Evolution - A Tribute (Hugo)

[Voyager]

Watch this whole medley, and tell me if you think there is anyone you have heard that could sound as close to Steve Perry as this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9P4AW5ZI7c

Granted, he sounds a little flat at times - but the recordings are live, amateur, and unedited.

I would bet that Steve Perry himself would (currently) have difficulties hitting the high notes that Hugo is hitting. I mean, SP is pushing 60. How old is this Hugo guy? Does anyone know? To me, he sounds closer to Perry than Augeri or JSS does. I am very surprised Journey didn't grab this guy when Augeri started having troubles.

[yulog]

damn that guy sounds good that video was the worst jeez that site need to fix that crap

[Aaron]

Ah men brother .....

Watch this whole medley, and tell me if you think there is anyone you have heard that could sound as close to Steve Perry as this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9P4AW5ZI7c

Granted, he sounds a little flat at times - but the recordings are live, amateur, and unedited.

I would bet that Steve Perry himself would (currently) have difficulties hitting the high notes that Hugo is hitting. I mean, SP is pushing 60. How old is this Hugo guy? Does anyone know? To me, he sounds closer to Perry than Augeri or JSS does. I am very surprised Journey didn't grab this guy when Augeri started having troubles.

[NealIsGod]

IMO, Jeremey blows him away.

[FormerJrnyFan]

Hugo doesn't want Journey.

Journey doesn't want him

... end of story

[treetopovskaya]

didn't sp post on their message board saying that he wanted his dna back? }:C)

[Saint John]

One more Hugo post and someone is getting their ass kicked. He'll NEVER be in Journey....and rightly so. The band has addressed this many times. The dude wanted to look, act and sound like Perry. The first two pretty much sealed his label as a look-a-like, allowing him to make a decent living, but disqualifying him from EVER being in the band. Let it go.

[finalfight]

Whatever anyone says, Hugo Valenti is an incredibly talented and well respected singer/song writer. The Valentine and Open Skyz albums were great but simply put, his solo albums blow away much of the recent Journey output. They are that damn good.

Its a crying shame that he doesn't seem to perform any of his own material live. With the right backing this guy could have been/could still be huge. As it stands if Hugo ever puts on a concert of his own material I would seriously consider making the trip overseas.

Jeremey is also an extremely talented singer who reminds me of FTLOSM era Perry vocally.

Hugo, if you are reading this - rock on! Oh and pm me!

[finalfight]

The dude wanted to look, act and sound like Perry. The first two pretty much sealed his label as a look-a-like, allowing him to make a decent living, but disqualifying him from EVER being in the band. Let it go.

Didn't do Steve Augeri any harm...

[yulog]

Yeah his making a living off of 1 show a week if that . The guy is from New York do you think he could make it there on that kind of money open your eyes he has had 5 cds of his own plus he is respected singer in the melodicrock world That guy sings higher than perry did on some of the journey songs therefore he would probably not blow his voice out plus he writes killer music -catchy hooks great melodies thats what Journey is all about if he and Neal got together it would be MAGIC------never say never-Neal said Steve A was the last singer for the band look whats going on now

[fred_journeyman]

I'm sorry, but Hugo is flat WAY too often and he doesn't have enough power in his vocals. If I was Hugo and I was doing a Journey/Perry tribute, I would do whatever I could to take my God-given talent and increase it. Dressing up like Steve Perry and having a similar sound doesn't necessarily make him a wonderful singer.

And by the way, I own a few Hugo CDs and his voice sounds very thin on those as well. He's good, but he's no Perry.

[conversationpc]

Hugo's voice is paper thin compared to Perry's and he sounds more like an Augeri-Castronovo combination than he does Perry.

I agree with NeilIsGod...Jeremey is the better singer.

