journey through time schon

Neal Schon's live celebration of Journey: supremely musicianly and surprisingly rough-and-ready

A live recording from the journey alumni show to raise money for victims of the fires that ravaged the north bay area of san francisco in 2017.

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All hail the return of The Fabulous Baker Boys (AOR division): Neal Scone and Bread Rolie, otherwise known as Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie, founding members of Journey way back in 1973. 

This epic three-CD set immortalises a February 2018 benefit show that raised funds for the city’s North Bay area that had been ravaged by wildfires. Guitarist Schon assembled a one-off troupe of Journey alumni for the show (including keyboard player/vocalist Rolie, natch), and the results are both supremely musicianly and surprisingly rough-and-ready. 

With Schon in full-on guitar-hero mode and an eclectic setlist (including Kohoutek , an instrumental throwback to Journey’s jazz-rock roots), this is about as glossy as a piece of scuffed carpet – and all the better for it.

No Jonathan Cain, who was down the cake shop at the time.

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NEAL SCHON – Journey Through Time (Album Review)

So color me skeptical. That’s what I thought when I first heard about the Neal Schon album. I mean, face it: a gathering of current and former Journey -men, playing a big set of that band’s songs, from each and every era. And it is in a 3 CD/DVD digi-pack package.

To me, it screamed “money grab.” I was wrong. “Journey Through Time” is great, no question about it. The performances are outstanding. The music selections are wonderful and provide several surprises. I’ve listened to this over and over, and it sounds better with each hearing. Schon has certainly put out something that people SHOULD want to buy. It’s that good.

The first four cuts are from early Journey , the pre- Perry period. “ Kohoutek” is a great example of the early sound.  There are flashes that remind one of Santana (more on that later), but the spacey prog-jazz flourishes are signature, early Journey . This was a very interesting band, one popular with the college crowd of the time (including me). Schon and Rolie get a chance to shine on this one, and they do so with flair. But the truth of the matter is this: only a few fans got this at the time it came out. As a result, their record company (which shall not be named) almost dropped them. But it gave them one more chance, demanding that Journey go more commercial and hire a second lead singer (which led to the membership of Steve Perry ). 

“ Kohoutek” blends into “Daydream,” one of the first songs featuring the aforementioned Mr. Perry .  It’s a bridge from the past into the next phase of Journey , the one that leads them to becoming the top arena rock ensemble of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Of course, Perry is not on this album. But Deen Castronovo — not just a superb drummer — takes over the lead vocals. The resemblance is uncanny, including the signature “whoa whoas” that Perry threw into so many songs. This version of “Daydream,” also has a wonderful bass solo from Marco Mendoza . 

One of the shockers of this album — or any that might try it — is that Schon and company wait until the 8th cut to enter the realm of greatest hits. “Feelin’ That Way” allows Rolie a chance to power-ballad a bit, and then that segues into “Anytime” (with Castronovo assuming lead vocals). On the studio album, this was the song pairing that really started Journey on the road to the big-time. And this is where the Schon group could fall short — say, playing a little slower or in a different key to accommodate aging vocalists, or just failing to energize the proceedings. None of that is noticeable here. The songs are vibrant and alive, powerful, and melodic — just as they were 45 years ago on the album “ Infinity” . You’ll want sing along; I did (and do).

“Journey Through Time” Artwork

And that’s true of all the hits performed on “Journey Through Time” , including “ Lights”, “Separate Ways”, “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’” , et al — and wrapping up with the biggest of the big, “ Don’t Stop Believin’” . 

But here’s another surprise.  Sprinkled throughout the rest of the music: deep cuts from the past (“Mother Father” ), returns to those first three prog-jazz albums (songs like “Nickel and Dime”, “Hustler”, etc.), and nods to the latter-day band, the one that stopped having hits but continued to record and perform ( “Trial By Fire” ) . If you’re a dedicated fan and have all the albums, you’ll probably recognize all of these. If not, the breadth of your Journey knowledge and appreciation is about to increase by several hundred percent.

What links all these songs, all these eras, is the great musicianship and songwriting skills. Those things never really flagged, through feast and famine. Journey was a band that had chops and showed them. And that point is reinforced in “Journey Through Time.”

But if this album is full of surprises, the last two cuts take it up a notch or three. Schon and Gregg Rolie go back to a time before Journey , to their roots in the early Santana . The great “Black Magic Woman” retains its initial slinkiness before firing into the fast and heavy instrumental section. No, Schon wasn’t on the original recording (or at Woodstock), but he shows flashes of Carlos Santana himself in laying down a blazing guitar. And Rolie ’s voice and keyboards are still smooth and spectacular in painting the tale. That then gives way to “Oye Como Va”, a toe-tapping concert fave that allows for audience sing-along (even if they’re not sure what the words mean). 

