founding guitarist John Petrucci producing and studio luminary Richard Chycki (AEROSMITH, RUSH) engineering and mixing. The album marks a brilliant new chapter for the always adventurous band, their first to have been written and recorded with drummer Mike Mangini wholly integrated into the creative process from the start.

“I see every new album as an opportunity to start over,” says Petrucci. “To either build or improve upon a direction that has been evolving over time or to completely break new ground. This is the first self-titled album of our career and there is nothing I can think of that makes a statement of musical and creative identity stronger than that. We’ve fully explored all of the elements that make us unique, from the epic and intense to the atmospheric and cinematic. We’re incredibly excited about Dream Theater and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

Dream Theater will be available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180 Gram Vinyl Double LP, and a Limited Edition Box Set. Pre-orders are scheduled to get underway sometime in July at the Roadrunner Records Webstore.

Dream Theater follows 2011’s A Dramatic Turn Of Events. That album – highlighted by 'On The Backs Of Angels', which earned the iconic band its first ever Grammy Award nomination (in the “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” category) – proved one of Dream Theater’s most successful, making top 10 chart debuts in 14 countries, including our own Billboard 200. A Dramatic Turn Of Events was hailed for its ambition, complexity, and sheer melodic power.

Furthermore, the special edition CD/DVD set of A Dramatic Turn Of Events included The Spirit Carries On – a 60-minute movie documenting Dream Theater’s drummer auditions, which resulted in the addition of the gifted Mangini. The challenge spurred Dream Theater to extraordinary artistic heights on A Dramatic Turn Of Events and the epic world tour that followed. Long known as one of hard rock’s most powerful live acts, the recalibrated band hit the road hard in celebration of the acclaimed album, a 15-month trek which saw sold out headline shows in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America.

With total sales exceeding 10 million albums and DVDs worldwide, Dream Theater have long stood among the upper echelon of hard rock giants. Albums such as 1992’s RIAA gold-certified classic Images & Words (featuring the breakthrough top 10 single, 'Pull Me Under') have earned the Long Island-based band countless accolades for their visionary synthesis of melodic power and virtuosic experimentation.

Since uniting with Roadrunner in 2007, Dream Theater has unleashed a series of remarkable albums, each work revealing stunning new musical facets and creative avenues. 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings proved a milestone, debuting at #6 on the Billboard 200 – the band’s highest album chart debut to date.

Dream Theater will tour in support of Dream Theater – full details will be announced soon. Check out a first studio video below:

Dream Theater is:

John Petrucci (guitar)

John Myung (bass)

James LaBrie (vocals)

Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum)

Mike Mangini (drums)

More on Dream Theater at this location.