MR

Here are some live clips (they have live after them). This is their 1st show in 15 years. Jason is just getting his feet wet being back in the roll of singing Journey and I have to say they are the best sounding Journey tribute. Listen to the feel of the drums, the guitar playing etc. Firing on all cylinders and they are just getting back to it. Consider this is their 1st show in 15 years. Too bad the recording isnt better. I know with a little time they will improve even more.

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Lovin' You Is Easy has been played around here for years, but that version of Faithfully was KILLER! Listening to Who's Cryin' Now as I type this. Um ... wow! These songs just flow out of him. This is his natural range and the delivery is effortless. He has far less power than Pineda (so did Perry), but he has the nuances and inflections down very well.

And it is not just him. It is the whole unit. The harmonies etc are all nailed. I hear Jason pushing a little in Lovin Touchin from the newest stuff but you can just flat out tell that the boy is incredible. When he has been back at this a bit he will improve and they do have Mother Father on their setlist. If he is still singing that one (he used to emulate Houston 81 live perfectly,talk about fucking amazing to see) then he must still have a lot in the tank.

They have their original drummer back as well. All of the stuff I posted was stuff with a different guy. The deal is with this group that each member just happens to be able to play the with the proper feel. The drummer nails Smittys groove and pocket, the guitar player plays Schons solos without shortcuts and sloppy mess notes (his solo on Ill be alright is amazing) the other players in the band do their things with equal skill. These guys have a natural chemistry end of story. They could and should be doing original music with their live chemistry being so damn good. Oh and wait till you hear a Rollie tune come out. The guitar player sounds exactly like him too.

I know I really trumpet this band but I cant help hold such skilled players in high regard and as a musician myself I am always happy to see and hear real talent.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:And it is not just him. It is the whole unit. The harmonies etc are all nailed. I hear Jason pushing a little in Lovin Touchin from the newest stuff but you can just flat out tell that the boy is incredible. When he has been back at this a bit he will improve and they do have Mother Father on their setlist. If he is still singing that one (he used to emulate Houston 81 live perfectly,talk about fucking amazing to see) then he must still have a lot in the tank.

They have their original drummer back as well. All of the stuff I posted was stuff with a different guy. The deal is with this group that each member just happens to be able to play the with the proper feel. The drummer nails Smittys groove and pocket, the guitar player plays Schons solos without shortcuts and sloppy mess notes (his solo on Ill be alright is amazing) the other players in the band do their things with equal skill. These guys have a natural chemistry end of story. They could and should be doing original music with their live chemistry being so damn good. Oh and wait till you hear a Rollie tune come out. The guitar player sounds exactly like him too.

I know I really trumpet this band but I cant help hold such skilled players in high regard and as a musician myself I am always happy to see and hear real talent.

Since that goof Ehwmatt is a pretty cool dude and lives in the area, I see myself making another trip to see these guys pretty soon. I saw Jason with Eclipse (the irony!) about 3 years ago and he was amazing. Let's get a trip planned to see these guys. Quit fucking around, LD, and let's make this happen.

Saint John wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:And it is not just him. It is the whole unit. The harmonies etc are all nailed. I hear Jason pushing a little in Lovin Touchin from the newest stuff but you can just flat out tell that the boy is incredible. When he has been back at this a bit he will improve and they do have Mother Father on their setlist. If he is still singing that one (he used to emulate Houston 81 live perfectly,talk about fucking amazing to see) then he must still have a lot in the tank.

They have their original drummer back as well. All of the stuff I posted was stuff with a different guy. The deal is with this group that each member just happens to be able to play the with the proper feel. The drummer nails Smittys groove and pocket, the guitar player plays Schons solos without shortcuts and sloppy mess notes (his solo on Ill be alright is amazing) the other players in the band do their things with equal skill. These guys have a natural chemistry end of story. They could and should be doing original music with their live chemistry being so damn good. Oh and wait till you hear a Rollie tune come out. The guitar player sounds exactly like him too.

I know I really trumpet this band but I cant help hold such skilled players in high regard and as a musician myself I am always happy to see and hear real talent.

Since that goof Ehwmatt is a pretty cool dude and lives in the area, I see myself making another trip to see these guys pretty soon. I saw Jason with Eclipse (the irony!) about 3 years ago and he was amazing. Let's get a trip planned to see these guys. Quit fucking around, LD, and let's make this happen.

