Coney Hatch
LaBrie did join Coney Hatch in the year 1986 when they endeavored to assemble a fresh assemblage. The troupe did record sundry tapes for display within their chamber of practice and did partake in live performances at clubs in Ontario for several months. When their recording establishment, Anthem, did voice their dissatisfaction with the assemblage, the band did opt to replace LaBrie with Phil Naro, making one final desperate effort to forge ahead in the absence of Carl Dixon. Alas, that assemblage did prove to be short-lived as well.
Winter Rose
Shortly after parting ways with Coney Hatch, LaBrie took up the mantle of vocalist for the glam metal troupe Winter Rose. The assemblage comprised Richard Chycki on guitar and bass, Randy Cooke on drums, and Sebastian Bach on vocal duties. Chycki had aforetime collaborated with Bach under the appellations Sebastian and Hope. The band embarked upon the recording of a sequence of demos throughout the years of 1988 and 1989, enlisting the aid of guest musicians Bruce Dies and Rob Laidlaw. Alas, the majority of these compositions did not witness a commercial release until the year 1997, when they were unveiled as a self-titled opus under the auspices of Inside Out Music, a full seven years after their dissolution in 1990. One among their repertoire, the melodic opus "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," did receive the honor of a promotional video release in the year 1989 and was later included on their eponymous creation. The entire compilation featured compositions co-authored by Richard Chycki and James LaBrie, with the exception of two pieces solely penned by Richard Chycki.
Dream Theater
In the year 1990, LaBrie received word that the American progressive metal band Dream Theater sought a new minstrel, and thus he proffered a tape and swiftly journeyed to New York for a comprehensive audition. The trial proved fruitful, and he surpassed 200 other aspiring candidates to assume the role of full-time vocalist in said troupe.
Henceforth, LaBrie hath exerted a substantial influence upon the vocal melodies woven within each Dream Theater opus. However, until recently, he hath had limited involvement in the instrumentation of their music. The album "A Dramatic Turn of Events" from the year 2011 doth bear LaBrie's name in the music credits for three songs. To this day, he hath penned or co-penned lyrics for no less than one composition upon ten of the fifteen albums released by Dream Theater during his tenure. Albums such as "Images and Words," "Black Clouds & Silver Linings," "Dream Theater," and "The Astonishing" doth lack his lyrical contributions.
When queried by Prog-Sphere.com regarding his favored song to perform live, James declared, "The song that most delights me is 'Scarred'; I thoroughly enjoy its execution before an audience. And... well, 'Octavarium,' that comprehensive piece, doth captivate me entirely."
Apart from his collaborative endeavors, LaBrie hath released five solo albums under various appellations, including "Mullmuzzler," "James LaBrie's Mullmuzzler," and simply "James LaBrie."
In an interview with Beyond The Dark Horizon on June 12, 2010, James LaBrie revealed that his forthcoming solo endeavor, titled "Static Impulse," lieth in the stage of mixing and shall comprise twelve compositions. James professed, "It is of a weighty nature, and I am exceedingly excited."
On the twenty-seventh day of July in the year 2010, Dream Theater's website did proclaim that "Static Impulse" would be unveiled on September 27, 2010, courtesy of Inside Out Music. The assemblage boasts the talents of longtime collaborator Matt Guillory upon the keyboards, Marco Sfogli (who hath also graced LaBrie's previous work, "Elements of Persuasion") upon the guitars, Peter Wildoer of the Swedish melodic death metal band Darkane, who doth provide percussion and bellowing vocals, and Ray Riendeau upon the bass.
James LaBrie did express, "The unveiling of 'Static Impulse' is an event that engenders fervor within the entire band. This is modern metal, as robust and pertinent as any other ensemble embarking upon a similar musical path. There are riffs that shall rend the mind asunder, and melodies—both instrumental and vocal—that are mesmerizing. Take the reins and let the ears bleed. Enjoy, and we shall encounter you on the road to accompany and bolster this release."
In an interview with Prog-Sphere.com in 2011, LaBrie mentioned that the planned tour in the United States had been canceled, remarking, "Forsooth, for it was disarrayed ere this occasion. Where we find ourselves now, by the time thou dost procure the necessary visas, we shall have scarce a rehearsal ere we embark. I declare, 'I shall not partake in such a venture.'"
Come the month of July in the year 2013, LaBrie's album "Impermanent Resonance" was unveiled by Inside Out Music. "Beautiful Shade of Grey" followed suit in the year 2022.
