THE NEAL MORSE BAND Comes to New York City 8/22

THE NEAL MORSE BAND-singer/guitarist/keyboardist Neal Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist RAndy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette-who released their double-disc concept album, THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, November 11, 2016 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY. This is the eighth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the second as a true collaboration with this current lineup. The band's returning to the U.S. for a second round of headlining shows as part of their worldwide tour.

Clocking in at over 100 minutes, THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM will leave you breathless, exhilarated, amused and fulfilled in a way that only inspired music can. It will be available in various formats: a two CD package, a Special Edition with the two CDs and "The Making Of A Dream" DVD, or as three vinyl records along with two CDs.

Hot on the heels of THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM, THE NEAL MORSE BAND released a massive once-in-a-lifetime concert event: Morsefest 2015 on March 24, 2017 via Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY. A trailer for the package can be found on Neal Morse's official YouTube page. Sonically, outstanding audio is delivered by veteran mix engineer by Rich Mouser, who has helmed every Neal Morse, Spock's Beard, and Transatlantic studio album. The package is presented as either 2 Blu-ray discs, or 2 DVDs with 4 CDs. Digital downloads of the music portion will be available from Radiant Records in uncompressed audio, and on iTunes. In addition to both concerts, a one-hour documentary puts audiences behind the scenes for this epic event. Featuring candid moments from the band, other musicians, and crew-it's an engaging glimpse into the whirlwind staging of this event.

Along with THE NEAL MORSE BAND, the 38 musicians on stage created a prog orchestra. Over two nights (one on each video disc) in 2015, they performed new arrangements of material from Neal Morse's career. The two concerts span over five hours, venturing beyond the studio versions they're based on. In addition to complete performances of the SOLA SCRIPTURA and QUESTION albums, there are songs from Spock's Beard (featuring guest Nick D'Virgilio), Transatlantic, and surprises-including performances with guitar legend Phil Keaggy. Accompanied by extravagant visuals, including three video screens and live dancers, Morsefest 2015 is the most massive live release of Morse's career.

Free from the constraints of studio recording deadlines, Morse added any instrumentation he imagined, including live strings, a 5-piece horn section, and a 14-piece choir (in addition to background singers, and the vocals of the band). At the center is THE NEAL MORSE BAND. Complimenting this level of musicality, is a multimedia visual presentation. It begins with the most elaborate lighting set-up Morse has ever used, constructed specifically for this event, designed by Ryan Proplesch. A video graphics track, projected on three screens, was created by media artist Christian Rios to illustrate every moment of each song. Live dancers provide further visual interpretations, adding a dimension to the performance that is rare in progressive rock.

Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been THE NEAL MORSE BAND. Over the years, Morse, along with Portnoy and George, always assembled musicians as needed to support Neal's solo music. In 2012, they held auditions to find the musicians needed to fill out the band as a permanent lineup that would write music collectively. Hubauer and Gillette joined the band after three days of auditions. The fivesome went on to release THE GRAND EXPERIMENT in 2014 followed by the ALIVE AGAIN live DVD/2 CD package in 2015.

As Neal Morse explains, "THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM is loosely and sometimes directly based on the book, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. The book's original title was The Pilgrim's Progress from this world to the that which is to come, delivered under the similitude of a dream, and it was originally published in 1678. The book chronicles the spiritual journey of a man from the City of Destruction to the place of Deliverance. Someone had suggested to me that I do a concept album based on this book, but I kind of forgot about it. Then when I began writing new songs last December, the suggestion came to my mind. I had never read the book, so I Googled the SparkNotes story outline and began to write some little song bits and instrumentals based on what I had read. Those bits combined with the ideas that the other guys brought to the table then miraculously exploded into this double concept album. Funny thing is, this album only really covers about the first 75 or 80 pages. Maybe we should've made a five disc collection! Well, we'll save that for later. Ha."

"I honestly think this is THE album of my career," declares Portnoy. "Neal and I have now made 18 studio albums together, and I consider THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM the absolute creative pinnacle of our collaborations together. I've always had a soft spot for double concept albums such as Pink Floyd's THE WALL and The Who's TOMMY, and I can bravely say that I think we've created an album here that can sit side by side with those masterpieces. Bold words, I know, but after a career of almost 50 albums, I honestly consider this to be one of the defining works of my career."