History
After the failed Planet Us project with Sammy Hagar did not produce an album, Neal Schon was determined to see the material he had written come to life. According to Schon, "I was angry because we had plans and I had done a lot of pre-work. I wrote a lot of songs, about 30 or more, and I had just done a lot of work and put a lot of energy into it. ... A few days later I cooled off and I just re-grouped and got to my senses and I put the pieces of the puzzle back together again with some different guys." [1] (See the Planet Us article for further history leading to the formation of Soul SirkUS).
Schon had heard of the reputation of Soto, mainly due to coverage on the AOR-focused website MelodicRock.com, [2] which detailed his history with the band Talisman. At the 2004 annual NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Schon met up with Soto and tested the waters with a jam session: "Jeff brought his drummer and his bass player down and we sort of sketched out a little set, even though we didn’t have time to rehearse. We did some Led Zeppelin and Journey songs and we did some Stevie Wonder and some blues. We played a little 45-minute set and the people pretty much went off; they loved it. Immediately, I knew we had some chemistry and that it would work." [1]
While in Los Angeles, Schon also attended a showcase featuring Mendoza (known for his work with Whitesnake) and was impressed with his ability. Inviting Soto, Mendoza and Journey's drummer Castronovo to join him, the new band began rehearsing and eventually recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play. Although all the foundation tracks on the album were originally written for Planet Us, only one completed song from that band was used for Soul SirkUS' debut. That song was "Peephole", originally entitled "Peeping Through a Hole" on the Planet Us version. The rest of the album was developed by Soto who took Schon's lengthy instrumental tracks and "chopped them down" into songs which he added his vocals to. [3]
In early 2005, with a completed album ready (albeit only available online through the Soul SirkUS website) the band was forced to postpone their first tour when Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion. Soon after, Castronovo bowed out of Soul Sirkus based on his doctor's recommendation [4] and was replaced by Australian drummer Virgil Donati. Schon decided to take advantage of Donati's unique style and remixed the World Play album with Donati's drum tracks while adding five new songs. The updated lineup then embarked on a short but well-received tour of the U.S. and Europe.
The remixed World Play album was re-released with new artwork on the European-based Frontiers Records label. A live concert performed at the famed Fillmore theatre in San Francisco was recorded for a potential DVD that has yet to be released by the band and may not be. [5] Since the end of the 2005 tour, the band has not reconvened due to the members' various other commitments.
In the summer of 2006, Soto was selected as the "temporary" lead vocalist for Journey replacing Steve Augeri.
Historically, Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo have also played together in Journey, Bad English, Hardline, and Paul Rodgers' backing band. Castronovo also played on Schon's song "Smoke of the Revolution" from the Late Nite album. In 2014, Castronovo and Mendoza again joined Schon on his So U solo album.
In 2019, Schon, Castronovo and Mendoza toured together in Neal Schon's Journey Through Time, which also included former Journey keyboardist Gregg Rolie.
Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band as of 2024 consists of guitarist/vocalist Neal Schon, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Cain, keyboardist/vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, bassist Todd Jensen, and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda.
Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band is known for their hit single "When I See You Smile", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989.
Neal Joseph Schon is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Journey. He is the last original member to remain throughout the group's history. He was a member of the rock band Santana before forming Journey. He was also a member of the group Bad English during Journey's hiatus from 1987 to 1995, as well as an original member of Hardline.
Virgil Donati is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the traditional style and is also proficient at the keyboard. Donati formed Planet X with Derek Sherinian and was the band's principal composer on all their albums. He also performed in Melbourne with Jack Jones in a Van Halen tribute band known as Hans Valen before inviting Jones into Donati's own bands The State and Southern Sons. Donati is widely regarded as one of the most technically advanced drummers of all time.
Gregg Alan Rolie is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana and Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group The Storm, performed in Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band until 2021, and since 2001 with his Gregg Rolie Band. Rolie is a two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been inducted both as a member of Santana in 1998 and as a member of Journey in 2017.
Jonathan Leonard Friga, known professionally as Jonathan Cain, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for Journey. He has also worked with The Babys and Bad English. Cain was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017. He also maintains a solo career as a contemporary Christian artist.