I found myself a bit breathless after all the proceedings, and I can only imagine that the live audiences on this tour were in the same condition when all was said and done.

“Journey Through Time” is called a Neal Schon album, and that’s all well and good. He still plays a superb guitar, more than 50 years on. But this is an outstanding journey through Journey ’s impressive catalog. If you have doubts, like I did, prepare to make a 180-degree turn. This is a fantastic release. And I won’t stop believin’ it.

Released By: Frontier Records Release Date: May 19th, 2023 Genre:  AOR Rock / Prog-Rock

  Band Members:

• Neal Schon / Guitar
• Greg Rolie / Keyboards, Vocals
• Marco Mendoza / Bass
• Deen Castronovo / Drums, Vocals
• John Varn / Keyboards, Vocals

“Journey Through Time” track listing:

1. I’m Gonna Leave You 2. Look Into The Future 3. Kohoutek 4. Daydream 5. La Do La 6. Line Of Fire 7. Walk’s Like A Lady 8. Feelin’ That Way 9. Anytime 10. Lights 11. Still They Ride 12. Separate Ways 13. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ 14. Wheel In The Sky 15. Patiently (Medley) 16. Trial By Fire (Medley) 17. Stay Awhile (Medley) 18. Mystery Mountain 19. Of A Lifetime 20. Just The Same Way 21. Lovin’ You Is Easy 22. Lady Luck 23. You’re On Your Own 24. Hustler 25. Nickle And Dime 26. People 27. Mother Father 28. Any Way You Want It 29. Don’t Stop Believin’ 30. Black Magic Woman 31. Oye Como Va

Pre-order “Journey Through Time”   HERE .

Neal Schon and former members of Journey take a journey through time, covering the band’s catalog with verve and enthusiasm — and variety — that put a lot of younger bands to shame. This one will surprise a lot of people who have placed Journey over the hill

• Songwriting 9
• Musicianship 9.5
• Originality 8.5
• Production 9

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Neal Schon on Journey Through Time: 'It's like the Dead on steroids'

Neal Schon says he's thrilled to be getting in touch with his improvisational roots on guitar at the helm of a group that also features former Journey members Gregg Rolie on keyboards and vocals and Deen Castronovo on drums and vocals.

"We're becoming a nuclear jam band," he says. "It’s like the Dead on steroids. We’re jamming a lot. And I really tested the audience the other night in Oakland. We had nearly 3,000 people there. And it looked like a very mixed audience. So we went way outside. I told the guys during soundcheck, 'Let’s trip it out.'"

He was playing "Miles Davis-type trumpet on guitar," he says, over a bass groove from Davis' "Jack Johnson" album. 

"And I stayed there," he says with a laugh. "I stayed there a long time. And the more far out there I took it, the more the audience loved it. I went, 'Wow.' Because they were either gonna be like ‘End it!’ or take a ride with you. And they were there for the ride, man. I think Gregg Rolie was falling asleep, like ‘When are we gonna get to the next song?’"

In short, Neal Schon's Journey Through Time is a bit of a different live-music experience than one would get from going to a normal Journey concert. 

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"That’s exciting to me because those are my roots," he says. "I’ve learned to taper back through the years and make hit records. But my roots, in the beginning, were all about just being on the fly, being able to improvise at any given moment and let it go, don’t be afraid of it because you’re just creating on the spot."

The set list is a mix of hits and songs from their earliest days, when he and Rolie founded Journey after leaving Santana together.

Will having the freedom to stretch out and explore this other side of his vocabulary make it hard to go back to the more hit-oriented Journey concerts?

"Not at all," he says. "Because we did play some hits on the three shows that Journey Through Time has done. But this is a different audience. They want to hear the older stuff. They were like ‘Yeah, I’ve heard "Don’t Stop Believin’,” I’ve heard "Any Way You Want It."'

He's pretty sure he's onto something here, Schon says. "Because I love both audiences and I know what they both expect now. I’m learning more and more about this JTT audience, that you can basically do anything you want but they don’t want just a hit song. So this is, for me, like the best of both worlds, having both bands."

The project began with a one-off performance in February 2018 at a concert the guitarist organized to benefit the victims of the California wildfires.

"It was just devastating," he says of the fires. "It seemed like it was never gonna stop and I felt terrible about it, seeing so many people that have everything. I wanted to do something bigger, but we couldn’t bring it together that fast. Everything had already been booked. So I decided to take it into the Independent in San Francisco, which holds probably close to 600 people, pull some old friends together, have some fun and raise some money."

The concert sold out in a matter of minutes.

"So that’s where it started," he says. "We got together, started playing all this older material. We learned 33 songs in about four days and then went and played, very organically. No frills, no killer lights, no screens, no backing tracks, no nothing."

And the audience was definitely in their corner.

"People came in from all over the world to see it," he says. "So I go, 'Wow.' I didn’t have a clue that there would be so many older fans that really felt like they would never hear anything from our first three records. And it’s getting better every time we play. I’m looking forward to a full summer."

As Schon was preparing to launch the tour that brings his band to the Van Buren on Friday, he learned that he had to have emergency gall bladder surgery.

"I had a great doctor," he says. "And of course I had these shows coming up. He said ‘We’re gonna have to do surgery here.’ I said, ‘OK, well, I’ve got a few shows to play and I’ll be back after March.’ He goes, ‘No, you don’t understand.’ But luckily, I was in and out. He was able to do microscopic surgery. It didn't even leave a mark."

And best of all, he's feeling better than he has in years.

"I bounced right back," he says.

Within two weeks of having the surgery, he was on stage with Journey Through Time.

"People were dumbfounded," he says. "I was all over the stage, on top of the PA cabinets, twisting and turning and playing and really feeling good at the last show in Oakland. So I’m back. I feel good."

After playing two concerts this weekend with Journey Through Time, the guitarist is flying to Nashville to work on new music with producer Marti Frederiksen.

"We have four songs – amazing songs – right now," Schon says. "And they definitely have commercial viability. The story with him is gonna be a Chris Stapleton story because he’s written so many hits for Aerosmith, Foreigner and many, many others. And he has an amazing voice. The second I heard him sing, all the hair on my arms stood up."

They're doing a full album, Schon says, which he's hoping to record while Rolie is off touring with Ringo Starr.

He also has a solo album coming out in August. Titled "Universe," it was recorded with Narada Michael Walden.

"I’m gonna put another band together and go out with that while Gregg is busy and we have to put JTT on hold for a second," Schon says. "I’m gonna stay out there, man. I’m really having fun having my name out there. And I’m finding out that I have so many fans that want to hear so many facets of music that I’ve done throughout the years. And I’ve never really toured by myself with other great musicians."

As for what these solo projects mean for Journey, they'll be back before you know it. 

"We’ve already committed to a tour in 2020 with some dates this year," Schon says. "We’re doing a residency in Vegas in October and we have a couple corporate shows and a couple other things before that. But the rest of the year is off."

He's looking forward, in fact, to getting back to Journey when it's time to reconvene.

"I’m open to it all," he says. "There’s no reason to close down any bridges. Everybody’s put a lot of work and blood, sweat and tears into this for many, many years."

Among those open bridges is the one that leads to former Journey vocalist Steve Perry, although Schon says he's done making overtures to that effect. 

"I’m gonna not say anything more about it," he says, with a laugh. "I’ve gone way out on a limb in so many different ways and all I can tell you is that he’s not contacted me to have that coffee yet. So I’m just gonna give it a rest."

Perry hasn’t sung with Journey since they went their separate ways in 1998. Last year, he returned with his first solo record since the '90s, "Traces."

"Did I listen to his record?" Schon says. "Yeah, I listened to his record. And I hear a lot of emotion in it. I understood where the record was coming from and I thought he sounded very good. I said, 'Well, if we ever got together, I definitely know where I’d go with him, in more of a blues and R&B thing.' But I’m just gonna leave it alone because it just seems like he wants to have his own time to do things and not have a bunch of people talking to him about ‘Are you gonna get together with Neal? Are you gonna do Journey?’ And all those answers are always, ‘No. No. No. No.” But then every once in a while, he says something that gives you the feeling that he’s open to it.  But after a while, you just have to leave things alone and let them take their own course."

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.  Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Neal Schon's Journey Through Time

When:  7:30 p.m. Friday, March 1. 

Where: The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix.

Admission: $65-$99. 

Details: 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.

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Neal Schon Opens ‘Journey Through Time’ Tour: Set List, Videos

Neal Schon kicked off his Journey Through Time tour this past weekend with a deep dive into the band's catalog.

The guitarist was joined by former Journey members Gregg Rolie and Deen Castronovo for a 25-song show, first during a preview gig Friday at the Rancheria Casino in Jackson, Calif., and then on Saturday at the Fox Theater in Oakland. The sets were similar, save a shift up to third spot for "Just the Same Way" on the tour's second stop.

Elsewhere, the group went back to "Kohoutek," an early concert favorite from Journey's 1975 debut album, "I'm Gonna Leave You" and the title track from 1976's Look Into the Future , "Nickel and Dime" and "People" from 1977's Next , "La Do Da" from 1978's Infinity and "Daydream" from 1979's Evolution , among others.

You can see a complete set list below.

The tour, which continues with a March 1 date at the Van Buren in Phoenix and a March 2 stop at the Orpheum in Los Angeles, also includes some of Journey's best-known songs. Their opening night came to a close, for instance, with updates of the hits "Any Way You Want It" and "Don't Stop Believin'," along with a live version of "Black Magic Woman." Rolie voiced the original version of the latter song with Santana , before Schon later joined the group.

Schon is recovering from emergency gallbladder removal . Marco Mendoza, Marti Frederiksen and Chris Collins round out the Journey Through Time band. The current lineup of Journey is also preparing to release Live in Japan 2017: 'Escape' + 'Frontiers ,' a new multi-disc concert package recorded at Budokan, later in March.

Watch Neal Schon's Journey Through Time Perform 'La Do Da'

Watch Neal Schon's Journey Through Time Perform 'Kohoutek'

Watch Neal Schon's Journey Through Time Perform 'Don't Stop Believin''

Journey Through Time, Fox Theater, Oakland, 2/23/19 "I'm Gonna Leave You" "Look Into the Future" "Just the Same Way" "Kohoutek" "Daydream" "Walks Like a Lady" "Feeling That Way / Anytime" "Lights" "Still They Ride" "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" "Wheel in the Sky" "Trial by Fire" "Stay Awhile" "Mystery Mountain" "Of a Lifetime" "La Do Da" "Lovin' You Is Easy" "Nickel & Dime" "People" "Mother, Father" "Any Way You Want It" "Don't Stop Believin'" "Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen"

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NEAL SCHON Announces First 'Journey Through Time' Tour Dates

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon will embark on his "Journey Through Time" tour next month. Schon will take the stage alongside founding JOURNEY and SANTANA singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie , ex- JOURNEY drummer Deen Castronovo , bassist Marco Mendoza of THE DEAD DAISIES and THIN LIZZY , a musician named Chris Collins (on guitar and keyboards) and super-producer Marti Frederiksen (multi-instrumentalist, vocals).

"Neal Schon's Journey Through Time" will perform all the greatest JOURNEY hits we've all come to love. They will also perform choice selections from their earliest recordings.

The band will play a warm-up show on February 22 at the Jackson Rancheria Casino in Jackson, California before the trek's official kick-off on February 23 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California.

Schon and Rolie debuted "Journey Through Time" in February 2018 at The Independent in San Francisco to a sold-out crowd, performing songs spanning JOURNEY 's entire catalog — including the first three albums, "Journey" , "Look Into The Future" and "Next" .

"Journey Through Time" will hit the road in February 2019 for the first time, celebrating JOURNEY 's legendary catalog and rich history. Returning to their roots, the band will showcase songs from the very beginning — plus pay tribute to your favorite classic hits.

"We're really going to play anything that's in our repertoire — anything that JOURNEY has recorded," says Schon . "I plan on mixing it up a lot and not playing the same set. Stuff from our first three records — we're going to update that a little bit — and have some fun jamming!"

Explaining his decision to play shows away from JOURNEY , Schon wrote on his blog : "I was told by management [ John Baruck ] that we all would take all of 2019 off, except for possibly a few dates near the end of the year leading into 2020 and that Jonathan Cain [and] Steve Smith [had] other things they wanted to do. At that point, I decided to go out and have some fun with Gregg Rolie , Deen Castronovo , Marco Mendoza , Marti Frederiksen and Chris Collins and dip into our catalog — deep tracks (from the beginning and beyond)."

He added: "That, my friends, is the way it REALLY went down instead of trying to blame me for [ JOURNEY ] not playing [this] year."

Neal referred to Deen as "the baddest ass singing drummer on this planet," while Castronovo commented on his participation in "Journey Through Time" , saying: "I will do the best I can with the songs you and I love, grew up with, and cherish. I'm no [ Steve Perry ] nor an [ Arnel Pineda ] but will try to honor the 'voices' and the legacy. I owe you all this."

JOURNEY and DEF LEPPARD 's 2018 North American co-headline tour grossed $97.1 million from 1,003,198 tickets sold, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore . The trek included 56 dates across the United States, plus two shows in Canada.

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Neal Schon on Journey’s ‘New Strut,’ Possible Arnel Pineda Biopic, and His New Solo LP

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Three years ago, Journey guitarist Neal Schon finished a solo album of instrumental tracks that mixed classic-rock covers like “Hey Jude” and “Voodoo Child” with originals he created with producer-drummer Narada Michael Walden. Since that time, Journey fired drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory after a bitter business dispute, brought in Walden and Raised on Radio –era bassist Randy Jackson to take their places, and canceled a 2020 summer tour with the Pretenders due to the pandemic.

During his forced downtime, Schon decided it was finally time to share his instrumental album, The Universe , with the world. “This has been a hellacious year,” he says. “There’s some healing music on here. I feel like it’s going to ease a lot of people’s pain and give them something new to listen to and some hope.”

Schon called up Rolling Stone to talk about The Universe (which is streaming right now), the legal battle that split Journey apart, parting ways with manager Irving Azoff, repairing his relationship with keyboardist Jonathan Cain, cutting Journey’s new album while on lockdown, his continued hopes of making peace with Steve Perry, the possibility of an Arnel Pineda biopic, and why he thinks this new lineup of Journey will lead to a whole new era for the band.

Tell me the backstory of The Universe. About three years ago, I ran into Narada Michael Walden. I said, “Narada, why don’t you write me a record?” We’d known each other forever and had jammed and played live together, but we’d never really worked together with him as a producer and me as a guitar player.

I said, “I really want to veer away from anything that sounds like Jeff Beck.” That’s because there’s only one Jeff Beck and only one Jimi [Hendrix]. But I said, “You’ve known me for a long time and you know what I like to play. What I’m hearing is a very majestic, symphonic-type blues-R&B-fusion rock album.”

He goes, “That’s the whole spectrum.” I go, “Let’s just diversify it.” And so he said, “Let me have a few days and I’ll call you when I have some tracks.” Three days later, he calls me and says, “Why don’t you come by the studio? I have some stuff to play for you.”

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Where did it go from there? I went by the studio and he had like six tracks that he had written with drums on them, keyboard bass, and voice singing the main melody of a guitar. He said, “Take this home and get comfortable with it and let me know when you’ve got it down.”

This was something new for me because I usually write my own material. I took it home, listened to it, and worked my way around it. I felt like I was going to improv my way through the melodies and add my own shtick to it.

I went into the first session with him and I started playing something from the heart where I veered away from the melody. He said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I’m just playing what it is.” He said, “No, you have to play that melody exactly like I’m singing it.” I went, “Oh. OK.” He goes, “I’m treating you like you’re a vocalist and your guitar is the vocal.”

After conforming to that, I managed to get things down very quickly on the record. We worked on it in different time periods. We got as much done as I could when I was home and then I’d go tour and come back and work with him when he was available. We finished it over the duration of about a year with three, four weeks in the studio altogether.

Let’s talk about some of the specific songs. Tell me about your version of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” There’s a clip of me on the internet playing it in the Twin Cities right after he passed [in 2016]. I get a few sections in the [Journey] set to do my own thing. And I’ve been looping for years. And so a lot of times I’ll loop some chord changes to a song and improv my way through it.

That night, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I felt his presence and I played the chord changes. I overdubbed one of the melodies he did on the end. I put that in there and just blew through it and the audience really came unglued. It was his hometown, but he just passed and I captured the moment.

That stuck with me and I said to my friend Gary Cirimelli, who I did the [2001]  Voice record with, “Please do me an orchestration of ‘Purple Rain.'” He did an amazing job and I actually recorded that before I started the record with Narada.

You also tackle “Voodoo Child.” Clearly you weren’t shy about taking on some of the greatest guitarists of all time. You know what? They are in my blood. I grew up with these people and I’ve been playing a long time. I’d actually been jamming with Narada before at Golden Gate Park in front of about 100,000 people. He said, “We’re going to play ‘Voodoo Child.'” I said, “Great, I know it.” I jumped onstage and we jammed for a while and the audience loved it. It actually goes back in time where I played the Crossroads Festival for Eric Clapton. It was Narada, myself, Randy Jackson, and Jonathan Cain. It’s ironic that’s what Journey has become with Arnel.

We did play “Voodoo Child” that day, too. It was a no-brainer for me. I was like, “Why don’t we jam it out and have a live jam in the studio?” That is what we did. We played live, one take. You can tell that it falls apart a little when it goes into “Third Stone From the Sun” at the end. I was lost and playing and I had to find a place to put my arm up and then everyone jumps in a few seconds later. You can tell it was a little loose and we were just finding our way through it. I felt there was some magic there and being real since it wasn’t overdubbed to death. It was just what it was.

Why did you decide to revisit the Journey song “Lights?” That was Narada’s idea. I was not sure about it. I had done, with Gary Cirimelli the year before, a little EP [ Ave Maria ] around Christmas where I had done an instrumental version of “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. I had done it before with guitar instead of voice, but “Lights” I had never considered doing as a lead vocal on guitar. He talked me into it. I didn’t know what to think of it, but it sounded good for a guitar version. I tried to capture as many Steve Perry melodies as I could and implement them into the guitar in a soulful way. I think it came out well and people are loving it.

