In the 1990s, Neal Morse founded and fronted one of the most popular American Progressive Rock bands in recent memory, Spock’s Beard. In 2002, following the release of their conceptual masterpiece, Snow, he officially left the band to pursue other interests and callings. Presently, he is regarded as one of the leading artists in genre, consistently releasing stellar work both as a solo artist and as part of the prog rock supergrounp, Transatlantic. This month, Neal will release Testimony 2, which chronicles his time with Spock’s Beard and follows 2003’s Testimony, as well as his in-depth autobiography, Testimony.
Hey, Neal. How’s it going?
Good, Good. Excellent. How about you?
Great. It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you. Spock’s Beard has been one of my favorite bands for over a decade, and I love your solo work too, of course.
Well thank you, man. I’m glad you’ve been blessed by all that stuff.
Yeah, definitely. So what made you decide to do a follow-up to Testimony now?
You want the long answer or the short answer?
Whichever one you want to give
[laughs] Well, when I came home from the Transatlantic world tour last year, spelled W-H-I-R-L-D thanks to the cleverness of Mike Portnoy, I was feeling like what God wanted me to do was write a book. So I started writing it over the summer and through the beginning of fall. While I was doing that, I had a lot of music ideas coming, but I didn’t have any time to work on them. I had this backlog of themes and song ideas. It’s very difficult for me to sort of multitask; I’m not very good at it. I have to work on one project at a time because my head gets into that one thing and I can’t think of other things, although many times I have to.
Oh.
Anyway, once I passed the book off to my editor, I began to put all those ideas into the computer and listen to them and try to organize them. I wasn’t sure what they were supposed to be exactly, and I felt like I needed some direction. Then I got an email from a friend in Holland that suggested I do Testimony 2, and I thought to myself, “Well, I have thought about Testimony 2.” I remember right after Testimony, I thought about a song about jaded healing because it was so missing from Testimony. So I have thought about doing it before but it never felt like it was the right time. I would think about that during my morning walks and prayers, and within a day or two, I felt that green light go off inside, like “go, go.” I turned all that stuff into Testimony 2 essentially, and then the lyrics began to bring forth the rest of the album.
That’s cool.
Yeah, it was kind of like the Snow album, actually. I had a lot of songs and ideas, but it was the story that brought the whole thing together and brought out a lot of other pieces. It all kind of began to fit together in November.
Awesome, Neal. Believe it or not, my cell phone ring tone is the vocal jigsaw puzzle section that ends “Devil’s Got My Throat.”
Oh, yeah? Cool.
So will Testimony 2 contain and musical references to the first part to tie the two together?
Yes, but I didn’t do it intentionally, like on the first draft of it. I’m always more concerned with not repeating myself. I think, “Is it gonna be different enough from what I’ve done before?” Mike [Portnoy] emailed me after hearing the first draft and said, “Oh, I was hoping there’d be more references to Testimony.” So one of the first things we did, Randy [George], Mike, and I, was figure out how to fit as many references to the first album in there and sprinkle them throughout. So, yes, you’ll be happy to hear some of the original’s themes thrown in there.
How did you decide on the musicians to play on Testimony 2? I know Mike and Randy are sort of permanent members of your band.
With Testimony, I wasn’t sure if Mike was going to want to go on with me. I remember I was at a beach in California and I was praying. I would ask, “Who do you want me to work with?” That was just after I’d left Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic, and I was like “well, what do you want me to do?” [laughs]. I felt good about Mike but I wasn’t sure if he’d even want to do it because it’s kind of so in-you-face with the Christianity, at least lyrically. But Mike was actually really thrilled about it and he’d been a great friend and supporter. He brings so much more to the table than just drumming; he’s an amazing arranger and he’s amazing at finding the best sections of a piece and fit them together. I’ve really learned to lean on his mind, and it’s the same with Randy; people don’t realize how great he is with bringing in ideas. So much of the rearranging of Testimony 2 came from those guys.
And how did the guys from Spock’s Beard and Steve Morse come aboard?
Well, with Spock’s Beard, I didn’t have the idea at first. I’d written the part and suddenly I thought, “Man, I wonder if they’d sing it.” I was going to have other people sing it. I’ve done those Gentle Giant-esque vocal bits on my solo albums since Spock’s Beard, like on “Author of Confusion” and a few others if I thought about it. I was thinking of getting other people but then I decided to just ask them. And it’s so cool that they did it. It’s like watching a movie about something or someone and then the people, the subjects, actually show up in the film. It’s really cool. As for Steven Morse, when I wrote the song—or piece, really, since it’s so long—I had Steve in mind, and when it came down to finalizing it, I asked him to do the solo and he enthusiastically agreed. He did a wonderful job.
It’s cool that everyone was so eager to help out. Now, in terms of writing, where do you start, and do you write the pieces and then find people to play them or is it a more democratic process?