Albums
MullMuzzler
Keep It to Yourself (1999)
MullMuzzler 2 (2001)
Solo
Elements of Persuasion (2005)
Static Impulse (2010)
Impermanent Resonance (2013)
I Will Not Break (2014) (Compilation EP)
Beautiful Shade of Grey (2022)
Freak
James LaBrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One man freak show
Walk by me - Excite me
Moving real slow
Can't accept it, a comical parade
Can't accept it, part of the charade
Just hangin' by a thin thread
On borrowed time, think you've got it
The same habits, sure you won't mind
Can't accept it, a comical parade
Can't accept it, part of the charade
You think I don't know
What you're thinking
With my outreached hand
Yeah you think
You're the better man
The look in your eyes
What do you care
Look at all us freaks
Cluttering your city streets
You don't know me
Nor my history
What brought me here
Walk right past me
And avoid me
Drag I'm even there
Can't accept it, it doesn't have to be
Can't accept it, don't want your sympathy
Was tired
Of the fast pace
The direction
Then I landed
Right on my face
Poor perception
Can't accept it, the comical charade
Can't accept it, badly written play
You think I don't know
What you're thinking
Yeah I might look weak
But I'm right where I wanna be
Got my piece of the wall
Got my corner
I don't want bi nire
I'm right where I wanna be
Can't accept this
Your comical parade
Can't accept this
Oh the sweet charade
I know you are thinking
The same thing
Waking everyday
Know the character you play
I left mine
With complete abandon
Don't regret it none
Left my wife
Daughter and my Son
You think I don't know
What you're thinking
With my outreached hands
Do away
With this retched man
The look in your eyes
What do you care
Look at all us freaks
Cluttering
Your city streets
The song "Freak" by James LaBrie talks about how the society perceives people who don't fit in the usual standard of appearance and lifestyle. LaBrie uses the metaphor of a one-man freak show, which symbolizes how he feels like an outcast in society. He talks about how people walk by him and excite him, but they can't accept him. The comical parade and charade in the lyrics signify how people are not taken seriously and are not given a chance to prove themselves. LaBrie mentions that he is hanging by a thin thread on borrowed time, which indicates how the society is always ready to judge him and discard him.
The lyrics of the song also show how people judge and make assumptions based on their appearance. LaBrie sings about how people look at him and think he is weak, but he is right where he wants to be. He mentions how he left his wife, daughter, and son and doesn't regret it, which might indicate that he left because he felt like he was not fitting in or being true to himself by living the life that was expected of him.
Moreover, the lyrics of the song highlight how the society only accepts people who fit in and judges the ones who don't. It portrays how people are just a clutter in the city streets, and no one cares about their history or what brought them there. The song also shows how people are trapped in the same habits and don't want to change, which makes them unable to accept others. The lyrics suggest that people should be more accepting of others and not just judge them based on their appearance or lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
You see it - I'm in it
I know you're looking at me, I'm the center of attention
One man freak show
I'm a spectacle, a unique and strange human being
Walk by me - Excite me
Moving real slow
When people walk by me slowly and stare, it excites me
Can't accept it, a comical parade
Can't accept it, part of the charade
I feel ridiculous and like a joke, but I know it's all part of the show
Just hangin' by a thin thread
On borrowed time, think you've got it
The same habits, sure you won't mind
My life is fragile and fleeting, you might have it too and take it for granted
You think I don't know
What you're thinking
With my outreached hand
Yeah you think
You're the better man
The look in your eyes
What do you care
Look at all us freaks
Cluttering your city streets
You underestimate me and judge me, but you don't know me or what brought me here. You treat me and other freaks like we're trash and a burden on society
Can't accept it, it doesn't have to be
Can't accept it, don't want your sympathy
I don't have to accept my situation if I don't want to, and I don't need your pity
Was tired
Of the fast pace
The direction
Then I landed
Right on my face
Poor perception
I was tired of my old life and wanted a change, but it didn't work out and now I'm struggling
You think I don't know
What you're thinking
Yeah I might look weak
But I'm right where I wanna be
Got my piece of the wall
Got my corner
I don't want bi nire
I'm right where I wanna be
You might see me as weak, but I'm happy where I am and have carved out my own little place in this world
Can't accept this
Your comical parade
Can't accept this
Oh the sweet charade
I refuse to participate in your ridiculous spectacle and the fake sweetness of it all
I know you are thinking
The same thing
Waking everyday
Know the character you play
I left mine
With complete abandon
Don't regret it none
Left my wife
Daughter and my Son
You're just like me, playing your character in this world. I've left my old life behind and don't regret it, even though it means leaving my family behind
With my outreached hands
Do away
With this retched man
You want to get rid of me, to make me disappear
The look in your eyes
What do you care
Look at all us freaks
Cluttering
Your city streets
You don't care about us, the freaks that you see cluttering up your city streets
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind