New Billboard Q&A With Neal Schon

[timstar78]

Journey's Road to Billboard Legend of Live Award: A Candid Q&A With Neal Schon
Schon on Guitar Gods, Not Being A 'Critics' Choice, Ever' & What Steve Perry Meant to Journey

As we gear up for the 2011 Billboard Touring Conference and Awards -- which kick off tomorrow (Nov. 8 ) in New York -- we present an extended conversation with Neal Schon of Journey. The band will receive this year's Legend of Live Award at the Billboard Touring Conference.

Journey has been a live powerhouse since forming in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1973. In the years before that, founding member and lead guitarist Neal Schon had already honed his onstage chops, leaving home in 1970 to become a touring member of Santana at the age of 15.

The Billboard Legend of Live Award honors individuals or bands who have made significant and lasting contributions to live music and the touring business, and Journey -- and Schon -- certainly qualify on every level, withstanding shifting musical trends and personnel changes that would have brought down a lesser band. In fact, with their current lineup of Schon, Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass, backing vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Arnel Pineda (lead vocals), the band is close to wrapping its biggest tour in 20 years, in support of new album "Eclipse."

Billboard enjoyed a lengthy conversation with Schon as he traveled on his tour bus between shows in Los Angeles and Fresno, Calif. Despite the rigors of a global tour, Schon was upbeat as he discussed the band's early days, how to withstand personnel changes, and the joys of playing guitar in a rock'n'roll band.

When did you first pick up a guitar?
I guess I first picked up a guitar when I was 10. I played other instruments; my dad was a jazz musician, and he was also a teacher, so he got me started pretty early. I was always surrounded by music. I played a little piano, all the woodwind instruments, he taught me some clarinet, I played some oboe. I wish I would have been playing sax, I ended up liking sax better than all of it. And it actually looked like a cooler instrument than a clarinet or an oboe.

But it turned out that I felt like playing something other than what [my father] already played, and then I heard that twang of a guitar in the '60s, whether it was a Beatles song or The Dave Clark Five, whatever was on the radio. I heard it and I go, "what is that? I want to know about that." At the time I started playing, it was all about the British invasion, all of that cool stuff, whether it was Jeff Beck and [Eric] Clapton and Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds, or the Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Zeppelin, and I heard blues riffs before that. I met B.B. King when I was like 13, I met [legendary promoter] Bill Graham, and went and played with Elvin Bishop, who introduced me to B.B. back then in San Francisco at the Filmore. I had a lot of R&B and blues background in my playing when I was very young.

People disagree with me sometimes, but I hear blues in your playing, more a matter of the feel than the actual notes.
I'm absolutely not playing an original blues thing in Journey, but I have done it before. There's a song called "Walks Like a Lady" where I play a real stripped down, quiet, quiet blues thing, where the guitar's barely on. [ ZZ Top's] Billy Gibbons even commented, "Man, I love the solo you did on that.'" So I can go there, I can play the blues and dig it, but it's not what I do with the band out here all the time. There is blues in my playing, but for me it's more of a classical, symphonic blues experience. It's knowing how to make a note cry when you want it to cry or sting when you want it to sting.

I probably play too fast for straight-forward blues. I like to have the flurries in between, but I do know how to hold onto a note and make it sing. I learned a lot about that by listening to great singers, not even guitar players. Aretha Franklin, I listened to non-stop when I was learning how to play guitar. I tried to emulate her voice, her phrasing, her choice of notes, vibrato, the whole thing.

The first three Journey albums had more of a prog-rock/jazz fusion sound to it, with less emphasis on the vocals. Do you ever re-visit that music? (Among the players on the first three records were Gregg Rolie on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, rhythm guitarist George Tickner and drummer Aynsley Dunbar).
I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years.

Entire Q&A here:
http://www.billboard.com/features/journ ... 7302.story

[brywool]

Cool interview. Thanks.

[JRNYFan]

Original Journey tour? Sign me up!

[Jubilee]

Journey's Road to Billboard Legend of Live Award: A Candid Q&A With Neal Schon
Schon on Guitar Gods, Not Being A 'Critics' Choice, Ever' & What Steve Perry Meant to Journey


....The first three Journey albums had more of a prog-rock/jazz fusion sound to it, with less emphasis on the vocals. Do you ever re-visit that music? (Among the players on the first three records were Gregg Rolie on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, rhythm guitarist George Tickner and drummer Aynsley Dunbar).
I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years.
Entire Q&A here:
http://www.billboard.com/features/journ ... 7302.story[/quote]



Now this could get very interesting...

