MR

I felt this deserved its own thread as the bass player from Eclipse, Grand Design and the reformed Escape posted this in one of the Jason clips threads I started. Welcome Eclipse !

From Eclipse,

OK, I guess it is time to update everyone on the "Jason Kelty situation", as it were.

Yes, Jason Kelty is now singing with us. I was the bassist in Escape from 1992 - 1994. I have been friends with Jason ever since, and, with the assistance of our guitarist, George McGrew, (former bassist/vocalist for 2112) managed to talk him out of retirement to help us with our Styx tribute show last month, and then he ended up coming on board with Eclipse as well. Since he came back, we have been rebuilding Escape who, like Colonel Steve Austin, will be better, stronger, faster.......

We now have 3 projects - Eclipse, our "70's/80s cover band", Grand Illusion, our Styx tribute, and the rebirth of Escape the Journey tribute. Jason will be doing the majority of lead vox for Eclipse, while the rest of us share lead vocal duties on a few tunes. Jason will be doing the Dennis DeYoung lead vox in G.I., while George handles the Tommy Shaw and I get to do JY. Then, of course, Jason gets to be Steve Perry again, while I handle the Greg Rollie vox. Not only is Jason a great singer, but he is a decent guitarist/keyboardist and a heck of a nice guy. Having George is key as well. We blend very well together, and our keyboardist can also sing well, so as you can imagine, our harmonies are pretty strong.

We got a few emails from some Chicago folks that are coming to town 12/12 and 13 to see a couple of our shows. We are also playing the Saturday of Christmas weekend if anyone has the chance to make it up here. These are Eclipse shows, but include a heavy dose of Journey, as well as a good amount of Styx.

We still need to redo our Eclipse MySpace demos with Jason - hopefully soon. While the vocalist that we had prior was pretty good, he was a big fan of effects to hide his pitchiness. Jason does not have that issue. In addition, we will work on getting some audio and video of some upcoming shows online before the end of the year. That way you can see that "post-millenium Jason" still has it (thanks Jeremey). I have also started on the new Escape MySpace page, and will continue to work on that as well.

Please post any additional questions and I will do my best to provide updates.

Peace, love, and rock and roll.....

Paul Soos
Eclipse

Most excellent. Can't wait to hear these guys.

Three bands, wow. I definitely want to hear Jason Singing Dennis DeYoung tunes, that should be a treat.

Great news. Love hearing Kelty's vocals.

Three bands! Kelty's voice is going to blow faster than Paris Hilton at a Hugh Hefner party!

Seriously though...great news! And I hope going from 0 (no bands, no singing) to 60 (three bands, all vocally challenging) so quickly works out and I sincerely wish the guys the best of luck.

I am slightly curious to know what happened to Jason not singing Secular music though as most Styx tunes are the work of the devil himself!

A little background on the three projects - First, our "bar band", Eclipse, plays most every weekend. It's a mix of 70's and 80's dance/rock - Journey, Styx, Loverboy, Billy Idol, Sweet, Golden Earring, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Kansas, John Cougar, etc. We do a mix of cool stuff that we like and not a lot of other bands cover, with a few "standards" mixed in. Jason sings most of the show, but the keyboardist, guitarist, and I also have some lead vocal responsibility, so it all blends together very well.

As far as the tributes go, we will probably only do one show a month (or thereabouts), depending on travel and demand. We aren't 25 anymore! We all work jobs, have families, and do this for fun. Plus, that helps avoid burnout (but with the voices and boredom). Jason gets to rest on the Tommy Shaw stuff, since George covers those vocals, and that is half the show. And by Devil, do you mean DDY? lol

Jason believes very stronly in what he believes (as do I), and we have adjusted accordingly.

Even though Jason hasn't been fronting a band, he has been doing some singing on the side, and his voice is in great shape!

While our Styx tribute was the inital focus, now that we have Jason I foresee Journey taking center stage because they have a much broader fan base.

Thanks for your support!

Paul

eclipse wrote::wink:

A little background on the three projects - First, our "bar band", Eclipse, plays most every weekend. It's a mix of 70's and 80's dance/rock - Journey, Styx, Loverboy, Billy Idol, Sweet, Golden Earring, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Kansas, John Cougar, etc. We do a mix of cool stuff that we like and not a lot of other bands cover, with a few "standards" mixed in. Jason sings most of the show, but the keyboardist, guitarist, and I also have some lead vocal responsibility, so it all blends together very well.

