Escape Band is alive!!!

[Rick]

I got this message from Scott the guitar player on Youtube. This is most excellent news!

Hey man.
My name is Scott and I'm the guitar player from ESCAPE--with Jason Kelty. I followed this link from your profile on Melodic Rock Forums. I've been trying to get on the forums there to spread the word that ESCAPE has reformed with Jason and original members and is booking shows. I have not been able to register--never received the email from the admin that they ok'd my account so I can't post up yet. I was hoping you could do me a favor and spread the word and if possible, pm the admin so I can get on the forums there. I appreciate the help. Here's our new website address too.
www.escapethejourneytribute.com.

Thanks!!!!

Scott

[G.I.Jim]

That's awesome news Rick!!! Thanks! I think his vocals on Faithfully are the best I've ever heard besides Perry. He is hands down the closest, best tribute to Perry on the planet. I WILL get to one of their shows if it's feasible.

[KDOUBLEU]

Just got done listening. Great stuff! I had my daughter listen to Lovin You Is Easy and She thought it was Perry.

[RedWingFan]

Cool. Thanks Rick. This is the Journey band I'm seeing in 2011!!!

[zino]

Wow Lovin You was awesome..dead on !
I wa suppose to them back in 99 in Ft lauderdale and the show got canceld at the last minute..never heard nothingagain. Hope they make there way to South Florida !!

[eshepherd2000]

I'm a singer with a Journey Tribute Please check us out....www.facebook.com/lineoffirejourney

[fredinator]

I got this message from Scott the guitar player on Youtube. This is most excellent news!

Hey man.
My name is Scott and I'm the guitar player from ESCAPE--with Jason Kelty. I followed this link from your profile on Melodic Rock Forums. I've been trying to get on the forums there to spread the word that ESCAPE has reformed with Jason and original members and is booking shows. I have not been able to register--never received the email from the admin that they ok'd my account so I can't post up yet. I was hoping you could do me a favor and spread the word and if possible, pm the admin so I can get on the forums there. I appreciate the help. Here's our new website address too.
www.escapethejourneytribute.com.

Thanks!!!!

Scott

Wow, those clips are awesome. He's even got the nasal tone down, too. The band sounds good, too. Wow.

[Don]

On Faithfully and DSB, it's a bit like Richard Page mixed in with Perry.

[muudrock]

Hey all,

Glad to finally be aboard on the Melodic Rock forums! I want to thank Rick for his assistance in getting my log on approved and for posting up the info last night--You rock brother!
As was posted, ESCAPE is back. It's been a long time, but we have recently reformed with all the original members except for a new bass player. We are currently booking shows and as some of you have heard, have recorded a few songs again. A few of us have been following this forum and appreciate all the Journey fans on here and look forward to playing for you!
I will post updates but you can always check our website www.escapethejourneytribute.com and our facebook page.
Anyway, glad to be back!

Scott[/url]

[annie89509]

Great! So, this is the the "original" ESCAPE band w/JK (in the 90s) that LiquidDrummer & Aaron had been raving about for years...and different from the ESCAPE band that JK was with, which last year had a few shows up in Ohio then disappeared???

The myspace page link above....Jason w/band sound great....which band is that?

[annie89509]

I also listened to the 3 song clips in the facebook page link....also with JK. This is the "new" re-formed ESCAPE band, then, not the same group as on the myspace page link, which had played in Ohio, and SJ and Ehmatt went to see last year.

[Rick]

I also listened to the 3 song clips in the facebook page link....also with JK. This is the "new" re-formed ESCAPE band, then, not the same group as on the myspace page link, which had played in Ohio, and SJ and Ehmatt went to see last year.

It's the old Escape band with Jason Kelty, reformed.

[Ligzig]

I think Kelty hits home in a few places, but just like Arnel, he has his weak spots. They both have different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, all this does is confirm for me how unique Perry was with his sound. You would have to combine Arnel and kelty and possibly even Augeri/hunsicker to even think about getting close to the Perry sound. When it takes more than 2 guys combined to come up with the range and diversity in one mans vocals, that is a gift.

