In 2016 John Myung’s supergroup The Jelly Jam – also featuring Ty Tabor of King’s X and Rod Morgenstein of Winger and Dixie Dregs – released their fourth and most recent album, Profit. It was the perfect opportunity to compare his role to a power trio to his sometimes-unheard contribution to his main band, Dream Theater.
In a world of instant media, where fans can be bombarded with the hourly, trivial minutia of a musician’s life, it’s pleasantly reassuring to find that some characters retain a certain mystique. Dream Theater’s bassist John Myung is just such an anachronism, maintaining a palpable distance and dignity away from the always-on social media spotlight.
Never throwing himself into the limelight and rarely interviewed, he has a reputation for being a private man and a deep thinker – and so it comes as a shock to find him in such an ebullient and verbose mood.
That excitement centres on a new album from The Jelly Jam, ostensibly a side project created by Myung alongside drummer Rod Morgenstein (Winger, Dixie Dregs) and singer/guitarist Ty Tabor (King’s X). They released their self‑titled debut album in 2002, delivering a blend of accessible, 70s-influenced songs with a progressive quirkiness.
However, on their latest release, Profit, there’s a commerciality that has the potential to appeal to the mass market. Given the enthusiasm that’s radiating down the phone line from his New York studio, it’s clearly a recording Myung is proud of.
“It felt like the next logical step to up the level of promotion – make the band a little more known to people out there,” he says. “At the moment, we’re in a really cool situation. I just love music in general and to me, it’s all about resonance, so I’m open to many types of music. ‘Does this music move me? Does it do anything to me?’ Pretty much in every genre, I can find an appreciation. It’s like that with lyric writing, where you can find a creative flux.”
He’s referring to a stream-of-consciousness approach, when everything comes together to allow music to be easily made; a condition of the mind where writers’ block is non-existent and ideas flow perfectly. Myung firmly believes that if you can achieve such a state with the other members of a band, there’s the potential to create something special.
“We’re constantly going through cycles, but all of a sudden you get into a certain space where everything is sort of aligned,” he explains. “It seems to be like a natural phenomenon that you can see in other bands’ music too. They reach a certain point in their career when they’ve had tremendous success; they’ve written a couple of records that seem to be their best.
“I think The Jelly Jam, up until now, has been a pretty transitional thing – by nature it’s always been, ‘We’ve got 10 days, let’s see what we can do.’ During those sessions a lot of great things have happened. For this particular record, I think it’s a moment when everything has aligned in that way, and I think it’s really commercially viable.”
He reports that their latest standout musical moments appeared unexpectedly during jam sessions. “Happy accidents make it incredibly satisfying to write music,” he says. “The song Perfect Lines is a good example; we got to a point where we thought, ‘What are we going to do now?’ Then Rod played this piano part and it was just the most perfect thing. Luckily Ty was recording it – I honestly couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was a perfect thing and it became an integral part of the song.
“Lyrically, there’s a central concept about the stranglehold of greed: greed gets the best of us and the best of the planet. In my eyes it’s not sustainable, and if everyone really put their heads together, we could accomplish a hell of a lot more. We’d be far better off – but there’s almost a dark, controlling energy that I guess has always been there. It seems to be more prevalent than ever. That’s what the storyline touches upon.”
Profit is potentially their most accessible to date. That’s not to say it lacks ambition or progressive acumen – rather, alongside experimental moments, songs such as Care have an aura of radio friendliness about them. The album was created over two 10-day sessions at Myung’s studio, and although much of the material flowed easily, there was still a sense of concern over some of the songs.
I’ve been in the mixing room and said, ‘I can’t hear myself.’ They pull the bass out of the mix and it’s like, ‘It sounds empty!’
“We got together the second time because we had songs we felt we could have pushed, but it didn’t feel natural, it felt forced. So we got together for a second session where we were able to write more than enough songs. We narrowed the selection down to what we thought were the best . When I heard the finished album, it definitely struck me as something that a lot of people could appreciate.”
One recurring criticism that comes from a corner of the Dream Theater fanbase is that Myung’s inventive, technical and regularly alluring bass playing sometimes gets lost in the band’s time changes and complex riffs. As part of The Jelly Jam power trio, his playing has been given a refreshing prominence. One might imagine that would give him a sense of satisfaction – but it’s clear that he simply enjoys making music in a professional capacity.
“Every band has a chemistry,” he reflects, “and it’s natural that, in order for a band to work, you have to fall in line and realise what your part is. But I honestly just love being a musician and the fact I can make a living playing. I enjoy what I do on such a fundamental level that everything else is a minor detail.
“A lot of people tell me that with Dream Theater they can’t hear the bass, and I kind of know what they mean. It doesn’t really stand out. But I’ve been in the mixing room and said, ‘I can’t hear myself.’ Then they pull the bass out of the mix, and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it sounds empty!’ A lot of that is because the bass and guitar in Dream Theater almost become one instrument. With The Jelly Jam, it’s more dynamic – there’s a different sense of space that has to be filled. But I find it to be just as satisfying. It’s a different group of people producing different work.”
There’s the obvious quandary for Myung should Profit make any substantial commercial breakthrough. With Dream Theater taking up most of his time, there are only a few gaps in his schedule to focus on The Jelly Jam. They’re embarking on their first North American tour this summer, but can Myung ever see a point when there could be conflicting demands?
“It would be a wonderful problem to have!” he laughs. “I’d be open to it. Who wouldn’t want success with two bands? During the Dream Theater break in the summer, we have some Jelly Jam shows, so there’s no downtime. But I’m enjoying every minute of it. It’s more satisfying to stay busy and do rewarding things than it is to sit around.
“Certainly, when comparing this album to anything we’ve done up to this point, this record lends itself to that sort of thing happening. That’s really because of the way the whole thing came together. It seems to be a magical point in our career.”