Mike Portnoy’s post Dream Theater years have seen the maestro drummer start several new bands as well as collaborating with musician pals such as Neil Morse, Twisted Sister and Avenged Sevonfold. With so many bands Portnoy has joined or started, he is eager as ever to play music that he truly believes in and loves playing with other world-class musicians who are on his par. The Winery Dogs is a super trio co-founded by Portnoy featuring Richie Kotzen (of Poison and Mr Big fame) on guitar and vocals and Billy Sheehen on bass. The three of them are a cohesive outfit who are stepping beyond their past music projects and creating music which is heavily inspired by classic rock bands such as Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Free and Grand Funk Railroad. They also refuse to be labeled a supergroup as they are simply friends who love playing music together and get a kick out of entertaining crowds around the world. On May 27th 2016 director Nico Martinez Bergen shot a gig of The Winery Dogs in Santiago, Chile and it is finally getting its release on August 4th as a CD DVD pack titled ‘Dog Years: Live in Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016’ with 5 previously unreleased studio tracks and 8 of their music videos.
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The first thing you notice when the band enters the stage is the lack of flashy gimmicks or pyrotechnics going on, it is an old school rock n roll show with a basic stage set up focusing on the performance of the musicians. The Winery Dogs are a virtuoso trio where each member shows what they’re capable of doing with their instruments. From the first song the band proves they can put on a powerful rock show and can get the crowd chanting their names. South American audiences know how to have a good time and the director shows this quite well with a few close ups of the crowd but mainly the camera work is focused on the individual band members. It’s also apparent that the camera work is there to serve the performance rather than putting a lot of emphasis on tricks or cutting edge film-making. Mike Portnoy’s drum chops are definitely on display as are Richie Kotzen’s guitar solos but when it comes to Kotzen’s style of singing you can’t help but be reminded of the late Chris Cornell.
As the spokesperson of the band, Portnoy is full of little stories like telling the audience that his cowbell is the 4th member of the band to which the audience enthusiastically celebrates. There’s of course the opportunity for Portnoy to do a long drum solo but his drum kit isn’t enough as he gets up of his drum seat, walks to the front of the stage and attempts to play the floor, the microphone and the camera with his drum sticks. Another memorable moment in this concert is when Kotzen expresses his more sensitive side by playing a ballad accompanied only buy his acoustic guitar; of course he can’t resist enticing us with one of his bluesy electric guitar solo’s showing the audience his shredding credentials. Even Bill Sheehen gets a chance to do a bass solo but after a while it feels like it goes on for too long. The Winery Dogs unlike most contemporary rock bands are good at live improvisation and during their jams they can throw in a Sly and the Family Stone reference but it’s their rock anthems such as “I’m No Angel” and “Desire” that make this show fun to watch and tells you why the audience are enjoying themselves.
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This DVD highlights the intricate chemistry The Winery Dogs have with one another and their unapologetic love for classic rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s. There seems to still be a high interest for old school rock amongst young people in South America; The Winery Dogs have toured in most continents around the world but they chose Santiago as their gig to film as a testament to the devotion and passion of their South American fans. The DVD itself is a nice collection item that can be enjoyed on multiple viewings, whilst the band has been around for only 5 years with just two albums under their belt it feels as if their fans have been with them since day one and will likely continue to go along for the ride on this musical journey.