[Don]

Sort of like the way Journey now uses Deen for some of the higher end stuff, it takes a combination of voices to try and get close to that old magic.

[G.I.Jim]

I am more sure than ever that Jason's version of Faithfully is THE best version I've ever heard! I can't wait to see a show with these guys.

[kgdjpubs]

I think Kelty hits home in a few places, but just like Arnel, he has his weak spots. They both have different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, all this does is confirm for me how unique Perry was with his sound. You would have to combine Arnel and kelty and possibly even Augeri/hunsicker to even think about getting close to the Perry sound. When it takes more than 2 guys combined to come up with the range and diversity in one mans vocals, that is a gift.

That goes for ANY singer if you compare it to that extreme. You can get close, you can get very close...but there is ALWAYS that gap that you can never get through. Doesn't matter if it's Perry, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Steve Augeri or whoever.

[G.I.Jim]

I think Kelty hits home in a few places, but just like Arnel, he has his weak spots. They both have different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, all this does is confirm for me how unique Perry was with his sound. You would have to combine Arnel and kelty and possibly even Augeri/hunsicker to even think about getting close to the Perry sound. When it takes more than 2 guys combined to come up with the range and diversity in one mans vocals, that is a gift.

To be fair, you'd have to have 2 Perry's to cover him too! His voice changed around Frontiers, and he himself sounded much different than his earlier stuff. Jason is (in my mind) the closest we'll get to Perry. He doesn't have as much vibrato, but most of the other tribute singers have TOO MUCH vibrato. That's distracting to me, and a lot of times makes their pitch go all over the place. You don't get that with Jason. He doesn't have as much power as Arnel, but you can definitely hear much more emotion in his delivery.

I bet my last dollar that if Jason had Youtube videos out there after Augeri's ordeal, he would have been their 1st choice! Too bad for us.

[muudrock]

I also listened to the 3 song clips in the facebook page link....also with JK. This is the "new" re-formed ESCAPE band, then, not the same group as on the myspace page link, which had played in Ohio, and SJ and Ehmatt went to see last year.

This is the band that got together in 93. Not the version that was around in the later 90's after the bass player, drummer and I left.

[jrny10]

That's great news! I'd much rather see Escape than Journey. Gotta listen to some of those sound clips again... Kelty's the man and whereas Arnel never manages to break out of the "karaoke sweater", Kelty channels Perry for real. No accent troubles, much more similar sounding voice etc etc. Which is why it's such a shame he's not with Journey.

He sounds better on Lovin' You Is Easy than Don't Stop Believin' though. Listening to Faithfully it's also obvious he's a more natural high register singer than Arnel.

[youkeepmewaiting]

That's great news! I'd much rather see Escape than Journey. Gotta listen to some of those sound clips again... Kelty's the man and whereas Arnel never manages to break out of the "karaoke sweater", Kelty channels Perry for real. No accent troubles, much more similar sounding voice etc etc. Which is why it's such a shame he's not with Journey.

He sounds better on Lovin' You Is Easy than Don't Stop Believin' though. Listening to Faithfully it's also obvious he's a more natural high register singer than Arnel.

Why? No offense to the ESCAPE guys, they are really tight and one of the best tribute acts around but why would you want to see nobody from the original band? Schon, Cain and Valory where all there during the big years, 2 of which were vital parts of the band.... seems silly to me that comment.

[jrny10]

Because the fact that they went down the Arnel route rid them of any band feeling whatsoever. They're just one big karaoke machine these days. Revelation is the worst album of their career. No feeling.

Al in my opinion of course

[youkeepmewaiting]

Because the fact that they went down the Arnel route rid them of any band feeling whatsoever. They're just one big karaoke machine these days. Revelation is the worst album of their career. No feeling.