[larryfromnextdoor]

wow that was cool,, hugo just has it down!! from the sound to the walk,, thanks for the clip ,, does anyone know what jeremey thinks of Evolution and hugo? id love to see Frontiers and Evolution live, i doubt they are competition, different parts of the world an all,,,,

[conversationpc]

Also...Both Frontiers and Lights are far better Journey tribute bands.

[Saint John]

The dude wanted to look, act and sound like Perry. The first two pretty much sealed his label as a look-a-like, allowing him to make a decent living, but disqualifying him from EVER being in the band. Let it go.

Didn't do Steve Augeri any harm...

Wrong. As much as I can't stand Steve Augeri, he never tried to look and act like Perry. Hugo mimics his moves, his facial expressions and even the way Perry held the mic. I guess within the concept of a tribute band it's OK, but to be lead singer of Journey and doing that would be a farce. Half of the crowd would laugh and the other half would be creeped out. Jeremey has a much stronger voice, without the creepiness.

[Saint John]

Yeah his making a living off of 1 show a week if that . The guy is from New York do you think he could make it there on that kind of money open your eyes he has had 5 cds of his own plus he is respected singer in the melodicrock world That guy sings higher than perry did on some of the journey songs therefore he would probably not blow his voice out plus he writes killer music -catchy hooks great melodies thats what Journey is all about if he and Neal got together it would be MAGIC------never say never-Neal said Steve A was the last singer for the band look whats going on now

Steve Perry will replace Lemmy as Motorhead's new lead singer before Hugo fronts Journey.

[Vladan]

Well thats right Fed Journeyman, the looks will only get you so far. Falsetto, thin sounding vocals are not going to cut with us. I don't know why this guy doesn't get a good vocal coach or take some lessons on how to sing in full voice, Hugo frustrates me.

Take a look at Jeremey, listen to his voice - can you see the difference? can hear the full tone qualities and power in his voice. That is an example how you sing, properly. Look im not pro myself, but I do know the difference. currently im studying singing and techniques, so long way to go aswell.

[finalfight]

Steve Perry in Motorhead...hmmm! At the same time we could have Dio fronting Coldplay, Rob Halford fronting The Village People (as the cop) and Clay Aiken taking up lead for Journey. JSS would then head to Broadway as the lead in The Phantom of the Opera.

Enough of the Hugo bashing people. We are talking about artists that bring pleasure to many, many people and are lucky enough in some instances to make a living doing so.

No-one is above reproach. I think Dio is great but he sounded so bad on the Holy Diver live tour that I actually gave away the DVD I bought. The great Bruce Dickinson sounds off key more often than not these days. Jeremey as good as he is (which is frankly amazing) sounds to me like he is chewing words occasionaly when singing live. To some, Hugo's voice may seem soft or under produced on a couple of his tracks but they are not particularly representative of what he is capable of. Hugo is well regarded for some beautiful and soulful singing as witnessed for instance on the polished and very well produced Time On Earth album. JSS sounded great on everything I had ever heard him on prior to his very first Journey boots. The shock of the new perhaps? Sure enough as he said he would, Jeff came back from the short break all guns blazing. Heck even Steve Perry had off nights.

How many of us would like to get paid for performing Journey songs? I actually think Hugo deserves more than that. Would I like to have seen him step in and front Journey? Sure. Many of the keg legs in the audience don't even realise that Steve Perry is no longer in the band anyway. In the long term the songwriting dynamic might have worked. However I am convinced that the inclusion of JSS is a real plus point for a seemingly re-energised Journey going forward.

As much as I liked Steve Augeri's work with Journey (except Butterfly ), I feel it would be a huge error of judgement and a wasted opportunity should he return to the band. JSS deserves more than simply singing the greatest hits and I hope he gets the opportunity to exert some influence. Sure Deen can sing but I still find it jarring that he is still taking lead on a couple of numbers. If Journey want to move away from the Perry style vocals why keep reminding people of how things were? Jeff sings rings around Deen and doesn't appear to need the break, so why then, to please the fans? I doubt it. Anyway enough of the ranting - back on track...I guess what I am trying to say is that everyone should have the chance to show their full potential. For example, JSS, lending his considerable talent to Journey going forward. For Hugo, a wider audience for his stellar solo material. For Jeremey, a record deal and for me some sleep!