I like hearing vocal melodies on the guitar. Jeff Beck does it a lot, but it’s hard to pull off exactly right. Yeah. There’s something very difficult about it. I see a lot of young guitar players today that have dexterity beyond. I can comprehend what they’re doing technically, but I’m not that interested in trying to do it myself because I’ve never been a scale guy. I was listening more to horn players and vocalists.

Steve Perry Signs to New Label, Contemplates Solo Tour: 'I Miss It Terribly'

Hear the journey tune steve perry rerecorded with steve lukather's son.

To convey a melody and play it very simply is not an easy task, especially when it’s a slow melody. There’s plenty of room for mistakes and loss of feel. You can lose the feel of it in two seconds flat because there’s no lyrics you’re playing along with. That actually helps you dictate the melody when you hear a singer sing. It’s all about placement, phrasing, and how the vibrato goes, where you put it. It’s complicated and it comes much easier to me as a musician than it does to other guys because I’ve always been a melody guy.

Tell me about your version of “Hey Jude” that ends the record. I had played “Hey Jude” back east in New Jersey, I believe, in some theater we were playing. I looped that one night. I played the chords first, just the ending, and then I looped the melody and had the whole audience singing the song. I went, “Wow, this could be a possible way just to end the record.” As a Beatles fan, I loved it.

What’s the status of the new Journey record? We’re deep in it. It’s coming along, man. It’s really shaping up. Narada and I have been working nonstop. Jonathan [Cain] is also working from his houses in Florida and Nashville. Arnel is working from Manila. Randy Jackson is working mostly from L.A. And it’s one of those Zoom sessions and it sounds phenomenal. It sounds like we’re all playing in the room at the same time. I actually can’t wait until we do get together and start putting the show together. The new single should be coming out mid-February.

Working remotely must have been a big adjustment at first. Yeah. It was at first. What I was really grateful for is that I’m willing to get together with Narada and work with just drums and guitar, which is something I’ve always done with drummers working on records. We’re able to map out and get things feeling right. Narada is very accomplished. He can play keyboards and bass keyboards, and we kind of fill out the tracks. And then everyone does their parts. The end result is sounding amazing.

How is Arnel doing? Arnel sounds very, very strong. I think this break has been good for him. He’s back in there, I feel, like when we first got him. His vocals sound very, very good. We’re planning on a full album release in 2021 before we get back to touring. We did book our first show of 2021. We’re going to be headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 31st unless they move it. My fingers are crossed that everyone is going to get the vaccine and feel good and get back to it. I’m just so looking forward to playing with the new band. Post Malone is headlining at the same time as us about a mile away on another stage. It’ll be interesting.

How have the new members changed the band’s sound? Do you have a different groove now? You have to hear it for yourself. It still sounds very much like Journey thanks to the songwriting, my guitar playing, and the vocals. But the rhythm section is definitely a powerhouse. Narada has been known for years, and Randy Jackson is a completely monstrous bass player. Some people may not be aware of his work, but they have credentials that go way, way back. Randy and I have always been pretty in tune, and Narada and I are in tune. And now it’s coming together. It’s got a new strut to it.

There’s nothing we really can’t play. I’ve got a track I laid down with Narada the other day. I sent it to Arnel and he was freaking out. He said, “This sounds like brand-new Hendrix or Prince. Please write more of that.” And I was just messing around. It was just a jam we did and it turned out to be monstrous. We’re creating. We aren’t afraid to go to new places. It’s easy to stay safe and write where we have always been. We have a bit of that so we don’t lose everyone, but at the same token, this is a new chapter of Journey. I want to go where we have not gone before.

Why did you leave Azoff management and sign with Q Prime? It was a long time coming from myself. I had a falling out with old management and just didn’t agree with a lot of things the way they were coming down or the way that things were being treated that I was bringing up. I felt like they made it seem like I was an outcast even though this was a band that I started. Azoff actually said to me, “Why don’t you quit?” at one point. I said, “I’m not quitting. I’ve been here all my life. Why don’t you quit?”

We kind of went at it. Finally, I made the move. I said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but I feel like it’s time.” I remember that I talked to Peter Mensch over at Q Prime about a year before that, telling him that I really wanted to make a change. He said that contractually we had to get to this point before we could do anything. When we finally got to that point, I called Peter back up. He said, “This is a no-brainer. We’d love to manage you.”

I’m really happy. They understand the guitar. Cliff [Burnstein] is awesome. I’ve only talked to him a few times, but I can tell we’re on the same wavelength. I send him stuff, unfinished and finished, and I’ll crank up the guitar and he goes, “Oh, yeah. That’s it.” Then we’ll get on the phone with Jonathan [Cain], myself and him, and Jonathan will go, “Do you want the softer version?” They’ll go, “No, we don’t want the softer version. We want the heavier version.” I love the guys.

