Morse, Neal (October 2004)

Morse Testifies About Testimony Live

In July, Neal Morse released the double DVD set Testimony Live, which presents his landmark double CD Testimony... well, live. It was recorded last November at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Davide Guidone spoke recently with Morse about the DVD, the tour it documents, and the upcoming album One.

Davide Guidone: Let's talk about the DVD. What are your thoughts about it, in general?

Neal Morse: I think it's great, I'm really glad we got to do it. I'm glad it got documented. The [technical] quality of it is very good; the sound is excellent. The crane shots were really high-pro. I'm really glad that there's something people can watch to see what it was like.

Things could always be better ... I'm bummed there was no shot of Mike [Portnoy] singing in "Somber Days," or a good one of Bert [Baldwin] singing in "Break Of Day." But other than that, I thought it was great.

DG: The crowd seemed very supportive throughout the tour. How did you feel about how the show was received?

NM: There where were some really good audiences; I thought we were among friends. I was really glad there was a lot of good support, and how well we were received.

For example ... I never did anything like this before in my life ... when [during the show] I asked the band to quietly play in London ... and then gave my testimony about [my daughter] Jayda, I didn't know how it would be received by the audience. I didn't know what would happen. And everyone broke into this enormous applause ... it was really amazing. I'm really thrilled with how many fans are coming along with me on this journey.

DG: How did you select the three encore songs for the second DVD?

NM: We were alternating encore songs each night; one night of Spock's Beard songs, then one of Transatlantic. We'd do "The Light" and "We All Need Some Light." We also did "June," but not that night.

The night we recorded the DVD was unique, because there was so much applause ... the audience wouldn't seem to let us go ... so we did "Stranger In Your Soul." It was very reminiscent of the last time I'd been in that venue with Transatlantic.

DG: The documentary is quite significant, and runs more than an hour. I believe fans will really enjoy it. Do you feel it captured the essence of the tour from the band's perspective?

NM: Yes, I think it does. It's hard to capture everything. But we got a lot of stuff in there. I think it's a lot of fun. I'm really glad that Jerry [Guidroz] took the time to put all that together. I like that it captures all the fun that it was, and the prayer and more serious things. I'd like people to get a feel for what the whole tour was about.

DG: Can you introduce the musicians from the Testimony Live band?

NM: Eric Brenton on flute, violin, guitar, mandolin, pedal-steel guitar ... glockenspiel, you name it. He's a guy that I used to play with in band back during my party days in LA [Los Angeles].

John Krovoza on cello, whom I met through Eric. He wound up being so perfect. He's played with Yanni, [Jimmy] Page and [Robert] Plant.

My dear friend, Mark Leniger ... one of my very dear friends. He lives in the same town and goes to the same church as me. I've enjoyed his music for a long time. He played percussion and saxophone.

Rick Altizer is another local Nashville guy. He played guitar, additional keyboards and sang vocals. I really needed Rick's voice as part of the vocals.

Of course, Mike Portnoy ... everyone knows.

Bert Baldwin on keyboards and background vocals. He is also Jordan Rudess' [Dream Theater] keyboard tech.

Randy [George] played keyboard, bass pedals, bass guitar, and sang. He also is a great acoustic guitar player, but didn't play on the tour. He is from the Christian prog band, Ajalon.

DG: Looking at the DVD, everyone can see you are a great guitar player in addition to being an excellent keyboard player. I noticed your finger playing technique. Are you self-taught or did you have formal training?

NM: I'm pretty much self-taught. I took about 6 months of what you'd call "folk guitar" when I was younger. All of us, as a family, took folk guitar lessons when we were kids ... like 9 years old.

We pretty much dropped out of that and start teaching ourselves. It was the same thing for me with keyboards. I took lessons from when I was 5 until I was 8. And then I kind of dropped it all, and didn't play for a couple years. I say that to encourage all the parents whose kids are dropping out of piano lessons. My daughter is trying to get out of her piano lessons...

DG: What were the best and the worst moment in the tour?

NM: Well, they were probably on the same day. The bus broke down right after the first show. I remember waking up and going, "How come we're not moving?" We were up in Manchester [England]. We had to move everything else into another bus...

And then the London show that night ... that was one of my favourites. That's when I really felt the Lord to talk about Jayda. It was one of the most emotional concerts I may have ever done.

DG: What was your favourite concert on the tour?

NM: That one, and some of the other ones ... Rijssen [Holland] and Aschaffenburg [Germany] were very stand-out to me. Whittier [California, United States], I thought, was a real stand-out. I really felt the Holy Ghost in a significant way during the concerts ... that was very exciting for me.

DG: Your new album, One, will be released in November on Inside Out (Europe). What can we expect?

NM: It's a little more prog than Testimony, a little heavier ... I think you can expect to really like it. I'm hoping people will appreciate it as much as we enjoyed making it.

The message is about God and man being together in the Garden, and then man leaving, and then coming back together in the end. It's a biblical message put to a lot of really interesting, and I think really great, music.

