JOURNEY

[muthagoose]

JEFF SCOTT SOTO Named Official New Lead Singer Of JOURNEY

Jeff Scott Soto (TALISMAN, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SOUL SIRKUS) has been officially named the new lead singer of JOURNEY. He had been filling in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the U.S. tour with DEF LEPPARD shortly after it began on June 23 due to illness.

"We are so grateful to Steve for all the years he dedicated to JOURNEY," says JOURNEY in a joint statement. "We thank Steve for all his hard work and we wish him only the best in his future endeavors. Over the past few months, we've come to realize that Jeff has proven himself above and beyond that he can sing the hell out of our songs and we're happy to officially welcome him as part of the family. We're excited to start a new chapter with Jeff and we're excited about what the future may bring.”

Steve Augeri states: "Singing for JOURNEY these last eight years have been the most challenging and the most rewarding of my career. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the band, and especially the fans, for the privilege of being part of a musical legacy that has touched so many hearts and souls. I wish my fellow bandmates success and happiness as they continue to make great music in the future, as I will strive to do the same myself."

Jeff Soto also adds, "With delight and pleasure, I am accepting the offer to continue my tenure with JOURNEY now as their permanent vocalist after the amazing past months we've spent together on tour. I also pay high respect to Steve Augeri for coming in and helping JOURNEY continue their legacy for nearly the last decade and to Steve Perry for co-creating this legacy. I hope to now add and help drive JOURNEY into the next stage of this band's future."

Since Soto's first appearance with Journey on July 7 in Bristow, VA, his performances have been garnering rave reviews.

Steve Augeri is currently recording his debut solo album, "In the Moment", due out the summer of 2007. He's also putting the finishing touches on the much-anticipated follow-up to the AOR classic TALL STORIES album, launching early next year.

JOURNEY — Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Jeff Scott Soto (vocals) — are currently mapping out plans for 2007.

[muthagoose]

JOURNEY ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF JEFF SCOTT SOTO


June 12, 2007 -- Journey has parted ways with their recently named lead singer Jeff Scott Soto. Jeff’s first appearance with Journey was July 7, 2006 in Bristow, VA. He had been filling in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the tour shortly after it began on June 23 due to illness. Jeff’s last performance was May 12, 2007 in Leesburg, VA.

According to guitarist Neal Schon, “We appreciate all of Jeff’s hard work and we can’t thank him enough for stepping in when Steve Augeri got sick last year. He did a tremendous job for us and we wish him the best. We’ve just decided to go our separate ways, no pun intended. We’re plotting our next move now."

Keyboardist Jonathan Cain continues, “We were lucky to have a friend who was already a Journey fan step in on a moment’s notice during the Def Leppard tour to help us out. Jeff was always the consummate professional and we hope that he remains a friend of the band in the future. We just felt it was time to go in a different direction.”

Journey--Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Deen Castronovo (drums)—is taking the rest of 2007 off to spend time with their families, write new songs and map out plans for 2008.

www.journeymusic.com

[muthagoose]

Journey Singer Insisted On Knowing 'Sopranos' Finale Before Allowing Song Use. Steve Perry didn't want to see 'the Soprano family being whacked to 'Don't Stop Believin'.'

If you were surprised by the "Sopranos" series-ending cliffhanger, just imagine how show creator David Chase was feeling just days before the finale aired: He still had not received permission to use Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " in the show's controversial final scene.

"The request came in a few weeks ago and it wasn't until Thursday that it got approval, because I was concerned," revealed former Journey singer Steve Perry on Tuesday (June 12). Perry and former bandmates guitarist Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain had to agree on the use of the song in the show, and though Perry said the trio don't agree on much, the "Sopranos" denouement was one of the few times since Perry left the band in 1998 that the guys have shaken hands on something unanimously.

But first, Perry made Chase an offer he couldn't refuse: He insisted on knowing what happens to the Soprano clan before signing off.

"I was not excited about [the possibility of] the Soprano family being whacked to 'Don't Stop Believin'," said Perry, who watched the show with glee Sunday night and again on Monday. "I told them, 'Unless I know what happens — and I will swear to secrecy — I can't in good conscience feel good about its use.'" The show's producers made Perry promise to keep it under his lid, which he did, and then they spilled the beans on how the song was used and how the show ends, after which Perry signed off.

Interestingly, Cain — who wrote the song with Perry and Schon — told The Associated Press that he didn't know how it would be used when they agreed to the licensing. He kept the fact that the song would be used in the show a secret even from his family.

"I didn't want to blow it," he told AP. "Even my wife didn't know. She looked at me and said, 'You knew that and you didn't tell me?' "

"I can hardly put in words how good it makes me feel, to be honest with you," said Perry about the pivotal role the song played, jokingly adding that he's not nearly as "reclusive" as MTV News made him sound in a story that ran on Monday.

