Drummer Mike Portnoy reveals in a Cameo video that he has no plans to write an autobiography. Cameo is a video service where users can hire celebrities to record brief, personalized videos.

 

Asked about the possibility of writing an autobiography, the drummer says: "Well, not really, to be honest. I've had some different offers from different publishers about doing that through the years, and, to be honest… I don't know. It seems like everything's been said already. All my 25 years in Dream Theater, '85 to 2010, that is well documented. The Lifting Shadows book that Rich Wilson did covers all of those years in detail. And then everything I've done since then, in the last 10 years, I've done so many interviews, it's all been done to death. And to be honest, I've stopped doing interviews this year. I'm just kind of tired of words being taken out of context and used as clickbait on all these metal web sites and stuff like that. So doing a book or an autobiography would just be feeding them, they would be running off with all these toxic, negative, out-of-context clickbait quotes. And I don't know… I just don't need that drama. And the bands that I play with and played with don't need that drama either. So, I’m better off just avoiding all that."

Mike Portnoy is walking you through his latest vinyl collection is a series of eight videos. Episode #2 focuses on new reissues, B - F. Watch below:

Episode #1 focuses on new reissues, A - B:

BPMD - the new juggernaut featuring Portnoy, along with heavy metal icons Bobby Blitz (Overkill) on vocals, bassist Mark Menghi (Metal Allegiance) and guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, ex-Machine Head) - will release their full-length album of '70s rock covers, American Made, this Friday, June 12, via Napalm Records.

The members of BPMD have revealed their third single, the charging new version of Grand Funk Railroad's classic anthem, "We're An American Band". Check out the raucous new rendition via the lyric video below.

Bassist Mark Menghi says about "We're An American Band": “The goal of American Made was, and is, to pay tribute to some of the great music of the '70s, in particular, American music from the 70’s. We love music from all over the world; England, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Australia, etc... but at the end of the day, we are an American band, so it made sense to pay tribute to one of the greatest American bands of the '70s by covering one of the greatest songs of that decade by the mighty Grand Funk... Being that this song was originally written about being on tour, we’ve been reminiscing about days on the road and how much we miss our fans! Touring is the lifeblood of most bands - we can’t wait to perform some shows and play these BPMD tunes, and see music flourish in a live setting once again.”  

Frontman Bobby Blitz adds: "'American Band', in my opinion was the icing on the cake for this project. The idea of American Made, the 70's called for it. The song was iconic then and truly stood the test of time. The call and answer between my vox and Phil's guitar on the outro make the track that much more special."

It’s evident within the initial seconds of BPMD’s American Made, as the legendary Bobby Blitz chants the introductory lyrics to Ted Nugent’s “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” in his signature skyscraper-high howl, that he and his equally iconic bandmates are here to have a damn good time. Featuring 10 unforgettable rock classics reimagined as heavy bangers, American Made is a party on wax. Tracks such as the raucous “Toys in the Attic” (Aerosmith) and rager-ready “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” (ZZ Top) prove that BPMD not only manages to capture the essence of each original track on the album, but skillfully transforms each classic into an unforgettable metallic anthem for a new age. The seasoned quartet flex their musical muscles on renowned classics such as “Saturday Night Special” (Lynyrd Skynyrd), “We’re an American Band” (Grand Funk Railroad) and “Walk Away” (James Gang), and introduce a whole new heavy generation to deeper cuts like blues standard “Evil” (Cactus/Willie Dixon) and “Never In My Life” (Mountain). Channeling nostalgia while maintaining a fresh attitude, American Made is a summer soundtrack for all ages.

After connecting over their mutual love for the classics and forming their current line-up, the members of BPMD traveled to drummer Mike Portnoy’s home studio in Pennsylvania and set up shop. Since the whole concept of the band was born the night Menghi was listening to “Saturday Night Special”, BPMD were determined to record the song for the album. Beyond that, each musician picked two ‘70s rock tracks and everyone had to learn them!

American Made was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis, also known for his work with Metal Allegiance (featuring Mark Menghi), as well as artists such as DevilDriver, Trivium, and many others.

American Made will be available in the following formats:

- 1-CD Jewel Case
- 1-LP Gatefold Black
- 1-LP Gatefold Red/White/Blue Splatter (NPR Mailorder exclusive)
- American Made T-Shirt + Jewel Case Bundle (NPR Mailorder exclusive)
- American Made T-Shirt + Vinyl Black Bundle (NPR Mailorder exclusive / North America ONLY)
- American Made T-Shirt + Vinyl Red/White/Blue Splatter Bundle (NPR Mailorder exclusive / North America ONLY)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

American Made tracklisting:

"Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"
"Toys In The Attic"
"Evil"
"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers"
"Saturday Night Special"
"Tattoo Vampire"
"D.O.A."
"Walk Away"
"Never In My Life"
"We're An American Band"

"Evil" guitar playthrough:

"Evil" drum playthrough:

"Evil" lyric video:

"Toys In The Attic" video:

"Toys In The Attic" drum playthrough video:

"Toys In The Attic" guitar playthrough video:

“Absolutely f*cking brilliant! God bless the real music krankers of America! Godspeed!" - Ted Nugent

”Turbocharged version of D.O.A. by BPMD. These guys are rocking!” - Michael Anthony (Chickenfoot, ex-Van Halen)

(BPMD photo - Scott Diussa)