Good night all...

[finalfight]

Well thats right Fed Journeyman, the looks will only get you so far. Falsetto, thin sounding vocals are not going to cut with us. I don't know why this guy doesn't get a good vocal coach or take some lessons on how to sing in full voice, Hugo frustrates me.

Take a look at Jeremey, listen to his voice - can you see the difference? can hear the full tone qualities and power in his voice. That is an example how you sing, properly. Look im not pro myself, but I do know the difference. currently im studying singing and techniques, so long way to go aswell.

Dude you are so funny, I nearly prolapsed. I bet you could learn more than a thing or two from Hugo.

[Vladan]

Dude you are so funny, I nearly prolapsed. I bet you could learn more than a thing or two from Hugo.

Well I try!

No doubt I would learn a few things, I am still learning all the time.

[finalfight]

Dude you are so funny, I nearly prolapsed. I bet you could learn more than a thing or two from Hugo.

Well I try!

No doubt I would learn a few things, I am still learning all the time.

Aren't we all. I am an accomplished artist but am learning daily, from many different sources new tips and tricks to make my working process more efficient.

[AR]

Frontiers clip of Separate Ways sounded very odd. Think is the backing vocals mostly. Also Jeremy sounds good, but is taking some liberties with the song. (Well Perry did that at times too).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-KDsyD ... ed&search=

Calling Niggy - this I bet is really good in person. Maybe have to hit the next show in NOVA

[finalfight]

Frontiers clip of Separate Ways sounded very odd. Think is the backing vocals mostly. Also Jeremy sounds good, but is taking some liberties with the song. (Well Perry did that at times too).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-KDsyD ... ed&search=

Calling Niggy - this I bet is really good in person. Maybe have to hit the next show in NOVA

Hell, that did sound odd! Just goes to show what I said earlier - anyone can have an off night.

[Jeremey]

Frontiers clip of Separate Ways sounded very odd. Think is the backing vocals mostly. Also Jeremy sounds good, but is taking some liberties with the song. (Well Perry did that at times too).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-KDsyD ... ed&search=

Calling Niggy - this I bet is really good in person. Maybe have to hit the next show in NOVA

Hey you guys! The reason I switched up the melody a little was that it was the second time of the night we had performed that song. This was a corporate event (4th of July party) set up in a corn field in Indiana - The stage was a hydraulic semi trailer that opened up into that 2 story rig with lights and everything - pretty fuckin' cool....

Anyhoo....We did our typical 3 hour set that night, and we keep AWYWI for the encore, but the crowd wanted us to continue playing, so we played 3 or 4 more songs, I don't remember....But I know DSB and Sep Ways were in there. The reason I posted the clip is cause I enjoyed changing up the melody a little bit after singing it already once that night, and I thought it'd be a little something different for YouTube....background vocals were live as always, and yes, our lead guitarist was having trouble & yanked out his in ear monitors, so that was a little rough

True, we all have off nights, but mine don't make it on to YouTube (if I can help it!) ...But yes, some clips are better than others....

and those words were simply delicious!!

[AR]

But yes, some clips are better than others....

After posting I found a clip of SW from the HOB that I thought was great.

[froy]

Watch this whole medley, and tell me if you think there is anyone you have heard that could sound as close to Steve Perry as this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9P4AW5ZI7c

Granted, he sounds a little flat at times - but the recordings are live, amateur, and unedited.

I would bet that Steve Perry himself would (currently) have difficulties hitting the high notes that Hugo is hitting. I mean, SP is pushing 60. How old is this Hugo guy? Does anyone know? To me, he sounds closer to Perry than Augeri or JSS does. I am very surprised Journey didn't grab this guy when Augeri started having troubles.