I was stuck writing it, and I really felt the hand of God moving ... Randy George was here to do the GMA gig with me. I'd been feeling for a while to collaborate ... that this would be the key ... that I really need help on that. But I didn't know who to get help from. Randy just happened to be around while I was doing scratch vocals, and he started just throwing out ideas that were just so great. A lot of my favourite lyrics on the album just fell out of his mouth. And then when we came together with Mike, things just came together in a wonderful way.

DG: How would you describe your faith at this time ... what are your spiritual goals?

I'm going in deep, man ... I'm going to the deep water. I hope to. I'm trying to ... that's my goal ... until there's nothing left of me, and only God. I just want to be overcome with the Holy Spirit, that this is what is taking action in my life. That is the motivator for everything I do. Jesus says, "He who loses his life for My sake shall gain it. And he who gains his life for his own sake shall lose it." Hopefully, that explains how I'm living.

A lot of it is that I pray, and I feel a lot of things in the Lord. Jesus says, "But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things." So I try to pray in the Spirit a lot and see what things to do. I feel through Christ I have a relationship with God, and get some really clear guidance ... that's just incredible.

DG: Do you think One will be received as well as Testimony?

NM: Oh, I hope so. I hope it will be received better ... but that's really not up to me. That's up to other folks ... the audience. Of course, you always hope your work is received well. But that's not what it's about. I'm trying to please God, first.

DG: Why didn't the Testimony tour have dates in Italy?

NM: We just didn't get any offers there. (We also didn't go to Paris, so don't feel bad.) When Transatlantic played in Italy, about 500 people showed up. And Mike Portnoy said, "I did a drum clinic here last month, and 1500 people showed up." So I told Mike (jokingly), "Well, we all don't have to play ... just you!"

DG: Are you planning a new tour to support One?

NM: No, not at the moment. I'm praying, and seeing what doors may open next, and seeing what will happen. I'm not about doing the automatic music business thing ... put an album out ... support it. I really want to make sure I'm doing what God wants me to do be doing. That's what really matters to me.

One is due for release November 1, 2004 in Europe, through InsideOut and November 2, 2004 through Radiant Records, from whom you can also get the Testimony Live DVD.

Discography:
Spock's Beard:
The Light (1991/1995)
Beware of Darkness (1995)
Official Live Bootleg (1996)
The Kindness of Strangers (1997)
From The Vault - 1995-1998 (1998)
The Beard Is Out There Live (1995)
Day For Night (1999)
Live At The Whiskey and NEARfest (1999)
Don't Try This At Home (2000)
V (2000)
Don't Try This @ Home Either! (2000)
There And Here (2001)
Snow (2002)

Neal Morse/Neal Morse Band: Neal Morse (1999)
Merry Christmas From The Morse Family (2000)
It's Not Too Late (2001)
Testimony (2003)
One (2004)
Lead Me Lord (Worship Sessions Volume One) (2005)
? (2005)
God Won't Give Up (2005)
Worship Sessions Volume II: Send The Fire (2006)
One Demos (2007)
Sola Scriptura (2007)
Songs from the Highway (2007)
?: Live (2007)
Sing It High (a collection of singles) (2007)
Worship Sessions Volume III: Secret Place (2008)
Lifeline (2008)
Worship Sessions Volume IV: The River (2009)
So Many Roads Live In Europe (3 CD Digibook) (2009)
Mighty To Save (Worship Sessions 2010) (2010)
Testimony Two (2011)

Testimony 2 - Live in Los Angeles (3CD/2DVD) (2011)
Testimony, The Book (2011)
Momentum (2012)
Songs From November (2014)
The Grand Experiment (2015)

Testimony Live (DVD) (2004)
Sola Scriptura And Beyond (DVD) (2008)
Testimony 2 - Live in Los Angeles (3CD/2DVD, 2011) Transatlantic:
SMPTe (2000)
Live In America (2001) Bridge Across Forever (2001)
Bridge Across Forever - Special Edition (2001)
Neal Morse - The Transatlantic Demos (2003)
SMPTe - Roine Stolt Mixes (2003) Live In Europe (2003)
The Whirlwind (2010)
More Is Never Enough (3CD/2DVD) (2011)
Kaleidoscope (2014)

Live In America (DVD) (2001)
Whirld Tour 2010 - Live At Shepherd's Bush Empire (DVD) (2010) Building A Bridge (DVD) (2002)
Live In Europe (DVD) (2003)
The Official Live Bootleg DVD (DVD) (2010)
Whirld Tour 2010 (DVD) (2010)
More Is Never Enough (2DVD/3CD) (2011)
KaLIVEoscope (2DVDs+3CDs+BR, 3CD+DVD, BR) (2014)

Others:
Neal Morse and Nick D'Virgilio - Two Separate Gorillas - Live In Europe (2000)
Morse Portnoy George - Cover To Cover (2006)
Morse Portnoy George - Cover 2 Cover (2012)
Flying Colors - Flying Colors (2012)
Flying Colors - Live In Europe (2013)
Flying Colors - Second Nature (2014)