Rate Hugo

[gatorzone04]

Hey it s really great to hear from one of the guys that plays in Evolution, and works with Hugo.
Can't wat to see you guys at the Canal Room in NYC, it is ALWAYS an outstanding show.
You guys are the best Journey Band in the country with the greatest frontman in the country, not only as a performer but as a song writer. (hopfully someday he will re-introduce the public to his orignal work)
For the people to say the Hugo doesn't even come close to the Journey sound, I feel sorry for them, they don't know what they are missing.

[Marc Brunengraber]

I registered for the Journey forum just to respond to the moron who goes by 'Jeremey fan forever' (but originally spelled it wrong).

First off, I've been a Journey fan for nearly 25 years. A bit of background:
1. The classic lineup with Perry, Smitty and (as much as I despise saying it) Cain from Escape & Frontiers was the finest AOR lineup ever in the history of music.
2. Journey would not be Journey without Schon. However, it has never been the same without Perry. Cain is, despite being a great songwriter, out of ideas (has been for a long time) and eminently replaceable in terms of his keyboard skills.
3. Valory is replaceable at a moment's notice on bass. Castronovo is incredible on drums and has an amazing voice and is, in my opinion, the best drummer ever for Journey as a result.
4. Augeri was mediocre and never should have been chosen to replace Perry. At the time, Hugo should have gotten the job. If not Hugo, then Chalfant (though Chalfant sounds more like Jamison than Perry).
5. I've been a JSS fan since the early 1990's. AWESOME singer, songwriter and performer. And versatile beyond belief - he can master ANY genre of music. JSS breathed life into the corpse that Journey had become (and had been for quite a while before he stepped in and saved last summer's tour). I am so very disappointed that Journey fired him. The band will stagnate as a result. A JSS fronted Journey album would have been an AOR/melodic rock fan's DREAM. Now, alas, it is not to be. Firing JSS was easily the stupidest move of Journey's career, and sends the band back to corpse status, whereas with JSS, the band had energy and even relevance - the mainstream critics who have skewered Journey since the dawn of time were lauding the band's performance, and especially lauding JSS's vocals, energy and stage presence/performance.
6. Schon and Cain have proven themselves to be liars, backstabbers, and pathetic excuses for human beings. While they are master songwriters, and Schon is one of the best and most versatile guitar players ever, I will continue to enjoy their old music while not purchasing anything new from them, and I will never again pay a dime to see Journey live, because I don't want to support people like them.
7. Great job by Deano on his old blog, and his new one.

OK, on the this moronic thread.

I find the Hugo bashing on this board not only in poor taste, but laughable. Hugo, while certainly never achieving Journey's fame or number of albums sold, has had a very good AOR career. He has fronted Valentine and Open Skyz on major label contracts and tours (touring with, among others, Mr. Big, Extreme and Winger). His debut solo album in 1997 is universally considered an AOR classic a decade after its release. He has a small but core following in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

I am the first to say that my first choice for Journey would be Perry, assuming his voice proves not to be shot. Other than that, JSS would be my second choice - because he brought new life and a new sound to the band, without being a clone. He sang the hell out of the old catalog - his first few shows WERE rough - but he got better and better to the point of doing an unreal job the past 9 months or so. He sang in his own voice, but in the proper key. He did justice to the past, while letting the band break free of Perry's shadow. Not too many guys could bring that to the table, but Jeff did it with aplomb. JSS, like Hugo, has had a great AOR/melodic rock career in his own right. Maybe not fame and sales wise like Journey, but, much like Hugo, some great releases and a core audience of his own. And much like Hugo, he can write a hell of a song. 'Believe in Me' sounds just like classic Journey and is better than anything Journey has done since the Raised on Radio days.

Now Journey has decided it wants a Perry clone. Cain all but came out and said so. Well, if that is the case, there is NOBODY better for that job than Hugo. Fronting Journey means you had better sound awesome and also LOOK THE PART. Everybody and their grandmother does a double take seeing Hugo perform live. He looks like Perry. He moves like Perry. He sounds like Perry. The casual fan - the fan who goes to the summer concerts and knows nothing of messageboards (which is 99.9% of them) would LOVE Hugo in Journey. He looks, moves and sounds like a younger version of Perry. He's about Jeff's age. He also is a hell of a nice guy, without a trace of rock star attitude.

Seriously, Jeremey has a nice voice. It is Perry-ish, and it certainly is more powerful than Hugo's voice. With that said, Jeremey does not look the part of a frontman for an arena band. Hugo does.

While Jeremey sounds like Perry, Hugo sounds MORE like Perry. So much so that people say it's 'creepy.' If you love Perry's voice and stage persona (which I do), then there's no way NOT to love Hugo.

Why crucify a guy because he naturally looks and sounds just like the guy everyone rates as the finest AOR singer ever? If anything, embrace what he has to offer.

The only legitimate criticism of Hugo is that his range is thin. However, he sounds excellent live as long as the sound system and soundman are good, and Journey can certainly afford the best in both departments. On records, Hugo is so close to Steve Perry that you can play it for a casual Journey fan, tell them that it is new, upcoming Journey or Steve Perry solo stuff, and they'd believe you.

Any Perry-era Journey fan should do cartwheels over Hugo.

One other thing - Hugo owns his own industrial business, and he is very comfortable as a result. He does NOT do Evolution for the money. He does it for his love of Steve Perry's voice and Journey's music, of which he has been a long time fan like the rest of us. He does not need the money the Journey gig would bring him. And I'm sure that Schon and Cain don't pay the singer of Journey these days as much as many of you would seem to believe.