Deen Joseph Castronovo is an American drummer and singer best known for being a member of classic rock band Journey and hard rock acts Bad English and Hardline. He currently plays drums and shares lead vocals for the bands Journey, Generation Radio, and Revolution Saints. He has been a touring and studio player for Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's GZR.
Planet Us was a short-lived supergroup that formed in 2002 with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums. The band later recruited a fifth member—famed guitarist Joe Satriani—when their original choice, Slash, turned them down. The band's name Planet Us has been alternatively spelled as Planet US in various publications.
Hardline is an American hard rock band. Originally formed in 1991 by brothers Johnny Gioeli and Joey Gioeli, the band consisted of five members, Johnny Gioeli, Joey Gioeli, Neal Schon, Todd Jensen and Deen Castronovo. The band's most recent album is Heart, Mind and Soul, which was released in 2021. Joey Gioeli has not appeared on a Hardline album since 2002's II after retiring from music to focus on the family business. Joey Gioeli has created an AI company that has had revenue since its inception in 1994 of over 165 million dollars. Johnny Gioeli remains the only original member of the band. To date (2024), the Band Hardline has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Arrival is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Journey, released on April 3, 2001. A version with one substituted song was released in Japan in 2000. The album was the band's first full-length studio album with new lead vocalist Steve Augeri, who replaced popular frontman Steve Perry, and with Deen Castronovo, who replaced Steve Smith as the band's drummer.
Generations is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Journey. It was the band's last album with lead singer Steve Augeri and second album with drummer Deen Castronovo, confirming the line-up of 2000's Arrival and 2002's Red 13 EP. The album was given away for free by the band during most of the concerts of the Generations Tour in 2005, and subsequently released on Sanctuary Records later the same year.
Red 13 is the first EP and to date the only EP by the rock band Journey.
Marco Mendoza is an American bass guitarist who has worked in diverse genres. He became a professional rock musician in 1989 and debuted on Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward's solo album Along the Way. He has performed on a number of notable releases throughout his career, including Live... in the Still of the Night by Whitesnake, One Night Only by Thin Lizzy and Live in Concert at Lollapalooza by Journey.
7 is the 7th and last studio album by hard rock band Talisman released on 20 October 2006 on Frontiers Records.
Arnel Campaner Pineda is a Filipino singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the Philippines during the 1980s and internationally in 2007 as the lead singer of the American rock band Journey.
Cosmic Universal Fashion is the fifteenth studio album by Sammy Hagar, released on November 18, 2008 by Loud & Proud and Roadrunner Records. Shortly after its release, Hagar formed the supergroup Chickenfoot with his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony.
Eclipse is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Journey and the second with lead singer Arnel Pineda. Penned by Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain with contributions from Pineda, the album was released in the United States and Canada on May 24, 2011, on May 27, 2011, in Japan, in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2011, and internationally on June 3, 2011. It is the last album to feature bassist Ross Valory, who was dismissed from the group in 2020.
The Eclipse Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Journey. It was in support of the group's fourteenth studio album Eclipse. The album is Arnel Pineda's second since joining the band in 2007. Special guests on the 2011 tour include Foreigner and Night Ranger for most of the North American dates, Styx for the European dates, and Sweet for South American dates. The tour was the sixth top-grossing concert tour from July 23, 2011, to September 23, 2011, bringing in over $21 million and selling over 900,000 tickets. For the 2012 U.S. tour, special guests were Pat Benatar and Loverboy, and the guests for the 2013 tour were Deep Purple for the Australian dates, and Whitesnake for the European dates. For the 2014–2015 tour, the Steve Miller Band co-headlined. The 2016 tour saw the band play with The Doobie Brothers, as well as signal the return of "classic" drummer Steve Smith after longtime drummer Deen Castronovo was fired from the group. The 2017 tour had Asia co-headline, and also included the band's induction and performance at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This tour is also the longest-running in the entire history of the band.
Freedom is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Journey, released on July 8, 2022, through BMG Rights Management and Frontiers Records. It is the band's second album to date not to feature founding bassist Ross Valory, who was dismissed in 2020; he is replaced by Randy Jackson, who was last on Raised on Radio (1986). With fifteen songs and a run time of one hour and thirteen minutes, it is the longest Journey album ever released, excluding compilations.
