Robert Cavuoto spoke with drum legend Mike Portnoy about The Winery Dogs for My Global Mind. Topics of discussion included how the band's music is formed, how it changed from the band's inception, their unique chemistry, working in the hard rock blues environment, how he manages his busy recording and touring schedule, the upcoming Winery Dogs tour, and more. Check out the interview below.
The shared chemistry between Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan, and vocalist / guitarist Richie Kotzen
Portnoy: "The three of us work together really naturally. It's just the three of us jamming and maybe Billy will have a riff, I'll have a groover, or Richie will have an idea, and things immediately start coming together. It happened very quickly; we would sometimes get one or two, sometimes even three blueprints (for songs) a day. This time around we recorded the basic tracks - very specifically the drums - sometimes within hours of having put together the music."
2023 will not be the year to let sleeping dogs lie. Not when it comes to The Winery Dogs, who are kicking off the new year with more new music from their forthcoming and aptly named third album, III.
Set for release February 3 on the band’s Three Dog Music label (via Burnside Distribution/The Orchard), III follows in the paw steps of their first two albums, once again being self-produced by the band - Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan - and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston.
The album’s second song release, “Mad World”, can be seen and heard now, with the Vicente Cordero-directed video shot in Los Angeles last November. Watch below.
“’Get on the bus, go do the exercise’ is the opening line of the song and it really sets the tone,” explains singer/guitarist Richie Kotzen. “The song is dealing with a certain attitude or way of thinking forced on individuals regardless of your own life experience or unique individuality. I remember a time where opposing opinions and viewpoints were more accepted. A good old healthy debate was a great thing back then. This song is really shining a light on how there may be certain consequences to pay if you don’t think a certain way. It’s also reflected in the lyric, ‘You’d better bite your tongue so you sound the same.’ It also offers a glimmer of hope in its chorus with the line ‘Turn from a scar into a pearl.’ So it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s always a chance to turn things around.”
Fans wanting to pre-order the album and enter to win a custom Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster guitar can go here. A vinyl edition of III will also be forthcoming in just a few months.
III tracklisting:
"Xanadu"
"Mad World"
"Breakthrough"
"Rise"
"Stars"
"The Vengeance"
"Pharaoh"
"Gaslight"
"Lorelei"
"The Red Wine"
"Xanadu" video:
In addition to the new music, fans will also be excited to hear that the trio is hitting the worldwide concert trail starting February 15 in Greensburg, PA at the Palace Theatre for their 202III World Tour. Ticket and VIP package info can be found on the band’s official website.
Check out The Winery Dogs at any of the tour stops listed below.
February
15 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theatre
16 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn’s Peak
17 - Glenside, PA - The Keswick Theatre
18 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre
21 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
22 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
23 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
25 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse
26 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
March
1 - Columbus, OH - King of Clubs
2 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
5 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Event Center
6 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café
9 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
10 - St. Charles, IL - The Arcada Theatre
11 - Westland, MI - The Token Lounge
13 - Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Hall
14 - Harrison, OH - Blue Note
17 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
18 - Cedar Park, TX - The Haute Spot
19 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Ballroom
21 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
22 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
24 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
26 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
30 - Virginia Beach, VA - Elevation 27
31 - Hopewell, VA - Hopewell Theatre
April
1 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theatre
2 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
4 - Ashville, NC - Orange Peel
5 - Knoxville, TN - The Mill & Mine
6 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
27 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Vivo Rio (with Stone Temple Pilots)
28 - Curitiba, Brazil - Tork n Roll (with Skid Row)
30 - São Paulo, Brazil - Summer Breeze Festival
June
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
13 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Cultuurpodium Boerderij
15 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
16 - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom - KK's Steel Mill
17 - Nottingham, United Kingdom - Rock City
18 - London, United Kingdom - 02 Shepherds Bush Empire
20 - Cologne, Germany - Die Kantine
21 - Frankfurt Am Main, Germany - Batschkapp
22 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
25 - Cartagena, Spain - El Batel Park
27 - Angoulins, France - Crossroad
(Photo - Travis Shinn)