How it usually works is I’ll write it on my own and do everything in MIDI first so I can loop, cut, and paste to move things around. When I get it to a place where I think it’s pretty much there, I’ll track real instruments to it. I’ll do my own bass, guitars, vocals, and keyboards to make it more permanent. Once you do that, though, you can’t move tempos around, you know? It’s much more difficult to change things then, so that’s when I’m ready to commit. All those steps are pretty hard. I think, “Okay, this is it, I’m gonna go for it,” and I think the tempos are right, but half the time I’m wrong and they have to re-cut it anyway [laughs]. But I’ve accepted that because it’s just the way it goes.
Yeah.
And then I’ll bring in Mike and Randy and we’ll do that phase. We’ll rearrange, rewrite, and cut the album in that way. After that, I begin the overdubbing process; I have a new foundation so I’ll rerecord the keyboards and guitars. I start thinking about who I could bring on the album and I email people saying, “Hey, I think you’d be great on this part.” Then everybody sends back their overdubs and the final decisions are made. These days, not many people come to the studio anymore; everybody has a studio in their house and I send them a track and they play to it and send it back to me, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
Like what?
It takes less time because you don’t have to fly anyone in and work that way, but at the same time, it’s not the same as working with people on their parts face to face. I kind of miss that, but there wouldn’t be time for all that; if I had to fly all the Spock’s Beard guys in, I don’t think it would happen. It wouldn’t work. It’s a great blessing to have all these people play on the record.
Definitely. Going back to the book, how much of your life does it cover?
Everything up to this point. I wrote the first draft before Testimony 2, but then I handed it off to the editor. Then it became a back-and-forth deal up until April, and even at press time, there were things I’d read and say, “You know, those two sentences should be together.” It’s very hard to commit because with art, things can always be better.
Oh, I totally understand. I actually just received my Master’s degree in creative writing, so I know what you mean about perfecting your writing and never being fully satisfied.
Oh, great. Yeah, you can say things so many different ways.
Yeah. So you’re only playing a few shows in support of Testimony 2. Why not more, and are there any plans to do more?
Not right now, no, but who knows? If we had some good offers, we might do more. Actually, this is the most I’ve ever done as a solo artist in the U.S. With Testimony, we only did one show on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. It’s very expensive and it’s so difficult to get enough money and offers to do it. That’s the challenge. If there were more prog fans, we’d get more shows. I know people get upset that I don’t come to, say, Florida or Texas, but I’d love to if I could. Even when Spock’s Beard was trying to tour the U.S., we lost so much money. It was terrible. The prog fans are great and they’re really dedicated and wonderful, but there aren’t that many of them.
That’s one of the sad facts about the genre these days.
Yeah. I’ll never forget when people in Minneapolis were begging us [Spock’s Beard] to come and I really thought there’d be a large audience there. I told my agent, “Book us in Minneapolis. It’ll be great.” The guy went way out on a limb and booked us in this place that held 500-1,000 people. I think 25 people showed up, and it was just really bad for us and for the promoters who lost money. We try to only play in the places where it seems like there will be enough people to come and the promoters won’t lose money. When it’s not a win-win for everybody, it doesn’t feel good.
I’ve seen that happen with other prog rock bands, like Beardfish, Pain of Salvation, and Echolyn. I totally understand what you mean.
I’m grateful that we’re able to do what we do, and I just hope people get excited and come and it’s a blessing to everybody.
Moving onto Transatlantic, how do you guys write the material and control the egos [laughs]?
We pretty much get together in a room and start hashing stuff out. We send around demos before hand and listen to them, but no one really comments on them. There’s no real organization beforehand; it all just kind of happens.
Has there been any talk of a follow-up to The Whirlwind?
No, there hasn’t. There is going to be another Transatlantic release in the fall, I think. It’ll be a 5-disc DVD from the show in Holland, and the audio from Manchester is going to be released in the fall.
I can’t wait to get them Now, with Spock’s Beard, how do you feel about the backlash they received upon your exit, and really, still receive four studio albums later from the diehard fans?
I haven’t heard any of that, actually. I’ve been impressed with how well the last record was received. I thought it was all good.
Really? I mean, it’s not out-and-out hatred or anger, but I have seen a lot of fans comment on how they think the band isn’t as good anymore.
No, I mean I was under the impression that the last record was well received and they were doing pretty well.
Well I hope I didn’t burst any bubbles [laughs]. How was Snow written and how do you look back on it as your final album with the band?
I’m glad so many people have been blessed by it. For me, it’s difficult to listen to because it was a difficult time. But sometimes difficult times create beautiful things, and I realize that. It’s not about me and my experience. That’s the album I listen to the least out of all the Spock’s Beard albums because it was painful for me. I felt from the Lord that I was going to quit about halfway through the making of it, and I felt like the Lord wanted me to finish the album and then quit. There was a nine month period where I really felt like I was going to quit, although I didn’t know for sure if I was going to go through with it. That was the whole period when we were making Snow. It was very difficult and there was a lot of grief and tears. It was a really hard thing, and that’s what I think of when I think of the Snow album [laughs]. I know there are a lot of great things on there, though, and I’m glad it’s been a blessing to you.
Oh, it has. It was my soundtrack throughout high school.
That’s awesome, man.
So what is your favorite SB release that you were and weren’t apart of?
Um, well of the ones I wasn’t on, the last one [X] was really great. The song that starts out with the chorus of trombones is killer. That one was based on a piece Alan and I toyed around with ages ago. The one that I like the most of my period is a toss-up between Beware of Darkness and V. I always called it “five,” but so many people have called it “v” that I call it “v” now [laughs]. After awhile, they won.
And maybe the fans have the same argument over X.
Yeah, probably. They might.
What are some of your favorite Progressive Rock albums?
Oh, that’s a tough one. There are so many. Close To The Edge by Yes would have to be there.
Great choice. I just interviewed Jon Anderson a few weeks ago.
Awesome. Yeah, that one, Tarkus by ELP. Now, which Genesis? I might surprise everybody and pick A Trick of the Tail. I love “Dance On A Volcano.” As for Gentle Giant, probably Octopus, and King Crimson, Red. I love Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick.
Me too. That’s another album I discovered as I entered high school and listened to just about everyday for months.
I hear they’re going to do the whole album live at the High Voltage festival in London, right after Spock’s Beard plays. You need to get over there, dude. Seriously, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
They should do A Passion Play too. Actually, in 2009, I went to London in the summer, and I arrived the day after the festival ended.
Really?
Yeah. I saw that this one band I know, Bigelf, played, and I was mad that I missed them.
Oh, you know Bigelf? I watched them there.
Cool. Yeah, when Dream Theater brought their Progressive Nation tour to Philadelphia in 2009, I had a chance to talk with Damon and Ace from Bigelf.
Awesome.
Speaking of Genesis, I wonder if anyone has every made a comparison between the history of Genesis and Spock’s Beard. In each case, after the sixth album (a concept album), the singer left and the drummer took over.
I think a lot of people have thought of that. I often say, “Nick [D’Virgilio] did the Phil Collins thing.” When I first met Nick, he said, “Oh, you guys are doing the prog stuff. I love that stuff. I’m a huge Phil Collins fan.” He was like twenty years old when I first met him, and I was surprised that he knew that Phil Collins had been a drummer before he was a pop singer [laughs].
I think Spock’s Beard have carried on much, much better than Genesis eventually did. I draw the line after Hackett left. Spock’s Beard are arguably just as good, if a bit different.
They’re very good, and very good live. I’m a supporter, man.
When I reviewed X, I basically said that Spock’s Beard are still fantastic and fans should still pay attention to them.
Totally.
What are you listening to these days in terms of prog rock?
I like Frost* quite a bit. And Agents of Mercy. I need to get the names of a lot of these groups I hear. I’ve been listening to this prog radio called Morow, and it’s really cool. They play all kinds of stuff, from old music to music I’ve never heard of. And they play a lot of my stuff, so I have to love them, right? [laughs].
Of course. I’m going to check that out ASAP.
They play a lot of Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater and a lot of new stuff. You can click on the band’s name and check out their bio. It’s a cool way to get exposed to music.
You have two sides to your solo career: there are the proper Neal Morse albums and then there are the Worship Sessions. How do they differentiate and how do you decide which to do next?
Sometimes it’s a challenge, but most of the time it’s pretty clear. It depends on if this song or that song fits on a worship record or a prog record. Usually, I can feel that out. Worship records need to be simpler so people can sing along easily, so something like a Gentle Giant-esque vocal is instantly out because it’s too complicated, right? I just kind of feel it out.
Okay. Now, this is going way back, but I just want to touch on your brief collaboration with Ayreon. You provided the vocals for “The First Man on Earth” on The Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer. How was that arranged and have you spoken to him about doing anything else?
Man, that was a long time ago. In the 90s, right? No, I haven’t spoken with him about doing anything new. He came to a Transatlantic show in Holland a few years back, but I haven’t seen or spoken to him since. He’s very gifted.
Very. I spoke with him a while back, too. Nice guy. Well Neal, that’s all the questions I have for you. I’ll let you get back to rehearsing for the tour. I wish I could make one of the shows.
You’re not that far from New York, man. You gotta come. Who knows if it’ll ever happen again with the full Testimony band?
I’ll definitely try. Again, it was a pleasure speaking with you. Good luck with everything.
Thanks, Jordan. Take care.
Be sure to check out my review of Testimony 2!
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