Al in my opinion of course

Fair enough.. sort of... but surely ESCAPE is more karaoke then Journey?! As is any covers/tribute band. Aslong as Cain is there and - more importantly - Neal is playing guitar then its a lot more Journey than any tribute act

[steveo777]

Because the fact that they went down the Arnel route rid them of any band feeling whatsoever. They're just one big karaoke machine these days. Revelation is the worst album of their career. No feeling.

Al in my opinion of course

Fair enough.. sort of... but surely ESCAPE is more karaoke then Journey?! As is any covers/tribute band. Aslong as Cain is there and - more importantly - Neal is playing guitar then its a lot more Journey than any tribute act

Agreed. Even if they had no lead singer and were using Deen exclusively, it would still be more Journey than Escape.

[Ritchie]

Because the fact that they went down the Arnel route rid them of any band feeling whatsoever. They're just one big karaoke machine these days. Revelation is the worst album of their career. No feeling.

Al in my opinion of course

Fair enough.. sort of... but surely ESCAPE is more karaoke then Journey?! As is any covers/tribute band. Aslong as Cain is there and - more importantly - Neal is playing guitar then its a lot more Journey than any tribute act

Agreed. Even if they had no lead singer and were using Deen exclusively, it would still be more Journey than Escape.

"I rather go see a tribute band" is like saying "I like my coffee with cream and sugar but when I can`t get it that way I settle for surogat coffee as long if there is cream and sugar in it....but hey! the main ingredient in coffee is coffee not sugar and cream!
Sure,back in Journey`s heyday Perry was the sugar and cream in Journey`s coffee (oh shit that sounds gay ), I believe Pineda today has some ingredients to spice up Journey`s coffee again, but I can`t blame anyone who says "Pineda is not my cup of tea"

[youkeepmewaiting]

Because the fact that they went down the Arnel route rid them of any band feeling whatsoever. They're just one big karaoke machine these days. Revelation is the worst album of their career. No feeling.

Al in my opinion of course

Fair enough.. sort of... but surely ESCAPE is more karaoke then Journey?! As is any covers/tribute band. Aslong as Cain is there and - more importantly - Neal is playing guitar then its a lot more Journey than any tribute act

Agreed. Even if they had no lead singer and were using Deen exclusively, it would still be more Journey than Escape.

"I rather go see a tribute band" is like saying "I like my coffee with cream and sugar but when I can`t get it that way I settle for surogat coffee as long if there is cream and sugar in it....but hey! the main ingredient in coffee is coffee not sugar and cream!
Sure,back in Journey`s heyday Perry was the sugar and cream in Journey`s coffee (oh shit that sounds gay ), I believe Pineda today has some ingredients to spice up Journey`s coffee again, but I can`t blame anyone who says "Pineda is not my cup of tea"

I'm a little bit drunk but that - I think - is a good way of putting it. We would all prefer Journey to be a bit different but the core is still Journey

[Ritchie]

Journey`s music still sounds good to me..Schon still plays that guitar like a mofo and Pineda has a huge set of pipes and so has Castronovo... Journey still has a lot to offer!

[Ehwmatt]

I also listened to the 3 song clips in the facebook page link....also with JK. This is the "new" re-formed ESCAPE band, then, not the same group as on the myspace page link, which had played in Ohio, and SJ and Ehmatt went to see last year.

This is the band that got together in 93. Not the version that was around in the later 90's after the bass player, drummer and I left.

Saint John and I saw Eclipse back in December of '08. Definitley not the same as this lineup. Paul was on bass at that show and they also played tons of other bands. Great show.

Jason is the real deal and I can't wait for these guys to start playing the Cleveland area.

And yes, Jason, like all other Journey singers, has his weak spots and his strengths. I think the biggest thing giving him the "WOW" factor is the fact that he just naturally sounds SO much like Perry in a way that goes beyond range and power, even when he's just talking... the timbre of his voice is just so damn close to that early Perry sound. Jeremey, however, another great singer, does a better job on the later Perry stuff than Jason does (81 and beyond... maybe even 83 and beyond).

