NMB (previously known as Neal Morse Band) have shared the video for their latest single, Bird On A Wire. It's the second single from their upcoming fourth studio album, Innocence & Danger, due on InsideOut on August 27.
Drummer Mike Portnoy says this about the track, “This was the second song we wrote for the new album’s sessions. The main riff and groove stemmed from an idea Randy George brought in and the chorus was something Bill had... and the intro and middle shred riffs were Eric’s... another truly collaborative effort!”
The double album, Innocence & Danger, includes artwork by Thomas Ewerhard (Transatlantic) and will be available as a limited 2CD+DVD Digipak (featuring a Making Of documentary) and 3LP+2CD box set in addition to standard CD and digital formats.
Although NMB’s previous two releases were concept albums, this one contains a series of unrelated songs. Says Portnoy says: “After two sprawling back to back double concept albums in a row, it was refreshing to get back to writing a collection of unrelated individual songs in the vein of our first album.”
Initial inspiration came from Bill Hubauer (keyboards) and Randy George (bass), the ideas flowed from everybody from there on, as George recalls: “I am excited about the level of collaboration that we achieved on this one. We even went in with a lot of ideas that weren’t necessarily developed, and I think in the end we have something that represents the best of everybody in the band.”
There is also plenty in Innocence & Danger to excite those prog fans who have a thirst for epics, as Neal Morse explains: “There's one half hour epic and another that's about 20 minutes long. I really didn't realise that they were that long when we were recording them, which I guess is great because if a movie is really good, you don't realise that it's three hours long! But there are also some shorter songs: some have poppier elements, some are heavier and some have three part acoustic sections. I’m excited about all of it, really.”
NMB – An Evening Of Innocence & Danger 2021-2022 Tour
USA 2021
08.10: Cross Plains, Morsefest 2021, TN
09.10: Cross Plains, Morsefest 2021, TN
12.10: Seattle The Triple Door, WA
14.10: St Charles The Arcada, IL
15.10: Pontiac The Crofoot Ballroom, MI
16.10: Ft Wayne Pieres, IN
17.10: Cleveland The Beachland Ballroom, OH
19.10: Glenside The Keswick Theater, PA
20.10: Baltimore Soundstage, MD
21.10: Boston The Sinclair, MA
22.10: New York City The Sony Theater , NY
Europe 2022
28.05: Madrid Teatro Kapital, Spain
29.05: Barcelona Apolo, Spain
30.05: Milan Live Club, Italy
31.05: Pratteln Z7, Switzerland
01.06: Tilburg 013, Netherlands
03.06: London Shepherds Bush Empire, England
04.06: Paris Trianon, France
05.06: Esch Sur Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
07.06: Cologne Live Music Hall, Germany
09.06: Brno Sono, Czech Republic
10.06: Krakow Studio Club, Poland
11.06: Warsaw Progresja, Poland
13.06: Hamburg Markthalle, Germany
15.06: Copenhagen Amager Bio, Denmark
16.06: Gothenburg Pustervik, Sweden
17.06: Oslo Cosmopolite, Norway
18.06: Stockholm Lilla Cirkus, Sweden