You and Jonathan Cain are clearly in a much better place than you were a few years ago. How did you patch things up? We found out that there was a lot of miscommunication that I felt was coming from management. The divide-and-conquer situation was going on. They were saying I said things that I didn’t say. I heard it had happened with other bands from guitar techs that I had been with. It was happening in the Van Halen camp between Eddie and Sammy. I was just like, “I’m seeing the same scenario.”

Once we got past all the crap and we talked everything out, we found out that a lot of it was just b.s. and we were actually good. Him and I are still very tight as songwriters. There’s still magic there. He’s still creating amazing music, even without me, but us together, we create something that really sounds like Journey.

Some fans were surprised to see him play in the house band at the White House during the RNC a few months ago. What did you think about that? You know what? I learned to just stay in my music lane through that whole fiasco. I think everyone knows my feelings about politics and religion in music. I just decided that I was going to keep my friendship with him and the music with him. We’re still creating great stuff. I got to a place where I said, “It’s a free world. Everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do.”

In a way, it’s like Mick and Keith. They are two very different people, but they come together in a band and it works. Exactly. That tension leads to great music and not agreeing … Jon and I always have been like that. We’re like bookends with all the music in between. Where we start from is two completely different places. He usually starts from music, melody, and piano. I start from a rocking track. There’s a lot of melody on the new songs we’ve been laying down. We’ve gotten very comfortable with singing on it right afterwards with Narada helping me, giving me the confidence, and so I have a lot of the melodies. I recall even in the old Journey with Steve Perry when I’d hum a few things and he’d go, “Oh, I like that.” Then he’d do his own thing to it. There’s a road map there if you aren’t afraid to put it down.

How about tour-wise? The Pretenders 2020 tour was called off. Might you go out with them in the future? I don’t know what management has planned. We love playing with the Pretenders, but I don’t know if that’s where they are going or even if they are available. I definitely enjoy playing with them. They have so many great songs. Chrissie [Hynde] was very nice. The whole band was. I felt that it was complementary to our show, even with Def Leppard. I don’t know what Peter and Cliff are thinking over at Q Prime, but I’m definitely open to that. And I love the Def Leppard guys. I’m open to that, too. But this time we have to bring our PA. [ Laughs ]

I’ve heard rumblings about a biopic about Arnel. Do you think that’s going to happen? I think it’s something that will come down. The story of me finding him on YouTube is sort of unbelievable. I remember when I first told people I had found him. They were like, “Come on, man. Did you just make this up?” It was like a Cinderella story that was too good to believe. We made the documentary [ Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey ] off the fact we found him in Manila, not New York or L.A., and I heard his voice and went, “This is the guy. I know it’s the guy.” Apparently Warner Bros. thinks is a great story too. I think they are going to make it. I don’t know when. I don’t believe they’ve even started. I think they are still writing the script.

Who would play you? Uh … the only meeting we had took place when we last played in Vegas. They were they talking about Joaquin [Phoenix]. That’s what this director said. [ Laughs ] I was like, “OK!” [ Laughs ]

You could play yourself, I suppose. Have you thought about that? I have not thought about that, but it’s not ruled out. I’d probably prefer not to. It’s gotta be so time consuming. At one point, I was going to try and get into some movie stuff and I was taking some acting classes. Everyone was like, “You look like a young James Caan.” This was way back in the Eighties. There were a couple of producers that were approaching me. But I went on a set and thought about it and auditioned and I was like, “Wow. This is so time-consuming. I can do four albums in the time it takes to do one movie.” I’m too impatient. I like to move quickly, so I doubt I’d be the right choice for it.

Is your Journey spinoff band Journey Through Time something that can get back on the road in the future? Fans loved seeing you back with Gregg Rolie and playing the really old songs. I was met with a lot of resistance from some of the former band members and the trademark guy that was sort of working for Journey, I’m finding out. There were many trademark issues I’ve gotten to the bottom of. I’ve cleaned everything up 1,000 percent. There were too many handshake deals and money deals and no real contracts. I was like, “OK, it’s time for all this to stop and for everyone to get treated fairly and equally.”

They were having a real problem with me using Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time, the name of the band. I don’t see why. It has been my journey from my life and the fans loved it. But to tell you the truth, I foresee us being able to do that with the new band; I foresee us being able to play in two different places. I feel like we can play these outdoor festivals with bands like Phish or for that audience and dive into the older material and play that stuff very well and take it to a new place.

Also, we can play in the 20,000-seaters or the coliseums we were doing with Pretenders and Def Leppard. I feel like it’s two different audience we can play to. The main thing is just playing longer where you can dive deeper into the older stuff and making it all work together.

