SONS OF APOLLO ANNOUNCES 2020 “MMXX TOUR”; ‘LIVE WITH THE PLOVDIV PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY’ DUE OUT AUGUST 30 VIA INSIDEOUTMUSIC / SONY
August 21, 2019 -- SONS OF APOLLO--former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force)--is currently finishing up their second album which will be released in January 2020, but they’re not wasting any time in announcing the U.S. headlining “MMXX Tour” that will support it. The trek will launch January 24 in Pomona, CA and will take them around the world throughout the year. Tickets go on sale today at 12:00 PM local time.
As previously announced, SONS OF APOLLO’s latest release, ‘Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony,’ documents the band’s remarkable one-off performance at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria alongside a full orchestra & choir, playing tracks from their debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, as well as a selection of tracks by legendary bands. It will be available August 30 via InsideOutMusic / Sony as a limited deluxe 3CD + DVD + Blu-Ray Artbook, Special Edition 3CD + DVD Digipak, Standalone Blu-Ray & Digital Album. Pre-orders for all formats are now available here: https://soa.lnk.to/LiveWithThePlovdivPsychoticSymphony.
A brand new trailer for ‘Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ has just been released and can be seen here: https://youtu.be/eTvp1N7m7_Q.
As Mike Portnoy says, “I’ve released several dozen live albums through the years with about a dozen different bands, but I have to say that this live release from Sons Of Apollo may indeed be the most special one of them all!! Everything was aligned that evening: an absolutely beautiful Roman amphitheatre and a perfectly gorgeous summer evening, one set of SOA material and one set of specially chosen cover songs, and to top it all off being joined by a symphony orchestra and choir…it was a magical evening for everybody in attendance and now we can share it with the rest of the world immortalized in this incredible live package. This package will serve as a nice souvenir to capture the band’s first year on tour and should tide over all of our fans while we complete work on our sophomore studio release that will coming in Jan 2020."
Check out SONS OF APOLLO at any of the following stops (direct ticket links included). More shows will be shared as they’re confirmed, and stay tuned for more news about the new album
March 28, 2018 -- SONS OF APOLLO--former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force)—released a six-song EP today, “ALIVE”/“TENGO VIDA,” which includes three versions of the latest single, “Alive,” from their #1 debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, as well as three versions of the song in Spanish, “Tengo Vida.” It’s available now on all digital outlets worldwide.
Here’s the complete track listing:
Alive – album version
Alive - radio edit
Alive - acoustic version
Tengo Vida (Alive Spanish version) – standard
Tengo Vida (Alive Spanish version) – radio edit
Tengo Vida (Alive Spanish version) – acoustic version
The Vicente Cordero-directed for “Alive” is now available in both versions.
“It was discussed we should do a Spanish language version of ‘Alive’ before our first tour in South America and I was excited to make it work,” explains singer Jeff Scott Soto. “I brought in my close friend Alex to help with the translation as well as coach me on my enunciation. I am not fluent in Spanish so it was a difficult process, but it sounds pretty damn cool now that we made it work. I think my favorite part is hearing Bumblefoot singing in Spanish!”
Guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal is excited about offering these new versions of “Alive” to their fans. "I love stripping down a song to its simplest form, showing the core of what the song is,” he says. “The acoustic version of ‘Alive’ has that naked vulnerability, and shows what a great lyricist and melody-maker Jeff is."
February 20, 2018 -- SONS OF APOLLO--former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force)—released the Vicente Cordero-directed video today for “Alive” from their #1 highly anticipated debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY.
In touring news, SONS OF APOLLO launched their first-ever highly anticipated world tour in Tampa, FL last week as part of the “Cruise To The Edge.” The band recently added a new leg of U.S. dates starting April 19 in Montreal, Quebec at the Corona Theatre. For more information about tickets and on sale dates, fans should visit SonsOfApollo.com.
As Mike Portnoy declares, "Ever since this lineup assembled to make PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, the thing I’ve been most excited about is anticipating how insane I know this band is going to be on stage. Well, the wait is almost over! Here are the first U.S. dates that will get to witness this ‘five-headed musical spectacle’ live on stage in February. We plan on being on tour all year long, all over the globe, with plenty of dates now being announced for summer festivals throughout Europe, but these are the very first shows that will get to witness this amazing lineup in person for the first time. We can’t wait!”
Released October 20 via InsideOutMusic / Sony, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY is available as a 2CD Mediabook (featuring a second disc of instrumental mixes and extended booklet with an exclusive Studio Diary), Gatefold 2LP vinyl + CD (which comes with an etching on side D and the entire album on the CD), Standard Jewelcase CD & digital download. It was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as “The Del Fuvio Brothers,” which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in Dream Theater.
PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY—which Loudwire.com called an “impressive debut disc”--debuted at #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseeker Albums” chart, as well as #10 on the “Rock Chart,” and #33 on the “Top Current Albums” chart. As Vintage Guitar declares, “This super-duper ensemble is like an old back issue of Marvel Team-Up that simply cannot be ignored.” Order it here: http://smarturl.it/SonsOfApolloPS.
Check out SONS OF APOLLO at any of the following stops:
DATECITYVENUE
Thu 4/5 Monterrey, Mexico Escena
Sun 4/8 Santiago, Chile Teatro Teleton
Tue 4/10 Buenos Aires, Argentina Groove
Thu 4/12 Porto Alegre, Brazil Opinião Bar
Sat 4/14 São Paulo, Brazil Tropical Butanta
Sun 4/15 Belo Horizonte, Brazil Music Hall
Thu 4/19 Montreal, QUE. Corona Theatre
Fri 4/20 Toronto, ONT. The Opera House
Sat 4/21 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
Sun 4/22 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall
Tue 4/24 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater
Wed 4/25 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
Fri 4/27 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
Sat 4/28 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
Sun 4/29 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
Mon 4/30 Seattle, WA The Showbox
Wed 5/2 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
Thu 5/3 Los Angeles, CA The Belasco Theatre
Fri 5/4 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Sat 5/5 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
Mon 5/7 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music Hall
Tue 5/8 Dallas, TX Canton Hall
Wed 5/9 Houston, TX Scout Bar
Fri 5/11 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
Sat 5/12 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theatre
Sun 5/13 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
Tue 5/15 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Wed 5/16 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Thu 5/17 Washington, D.C. The Howard Theatre
Fri 5/18 New York, NY Playstation Theater
Sat 5/19 Worcester, MA The Palladium
Fri 6/22 Clisson, France Hellfest
Sat 6/23 Dessel, Belgium Graspop
Sun 6/24 Milan, Italy Teatro Degli Arcimbodi
Wed 6/27 Leipzig, Germany Hellraiser
Sat 6/30 Barcelona, Spain Be Prog My Friend
Sun 7/1 Maidstone, England Rambling Man Festival
Mon 7/2 Motherwell, England Motherwell Concert Hall
Tue 7/3 Belfast, England Limelight
Wed 7/4 Dublin, Ireland Tivoli Variety Theatre
Sun 7/14 Eindhoven, Netherlands Dynamo MetalFest
Fri 8/3 Wacken, Germany Wacken Open Air
Sat 8/18 Warsaw, Poland Prog In Park
Sun 8/19 Budapest, Hungary Barba Negra Track
Wed 9/19 Moscow, Russia Glavclub
* Sat 9/22 Plovdiv, Bulgaria Roman Amphitheater
Mon 9/24 Athens, Greece Fuzz Club
* A Very Special Evening with SONS OF APOLLO and the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony.
In this episode, keyboardist Derek Sherinian discusses new band Sons Of Apollo and their new album Psychotic Symphony, the future of Black Country Communion, and look back at his work with KISS, Alice Cooper and Billy Idol.
Our second interview is with former Van Halen & Sex Pistols insider, Noel E. Monk. He discusses his new book Runnin’ With the Devil: A Backstage Pass Into the Wild Times, Loud Rock and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen. Sammy Hagar fans be warned!
And lastly, guitarist Chris Broderick discusses Act Of Defiance’s latest album, Old Scars New Wounds.
Mitch also discusses the upcoming Judas Priest Firepower tour with Black Star Riders & Saxon. And walks you through singer Ricky Warwick’s solo discography.
October 31, 2017 -- Since it was first announced in August, fans of SONS OF APOLLO--former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force)—had high expectations of their highly anticipated debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY. Those fans came out in full force to pick up a copy its first week out, which in turn propelled the album straight to the top of Billboard’s “Heatseeker” chart, where it debuts at #1.
Elsewhere on the Billboard charts:
#10 “Rock Chart”
#33 “Top Current Albums”
Released October 20 via InsideOutMusic / Sony, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY is available as a 2CD Mediabook (featuring a second disc of instrumental mixes and extended booklet with an exclusive Studio Diary), Gatefold 2LP vinyl + CD (which comes with an etching on side D and the entire album on the CD), Standard Jewelcase CD & digital download. It was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as “The Del Fuvio Brothers,” which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in Dream Theater. Order it here: http://smarturl.it/SonsOfApolloPS.
As Portnoy exclaims, “The reception to SONS OF APOLLO has been OFF THE CHARTS incredible...well, now actually I guess even ON the charts incredible as well!! Seriously, the reaction from both the fans and the media has been great and we really appreciate all of the love and support so far!
“Launching a new band is never easy (take it from the man who has launched about 87 of them!), but when you have such an incredibly strong launching point as SOA does, the sky's the limit! We look forward to getting this band on the road and playing all over the world throughout 2018...tour dates are coming very soon!"
Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth), Bumblefoot (Sons Of Apollo, Ex-Guns N' Roses) & Paul Cook (The Professionals, Ex-Sex Pistols)
In our first interview, former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman talks about his new solo album WALL OF SOUND, former Scorpions' guitarist Uli Jon Roth, framing a song and album, Jason Becker, his early bands including Deuce, the album that he was 'born to make,' and Japan.
Our second interview features former Guns N' Roses and current Sons Of Apollo guitarist, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal. He discusses the band's new album Psychotic Symphony, how the band got together, being respectful of Guns N' Roses and replacing Buckethead.
And finally, former SEX PISTOLS' drummer PAUL COOK along with Tom Spencer discuss his revamped post-Sex Pistols band The Professionals, their new album What In The World, the infamous Sex Pistols' 1978 US tour, Man Raze with Def Leppard's Phil Collen and more.
Sons of Apollo (Jeff Scott Soto) and a lot of Scorpions
In our first interview, singer Jeff Scott Soto talks about his time in Journey, Rising Force (Ygnwie Malmsteen), new band Sons Of Apollo, new solo album Retribution, W.E.T., and much more.
Former Scorpions drummer James Kottak joins Mitch for an update and discusses his upcoming new album, plans for the future, Mikkey Dee and more.
And finally, former Scorpions drummer Herman Rarebell discusses his great new band Rock Wolves, shares his thoughts on drummer Mikkey Dee, why he wasn’t asked to rejoin the Scorpions, his future with Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, and much more.
FEATURING MIKE PORTNOY, DEREK SHERINIAN, RON “BUMBLEFOOT” THAL,
BILLY SHEEHAN AND JEFF SCOTT SOTO
LAUNCH DEBUT TRACK “SIGNS OF THE TIME”
Last week saw the announcement of SONS OF APOLLO, the highly anticipated new band featuring former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force). Their debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, is due for release on October 20 via InsideOutMusic / Sony, and now they are pleased to reveal their first track titled “Signs of the Time.” Listen now here:
Mike comments: "’Signs Of The Time’ was the very first thing myself, Derek & Bumblefoot wrote when we got together to begin writing for SONS OF APOLLO in March of this year.
‘It starts with this heavy, brutal Bumbleriff (initially coined ‘Korntera’), then goes into a cool verse with a two-part vocal melody that I wrote sung by Jeff and myself, which eventually opens up to a HUGE vocal hook in the chorus that Jeff wrote (sung in three-part harmony by Jeff, myself and Bumblefoot).
“The middle section riffs are a few things that Derek brought in and show why he is the most BADASS keyboard player in the biz (playing the keys like a guitar player on fire!) and then we have the long extended breakdown and guitar solo which shows why Bumblefoot is one of today's greatest GUITAR HEROES! This album is going to get him the recognition he truly deserves and this particular guitar solo is one of the tastiest, most insane solos I've EVER heard.
“So all in all, this song has a little bit of everything that makes SONS OF APOLLO so special...great heavy riffs, amazing solos with individual instrumental virtuosity and a big, catchy chorus with more hooks than a tackle box!!
“I figured this would be a great ‘first taste’ to introduce the world to this amazing new supergroup...and there's a whole lot more of different musical styles and twist & turns still to come all throughout the album."
The debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, is now available to pre-order on 2CD Mediabook (featuring a second disc of instrumental mixes), Gatefold 2LP vinyl + CD, Standard Jewelcase CD & digital download. Pre-order now here: http://smarturl.it/SonsOfApolloPS.
The full track-listing of PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY is as follows:
PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as “The Del Fuvio Brothers,” which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in Dream Theater.
SONS OF APOLLO got together very organically, as Portnoy explains: “Derek and I reunited shortly after I left Dream Theater in 2010 and we put together an all-instrumental touring band with he and I, Billy Sheehan, and Tony MacAlpine. That was my first time working with Derek since the ‘90s when he was in Dream Theater and it was just great to be working with him again. Ever since that tour, which was really just a one-off live thing, he has been nudging me to start a real, original, full-time band. The timing just had never been right, because I had too many other things on my plate. Long story short, the time was finally right to take the bait and put together a band.”
“Mike and I work at a relentless pace in the studio,” continues Sherinian. “The music is modern, but we have an old school soul. What is unique about SONS OF APOLLO is that we have true rock n’ roll swagger along with the virtuosity-- a lethal combination!”
But what to call the next great supergroup? “Derek was mainly the one behind the name,” says Portnoy. “I have a list that I keep on my phone of about a hundred different band names, which I constantly have to refer to every time I have a new band every year (laughs). So, I pulled up the list and Apollo was one of the names on the list. It was a word that both of us really liked. We started fiddling with different variations of the word. One of the original band names we were working with was Apollo Creed, the character from the ‘Rocky’ movies, but after lots of different discussions on different variations, Derek suggested SONS OF APOLLO and it seemed to stick. Apollo is the God of Music so with that in mind it seemed like a fitting name.”
Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Billy Sheehan previously toured together in 2012 and 2013 as PSMS (along with guitarist Tony MacAlpine), playing all instrumental versions from each of their previously recorded music. SONS OF APOLLO is the next logical progression by adding a vocalist and creating all-original material. The band incorporates the progressive style and individual technical prowess that Portnoy & Sherinian shared together in Dream Theater combined with the swagger and groove of Van Halen, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.
“I have known Mike and Derek for a long time, so when they came to me with Sons of Apollo, I jumped on this straight away,” says Thomas Waber, Label Manager/A&R International of InsideOutMusic. “However, the album they ended up recording exceeded my already high expectations by a long mile! We couldn’t be happier about it!”
SONS OF APOLLO will hit the road in 2018 for their first worldwide tour.
“This is a real band,” Portnoy declares. “This is going to pick up for me and Billy where The Winery Dogs left off, in terms of this being the next logical full-time thing for us. I’m not saying The Winery Dogs have broken up, because we haven’t, we’re just on a break. SONS OF APOLLO is absolutely going to be a full-time band and we plan on touring all over the world all throughout 2018 and, honestly, it is the priority for all five of us.”
Sherinian agrees, “We will go on a worldwide crusade in 2018 to bring SONS OF APOLLO to as many people as possible. Apollo was the God of Music, and we are his mighty offspring!”
For the past few months, rumours have been circulating about a new secret project including former Dream Theater membersMike Portnoyand Derek Sherinian. Now, the time has come to make the grand and highly anticipated introduction to their new band, SONS OF APOLLO.
Reuniting to form SONS OF APOLLO, Portnoy and Sherinian have joined forces with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses),Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force).
Their debut album, PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY, will be released 20th October on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. An album teaser can be seen on InsideOutMusic’s YouTube page here: https://youtu.be/kPN2DttzlZQ
SONS OF APOLLO got together very organically, as Portnoy explains: “Derek and I reunited shortly after I left Dream Theater in 2010 and we put together an all-instrumental touring band with he and I, Billy Sheehan, and Tony MacAlpine. That was my first time working with Derek since the ‘90s when he was in Dream Theater and it was just great to be working with him again. Ever since that tour, which was really just a one-off live thing, he has been nudging me to start a real, original, full-time band. The timing just had never been right, because I had too many other things on my plate. Long story short, the time was finally right to take the bait and put together a band.”
“Mike and I work at a relentless pace in the studio,” continues Sherinian. “The music is modern, but we have an old school soul. What is unique about SONS OF APOLLO is that we have true rock n’ roll swagger along with the virtuosity-- a lethal combination!”
But what to call the next great supergroup? “Derek was mainly the one behind the name,” says Portnoy. “I have a list that I keep on my phone of about a hundred different band names, which I constantly have to refer to every time I have a new band every year (laughs). So, I pulled up the list and Apollo was one of the names on the list. It was a word that both of us really liked. We started fiddling with different variations of the word. One of the original band names we were working with was Apollo Creed, the character from the ‘Rocky’ movies, but after lots of different discussions on different variations, Derek suggested SONS OF APOLLO and it seemed to stick. Apollo is the God of Music so with that in mind it seemed like a fitting name.”
Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Billy Sheehan previously toured together in 2012 and 2013 as PSMS (along with guitarist Tony MacAlpine), playing all instrumental versions from each of their previously recorded music. SONS OF APOLLO is the next logical progression by adding a vocalist and creating all-original material. The band incorporates the progressive style and individual technical prowess that Portnoy & Sherinian shared together in Dream Theater combined with the swagger and groove of Van Halen, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.
“I have known Mike and Derek for a long time, so when they came to me with Sons of Apollo, I jumped on this straight away,” says Thomas Waber, Label Manager/A&R International of InsideOutMusic. “However, the album they ended up recording exceeded my already high expectations by a long mile! We couldn’t be happier about it!”
SONS OF APOLLO will hit the road in 2018 for their first worldwide tour.
“This is a real band,” Portnoy declares. “This is going to pick up for me and Billy where The Winery Dogs left off, in terms of this being the next logical full-time thing for us. I’m not saying The Winery Dogs have broken up, because we haven’t, we’re just on a break. SONS OF APOLLO is absolutely going to be a full-time band and we plan on touring all over the world all throughout 2018 and, honestly, it is the priority for all five of us.”
Sherinian agrees, “We will go on a worldwide crusade in 2018 to bring SONS OF APOLLO to as many people as possible. Apollo was the God of Music, and we are his mighty offspring!”