Alright man. I am just getting ready to buy a new ride. The one I have now I have been ok with because I never drive very far (laid off at the moment) but I would never take a road trip. If they get within 100 miles of Cinci your on. Maybe further depending on my wife and her work schedule. I want to go see these guys more than the real journey haha..

Liquid_Drummer wrote:

Saint John wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:And it is not just him. It is the whole unit. The harmonies etc are all nailed. I hear Jason pushing a little in Lovin Touchin from the newest stuff but you can just flat out tell that the boy is incredible. When he has been back at this a bit he will improve and they do have Mother Father on their setlist. If he is still singing that one (he used to emulate Houston 81 live perfectly,talk about fucking amazing to see) then he must still have a lot in the tank.

They have their original drummer back as well. All of the stuff I posted was stuff with a different guy. The deal is with this group that each member just happens to be able to play the with the proper feel. The drummer nails Smittys groove and pocket, the guitar player plays Schons solos without shortcuts and sloppy mess notes (his solo on Ill be alright is amazing) the other players in the band do their things with equal skill. These guys have a natural chemistry end of story. They could and should be doing original music with their live chemistry being so damn good. Oh and wait till you hear a Rollie tune come out. The guitar player sounds exactly like him too.

I know I really trumpet this band but I cant help hold such skilled players in high regard and as a musician myself I am always happy to see and hear real talent.

Since that goof Ehwmatt is a pretty cool dude and lives in the area, I see myself making another trip to see these guys pretty soon. I saw Jason with Eclipse (the irony!) about 3 years ago and he was amazing. Let's get a trip planned to see these guys. Quit fucking around, LD, and let's make this happen.

Alright man. I am just getting ready to buy a new ride. The one I have now I have been ok with because I never drive very far (laid off at the moment) but I would never take a road trip. If they get within 100 miles of Cinci your on. Maybe further depending on my wife and her work schedule. I want to go see these guys more than the real journey haha..

You guys be sure to keep me in the loop. I may be able to squeeze in a quick road trip also. Been wanting to see these guys live. Don't know if they'll make a trip up to Michigan or not.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:
Alright man. I am just getting ready to buy a new ride. The one I have now I have been ok with because I never drive very far (laid off at the moment) but I would never take a road trip. If they get within 100 miles of Cinci your on. Maybe further depending on my wife and her work schedule. I want to go see these guys more than the real journey haha..

Where are you at, approximately?

Saint John wrote:Lovin' You Is Easy has been played around here for years, but that version of Faithfully was KILLER! Listening to Who's Cryin' Now as I type this. Um ... wow! These songs just flow out of him. This is his natural range and the delivery is effortless. He has far less power than Pineda (so did Perry), but he has the nuances and inflections down very well.

I swear during the oh, oh, oh ,oh at the end.. It sounds DEAD ON LIKE PERRY. No one else is this close At most other times it is perryish. Point is the guy just has a great set of pipes.

The reason I want to see these guys over the real thing is that it is the closest you will ever get to seeing Journey live in like 83 which is what their live vibe is like. I wont knock Frontiers because I cant. They have worked hard and as a fellow musician I respect them. That said, Escape is just something Frontiers cant be by nature alone and how Frontiers operates. Frontiers never seemed to lock in the groove and the feel IMHO because they never had the right drummer and as a band that has their members dislocated and living apart and as a musician I hear it. Most people wont. Their live clips have that feeling. No fault of Jeremey there. The guys in Escape all cut their teeth together. THAT is the difference. Plus Jason.. WTF can you say about that guy. Ross Muir (if you know who he is ) I think wants to interview Jason about singing etc since they are active again.

Am I the only one who thinks the guy sounds like Richard Page?

They do sound amazing, and there really is no better tribute band out there! I love their intro to "Who's Crying Now". VERY cool!

I didn't like the clips. Can't put a finger on it, but I just don't thing he emotes enough.

Saint John wrote:Lovin' You Is Easy has been played around here for years, but that version of Faithfully was KILLER! Listening to Who's Cryin' Now as I type this. Um ... wow! These songs just flow out of him. This is his natural range and the delivery is effortless. He has far less power than Pineda (so did Perry), but he has the nuances and inflections down very well.

That's the single dumbest thing I've ever seen you post. I know you hate Perry, but prime for prime, Perry had way more power than Arnel has and you know it.