"There's nothing more in my lifetime that I wanted than to be part of a band that wrote the kind of music we did when we were together. ... When I saw ['The Sopranos'] last night, what I saw was the director pull back into the foundation that was there all along during the most important moment when all this chaos [is going on]. The song was, literally, cutting from lyric to lyric, from mother to son to James [Gandolfini] at the key moment and on [the lyric] 'streetlight people,' it pulls back with the cameras to reveal a streetlight and I said, 'My God, this director [Chase] got it. He got the song!' "

When told that Chase revealed to the New Jersey Star-Ledger that "Don't Stop" was the only song he wanted all along for the show capper, Perry said he wasn't surprised. "I felt he must have heard the song enough that he wrote something that fit the lyrics," Perry said. "The whole thing blew my mind."

[The Duke]

Journey: Don't Stop Believin':

www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1330&vid=99043

[muthagoose]

JOURNEY Announces New Singer

JOURNEY — Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) — has announced its new lead singer, Arnel Pineda ("pin-eh-da"). He replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band earlier this year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing JOURNEY songs — in addition to original material — with his band, THE ZOO, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland. Joining the legendary band is a dream come true for him.

"It's so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It'll be a lot of hard work on my part and I'm actually looking forward to the scrutiny I'll get from the hardcore JOURNEY fans. I know they'll expect me to sound exactly like 'the voice' (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there's only one Steve Perry in this world."

When it was time for JOURNEY to look for a new lead singer, the Internet came to their rescue. Guitarist Neal Schon wanted someone new to the music business, so he turned to YouTube. After finding Arnel singing "Faithfully", he knew he had found the perfect frontman.

"I was frustrated about not having a singer," explains guitarist Neal Schon, "so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found THE ZOO and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, 'he can't be that good.' But he is that good, he's the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn't sound synthetic and he's not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter."

Arnel Pineda picks up the story: "My friend Noel picked up the message on YouTube and told me it was from Neal. I thought it was a hoax so I ignored it. Noel said, 'what if it really was Neal and he wanted to offer you the chance of a lifetime?' So I e-mailed Neal back and the rest is history."

"Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to JOURNEY," continues keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "His personality is very well-suited to our music. He's a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel's soaring tenor, JOURNEY returns to our heritage sound."

Schon agrees, "We feel reborn. I think there's a lot of chemistry between the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write four songs, but now it's escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone's so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel."

JOURNEY is currently working on a new album with legendary producer Kevin Shirley, which they hope to release by spring/summer 2008. Details will be announced early next year.

New JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda performing with THE ZOO:

www.youtube.com/v/90PGQPjIDEA&rel=1

[muthagoose]

JOURNEY SCHEDULED TO OPEN VIRTUAL WORLD
IN SECOND LIFE!

On February 1, multi-Platinum rockers Journey will release their new Virtual Island in Second Life. A grand opening party is planned inside Second Life at the "Journey Rock Band" sim and will feature a meet and greet with band members. Live DJs will be spinning many of Journey’s classic hits, recorded studio and live performances, as well as lots of other great music for fans to party to! The grand opening party is scheduled to start at 10:00am ET/PT. The Journey Island region in Second Life is named “Journey Rock Band”.

Learn more at www.secondlife.com.

Journey has long been known for innovations in stage sets, so creating a Second Life Island for fans to enjoy was an easy decision. The Island features dedicated areas for each album along with audio and video presentations. There are also two venues on the island, the Escape Club and the Captured Amphitheater, where live SL events can be held.

Journey’s newly redesigned website, www.journeymusic.com, will be re-launch on or around January 29. It will feature band history, tour information, photos and a new forum.

Journey is currently working on a new album with legendary producer Kevin Shirley, which they hope to release by spring/summer 2008. Their 2008 world tour begins in Santiago, Chile mid-February. More tour dates will be announced soon.

The Journey Island was built by Industrial-Design.com, Journey’s long time web developer and features work by SL builders Farrokh Vavoom, Argus Collingwood, Adrian Harbinger and Jocelyn Sands.

Recent Press Release:

Journey--Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums)--is proud to introduce fans all over the world to their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda ("pin-eh-da"). He replaces Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band earlier this year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing Journey songs--in addition to original material--with his band, The Zoo, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland. Joining the legendary band is a dream come true for him.

"It’s so exciting to sing with one of the best bands in the world. It’ll be a lot of hard work on my part and I’m actually looking forward to the scrutiny I’ll get from the hardcore Journey fans. I know they’ll expect me to sound exactly like `the voice` (Steve Perry), but that will never happen. I know there’s only one Steve Perry in this world."