Jeremey has a nice voice. On 'Rolling the Stone,' he sounds incredible. Watching his youtube clips, he's simply not as good live as Hugo is. And he sounds nothing like Perry in certain spots while performing live. While Hugo may be thin live, Jeremey sounds shrieky and whiny in places.

Calling Hugo a bar singer while glorifying Jeremey as the second coming of Christ is just absurd. Jeremey is a very, very good bar singer - albeit one who, in spots, sounds amazing. But, ultimately, a bar singer.

Hugo is a true world class AOR/melodic rock artist, and he has been for over 10 years as a solo artist, and on several major label deals with Valentine/Open Skyz prior to that. John Kalodner himself wanted Hugo for Journey. There's a reason for that. Say what you want, but Kalodner knows talent.

I would never be classless enough to start a post purely for the purpose of trying to bash and embarrass Jeremey.

This thread is an embarrassment to Andrew and his site, and you should be ashamed of yourself for starting it.

I, however, registered after lurking here since before Soto joined just to speak out about what a fucking cockbag you are, Jeremey fan forever.

Rest assured that Journey could plug anyone into the role of lead singer and still sell out certain sheds. And they'll do that.

And your man apparently does have the gig. Good for him. I won't be spending a dime to see him play live with those two assholes who fired Jeff, however. Both because they are assholes, and because, regardless of how good Jeremey may be - and he IS good - Hugo and Kevin Chalfant (and certainly JSS) are ALL better choices.

I don't want to see Journey with the fourth best guy available - fifth best if Perry's voice has healed.

[Jeremey fan forever]

I registered for the Journey forum just to respond to the moron who goes by 'Jeremey fan forever' (but originally spelled it wrong).

First off, I've been a Journey fan for nearly 25 years. A bit of background:
1. The classic lineup with Perry, Smitty and (as much as I despise saying it) Cain from Escape & Frontiers was the finest AOR lineup ever in the history of music.
2. Journey would not be Journey without Schon. However, it has never been the same without Perry. Cain is, despite being a great songwriter, out of ideas (has been for a long time) and eminently replaceable in terms of his keyboard skills.
3. Valory is replaceable at a moment's notice on bass. Castronovo is incredible on drums and has an amazing voice and is, in my opinion, the best drummer ever for Journey as a result.
4. Augeri was mediocre and never should have been chosen to replace Perry. At the time, Hugo should have gotten the job. If not Hugo, then Chalfant (though Chalfant sounds more like Jamison than Perry).
5. I've been a JSS fan since the early 1990's. AWESOME singer, songwriter and performer. And versatile beyond belief - he can master ANY genre of music. JSS breathed life into the corpse that Journey had become (and had been for quite a while before he stepped in and saved last summer's tour). I am so very disappointed that Journey fired him. The band will stagnate as a result. A JSS fronted Journey album would have been an AOR/melodic rock fan's DREAM. Now, alas, it is not to be. Firing JSS was easily the stupidest move of Journey's career, and sends the band back to corpse status, whereas with JSS, the band had energy and even relevance - the mainstream critics who have skewered Journey since the dawn of time were lauding the band's performance, and especially lauding JSS's vocals, energy and stage presence/performance.
6. Schon and Cain have proven themselves to be liars, backstabbers, and pathetic excuses for human beings. While they are master songwriters, and Schon is one of the best and most versatile guitar players ever, I will continue to enjoy their old music while not purchasing anything new from them, and I will never again pay a dime to see Journey live, because I don't want to support people like them.
7. Great job by Deano on his old blog, and his new one.

OK, on the this moronic thread.

I find the Hugo bashing on this board not only in poor taste, but laughable. Hugo, while certainly never achieving Journey's fame or number of albums sold, has had a very good AOR career. He has fronted Valentine and Open Skyz on major label contracts and tours (touring with, among others, Mr. Big, Extreme and Winger). His debut solo album in 1997 is universally considered an AOR classic a decade after its release. He has a small but core following in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

I am the first to say that my first choice for Journey would be Perry, assuming his voice proves not to be shot. Other than that, JSS would be my second choice - because he brought new life and a new sound to the band, without being a clone. He sang the hell out of the old catalog - his first few shows WERE rough - but he got better and better to the point of doing an unreal job the past 9 months or so. He sang in his own voice, but in the proper key. He did justice to the past, while letting the band break free of Perry's shadow. Not too many guys could bring that to the table, but Jeff did it with aplomb. JSS, like Hugo, has had a great AOR/melodic rock career in his own right. Maybe not fame and sales wise like Journey, but, much like Hugo, some great releases and a core audience of his own. And much like Hugo, he can write a hell of a song. 'Believe in Me' sounds just like classic Journey and is better than anything Journey has done since the Raised on Radio days.

Now Journey has decided it wants a Perry clone. Cain all but came out and said so. Well, if that is the case, there is NOBODY better for that job than Hugo. Fronting Journey means you had better sound awesome and also LOOK THE PART. Everybody and their grandmother does a double take seeing Hugo perform live. He looks like Perry. He moves like Perry. He sounds like Perry. The casual fan - the fan who goes to the summer concerts and knows nothing of messageboards (which is 99.9% of them) would LOVE Hugo in Journey. He looks, moves and sounds like a younger version of Perry. He's about Jeff's age. He also is a hell of a nice guy, without a trace of rock star attitude.

Seriously, Jeremey has a nice voice. It is Perry-ish, and it certainly is more powerful than Hugo's voice. With that said, Jeremey does not look the part of a frontman for an arena band. Hugo does.