Reading your ridiculous Perry bashing posts is usually amusing but with that statement, you're just being silly. And you're factually wrong.

But you are comical.

Faithfully he sings it beautifully and DSB. Who's Crying Now is a little lackluster. The tone is good. But it just doesn't take off somehow.

RedWingFan wrote:You guys be sure to keep me in the loop.

Absolutely! Would be cool to finally meet you.

madsplash wrote:

That's the single dumbest thing I've ever seen you post. I know you hate Perry, but prime for prime, Perry had way more power than Arnel has and you know it.

Perry's forte was never being a powerful singer. He sang so effortlessly up until about ROR that he never required power. Arnel's renditions of songs have much more power behind them. Power doesn't necessarily equate to better, but watching side by side clips of the two doing songs like Separate Ways, Only The Young and even ballads like Open Arms, it's clear that Arnel dwarfs him in the power department. Perry only began to toss around his power when he had to, and that was on tough nights during ROR ... and some of that was just to cover up a voice incapable of singing in key.

Saint John wrote:

madsplash wrote:

That's the single dumbest thing I've ever seen you post. I know you hate Perry, but prime for prime, Perry had way more power than Arnel has and you know it.

Perry's forte was never being a powerful singer. He sang so effortlessly up until about ROR that he never required power. Arnel's renditions of songs have much more power behind them. Power doesn't necessarily equate to better, but watching side by side clips of the two doing songs like Separate Ways, Only The Young and even ballads like Open Arms, it's clear that Arnel dwarfs him in the power department. Perry only began to toss around his power when he had to, and that was on tough nights during ROR ... and some of that was just to cover up a voice incapable of singing in key.

I think you're confusing/misinterpreting "power" with "fullness". Arnel has a deeper back-end base to his voice than Perry (or most tenors for that matter) and it makes it sound more "full". Easily confused with power.

Both have/had the same ability to belt it out, but truth be told, that's EASY. It's a fallback position for a singer who struggles with the subtleties. Perry used many parts of his voice to achieve his unique sound -- and not only is that difficult, it's VERY hard on the chords. He went for subtlety with intent. Arnel only knows how to belt. Even when he pulls back for "tenderness" he's still using the same part of his voice to do it and doesn't achieve the same depth as Perry. So if most of what you hear from Arnel is belting, then yeah, you're going to incorrectly conclude "he has more power than Perry", when truth is, it was a creative choice on Perry's part -- and THAT is why the original songs by Perry have more depth and heart to them.

The thing about subtlety is, it doesn't come across as clearly live as it does in a studio recording. It's clear you prefer a belter to a subtle approach, and that's fine, but your conclusion simply isn't accurate. I, for one, prefer the subtleties. I think that's where the skill of the musician is revealed and for me, that's what separated Journey from other AOR bands and made them a supergroup.

On a side note, I'm with LD here: This band kicks ass. Kelty on LTS live -- wow. If I didn't know better I would think it was Perry on that track. VERY talented group of players and they really need to lay down some original stuff.

Don wrote:Am I the only one who thinks the guy sounds like Richard Page?

Yep

I loved his voice on 'Faithfully' but he doesn't sound so Perry-esque to me on 'Who's Crying Now'. However, the band sound as close to perfection as can be.

STORY_TELLER wrote:when truth is, it was a creative choice on Perry's part -- and THAT is why the original songs by Perry have more depth and heart to them.

Though I agree, this is completely subjective.

Jason emotes plenty. I have seen them live and back in the day you could tell the songs are very close to his heart. I had countless goosebump moments when they did certain songs and after the shows you always heard people saying, "Wow man, that was fucking awesome". heh

I imagine 15 years away from it plus it being their 1st show in 15 years may have a little to do with him holding back a little. Sure it is a confidence thing but hell, they still kicked major ass and we all know there are only a handfull of people alive that can sing this stuff at all when it is in standard key.. If this is how they sound after not playing together for so long imagine when they get well oiled again. He still has it in the tank though which is very obvious and after they have been at it again for a bit of time he will be a monster.

I am not easily impressed by live bands. If these guys played all original music I would still say they are one of the tightest live bands I have ever seen tribute or pro. Their harmonies are "Eagles tight". I love to use that term because to me Journey and The Eagles have one big thing in common. Flawless (or damn close) live harmonies.