Do you think you could bring Gregg Rolie into the fold at some point, at least for the jam-focused shows? We might talk about that. I’d have to see what Jonathan thought about that. But it’s not really on my plate right now. It’s something I definitely enjoyed. We were picking up speed very quickly before it was taken down. We had a whole tour that was ready to go. And then Gregg unavailable and then [drummer-vocalist] Deen [Castronovo] wasn’t available. There was a lot of politics involved.

Are you close to resolving the legal dispute with Steve Smith and Ross Valory? Unfortunately, no. [ Laughs ] We will, eventually. I have confidence that we will. It is going to be what it is. We’ve already made that choice and we’re moving on. But we’re not about to get held up, either. We’re going to start playing and ultimately we can settle this and come to a mutual agreement.

Do you ever see a day in the future where you’d play with them again? Who knows? I’ve known these guys for a long time. I didn’t agree with the way they went about business. I had been in a situation in the band with management and some of them for a long time where I felt like they were trying to make me leave. I was catching on to a lot of things that I’m getting to the bottom of now, business-wise.

I spoke with Steve Perry a few weeks ago. He says he misses playing live. As just a fan of his, are you hoping he’ll tour? I am. I was hoping he would tour when he released his record a couple of years ago. After going through the pandemic, I imagine that most everyone that has ever toured is dying to tour. I miss it so much, that energy you get from the audience that you throw back. I’m totally missing that. I’m sure everyone that has ever been onstage is missing that. I’m hoping that he would really do it. He should. He sounds in good voice and he could do it. I hope he’ll actually do it because he talked about it last time.

Are you still hoping that at some point in the future, the two of you will be able to sit down and be friends again? I’m still trying to talk to him directly on the telephone. For some reason, I don’t know if it’s him or his attorney, they do not want us to talk, or he feels uncomfortable. I’m sitting in the same place where I’m waiting to get on the phone or get together and have some coffee, but it just isn’t happening and it’s not because of myself.

It’s crazy that one rock band can get so complicated with all these feuding factions. It’s just people playing music together that a lot of people love. You know what? There’s a lot of things that get in the way, the conquer-and-divide thing. I believe that that’s been happening with him, too. When we got inducted into the Hall of Fame, I felt really connected to him again where it was emotional to see him after not seeing him for a long time. He was moved too. I felt, “Why is all this other crap happening for so long? Why did I feel like we couldn’t get together and talk?”

But at the end, it went right back to that. I watched him do the first interviews that he did. He talked very highly about myself like I’ve always talked about him and how happy he was to see me and the rest of the guys, but he said it was mainly me he was happy to see. And then all of a sudden, in all the interviews after that, after the first two where I felt like he was speaking from the heart, it took a left-hand turn and I was never mentioned again. It’s very weird, man. I felt like politics, once again, were in the way.

I guess the one constant in the whole Journey saga is you marching forward and keeping it alive. It is the ship I’ve been in from the very get-go. I’m the only guy that’s been there for every show, every record, every date. I’m the only guy. And my heart is still in it. We’re definitely moving forward and I’m happy with what I’m hearing. I’m moving. I’m going forward. I’m not going to sit in neutral and wait for things to settle out.

We’ll soon be approaching our 50th anniversary. It’s kind of mind-boggling to me, even sitting here telling you it’s been 50 years for me. It should be a great one. What I do know is that we’ve hardly spent any time abroad, but we are going to be taking this around the world and playing in countries and cities we’ve never been to before. Anytime we’ve done this before — like our first first show with Arnel [in Chile] when the audience went wild — we’d never been there before, but they went crazy. His audition was in front of 30 million people. He was scared to death. I had to push him out onstage.

I really feel like late 2021 and certainly 2022 will be a celebration of live music. I’ve got butterflies about the vibe I’m getting or what it’s going to be like when we put our show together. We’re not just going to play the same old show. We’re going to be adding a lot of new stuff. I know Randy and Narada, because I’ve jammed with them before.

It’s going to conform into a whole new thing. They aren’t afraid to try anything right on the spur of the moment onstage, which is where I’ve always been. I play by ear. If you go there, I’m going there, man. I learned to do that playing with Carlos Santana and Rolie and all the original Santana guys. I’m from that school and I love it.

I think we’ll construct a set in a way where we’ll have time for all of it and it won’t have to stay the same every night. We don’t have to conform to that. Everyone will be able to carry it and feel strongly about improvising on the spot and going with it.

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Journey Through Time [Blu-ray]

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• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches; 2.4 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 0 minute
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 19, 2023
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Neal Schon
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Frontiers New Recordings Physical Only
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BYP42259
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #7,524 in Rock (CDs & Vinyl)

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