While Jeremey sounds like Perry, Hugo sounds MORE like Perry. So much so that people say it's 'creepy.' If you love Perry's voice and stage persona (which I do), then there's no way NOT to love Hugo.

Why crucify a guy because he naturally looks and sounds just like the guy everyone rates as the finest AOR singer ever? If anything, embrace what he has to offer.

The only legitimate criticism of Hugo is that his range is thin. However, he sounds excellent live as long as the sound system and soundman are good, and Journey can certainly afford the best in both departments. On records, Hugo is so close to Steve Perry that you can play it for a casual Journey fan, tell them that it is new, upcoming Journey or Steve Perry solo stuff, and they'd believe you.

Any Perry-era Journey fan should do cartwheels over Hugo.

One other thing - Hugo owns his own industrial business, and he is very comfortable as a result. He does NOT do Evolution for the money. He does it for his love of Steve Perry's voice and Journey's music, of which he has been a long time fan like the rest of us. He does not need the money the Journey gig would bring him. And I'm sure that Schon and Cain don't pay the singer of Journey these days as much as many of you would seem to believe.

Jeremey has a nice voice. On 'Rolling the Stone,' he sounds incredible. Watching his youtube clips, he's simply not as good live as Hugo is. And he sounds nothing like Perry in certain spots while performing live. While Hugo may be thin live, Jeremey sounds shrieky and whiny in places.

Calling Hugo a bar singer while glorifying Jeremey as the second coming of Christ is just absurd. Jeremey is a very, very good bar singer - albeit one who, in spots, sounds amazing. But, ultimately, a bar singer.

Hugo is a true world class AOR/melodic rock artist, and he has been for over 10 years as a solo artist, and on several major label deals with Valentine/Open Skyz prior to that. John Kalodner himself wanted Hugo for Journey. There's a reason for that. Say what you want, but Kalodner knows talent.

I would never be classless enough to start a post purely for the purpose of trying to bash and embarrass Jeremey.

This thread is an embarrassment to Andrew and his site, and you should be ashamed of yourself for starting it.

I, however, registered after lurking here since before Soto joined just to speak out about what a fucking cockbag you are, Jeremey fan forever.

Rest assured that Journey could plug anyone into the role of lead singer and still sell out certain sheds. And they'll do that.

And your man apparently does have the gig. Good for him. I won't be spending a dime to see him play live with those two assholes who fired Jeff, however. Both because they are assholes, and because, regardless of how good Jeremey may be - and he IS good - Hugo and Kevin Chalfant (and certainly JSS) are ALL better choices.

I don't want to see Journey with the fourth best guy available - fifth best if Perry's voice has healed.

I think you are stupid. Based on this post of course. Cain is not replaceable, he is a master song writer. Hugo should not and never should have replaced Perry so long as he sings like my little sister (when she was young). Castronovo is not a better drummer than Smith, but irreplaceable because he is a great drummer who can also sing his ass off (100 times better than Hugo ever could, by the way). Chalfant is certainly a better choice than Hugo, because he has a good strong voice with range and some balls, Soto was totally qualified, but only if thats where the band wants to go, because he has a different voice and style than what Journey is known for. As for Hugo and Jeremey, they are not equals vocally, Jeremey could clean the floor with Hugo, and, unless Perry wants to dust off the old pipes, might well be the best vocalist in the Genre. Huge range, versatility, major balls and stamina, and hell of an ability to write stuff that is good enough for Journey. another thing Hugo can't do--look at his catelogue and resume. Jeff and Chalfant, on the other hand, probably could handle the song writing duties because they have a decent catelogue of songs to prove that.

I think some of you Hugo supporters are so blown away by how good he does the Perry dance and how similar he looks to Perry, that you don't hear him for what he is. Just my opinion.

As for your comment that Jeremey doesn't look the part, well, that's true! But have you had a look at Schon, Cain, or Valory lately?

[larryfromnextdoor]

hey marc... you seem to know a bit about the dirty side of the music biz ,, good post ..EXCEPT the part on Jeremey,, he is as classy as they come.. get to know him some and you will see.. all the singers you mentioned seem to be great entertainers.. jeremey is not here to defend himself so im speaking up for him..

[Triple S]

I registered for the Journey forum just to respond to the moron who goes by 'Jeremey fan forever' (but originally spelled it wrong).

First off, I've been a Journey fan for nearly 25 years. A bit of background:
1. The classic lineup with Perry, Smitty and (as much as I despise saying it) Cain from Escape & Frontiers was the finest AOR lineup ever in the history of music.
2. Journey would not be Journey without Schon. However, it has never been the same without Perry. Cain is, despite being a great songwriter, out of ideas (has been for a long time) and eminently replaceable in terms of his keyboard skills.
3. Valory is replaceable at a moment's notice on bass. Castronovo is incredible on drums and has an amazing voice and is, in my opinion, the best drummer ever for Journey as a result.
4. Augeri was mediocre and never should have been chosen to replace Perry. At the time, Hugo should have gotten the job. If not Hugo, then Chalfant (though Chalfant sounds more like Jamison than Perry).
5. I've been a JSS fan since the early 1990's. AWESOME singer, songwriter and performer. And versatile beyond belief - he can master ANY genre of music. JSS breathed life into the corpse that Journey had become (and had been for quite a while before he stepped in and saved last summer's tour). I am so very disappointed that Journey fired him. The band will stagnate as a result. A JSS fronted Journey album would have been an AOR/melodic rock fan's DREAM. Now, alas, it is not to be. Firing JSS was easily the stupidest move of Journey's career, and sends the band back to corpse status, whereas with JSS, the band had energy and even relevance - the mainstream critics who have skewered Journey since the dawn of time were lauding the band's performance, and especially lauding JSS's vocals, energy and stage presence/performance.
6. Schon and Cain have proven themselves to be liars, backstabbers, and pathetic excuses for human beings. While they are master songwriters, and Schon is one of the best and most versatile guitar players ever, I will continue to enjoy their old music while not purchasing anything new from them, and I will never again pay a dime to see Journey live, because I don't want to support people like them.
7. Great job by Deano on his old blog, and his new one.

