INTERVIEW: Carlos Santana Wants To Get Steve Perry Back In J

[Eric]

I'm probably ignorant and naive - but what if they recorded 2 new songs each year during band rehearsals prior to touring and alternated playing those 2 new songs each show. Release them on iTunes as the tour begins and then every 5 years release them on a full album.

[STORY_TELLER]

Bands like Journey, Styx, and of the classic groups, could do singles for I tunes, etc..Augeri is doing that, and I have bought them, they could also release hits, live, with new songs on them.

I don't think comparing Augeri solo to established bands is fair. They're in different places in their careers. Augeri is trying to build an audience without Journey. I'm sure a good measure is artistic desire, but he also kind of needs to do this to establish himself for whatever audience is going to see him. He's not Journey, he can't just tour their dirty dozen alone. Well, maybe he can, lol... but... then he'll always be thought of as one of the guys who replaced Steve Perry. I'm sure he wants to break that mold.

Journey, Styx, etc., well, if they record one single, they still need to promote the fact that the song is out there. Would like to see what kind of numbers a single track would yield. There is a big grey area between 60 people buying a one dollar track and tens of thousands doing so. Even if it is tens of thousands, all that work to split 10k between 5 band members after costs? You really need to have a strong will to create to do that -- especially after you've sold millions of records -- and therein lies the unfair comparison between Augeri and established bands. Augeri has a desire to climb a mountain, and the other bands feel themselves coming down from the other side, facing another mountain in front of them, knowing they'll never reach the top again -- because music isn't selling in general and their fan base wants to hear the hits and not much more.

I think it's less about money for Cain and more about confidence. Confidence affects desire, and it doesn't do much for your creative desire when you've got it in your head that only a hundred people are going to be interested in something you're working so hard at.

I think Neal lives in a different place than Jon creatively. The guy always has his guitar in his hand. He lives to play. It's the air he breathes. Whereas Jon wants to see some measure of reward for the work he does, and that reward might be money, but it could also be recognition.

[Abitaman]

Journey, Styx, etc., well, if they record one single, they still need to promote the fact that the song is out there. Would like to see what kind of numbers a single track would yield. There is a big grey area between 60 people buying a one dollar track and tens of thousands doing so. Even if it is tens of thousands, all that work to split 10k between 5 band members after costs? You really need to have a strong will to create to do that -- especially after you've sold millions of records -- and therein lies the unfair comparison between Augeri and established bands. Augeri has a desire to climb a mountain, and the other bands feel themselves coming down from the other side, facing another mountain in front of them, knowing they'll never reach the top again -- because music isn't selling in general and their fan base wants to hear the hits and not much more.

.

True, but I also mentioned, at least I hope it was on this post, that putting a new song or two in a new live cd (think Return to Paradise), or another hits cd (think Styx greatest hits vol 2) maybe a good way to get new music out, with out spending a lot of money.

BUT, If Perry came back the above option would be ok, but I would want a new cd with Perry at the front of the band.

[The_Noble_Cause]

I don't think comparing Augeri solo to established bands is fair. They're in different places in their careers. Augeri is trying to build an audience without Journey. I'm sure a good measure is artistic desire, but he also kind of needs to do this to establish himself for whatever audience is going to see him. He's not Journey, he can't just tour their dirty dozen alone. Well, maybe he can, lol... but... then he'll always be thought of as one of the guys who replaced Steve Perry. I'm sure he wants to break that mold.

Augeri, if anything, seems to keep posting singles because he genuinely enjoys creating music. He has always said he "knows where his bread is buttered" and realizes the association between himself and Perry is what enables him to be able to tour. I don't think he has any expectation whatsoever of building a new audience or getting rich from Itunes.

Augeri has a desire to climb a mountain, and the other bands feel themselves coming down from the other side, facing another mountain in front of them, knowing they'll never reach the top again -- because music isn't selling in general and their fan base wants to hear the hits and not much more.

Neal repeatedly says he takes a loss on his solo albums. That he does them because he enjoys doing them not because they actually sell. Like you said, Neal lives to play. The only person concerned with climbing the mountain is Cain. Cain has expressed a reluctance to create new music since Arrival flopped. And then he complained that they "got their asses handed to us" (paraphrase) with Red 13. And then in recent interviews, he spoke negatively of Eclipse. Cain does not have the fire when it comes to new Journey music. Their best post-Perry work has been collaborations with Jack Blades anyway.