When it was time for Journey to look for a new lead singer, the internet came to their rescue. Guitarist Neal Schon wanted someone new to the music business, so he turned to YouTube. After finding Arnel singing "Faithfully," he knew he had found the perfect frontman.

"I was frustrated about not having a singer," explains guitarist Neal Schon, "so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found The Zoo and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, `he can’t be that good. But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter."

Arnel Pineda picks up the story: "My friend Noel picked up the message on YouTube and told me it was from Neal. I thought it was a hoax so I ignored it. Noel said, `what if it really was Neal and he wanted to offer you the chance of a lifetime?` So I e-mailed Neal back and the rest is history."

"Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to Journey," continues keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "His personality is very well-suited to our music. He’s a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel’s soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound."

Schon agrees, "We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry between the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write 4 songs, but now it’s escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel."

[muthagoose]

JOURNEY To Release 'Revelations' In June

According to www.Melodicrock.com, JOURNEY's new studio album, entitled "Revelations", will be released in June exclusively via Wal-Mart stores. The CD will be released in a package set that will include a live DVD filmed on March 8, 2008 in Las Vegas. Rumors of a third disc in the package featuring the band's biggest hits re-recorded in late 2007 are still unconfirmed.

The band featured three new songs in their Vegas set — "Wildest Dreams", "Never Walk Away" and "After All These Years".\.

JOURNEY performed its first show with new singer Arnel Pineda on February 21 at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Viña del Mar, Chile.

Arnel Pineda ("pin-eh-da") replaced Jeff Scott Soto, who parted ways with the band last year after stepping in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the band in 2006 for medical reasons.

Arnel hails from Quezon City in the Philippines and has been singing JOURNEY songs — in addition to original material — with his band, THE ZOO, for the past couple of years in clubs all over his homeland.

JOURNEY has been confirmed for the Arrow Rock Festival, set to take place June 15 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Also scheduled to appear are DEF LEPPARD, KISS, WHITESNAKE and TWISTED SISTER.

[The Duke]

Hell yes!

[Chick-O-Stick]

Schweeeet! There has been no one that can live up to Steve Perry in my opinion, BUT in listening to Arnel Pineda on youtube I have to say I am impressed. At least he lives up to the theory of Steve Perry if you know what I mean.

[muthagoose]

For the Journey fans that frequent the board...


JOURNEY: Las Vegas Show Featuring New Vocalist's Debut
Airing On VH-1 This Week

JOURNEY's March 6th, 2008 show in Las Vegas, NV marking the first US public appearance of Journey's current line-up - Neal Schon (guitars), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums), and new lead singer Arnel Pineda - will airthis week on VH-1 Classic this week.

Go to this location for details and broadcast times:

www.vh1.com/artists/az/journey/motv.jhtml

[muthagoose]

Watched this concert today. The new guy is fantastic. This is a must see for all you Journey fans out there!

Jul 7, 2008 7:53:44 GMT -5 @muthagoose said:

For the Journey fans that frequent the board...


JOURNEY: Las Vegas Show Featuring New Vocalist's Debut
Airing On VH-1 This Week

JOURNEY's March 6th, 2008 show in Las Vegas, NV marking the first US public appearance of Journey's current line-up - Neal Schon (guitars), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums), and new lead singer Arnel Pineda - will airthis week on VH-1 Classic this week.

Go to this location for details and broadcast times:

www.vh1.com/artists/az/journey/motv.jhtml

[Stomper]

Knowing that you are a huge Steve Perry fan and that you are suggesting checking this out, I may just have to.

[muthagoose]

JOURNEY Guitarist NEAL SCHON - "I Have Tried To Talk To STEVE PERRY Numerous Times; You'd Think That After A While, Everybody Would Grow Up"

Following up his interview with ex-JOURNEY vocalist Steve Perry, Alex Pappademas recently spoke with guitarist Neal Schon for GQ to hear his side of the split between Perry and the band. Following is an excerpt from the interview:

Q: You went on to make a string of hit records with Steve. You became one of the biggest bands in the world. And then you went on hiatus. What was the deal with that? Did you get burned out?

Schon: "Well, of course, everybody gets burned, but I was like a machine out there. I loved touring. So I was ready to go, go, go, and I think pretty much everybody else in the band was. [After the Raised on Radio tour] Steve Perry just came up and said, 'Look, I'm burnt, I'm toast, I need to take a rest.' And so in the middle of a tour, he just pulled out. I believe we were in Hawaii. We hadn't finished the second leg of the tour. And so everybody packed their stuff, went home, and I'm hearing that we're gonna be off for maybe a couple months, three months, six months, whatever—but it turned out to be close to eight to ten years."