OK, on the this moronic thread.

I find the Hugo bashing on this board not only in poor taste, but laughable. Hugo, while certainly never achieving Journey's fame or number of albums sold, has had a very good AOR career. He has fronted Valentine and Open Skyz on major label contracts and tours (touring with, among others, Mr. Big, Extreme and Winger). His debut solo album in 1997 is universally considered an AOR classic a decade after its release. He has a small but core following in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

I am the first to say that my first choice for Journey would be Perry, assuming his voice proves not to be shot. Other than that, JSS would be my second choice - because he brought new life and a new sound to the band, without being a clone. He sang the hell out of the old catalog - his first few shows WERE rough - but he got better and better to the point of doing an unreal job the past 9 months or so. He sang in his own voice, but in the proper key. He did justice to the past, while letting the band break free of Perry's shadow. Not too many guys could bring that to the table, but Jeff did it with aplomb. JSS, like Hugo, has had a great AOR/melodic rock career in his own right. Maybe not fame and sales wise like Journey, but, much like Hugo, some great releases and a core audience of his own. And much like Hugo, he can write a hell of a song. 'Believe in Me' sounds just like classic Journey and is better than anything Journey has done since the Raised on Radio days.

Now Journey has decided it wants a Perry clone. Cain all but came out and said so. Well, if that is the case, there is NOBODY better for that job than Hugo. Fronting Journey means you had better sound awesome and also LOOK THE PART. Everybody and their grandmother does a double take seeing Hugo perform live. He looks like Perry. He moves like Perry. He sounds like Perry. The casual fan - the fan who goes to the summer concerts and knows nothing of messageboards (which is 99.9% of them) would LOVE Hugo in Journey. He looks, moves and sounds like a younger version of Perry. He's about Jeff's age. He also is a hell of a nice guy, without a trace of rock star attitude.

Seriously, Jeremey has a nice voice. It is Perry-ish, and it certainly is more powerful than Hugo's voice. With that said, Jeremey does not look the part of a frontman for an arena band. Hugo does.

While Jeremey sounds like Perry, Hugo sounds MORE like Perry. So much so that people say it's 'creepy.' If you love Perry's voice and stage persona (which I do), then there's no way NOT to love Hugo.

Why crucify a guy because he naturally looks and sounds just like the guy everyone rates as the finest AOR singer ever? If anything, embrace what he has to offer.

The only legitimate criticism of Hugo is that his range is thin. However, he sounds excellent live as long as the sound system and soundman are good, and Journey can certainly afford the best in both departments. On records, Hugo is so close to Steve Perry that you can play it for a casual Journey fan, tell them that it is new, upcoming Journey or Steve Perry solo stuff, and they'd believe you.

Any Perry-era Journey fan should do cartwheels over Hugo.

One other thing - Hugo owns his own industrial business, and he is very comfortable as a result. He does NOT do Evolution for the money. He does it for his love of Steve Perry's voice and Journey's music, of which he has been a long time fan like the rest of us. He does not need the money the Journey gig would bring him. And I'm sure that Schon and Cain don't pay the singer of Journey these days as much as many of you would seem to believe.

Jeremey has a nice voice. On 'Rolling the Stone,' he sounds incredible. Watching his youtube clips, he's simply not as good live as Hugo is. And he sounds nothing like Perry in certain spots while performing live. While Hugo may be thin live, Jeremey sounds shrieky and whiny in places.

Calling Hugo a bar singer while glorifying Jeremey as the second coming of Christ is just absurd. Jeremey is a very, very good bar singer - albeit one who, in spots, sounds amazing. But, ultimately, a bar singer.

Hugo is a true world class AOR/melodic rock artist, and he has been for over 10 years as a solo artist, and on several major label deals with Valentine/Open Skyz prior to that. John Kalodner himself wanted Hugo for Journey. There's a reason for that. Say what you want, but Kalodner knows talent.

I would never be classless enough to start a post purely for the purpose of trying to bash and embarrass Jeremey.

This thread is an embarrassment to Andrew and his site, and you should be ashamed of yourself for starting it.

I, however, registered after lurking here since before Soto joined just to speak out about what a fucking cockbag you are, Jeremey fan forever.

Rest assured that Journey could plug anyone into the role of lead singer and still sell out certain sheds. And they'll do that.

And your man apparently does have the gig. Good for him. I won't be spending a dime to see him play live with those two assholes who fired Jeff, however. Both because they are assholes, and because, regardless of how good Jeremey may be - and he IS good - Hugo and Kevin Chalfant (and certainly JSS) are ALL better choices.

I don't want to see Journey with the fourth best guy available - fifth best if Perry's voice has healed.