[Don]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

[Jubilee]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

Oh, ye of little faith, Don. Presumably, the "people" he's talking about are those people who proudly proclaim they've been Journey fans from the beginning. Hopefully those people understand the beginning didn't begin with Perry...who, by the way, wouldn't be getting a check from Journey for the first time in a long, long time...very interesting, wouldn't you say?

[Don]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

Oh, ye of little faith, Don. Presumably, the "people" he's talking about are those people who proudly proclaim they've been Journey fans from the beginning. Hopefully those people understand the beginning didn't begin with Perry...who, by the way, wouldn't be getting a check from Journey for the first time in a long, long time...very interesting, wouldn't you say?

When we started out at HOB watching Neal's show, there MIGHT have been two hundred people; during the last 30 minutes it was closer to 40. While Mark (Since 78 ) was in the pisser, someone had the audacity to ask when they were going to play DSB.

[Jubilee]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

Oh, ye of little faith, Don. Presumably, the "people" he's talking about are those people who proudly proclaim they've been Journey fans from the beginning. Hopefully those people understand the beginning didn't begin with Perry...who, by the way, wouldn't be getting a check from Journey for the first time in a long, long time...very interesting, wouldn't you say?

When we started out at HOB watching Neal's show, there MIGHT have been two hundred people; during the last 30 minutes it was closer to 40. While Mark (Since 78 ) was in the pisser, someone had the audacity to ask when they were going to play DSB.

¡Ay, caramba!

[Gideon]

Good to see Neal give some love to SP and JC.
LOL @ people absolutely loving pre-vocal Journey material, but I guess six individuals does technically constitute 'people'.

[onmyjrny]

I echo Gideon's sentiments; it is good to see him acknowledge Perry's contributions to the band and the music. So much nicer than..some of the other stuff he's said.

[brywool]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

I think this is accurate. I remember hearing boots from the 30th anniversary tour and Journey "fans" were not digging the look into past. Too bad. Their loss.

[Archetype]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

I think this is accurate. I remember hearing boots from the 30th anniversary tour and Journey "fans" were not digging the look into past. Too bad. Their loss.

I remember a bootleg of some guy shouting "play something good" over and over again during the 30th anniversary tour. That dickhead didn't deserve to be there. I would have loved to have his ticket and would have enjoyed every second of that show.

[SF-Dano]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

I think this is accurate. I remember hearing boots from the 30th anniversary tour and Journey "fans" were not digging the look into past. Too bad. Their loss.

I remember a bootleg of some guy shouting "play something good" over and over again during the 30th anniversary tour. That dickhead didn't deserve to be there. I would have loved to have his ticket and would have enjoyed every second of that show.

Agreed. If this were ever to happen a few select club shows would be great. And I would do what I could to be at at least one of them. Keep them in California and get the word out on what will be played. It wouldn't be a huge money maker, but for fun, what the hell.

[Yoda]

I've been wanting to get together with Aynsley and Ross, when and if I do ever have any down time. It seems like an impossibility, because I'm always on tour. I've been talking to Rolie about it for years, that I would love to have a reunion, even if we only played a handful of shows at the House Of Blues in different cities and do nothing but our old songs. I think people would go absolutely nuts for it, just because of the history of it and the fact that it's not been heard in years

And after about 30 minutes those people will start disappearing as they begin to realize there will be no DSB forthcoming, just like at Schon's solo shows.

I think this is accurate. I remember hearing boots from the 30th anniversary tour and Journey "fans" were not digging the look into past. Too bad. Their loss.

I remember a bootleg of some guy shouting "play something good" over and over again during the 30th anniversary tour. That dickhead didn't deserve to be there. I would have loved to have his ticket and would have enjoyed every second of that show.

Agreed. If this were ever to happen a few select club shows would be great. And I would do what I could to be at at least one of them. Keep them in California and get the word out on what will be played. It wouldn't be a huge money maker, but for fun, what the hell.

Ah man! Why should the West Coast get all the fun?