Page 12 - ION Indie Magazine November December 2019 Issue
P. 12

KP: I know how pivotal it was for you meeting            I had two distinct needs that I reached out to my
          the  founder/composer  of  Trans-Siberian                friends  in  Dream  Theater  for:  one  was  a  song
          Orchestra,  Paul  O’Neill.  What  was  the  best         entitled  “Christmas  Wishes,”  composed  of  just
          piece of advice that this visionary bestowed             piano and voice. The other was “Every Doubt Has
          upon you?                                                an Answer,” which has the biggest, highest male
                                                                   notes in the show, but also requires the singing of
          PO: What a gracious man he was! He was literally         reflective  verses.  Jordan  Rudess,  one  of  the
          passing in the hall when I got his attention just        great  keyboard  players  in  the  world,  did  a
          long enough to tell him how much his music had           phenomenal  job  taking  my  composition  to  new
          meant to me.  I think he sensed a deeper  story          heights. James Labrie gave the song he sang a
          because he pulled me into his private green room         feeling of longing and declaration that I knew few
          and spent a long while talking to me. I was honest       vocalists could achieve. I’m incredibly fortunate
          with him about my desire to do this album, but           that both guys are on the album.
          how life had taken different turns. What he said
          really resonated with me -- that the world needs         KP: Speaking of Dream Theater, as an author,
          more  good  Christmas  stories  and  music.  He          you  were  selected  to  write  the  companion
          kindly but firmly told me to get my record written       novel  to  the  Grammy-nominated  band’s
          and he’d be disappointed if I didn’t follow through      recent concept album, The Astonishing. Talk
          on  my  dream.  The  things  he  said  continued  to     about that experience a bit.
          build inside me until I finally had a moment in time
          to do as he encouraged me to do.                         PO: A few years before, I’d been talking to John
                                                                   Petrucci. I joked with him that he should let me
          KP:  Tell  me  about  the  contributors  and  the        write a story to underpin a concept album they
          process  for  enlisting  this  level  of  talent  for    could  write.  He  acknowledged  that  could  be
          The Bell Ringer.                                         interesting.   When    The   Astonishing    was
                                                                   announced, I reached out to him and said, “Hey,
          PO: I knew I needed some talent on the record            now’s the time.” He told me that his vision for The
          that understood the approach. This kind of album         Astonishing  was  that  it  would  find  its  way  into
          isn’t a straight-up rock album. There are multiple       book  form,  film,  theater,  etc.  He  invited  me  to
          characters,  necessitating  multiple  voices  that       write a sample chapter and sent the completed
          needed to be able to not only hit the notes, but         album  several months  prior to release.  I  asked
          also give life to the characters and the words. I        him which song he wanted me to focus on, and
          began reaching out to a few vocalists who had            he  picked  “Savior  in  the  Square.”  I  wrote  a
          done this kind of recording. My good fortune was         chapter,  really  building  out  the  characters,
          that when they heard the music, they jumped on           setting,  and  motivations.  He  loved  it  and  we
          board.                                                   formalized me writing the full novel.

          The  first  was  Jody  Ashworth,  a  former  TSO         He  and  I  spent  long  phone  calls  late  at  night
          vocalist and a consummate pro with a booming             where  he  took  me  through  everything  he’d
          voice. Next was Michael Lanning, also from TSO.          conceived  about  the  story.  He  gave  me  carte
          Michael has been called “the most soulful white          blanche to build on it. A few months later, I sent it
          singer in America.” He gives the tunes some real         off. He spent three hours telling me all the things
          grit. Then came Tim Hockenberry. Tim also had            he loved about it. He couldn’t put it down.
          been with TSO, but he also got to the semi-final
          round on America’s Got Talent. Tim has a very            John  had  a  lot  of  writers  wanting  to  do  that
          distinctive  voice  and  I  knew  immediately  which     adaptation  and  I  personally  know  many  writers
          songs I wanted him to sing. I reached out to them        who are DT fans and wanted to write that book.
          because I knew which songs on the album their            But I’d studied voice and the main character was
          voices could pair well with. Last from TSO, was          a singer and I’d toured as a performer and had
          Valerie  Vigoda,  a  multi-talented  performer  and      written books where music is a key factor in the
          known foremost for her incredible ability on the         plot and motivations. I understood the story in a
          violin. She was the concert mistress for the TSO         personal way. John told me he could really tell
          West Coast Company. I had songs incorporating            that  when  I  sent  him  the  sample  chapter.  It
          violin that ranged from slow and thoughtful, to fast     became a perfect match.
          and  anthemic.  I  knew  Val  could  handle  both
          extremely well.
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