Coming out of lurk mode myself just to say - bravo and thank you for your post! (and that I 100% agree with everything you have so intelligently stated)

[FormerJrnyFan]

you know i can't help but sit back and see how people bash these tribute singers ,, it is not about them .... you don't see any of them bashing each other here ..... i understand that you will get a pissing comtest between two fansdsaying that my favorite singer is better then your , that is really just your own personal view ,,,, i am the bass player that plays with hugo in his tribute act, he is a great singer and great guy,any of our video's doesn't really show the full felling of our shows..... we are a live band and have fun doing it , there are other tribute singers doing this band and i think it is great that they support the journey they way we like to see them ,,, hugo does not come on here because of the singer bashing .and yes this board is pro jeremey ,still there is nothing wrong with that i wish him all of the best of luck as for any of the othe journey singers... journey is the #1 soap opera now lets see what happens and please back off all of these tribute singers they don't deserve it .. ... all i can say is good luck to journey in adding another chapter in there book ,,,,,,,

Hey Les, good to see you on board here! I've seen you guys many times, and have continually defended Hugo when the bashing has occurred.

Personally, for me, no matter who they choose as a replacement singer at this point, doesn't matter. I've lost all respect for Journey after the way they mistreated JSS. The guy busted his ass and bailed these guys out when they needed him. He breathed new life into a tired old band, brought on new fans, and his thanks was a stab in the back. Hugo should thank his lucky stars that he never got mixed up with these liars.

Evolution rocks! Hope to see you guys over the summer at Overlook Beach & the TOB show!

[Marc Brunengraber]

Larry, I have no issue with Jeremey. Apparently, he is a great guy. And he DOES have an excellent voice - I never said he didn't.

What I did say, and what I stand by, is my opinion that he is not as good a singer as Hugo or Chalfant, and certainly not as good as JSS. And that he does not sound more like Steve Perry than Hugo does.

The one thing Jeremey has on Hugo is the power to belt, whereas Hugo is thin.

Sonically, Hugo's nasal tone, melodic sound, and effortless natural vocal inflections, are much more like The Voice than Jeremey's singing.

Jeremey is very good. Hugo is simply better.

With that said, let whoever disagrees disagree all they want.

The point is that I wouldn't start a poll saying:

RATE JEREMEY AS A SINGER -

A. 'Sucks'

B. 'Sucks worse'

C. 'Pathetic'

For a start, though I think Hugo would be a FAR better choice than Jeremey, Jeremey IS a good singer.

More importantly, I can express my opinions about his singing abilities without feeling the need to be rude to him or denigrate him with an asinine, disrespectful thread.

Jeremey Fan Forever probably belongs to the Flat Earth Society.......so be it.

[ArnelRox]

Wow. What a great debut post Marc. Well thought out & intelligent. Hope u stick around. We could use someone like u on this board.

I agree w/a lot of what u had to say. Ur right about Hugo in many ways. If Journey wants a "clone" of Perry, he looks more like him than anyone. The 1st time I heard of him & checked out his promo, I was taken aback at just how much he looked like Perry. His voice isnt identical no. But certainly enough to fool 99% of people at the concerts, if that's what Journey wants. The promo was on his site but now there's one on YouTube as well:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JUM3nvb1frw

I would dearly love to see a show w/Hugo & his band. They are all stellar musicians.

The thing I find unfair is calling Jeremey nothing more than a bar band karaoke act. While it's true he hasnt had any commercial success up to this point, if he'd been in the right place at the right time, he certainly could have & I think should have. I could name at least two dozen friends who should have made it, certainly had the talent, but just never got the break. Some are out of music altogether now. Others play at various local clubs & are still dabbling in it. I run a club/restaurant w/live music. There are so many people that have come thru w/amazing talent & u scratch ur head wondering how they were missed. We have several members here that are in the same boat. It's only a very small percentage of talent that ever gets discovered. Just b/c Jeremey never got that chance it's not fair to slam him. In this day & age, it seems like AI is the only place "talent" gets discovered. But in days gone by, bars were where it was at. My husband remembers when Cheap Trick was just a bar band & his brother told him to check them out. They played at a sleazy little bar back then. That doesnt detract from their talent. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[larryfromnextdoor]

Larry, I have no issue with Jeremey. Apparently, he is a great guy. And he DOES have an excellent voice - I never said he didn't.

What I did say, and what I stand by, is my opinion that he is not as good a singer as Hugo or Chalfant, and certainly not as good as JSS. And that he does not sound more like Steve Perry than Hugo does.

The one thing Jeremey has on Hugo is the power to belt, whereas Hugo is thin.

Sonically, Hugo's nasal tone, melodic sound, and effortless natural vocal inflections, are much more like The Voice than Jeremey's singing.

Jeremey is very good. Hugo is simply better.

With that said, let whoever disagrees disagree all they want.

The point is that I wouldn't start a poll saying:

RATE JEREMEY AS A SINGER -

A. 'Sucks'

B. 'Sucks worse'

C. 'Pathetic'

For a start, though I think Hugo would be a FAR better choice than Jeremey, Jeremey IS a good singer.

More importantly, I can express my opinions about his singing abilities without feeling the need to be rude to him or denigrate him with an asinine, disrespectful thread.

Jeremey Fan Forever probably belongs to the Flat Earth Society.......so be it.

yea bud,, far enough,, who are you? you must be a writer or something

[Marc Brunengraber]

Well, I write for a living.....kind of.

I practice law in New York.

Let the flaming begin. LOL

[ArnelRox]

The point is that I wouldn't start a poll saying:

RATE JEREMEY AS A SINGER -

A. 'Sucks'

B. 'Sucks worse'

C. 'Pathetic'

I agree w/this wholeheartedly. I even started a thread asking for it to stop yesterday. A true poll asking what we thought of Hugo & including positive options like "Excellent Singer", "Very Good Singer", etc. would have been fine. This poll was set up purely to ridicule Hugo & that is disgusting. I refuse to answer anything of this nature.