Bad editing but a good Perry clone
This should be the next JRNY lead singer if Perry stays quiet

[Calbear94]

The dude wanted to look, act and sound like Perry. The first two pretty much sealed his label as a look-a-like, allowing him to make a decent living, but disqualifying him from EVER being in the band. Let it go.

Didn't do Steve Augeri any harm...

Wrong. As much as I can't stand Steve Augeri, he never tried to look and act like Perry. Hugo mimics his moves, his facial expressions and even the way Perry held the mic. I guess within the concept of a tribute band it's OK, but to be lead singer of Journey and doing that would be a farce. Half of the crowd would laugh and the other half would be creeped out. Jeremey has a much stronger voice, without the creepiness.

Hugo is just about as anonymous as Augeri was when he burst onto the Journey scene. He could cut his hair, throw in some blonde highlights, and perform in his own style....and nail classic Journey songs.

[lespaul7256]

hey hello guy's .... this is les from Evolution... i am not here to join in on the hugo debate..... he is my singer and i think he is great and i am glad to be in the band with him..... other people have there own opinions and that is fine....there are alot of other singers out there that are great also.... what i really want to say is that when the video was made that was posted here here it is now over three years old... it was done on a low budget and the only people that are still in the band is hugo a lance the keyboard player the video was live and straight from the board.... the band was rebuilt and it finally sound incredible.... there is a new high budget video being done this month so we can get rid of that crappy one and we have updated audio with the new line which will be posted real soon... we will pull all of the old video an audio from the wesite and put up all of the new stuff..... we are revamping our show to recreate the journey from the early 80's,we are going to recreat the look and sound. i even have the same bass and red sneaker ross had on in the houston show

[finalfight]

hey hello guy's .... this is les from Evolution... i am not here to join in on the hugo debate..... he is my singer and i think he is great and i am glad to be in the band with him..... other people have there own opinions and that is fine....there are alot of other singers out there that are great also.... what i really want to say is that when the video was made that was posted here here it is now over three years old... it was done on a low budget and the only people that are still in the band is hugo a lance the keyboard player the video was live and straight from the board.... the band was rebuilt and it finally sound incredible.... there is a new high budget video being done this month so we can get rid of that crappy one and we have updated audio with the new line which will be posted real soon... we will pull all of the old video an audio from the wesite and put up all of the new stuff..... we are revamping our show to recreate the journey from the early 80's,we are going to recreat the look and sound. i even have the same bass and red sneaker ross had on in the houston show

Hey Les - welcome!

You will find alot of love for Hugo and indeed Evolution on this board.

I have said it often before so one more time won't hurt - Hugo is absolutely my favourite solo artist bar none and has my support in whatever projects he may undertake.

Revamping the Evolution show to recreate a Journey riding high on the sucess of the Escape era would be a total blast to watch. I am sure the energy of the songs and of the band at that time would make upcoming gigs a blast to take part in from both a band and audience perspective.

I wish you the very best of luck and hope to see you guys live if I ever make it Stateside!

Cheers,

finalfight

[larryfromnextdoor]

hey hello guy's .... this is les from Evolution... i am not here to join in on the hugo debate..... he is my singer and i think he is great and i am glad to be in the band with him..... other people have there own opinions and that is fine....there are alot of other singers out there that are great also.... what i really want to say is that when the video was made that was posted here here it is now over three years old... it was done on a low budget and the only people that are still in the band is hugo a lance the keyboard player the video was live and straight from the board.... the band was rebuilt and it finally sound incredible.... there is a new high budget video being done this month so we can get rid of that crappy one and we have updated audio with the new line which will be posted real soon... we will pull all of the old video an audio from the wesite and put up all of the new stuff..... we are revamping our show to recreate the journey from the early 80's,we are going to recreat the look and sound. i even have the same bass and red sneaker ross had on in the houston show

holy smokes!! welcome les, pleasure to meet you.. looking forward to more of your posts, and that video!! larry