JOURNEY Rejoined By Drummer DEEN CASTRONOVO

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JOURNEY Rejoined By Drummer DEEN CASTRONOVO

Drummer Deen Castronovo has rejoined legendary rockers JOURNEY.

According to JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon, Castronovo will share the drum duties in the band with Narada Michael Walden, who joined the group in 2020.

Schon first hinted at Castronovo‘s return on Monday (July 26) when he tweeted a photo from the rehearsal sessions for JOURNEY‘s upcoming concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, which will precede the band’s appearance at Lollapalooza. “Ok … Double trouble Chicago @NaradaMWalden @DeenTheDrummer Narada Michael Walden and the return of Deen Castronovo on Drums @AragonBallroom @lollapalooza,” Schon wrote.

Two days later, Schon answered a few questions about Deen‘s JOURNEY status below a San Francisco Chronicle story that he shared on Facebook. When fan asked, “So is Deen Castronovo back in the band full time now?” Schon responded, “Yes.” After another fan who told Schon to “bring back Deen again,” Schon wrote, “Deen is back. We are double (2) drummers now with Narada.” He added: “They are BOTH PLAYING !!! JOURNEY AS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD US BEFORE !!!!”

Castronovo‘s 17-year tenure with JOURNEY ended in 2015 when the group fired him after his arrest for a variety of charges involving his now-wife (including physical abuse, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon).

In 2019, Castronovo played several shows with Schon under the “Neal Schon’s Journey Through Time” banner. Joining them were founding JOURNEY and SANTANA singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie, 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).

Earlier this year, Castronovo announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES in order to prepare for his back surgery. He has since been replaced by Tommy Clufetos, who has previously played with BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper, among others.

Last month, JOURNEY shared a new single, “The Way We Used To Be”. The song is the multi-platinum band’s first new music since 2011’s album “Eclipse”, and the first song released by the band’s revamped lineup featuring Schon (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jonathan Cain (keyboards, backing vocals), Arnel Pineda (lead vocals), Randy Jackson (bass), Walden (drums) and Jason Derlatka (keyboards, backing vocals). “The Way We Used To Be” marks Walden and Derlatka‘s first studio recordings with the band, and Jackson‘s first since 1986’s “Raised On Radio”. The song was produced by Narada Michael Walden at his Tarpan Studios, with co-production by Schon and Cain.

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
JOURNEY Rejoined By Drummer DEEN CASTRONOVO
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net

ALICE IN CHAINS' JERRY CANTRELL To Release 'Brighten' Solo Album In October; First Single 'Atone' Now Available

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ALICE IN CHAINS' JERRY CANTRELL To Release 'Brighten' Solo Album In October; First Single 'Atone' Now Available

According to Rolling Stone, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell will release his new solo album, “Brighten”, on October 29. The official music video for the LP’s first single, “Atone”, can be streamed below. Cantrell co-directed the black-and-white clip with photographer musician Jim Louvau, singer/guitarist Greg Puciato, visual artist Jesse Draxler and photographer Tony Aguilera.

“As a fan of Ennio Morricone scores and Sergio Leone movies, it’s got a bit of that outlaw vibe, with a cool psycho hillbilly stomp,” Cantrell told Rolling Stone about “Atone”. “It’s been kicking around in my head for like 20-plus years, haunting me. Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to find its best form. Such was the case with ‘Atone’.”

“Brighten” was produced by Cantrell with Tyler Bates and engineer Paul Fig. Special guests on the album include Puciato, Gil Sharone, Duff McKagan, Abe Laboriel, Jr., Michael Rozon, Vincent Jones, Jordan Lewis, Lola Bates and Matias Ambrogi-Torres. The LP includes a cover of Elton John‘s “Goodbye”, which was approved by the music legend himself.

“‘Madman Across The Water’ is one of my favorite records of all time,” Cantrell said. “Out of respect to Elton, I wouldn’t include it unless he said it was okay. He’d played piano on ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’, which I wrote for Layne [Staley], so I reached out to Elton, he listened to it, and told me ‘You should absolutely use it.’ I got the signoff by the man himself. I couldn’t think of a better way to close the record!”

“Brighten” track listing:

01. Atone
02. Brighten
03. Prism of Doubt
04. Black Hearts and Evil Done
05. Siren Song
06. Had To Know
07. Nobody Breaks You
08. Dismembered
09. Goodbye (Elton John cover)

Jerry‘s upcoming effort will mark his first full-length release since “Degradation Trip”, the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.

Cantrell announced the new LP’s completion in an Instagram post in March.

Jerry‘s career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell‘s first solo album, “Boggy Depot”, was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned “Degradation Trip”. In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including “Spider-Man”, “The Cable Guy”, “John Wick 2”, “Last Action Hero” and “The Punisher”.

Back in 2018, Cantrell told Billboard that he wasn’t in good headspace when he made “Degradation Trip”. “I was just really fucked up back then, to be honest with you, and you can totally hear it on that record,” he said. “It was done right before I got sober, and it was also done right when I was dealing with the death of my band, and then the unhappy coincidence of Layne [Staley, ALICE IN CHAINS frontman] passing away right after I released that record. So it was not a good time in my life, and it totally comes across on that record.”

Cantrell added: “It’s a record I don’t listen to a lot anymore because of all those things I mentioned,” revealing that he got sober a year after it was recorded. He continued: “But it’s a record that’s important to me, and I’ll see Robert and Mike every once in a while and they’re like, ‘We should do some fucking shows, man. Some ‘Degradation Trip’ shows.’ [Laughs] I tell ’em we’ll do it someday.”

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, “Rainier Fog”, in August 2018.

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
ALICE IN CHAINS' JERRY CANTRELL To Release 'Brighten' Solo Album In October; First Single 'Atone' Now Available
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net

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