[larryfromnextdoor]

Well, I write for a living.....kind of.

I practice law in New York.

Let the flaming begin. LOL

ohhh crap!! gosh dang lawyer! well ive never...... my best bud
is an attorney ,, hes a pain in the neck just like you'll be.. quoting the
Green River Ordinance and stuff..

[Jeremey fan forever]

Holy crapola, batman! I CAN SING LIKE HUGO!!!!! I'm not even joking!

I was listening to him do Don't Stop Believin' and I naturally started singing along, and its so weird because I was never able to sing along with Perry! If Hugo gets in, it might be a good thing after all! Imagine how much easier it will be to start a tribute band once there is a Hugo era journey to pay tribute to!

Imagine how much easier it will be to find a replacement singer once they chew him up and spit him out after a year! I think Hugo may be the answer after all. Only problem is almost all of us could sing that way if we wanted... but I could only do it a few bars before I felt kind of gay and had to stop.

[FormerJrnyFan]

Holy crapola, batman! I CAN SING LIKE HUGO!!!!! I'm not even joking!

I was listening to him do Don't Stop Believin' and I naturally started singing along, and its so weird because I was never able to sing along with Perry! If Hugo gets in, it might be a good thing after all! Imagine how much easier it will be to start a tribute band once there is a Hugo era journey to pay tribute to!

Imagine how much easier it will be to find a replacement singer once they chew him up and spit him out after a year! I think Hugo may be the answer after all. Only problem is almost all of us could sing that way if we wanted... but I could only do it a few bars before I felt kind of gay and had to stop.

[gatorzone04]

Holy crapola, batman! I CAN SING LIKE HUGO!!!!! I'm not even joking!

I was listening to him do Don't Stop Believin' and I naturally started singing along, and its so weird because I was never able to sing along with Perry! If Hugo gets in, it might be a good thing after all! Imagine how much easier it will be to start a tribute band once there is a Hugo era journey to pay tribute to!

Imagine how much easier it will be to find a replacement singer once they chew him up and spit him out after a year! I think Hugo may be the answer after all. Only problem is almost all of us could sing that way if we wanted... but I could only do it a few bars before I felt kind of gay and had to stop.

Sounds like you are turning into a Hugo fan!

Did you ever see EVOLUTION live?

[Perrylover]

Wow. What a great debut post Marc. Well thought out & intelligent. Hope u stick around. We could use someone like u on this board.

I agree w/a lot of what u had to say. Ur right about Hugo in many ways. If Journey wants a "clone" of Perry, he looks more like him than anyone. The 1st time I heard of him & checked out his promo, I was taken aback at just how much he looked like Perry. His voice isnt identical no. But certainly enough to fool 99% of people at the concerts, if that's what Journey wants. The promo was on his site but now there's one on YouTube as well:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JUM3nvb1frw

I would dearly love to see a show w/Hugo & his band. They are all stellar musicians.

The thing I find unfair is calling Jeremey nothing more than a bar band karaoke act. While it's true he hasnt had any commercial success up to this point, if he'd been in the right place at the right time, he certainly could have & I think should have. I could name at least two dozen friends who should have made it, certainly had the talent, but just never got the break. Some are out of music altogether now. Others play at various local clubs & are still dabbling in it. I run a club/restaurant w/live music. There are so many people that have come thru w/amazing talent & u scratch ur head wondering how they were missed. We have several members here that are in the same boat. It's only a very small percentage of talent that ever gets discovered. Just b/c Jeremey never got that chance it's not fair to slam him. In this day & age, it seems like AI is the only place "talent" gets discovered. But in days gone by, bars were where it was at. My husband remembers when Cheap Trick was just a bar band & his brother told him to check them out. They played at a sleazy little bar back then. That doesnt detract from their talent. Everyone has to start somewhere.

I agree JFS, Idon't know enough history on Hugo, JSS or Kevin to know how they got their start, but I fell safe in thinking they probably didn't just pick up a microphone and poof they're famous. IMHO, being a singer in a local bar is very good dues paying, cause you have to deal with drunks and idiots who are only there for the booze and the "pick ups" that they can find.

Deb

[FormerJrnyFan]

... you have to deal with drunks and idiots who are only there for the booze and the "pick ups" that they can find.

Hehehe... that's me on a Saturday night!

[Aaron]

Dude,

Hugo has written and performed on 5 excellent CD's. Have you heard them? Here's the list in case you haven't:
1. Valentine
2. Open Skyz
3. Hugo
4. Hugo - Time on Earth
5. Hugo - Fire in the Night

You may not think Hugo is a great singer or song writer but several folks here will disagree.

As a matter of fact, our own Andrew J. McNiece will disagree with you as well. Here's a link to Andrew's review on Hugo's self titled and Time on Earth CD's.

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/reviewsuk.html#hugo

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/hugo-timeonearth.p3

In case you don't have time to have a look, here is a direct quote from Andrew's review of Time on Earth while referring to Hugo's self titled CD:

"But none of them matched the impact that Hugo's self titled debut album made. That album was released in 1997 to amazing critical and fan reaction. It was musically backed by Gary Hughes, Vinny Burns and the rest of the Ten gang, with Hugo also helping out. It was and still is touted as the album Journey should have recorded, when in that same year, they released Trial By Fire."

So although you don't think Hugo is a good writer or singer, a lot of us do, including our old buddy Andrew.