As far as the tributes go, we will probably only do one show a month (or thereabouts), depending on travel and demand. We aren't 25 anymore! We all work jobs, have families, and do this for fun. Plus, that helps avoid burnout (but with the voices and boredom). Jason gets to rest on the Tommy Shaw stuff, since George covers those vocals, and that is half the show. And by Devil, do you mean DDY? lol

Jason believes very stronly in what he believes (as do I), and we have adjusted accordingly.

Even though Jason hasn't been fronting a band, he has been doing some singing on the side, and his voice is in great shape!

While our Styx tribute was the inital focus, now that we have Jason I foresee Journey taking center stage because they have a much broader fan base.

Thanks for your support!

Paul

Great news! 2009 is definitely going to be a year to watch. Can't wait to hear the new recordings on your MySpace page.

eclipse wrote:Even though Jason hasn't been fronting a band, he has been doing some singing on the side, and his voice is in great shape!

This made my day.

Saint John wrote:

eclipse wrote:Even though Jason hasn't been fronting a band, he has been doing some singing on the side, and his voice is in great shape!

This made my day.

you need to raise the bar a little Saint Dan.....

Maui Tom wrote:

Saint John wrote:

eclipse wrote:Even though Jason hasn't been fronting a band, he has been doing some singing on the side, and his voice is in great shape!

This made my day.

you need to raise the bar a little Saint Dan.....

lol...times are tough, Tom. Small things like this get magnified. I've been wanting to hear this guy sing for a lot of years. Finally gonna have that chance.

Wonder if his voice has changed much ? Maybe he can do those ROR tunes justice. Not many Journey cover bands have a singer that can nail each era. Jason was a dead ringer for 78-83 journey when I saw him. He never faltered on key and dont get me wrong because there is no doubt about his ability however the ROR stuff needed more bottom end however I think Jason knew this and ad-libbed things that made you not care. That shows natural musicality. It would have been as if Perry has sang something from his 94 cd with his infinity voice.. So curious to hear.

We have not put together a "to do" list as far as tunes as of yet. I know back in the day we did Girl Can't Help It, Suzanne, Be Good To Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You from ROR.

Not sure what they did after I left the band, but we tried to do some of the stuff that wasn't as mainstream from the various albums (i.e. City Of The Angels, People And Places, Edge Of The Blade, Patiently, Mother Father). We had enough material that we weren't doing the same show all the time.

If any of you have any suggestions on what you would like to hear, we will definitely take them into consideration. After all "this is YOUR album, you know". lol

eclipse wrote:We have not put together a "to do" list as far as tunes as of yet. I know back in the day we did Girl Can't Help It, Suzanne, Be Good To Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You from ROR.

Not sure what they did after I left the band, but we tried to do some of the stuff that wasn't as mainstream from the various albums (i.e. City Of The Angels, People And Places, Edge Of The Blade, Patiently, Mother Father). We had enough material that we weren't doing the same show all the time.

If any of you have any suggestions on what you would like to hear, we will definitely take them into consideration. After all "this is YOUR album, you know". lol

Man if y'all can pull off People and Places, my hat's off to you.

eclipse wrote:We have not put together a "to do" list as far as tunes as of yet. I know back in the day we did Girl Can't Help It, Suzanne, Be Good To Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You from ROR.

Not sure what they did after I left the band, but we tried to do some of the stuff that wasn't as mainstream from the various albums (i.e. City Of The Angels, People And Places, Edge Of The Blade, Patiently, Mother Father). We had enough material that we weren't doing the same show all the time.

If any of you have any suggestions on what you would like to hear, we will definitely take them into consideration. After all "this is YOUR album, you know". lol

People and Places would rock. How bout Livin' To Do, Sweet and Simple (PLEASE), and Winds of March too?

Rick wrote:

eclipse wrote:We have not put together a "to do" list as far as tunes as of yet. I know back in the day we did Girl Can't Help It, Suzanne, Be Good To Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You from ROR.

Not sure what they did after I left the band, but we tried to do some of the stuff that wasn't as mainstream from the various albums (i.e. City Of The Angels, People And Places, Edge Of The Blade, Patiently, Mother Father). We had enough material that we weren't doing the same show all the time.

If any of you have any suggestions on what you would like to hear, we will definitely take them into consideration. After all "this is YOUR album, you know". lol

Man if y'all can pull off People and Places, my hat's off to you.

I second that. I practically begged Jason to do that one back in the day.. I would say in the end though that you should at least start wherever his voice is most comfortable. If he hasnt lost anything then I guess you guys could just go off fan input. The dirty dozen is what sells and in the end you will have to play most of it.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:

Rick wrote:

eclipse wrote:We have not put together a "to do" list as far as tunes as of yet. I know back in the day we did Girl Can't Help It, Suzanne, Be Good To Yourself, and I'll Be Alright Without You from ROR.