Q: Did you feel like Journey had run its course?

Schon: "No—I didn't think Journey was done. We actually never even quit. It wasn't like we called each other and went, 'Okay, this is history, nice knowin' ya.' It was just sort of left at a hiatus. And it was all based around Steve giving us a call and saying 'Okay, I'm fine now, I'm ready to go.' And it just didn't happen."



Q: Was that frustrating for you, that he sort of pulled out like that?

Schon: "Well, yeah. You work on something for so many years, and you attain what you attain, which was an amazing feat, and then it's sort of like the rug is pulled out from under you."

Q: You and Steve don't talk, right? Is it safe to say that there's not communication between you anymore?

Schon: "I have tried to talk to him, numerous times. And he will not allow me to have his number. Everything has to go through lawyers and management. And that is sort of a drag. You'd think that after a while, everybody would grow up and be able to talk, one on one. But it just hasn't happened. So, because of his wishes, that's the way things go down."

Go to this location for the complete interview, which follows the in-depth discussion with Perry:
blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewcustom&friendID=30231456&blogID=449153330&swapped=true

[muthagoose]

Ex-JOURNEY Vocalist STEVE PERRY - "I Think The Beginning Of The End Was When NEAL SCHON Started His Solo Career"

Alex Pappademas recently spoke with ex-JOURNEY vocalist Steve Perry for GQ. Following is an excerpt from the interview:

Q: Journey had already made three records by the time you joined the band.

Perry: "Yeah. I joined the band in 1978. What happened was, I was in Los Angeles, trying to get signed, with a band that I was in at the time—it was called the ALIEN PROJECT, but it was also called STREET TALK. The name wasn't settled yet. Don Ellis, who was running the west coast side of Columbia at the time, heard the tape and really liked the group. We were supposed to talk serious contract papers with him right after 4th of July weekend that year. And our bass player Richard Michaels got killed in a Fourth of July holiday accident on the freeway. We were destroyed by that—he was a wonderful singer, a wonderful bass player, and a great guy, and he was part of a real interesting chemistry that Columbia wanted to sign. So Don Ellis took the liberty, about two weeks after that, of sending our tapes to Herbie Herbert, who at the time was managing Journey. And I got a phone call from Don Ellis telling me that Herbie had called back and wanted to meet me and talk to me about joining the group. Because Journey had made a conscious decision, along with Columbia's—what's the correct word here—request [laughs] that they become a little more song-oriented. So they thought that I would be a good addition to the band. So Don Ellis called me and said Herbie wanted me to fly out and meet Neal (Schon). I think it was in Denver, Colorado—they were opening for EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER at the time. So I flew out there, hung out with the band. Neal and I wrote our first song that night in the hotel room, after the show. Called 'Patiently'. It began at that point for me, with the band."



Q: What did you mean when you said, on that VH1 special, that you'd never really felt like part of the band?

Perry: "Okay. So—[long pause] when we did the VH1 thing, I said there was quite some time where I never really felt part of the band. And people didn't understand what that meant. And what that meant was that there was a period of time where I always felt, from Neal, that I had to prove myself worthy of the position I was trying to occupy in the group. And not until it really took off, I think, did that question really get answered.

But along with this, you have to print that I can't blame them. Because they'd had a certain amount of success without me, and they were wondering, once I joined, 'Is this the right direction?' I could tell that. I didn't have years of being in SANTANA under my belt, like Neal and Gregg. Ross Valory had played with Steve Miller and people like that, I didn't have that. Aynsley Dunbar had played with everybody. I didn't have that under my belt. So, yeah. I was the new kid. And I think that proving myself was something that went on for quite some time with the band members."

Q: When you started your solo career, was that the beginning of the end for Journey?

Perry: "No. I think the beginning of the end was when Neal started his solo career. Neal did a solo album way before I was thinking about it, with Jan Hammer. And I said to Herbie, the manager, 'I think this is a bad idea'—that it would fracture the band on some level. And he said 'No, he's gotta do what he's gotta do. I've tried to talk him out of it, but he wants to do it.' And then he did his second one, and I said 'OK, look, if he does a second one, I'm probably going to end up doing one.' Then [drummer] Steve Smith wanted to do a jazz record. And the theory coming from Steve, and I kind of understood it, was that everybody'll go out and be able to express themselves musically in some other areas, and then when we reconvene, perhaps we will have discovered or found things that we can bring to the group to help the group evolve. And so I thought that was okay. So after Neal did his second solo album, I went to LA, and in about three weeks, I wrote Street Talk, which was a bit of a nod to the earlier band, and to the bass player who'd passed, and with some great studio musicians and cowriters, we just knocked the record out and we released it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewcustom&friendID=30231456&blogID=449153330&swapped=true