L8r,

Aaron

Nice poll, asshole. Hugo is a fantastic songwriter and performer. I have known Jeremey for years and he's a fantastic individual; everyone who meets him has nothing but wonderful things to say about him. Do you know Hugo personally? I've met him twice and he's a standup, friendly guy who is playing the music he loves. Dumbasses like you are making this whole process much more difficult.

I didn't say Hugo isn't a "stand-up friendly guy" I said his vocals suck, which is just an opinion. You can claim that he is a fantastic songwriter and performer, but based solely on the performances and songs I've seen, I'll have to disagree until you or someone show me something good enough to make me think otherwise. His voice is nothing like Perry, and his song writing is no where near Journey caliber.

How my stating an opinion that you disagree with is making the "process more difficult" doesn't make sense at all. To what process are you referring? The delussional process of certain dweebs trying to get Hugo in as frontman for Journey? That's just rediculous pipedreams that are NEVER going to happen. Even if there were a chance of that happening, don't you think Journey is in bad enough shape as it is? Go push your karoake room singers on some other band, this one's already on life support.

PS. If you dont like my poll then quit jerking on it you 'tard.

[Jeremey fan forever]

Dude,

Hugo has written and performed on 5 excellent CD's. Have you heard them? Here's the list in case you haven't:
1. Valentine
2. Open Skyz
3. Hugo
4. Hugo - Time on Earth
5. Hugo - Fire in the Night

You may not think Hugo is a great singer or song writer but several folks here will disagree.

As a matter of fact, our own Andrew J. McNiece will disagree with you as well. Here's a link to Andrew's review on Hugo's self titled and Time on Earth CD's.

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/reviewsuk.html#hugo

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/hugo-timeonearth.p3

In case you don't have time to have a look, here is a direct quote from Andrew's review of Time on Earth while referring to Hugo's self titled CD:

"But none of them matched the impact that Hugo's self titled debut album made. That album was released in 1997 to amazing critical and fan reaction. It was musically backed by Gary Hughes, Vinny Burns and the rest of the Ten gang, with Hugo also helping out. It was and still is touted as the album Journey should have recorded, when in that same year, they released Trial By Fire."

So although you don't think Hugo is a good writer or singer, a lot of us do, including our old buddy Andrew.

L8r,

Aaron

Nice poll, asshole. Hugo is a fantastic songwriter and performer. I have known Jeremey for years and he's a fantastic individual; everyone who meets him has nothing but wonderful things to say about him. Do you know Hugo personally? I've met him twice and he's a standup, friendly guy who is playing the music he loves. Dumbasses like you are making this whole process much more difficult.

I didn't say Hugo isn't a "stand-up friendly guy" I said his vocals suck, which is just an opinion. You can claim that he is a fantastic songwriter and performer, but based solely on the performances and songs I've seen, I'll have to disagree until you or someone show me something good enough to make me think otherwise. His voice is nothing like Perry, and his song writing is no where near Journey caliber.

How my stating an opinion that you disagree with is making the "process more difficult" doesn't make sense at all. To what process are you referring? The delussional process of certain dweebs trying to get Hugo in as frontman for Journey? That's just rediculous pipedreams that are NEVER going to happen. Even if there were a chance of that happening, don't you think Journey is in bad enough shape as it is? Go push your karoake room singers on some other band, this one's already on life support.

PS. If you dont like my poll then quit jerking on it you 'tard.

Oh, then it MUST be true then. Let's HEAR a little piece eh? I never heard a single clip hear or anywhere else that I didn't immediately want to turn it off because it sucks. But I've changed my mind many times before, so show me something!

[Marc Brunengraber]

[Aaron]

Nope, it doesn't make it so. I'm just pointing out that a very respectable person in the industry does not agree with your view.

Tell me what kind of song you want to hear and I'll post a couple of examples.

Dude,

Hugo has written and performed on 5 excellent CD's. Have you heard them? Here's the list in case you haven't:
1. Valentine
2. Open Skyz
3. Hugo
4. Hugo - Time on Earth
5. Hugo - Fire in the Night

You may not think Hugo is a great singer or song writer but several folks here will disagree.

As a matter of fact, our own Andrew J. McNiece will disagree with you as well. Here's a link to Andrew's review on Hugo's self titled and Time on Earth CD's.

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/reviewsuk.html#hugo

http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/hugo-timeonearth.p3

In case you don't have time to have a look, here is a direct quote from Andrew's review of Time on Earth while referring to Hugo's self titled CD:

"But none of them matched the impact that Hugo's self titled debut album made. That album was released in 1997 to amazing critical and fan reaction. It was musically backed by Gary Hughes, Vinny Burns and the rest of the Ten gang, with Hugo also helping out. It was and still is touted as the album Journey should have recorded, when in that same year, they released Trial By Fire."

So although you don't think Hugo is a good writer or singer, a lot of us do, including our old buddy Andrew.

L8r,

Aaron

Nice poll, asshole. Hugo is a fantastic songwriter and performer. I have known Jeremey for years and he's a fantastic individual; everyone who meets him has nothing but wonderful things to say about him. Do you know Hugo personally? I've met him twice and he's a standup, friendly guy who is playing the music he loves. Dumbasses like you are making this whole process much more difficult.

I didn't say Hugo isn't a "stand-up friendly guy" I said his vocals suck, which is just an opinion. You can claim that he is a fantastic songwriter and performer, but based solely on the performances and songs I've seen, I'll have to disagree until you or someone show me something good enough to make me think otherwise. His voice is nothing like Perry, and his song writing is no where near Journey caliber.