Such an important part and one of the things that makes this band stand above the others. I think everyone accept the drummer sings and can hold their own doing so.

Dude, I swear to god, the harmonies on the chorus of DSB are SPOT ON, exactly as you hear it on the album.

Saint John wrote:

Liquid_Drummer wrote:
Alright man. I am just getting ready to buy a new ride. The one I have now I have been ok with because I never drive very far (laid off at the moment) but I would never take a road trip. If they get within 100 miles of Cinci your on. Maybe further depending on my wife and her work schedule. I want to go see these guys more than the real journey haha..

Where are you at, approximately?

LOuisville, Ky

Been talking to a couple of the guys and trying to get them a show here. They were very popular when they used to play the Toy Tiger in Louisville and are still remembered well to this day. Packed the house almost every time they played there. I remember there was 4-5 inches of snow on the damn ground and the places was packed. I dont know how they hell they got down here ! Maybe you will be coming down this way hehe... If not I will work it out with the wife when they play again as long as it is not 600 miles !!! I love the band but I wont drive that far to see any musical act accept for something like Jimi Hendrix coming back from the dead to do a show. Hehe.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:Jason emotes plenty.

You must emote to sing for Journey and I question this singer being able to emote.

I just find the whole emote thing funny and am being sarcastic.

Liquid_Drummer wrote:LOuisville, Ky

Nice, Bowling Green here.

Hey all..
First off, Thanks for all the kind words! We are excited to be back playing again and I will tell you that it's like riding a bike, it was so easy to get back into the groove. We still feel the same chemistry on stage and I think it's translating to the audience. Even though the audio clips are not the best quality, I think you can get the vibe and overall sound of the band live. We are working to clean those clips up some, quality wise and will repost them with some others. I will tell you that Jason's voice sounds real strong live, actually the entire band does. We're very happy with the response we've gotten and will continue to build on it. Glad to be back!! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the comments...

Scott
Guitar-E5C4P3

muudrock wrote:Hey all..
First off, Thanks for all the kind words! We are excited to be back playing again and I will tell you that it's like riding a bike, it was so easy to get back into the groove. We still feel the same chemistry on stage and I think it's translating to the audience. Even though the audio clips are not the best quality, I think you can get the vibe and overall sound of the band live. We are working to clean those clips up some, quality wise and will repost them with some others. I will tell you that Jason's voice sounds real strong live, actually the entire band does. We're very happy with the response we've gotten and will continue to build on it. Glad to be back!! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the comments...

Scott
Guitar-E5C4P3

I would definitely go see you guys if you ever came to Houston.

Wow, I've listened to all of the clips and man they're good. LD is right on, these guys are tight. I seen Jason and the band in 95/96 and they sound as good on the clips as they did then. Based on what I've heard, I'd rather see them than Journey. Jason is a much better singer than Arnel. The finese makes the difference and the dude is spot on without extensive vibrato on every note.

If these guys hit Indy, Louisville or Cincy I'm there. Well done guys.

The guy sings in a very laid back manner. I wonder what he would sound like if he just let it rip? Everything in the Journey catalog seems well within his range.

The musicianship is definitely second to none.

STORY_TELLER wrote:I think you're confusing/misinterpreting "power" with "fullness". Arnel has a deeper back-end base to his voice than Perry (or most tenors for that matter) and it makes it sound more "full". Easily confused with power.

Both have/had the same ability to belt it out, but truth be told, that's EASY. It's a fallback position for a singer who struggles with the subtleties. Perry used many parts of his voice to achieve his unique sound -- and not only is that difficult, it's VERY hard on the chords. He went for subtlety with intent. Arnel only knows how to belt. Even when he pulls back for "tenderness" he's still using the same part of his voice to do it and doesn't achieve the same depth as Perry. So if most of what you hear from Arnel is belting, then yeah, you're going to incorrectly conclude "he has more power than Perry", when truth is, it was a creative choice on Perry's part -- and THAT is why the original songs by Perry have more depth and heart to them.

The thing about subtlety is, it doesn't come across as clearly live as it does in a studio recording. It's clear you prefer a belter to a subtle approach, and that's fine, but your conclusion simply isn't accurate. I, for one, prefer the subtleties. I think that's where the skill of the musician is revealed and for me, that's what separated Journey from other AOR bands and made them a supergroup.

Wow. Great description. Tenderness and vulnerability are truly much harder to convey.