[jrny10]

You're right of course, Youkeepmewaiting. It's just that I miss Journey, the band, a lot. As a fan I feel it's sad that the band essentially no longer exists. The way the soul went missing with the change back to the "legacy" sound (strictly a business move and the music suffers as a result) and the hiring of Arnel. He seems like a nice guy, but it's just that for me personally he doesn't work at all in Journey. The accent problems is one thing. But what is even more important, I don't hear any soul. He's unable to make Perry's songs his own. He sings the lyrics, but I don't think he knows what they're about. It gets empty on feeling as a result. But it's a shame because as I said, he seems like a nice guy. JSS obviously had his own voice, and as such was a better candidate for the job. They had a chance to push forward with JSS, but blew it. Van Halen handled a change successfully with the hiring of a new voice (Hagar) and established a new identity. It's a shame Cain and co didn't have the desire or hunger for this.

All this goes hand in hand with Schon losing total judgment with his shredding, forgetting what used to be his key strength (melody). They keep letting Shirley or whoever's responsible put out cardboard sounding productions with seemingly no attention to detail. In that sense they're just a shell of the band they used to be, their last true masterpiece being Raised on Radio even though Trial By Fire also had its moments. Having said this, one doesn't have to go further back than to Arrival for a truly excellent album. It worked becase the songs were less cliche back then, they were ready to try something new. Furthermore, Augeri had his own, distinctively personal voice, which is a must in order for it to work. Arnel doesn't have a voice of his own.

The above are the reasons why I'd almost rather watch a tribute band than the real band. Pretty sad state of affairs really.

[Rockindeano]

I think Kelty hits home in a few places, but just like Arnel, he has his weak spots. They both have different strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, all this does is confirm for me how unique Perry was with his sound. You would have to combine Arnel and kelty and possibly even Augeri/hunsicker to even think about getting close to the Perry sound. When it takes more than 2 guys combined to come up with the range and diversity in one mans vocals, that is a gift.

Dude, I don't understand this formula- why would you ever want, or even think part of Augeri's voice would be wantwed of needed in order to get to Perry's voice? Augeri never was a good singer. he was always very average; dude never once aced Perry's music...he just sounded ok and good enough for the crowd to sing along with.

[Rockindeano]

You're right of course, Youkeepmewaiting. It's just that I miss Journey, the band, a lot. As a fan I feel it's sad that the band essentially no longer exists. The way the soul went missing with the change back to the "legacy" sound (strictly a business move and the music suffers as a result) and the hiring of Arnel. He seems like a nice guy, but it's just that for me personally he doesn't work at all in Journey. The accent problems is one thing. But what is even more important, I don't hear any soul. He's unable to make Perry's songs his own. He sings the lyrics, but I don't think he knows what they're about. It gets empty on feeling as a result. But it's a shame because as I said, he seems like a nice guy. JSS obviously had his own voice, and as such was a better candidate for the job. They had a chance to push forward with JSS, but blew it. Van Halen handled a change successfully with the hiring of a new voice (Hagar) and established a new identity. It's a shame Cain and co didn't have the desire or hunger for this.

All this goes hand in hand with Schon losing total judgment with his shredding, forgetting what used to be his key strength (melody). They keep letting Shirley or whoever's responsible put out cardboard sounding productions with seemingly no attention to detail. In that sense they're just a shell of the band they used to be, their last true masterpiece being Raised on Radio even though Trial By Fire also had its moments. Having said this, one doesn't have to go further back than to Arrival for a truly excellent album. It worked becase the songs were less cliche back then, they were ready to try something new. Furthermore, Augeri had his own, distinctively personal voice, which is a must in order for it to work. Arnel doesn't have a voice of his own.

The above are the reasons why I'd almost rather watch a tribute band than the real band. Pretty sad state of affairs really.

This is a great post. I think you hit the nail on the head more than a few times.