How my stating an opinion that you disagree with is making the "process more difficult" doesn't make sense at all. To what process are you referring? The delussional process of certain dweebs trying to get Hugo in as frontman for Journey? That's just rediculous pipedreams that are NEVER going to happen. Even if there were a chance of that happening, don't you think Journey is in bad enough shape as it is? Go push your karoake room singers on some other band, this one's already on life support.

PS. If you dont like my poll then quit jerking on it you 'tard.

Oh, then it MUST be true then. Let's HEAR a little piece eh? I never heard a single clip hear or anywhere else that I didn't immediately want to turn it off because it sucks. But I've changed my mind many times before, so show me something!

[conversationpc]

Sonically, Hugo's nasal tone, melodic sound, and effortless natural vocal inflections, are much more like The Voice than Jeremey's singing.

Jeremey is very good. Hugo is simply better.

No way. What I hear from Hugo is more a mixture of Augeri/Castronovo than it is Perry. Though I don't think Jeremey is a dead ringer for Perry, he sounds much closer, in my opinion.

[gatorzone04]

Sonically, Hugo's nasal tone, melodic sound, and effortless natural vocal inflections, are much more like The Voice than Jeremey's singing.

Jeremey is very good. Hugo is simply better.

No way. What I hear from Hugo is more a mixture of Augeri/Castronovo than it is Perry. Though I don't think Jeremey is a dead ringer for Perry, he sounds much closer, in my opinion.

You really have to see him with EVOLUTION live, and see yhe whole package, you will be asonished!

[yulog]

you know i can't help but sit back and see how people bash these tribute singers ,, it is not about them .... you don't see any of them bashing each other here ..... i understand that you will get a pissing comtest between two fansdsaying that my favorite singer is better then your , that is really just your own personal view ,,,, i am the bass player that plays with hugo in his tribute act, he is a great singer and great guy,any of our video's doesn't really show the full felling of our shows..... we are a live band and have fun doing it , there are other tribute singers doing this band and i think it is great that they support the journey they way we like to see them ,,, hugo does not come on here because of the singer bashing .and yes this board is pro jeremey ,still there is nothing wrong with that i wish him all of the best of luck as for any of the othe journey singers... journey is the #1 soap opera now lets see what happens and please back off all of these tribute singers they don't deserve it .. ... all i can say is good luck to journey in adding another chapter in there book ,,,,,,,

Dude, I don't think its bashing for someone to say "I don't like so and so singer and here's why" its all understood as opinion and comentary. Also, while I think YOU kick ass on the bass, and that your tribute bands sounds pretty damn good, I absolutely agree with you about your bands singer, because he can't bring it vocally and does not sound even remotely close to the guy he is trying to imitate. Its like an Elvis impersonator who does everything right but sounds like...Michael Jackson.

Then you get people saying he ought to be in Journey, and that gets scary because Journey has been known form time to time to be stupid enough to listen them. Hugo would be a disaster for Journey, but if he's working out well out your gigs, then great!

[styxman]

I started reading Marc's post, I've missed dinner, my favourite soap and bathtime. I've had to stop now because I ain't missin' what comes after bathtime. Sorry Marc, I'm sure it was interesting dude

[DarwinNebraska]

He sometimes sounds good, but when he gets to a song like Mother Father, I'm lost:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeZxZA5FTmM

I'd still love to go see him. He acts so much like Perry. I'd really enjoy the show for what it is.

Lame.

[Jeremey fan forever]

Sonically, Hugo's nasal tone, melodic sound, and effortless natural vocal inflections, are much more like The Voice than Jeremey's singing.

Jeremey is very good. Hugo is simply better.

No way. What I hear from Hugo is more a mixture of Augeri/Castronovo than it is Perry. Though I don't think Jeremey is a dead ringer for Perry, he sounds much closer, in my opinion.

You really have to see him with EVOLUTION live, and see yhe whole package, you will be asonished!

Oh, I already am astonished! Trust, me, its beyond astonishing to me that people who listened to Perry for years hear any resemblance whatsoever.

[Marc Brunengraber]

What's really astonishing is that you are apparently a friend of Jeremey's.

Why would a supposedly classy guy have anything to do with the likes of you??????

Jeremey is apparently cool......you are perhaps the biggest moron I have ever seen post on the internet.

And that's saying something.

Since you can sing as well as Hugo can (in your own opinion), I'm waiting to hear any of your 5 solo albums, or have you regale us with your stories of having toured Europe and Japan, and having made videos for MTV.

Oh, right, you never did that.

Because you CAN'T sing like Hugo can.

Oh, right - Jeremey's never done any of that either.

Ha ha.

[Jeremey fan forever]

What's really astonishing is that you are apparently a friend of Jeremey's.

Why would a supposedly classy guy have anything to do with the likes of you??????

Jeremey is apparently cool......you are perhaps the biggest moron I have ever seen post on the internet.

And that's saying something.

Since you can sing as well as Hugo can (in your own opinion), I'm waiting to hear any of your 5 solo albums, or have you regale us with your stories of having toured Europe and Japan, and having made videos for MTV.

Oh, right, you never did that.

Because you CAN'T sing like Hugo can.

Oh, right - Jeremey's never done any of that either.

Ha ha.

Wrong, I don't know anybody. But I do know Journey music, been supporting them for 25 years and I know what I like. Jeremey can sing like a superstar, and Hugo.....well, you know.

I said I can sound just like hugo, which is true. I can also fart, but I wont be bottling that either, ya know?