Not sure what they did after I left the band, but we tried to do some of the stuff that wasn't as mainstream from the various albums (i.e. City Of The Angels, People And Places, Edge Of The Blade, Patiently, Mother Father). We had enough material that we weren't doing the same show all the time.

If any of you have any suggestions on what you would like to hear, we will definitely take them into consideration. After all "this is YOUR album, you know". lol

Man if y'all can pull off People and Places, my hat's off to you.

I second that. I practically begged Jason to do that one back in the day..

Yeah, I think they quit doing it once us founders quit the band. I would definitely want to do that one again. When that keyboard starts at the beginning, it just gives you chills!

Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

Oh yeah, Since you guys like doing songs outside the "box" a bit how about She's Mine from Street Talk ?

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

I hated it when I was young. I didn't appreciate how challenging it was musically until later. Not just anyone can do a song like that. It's one of my favorite Journey songs now.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Oh yeah, Since you guys like doing songs outside the "box" a bit how about She's Mine from Street Talk ?

Seconded. Great song.

Very intriguing news. Been hearing JK talk off and on for a long time. Like everyone else that has heard the Journey tribute show clips, I'm blown away by how close Jason was to the master (SP). Looking forward to hearing some current Escape in action.

Rick wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

I hated it when I was young. I didn't appreciate how challenging it was musically until later. Not just anyone can do a song like that. It's one of my favorite Journey songs now.

Its one of my favorites as well. Awesome song.

Rhiannon wrote:

Rick wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

I hated it when I was young. I didn't appreciate how challenging it was musically until later. Not just anyone can do a song like that. It's one of my favorite Journey songs now.

Its one of my favorites as well. Awesome song.

Tops in my book too.

C'mon Neal, I know you're reading this. Toss in P&P back into the setlists. C'mon.

ProgRocker53 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote:

Rick wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

I hated it when I was young. I didn't appreciate how challenging it was musically until later. Not just anyone can do a song like that. It's one of my favorite Journey songs now.

Its one of my favorites as well. Awesome song.

Tops in my book too.

C'mon Neal, I know you're reading this. Toss in P&P back into the setlists. C'mon.

When was the last time that Journey did this song live? Anyone?

Holy smokes, if you all are going that far back in time I have to ask: are you planning to ever come to Texas?

eclipse wrote:

ProgRocker53 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote:

Rick wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Yep. Exactly. Chills. The 1st time I heard that I must have been like 5 or 6 in my sisters car. No clue who it was at the time but that B3 got me and I never forgot that song.

I hated it when I was young. I didn't appreciate how challenging it was musically until later. Not just anyone can do a song like that. It's one of my favorite Journey songs now.

Its one of my favorites as well. Awesome song.

Tops in my book too.

C'mon Neal, I know you're reading this. Toss in P&P back into the setlists. C'mon.

When was the last time that Journey did this song live? Anyone?

Departure tour probably. I don't think Augeri has ever sang it with Neal, and I've never heard it in any of the soundboard boots with Perry in the post Captured era.

I bet Cain is the reason that song was dropped. No Hammond B3 in his toolbox would be my 1st guess as to why. You have to have that organ and it could not be reproduced in the 70's by a synth. A Hammond B3 also weighs about 600lbs.

Lazy old Cain.

In my best screaming William Shatner imitation....



CAAAAAAAAIIIIIIINNN !!!!!!

How about that for a cover band name. The Screaming Shatners. Hmm. Maybe not.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:I bet Cain is the reason that song was dropped. No Hammond B3 in his toolbox would be my 1st guess as to why. You have to have that organ and it could not be reproduced in the 70's by a synth. A Hammond B3 also weighs about 600lbs.

Lazy old Cain.

In my best screaming William Shatner imitation....



CAAAAAAAAIIIIIIINNN !!!!!!

How about that for a cover band name. The Screaming Shatners. Hmm. Maybe not.

Hammond B3? How much did the Whale weigh?

Of course, these days it can be reproduced with a much lighter keyboard! lol

eclipse wrote:Of course, these days it can be reproduced with a much lighter keyboard! lol

Get a laptop with firewire and a good midi sampling program and you can sample the original. There are places in that intro where a single note is played and if you grabbed that snippet and repeated it you have your starting note. From there you can build a full sample patch for it. Lot of work and you might find along the way that it sounds like crap when you play notes way higher than the sampled. note. But then again it might not. Other wise I bet it would be tough to get an accurate tone for that sound.

The organ in the intro has something like a univibe (google it if you care. Killer effect though.) on it too plus some killer reverb which was probably real from a large room. Hard to reproduce for sure.