I have been waiting to write this piece since 1978! That’s when I first saw Neal Schon play guitar. It was on TV and I remember a few things: his tremendous Afro, his tasty playing and THAT lead singer. His band, Journey, was on the edge of great success in 1978. I jumped on that bandwagon and am still riding it today.
Along the way, I’ve enjoyed the many diversions that Neal Schon provided. These diversions were projects outside of Journey that Neal instigated because he is compelled to constantly play. Check out his social media! He is always playing at home and posting.
The Prodigy
Schon’s story is the stuff legends are made of. In 1971, at age 15, he was plucked out of Aragon High School in San Mateo, CA. to stand alongside Carlos Santana as the second guitarist in the group Santana. Not only that: At the same time, he turned down Eric Clapton and the Derek and the Dominos gig. The high schooler was blowing away the rock stars of the day. After 3 albums, he left a very dysfunctional Santana band. Also quitting was vocalist/keyboard player, Gregg Rolie the two eventually formed Journey and never looked back.
Journey got as big as a band can get. It didn’t happen overnight but eventually they ushered in a new era of melodic rock. While the band had a dynamic lead singer who commanded a lot of attention, my sights were always on the guitar player.
Of A Lifetime
My co-worker, Jimmy P., had a particular distaste for Journey. I didn’t understand because he told me he was a fan of Journey from day one. He had stories about them playing in Golden Gate Park and how bad-ass they were. Ok, so what’s the problem? He just looked at me and asked, “Have you ever listened to their first 3 records?” Umm no…
I had not. It wasn’t until Perry joined that Journey hit my radar. So I purchased their first self-titled LP. I was blown away by the jazz/rock fusion jam band that Journey USED to be. Neal and his Santana band mate, Rolie, had quite a unique thing going with the original Journey. My eyes (and ears) were opened to these long-form jam songs. My appreciation for Neal’s playing only grew after listening to these early albums. Unfortunately, jazz/rock fusion music doesn’t make rock stars wealthy. The band enjoyed local fame in the Bay Area and worked the road very hard. The big time still eluded them.
Look Into The Future
Journey only survived because their manager, Herbie Herbert, had a different vision for the band. He met a hot lead singer whose smooth R & B voice, he felt, would mesh well with Neal’s crunchy guitar. So he pushed for this singer to join the band. Even Herbie didn’t realize how brilliant that move was. The band reappeared with new songwriting blood and radio-friendly songs. To say that the band took off from there would be an understatement. The Steve Perry era began. I enjoyed every minute of it!
Side Jobs
Luckily, for fans of Neal Schon, he is a workaholic. He is always practicing his craft. Whenever Journey had downtime, Schon used it to produce solo material and side projects with other musicians. Both resulted in impressive collaborations. Since he lives in the Bay Area, along with many other notable musicians, there’s a lot of opportunities. These are the moments that I love!
In 1981, during some Journey downtime, Neal hooked up with famed jazz/pop keyboardist Jan Hammer. Hammer is famous for writing the theme song for the Miami Vice TV show. Hammer is a master of the sound that dominated the 80’s. The collaboration was called “Schon and Hammer” and actually produced a charting song, “No More Lies”. The album was ‘Untold Passion’. The duo reunited the next year for another album, “Here To Stay”. Neal would perform “No More Lies” on the Escape tour. I recently found out that Jeff Beck also recorded a live album with Jan Hammer in 1977. Coincidence? ..Perhaps.
HSAS
Next, in 1984, a ‘super group’ was created: HSAS! Neal was joined by Bay Area neighbor Sammy Hagar for a quick one-off album and some live shows. Both Neal and Sammy had a lot happening in their respective careers. Something sparked them to join forces. This four-piece powerhouse had Kenny Aaronson (Billy Squire) on bass and Santana’s amazing, original drummer, Michael Shrieve. The four gentleman’s last name initials provided the band name. I was lucky enough to see one of the few concerts they played. It was in SF at the smallish theater, The Warfield. My friend Steven C. and I knew NOTHING of what we were to hear that night. No one did. It was a hard rock extravaganza! 8 or 9 brand new songs and they were heavy. Much heavier than most Journey songs. A show from San Jose, CA was taped for MTV and recorded for the group’s album.
Bad English
The year was 1987 and the once-powerhouse band, Journey, was in trouble. The band was having internal turmoil. Lead singer, Steve Perry, went on an extended hiatus. Neal, forever the restless one, kept himself busy, musically. Besides working with big solo acts like Michael Bolton, Neal and Journey keyboard player, Jonathan Cain formed yet another ‘super group’. This time combining Cain’s former band mates from The Babys. Jon Waite, singer, and Ricky Phillips, bass, joined Neal and drummer, Dean Castronovo. (BTW – Dean will figure heavily in Neal’s future). The band was called Bad English. This band recorded 2 albums and played to big crowds. They had a top 20 hit with “When I See You Smile”. Lead singer, John Waite, put the kibosh on Bad English. Apparently, NOT enjoying the band’s success or playing to large crowds. They disbanded in 1991. Very sad because THIS band was the perfect combination of Waite’s awesome vocals and Neal’s hard edge on guitar. Between Waite, Cain and Schon, the songwriting was exceptional in Bad English. Power ballad heaven!
Hardline
With the possibility of a Journey reunion slowly fading away, our hero was looking for another project. In 1992, He approached his two brother-in-laws about playing with him. Johnny and Joey Gioeli had a solid set of songs, looking for a lead guitarist. The band called themselves Hardline. Hardline is an important project for Neal Schon fans. Neal produced the album and plays his most inspired ‘glam’ hard rock on it. Hardline’s only album with Neal is “Double Eclipse” . The group was working on album #2 when Neal moved on.
Neal Schon has guested on countless recordings. Appeared at many concerts as a special guest also. Too many to list them all. However, one stands out to me. Neal joined former Free, Bad Company, The Firm, The Law and Queen (!) lead singer Paul Rodgers for a one night live tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The performance was recorded resulting in a 5-song EP of Hendrix classics. With Neal playing the part of Jimi! This is NOT to be missed!
Soul SirKUS
The next big thing-that never really took off – was a group called Soul SirkUS. It’s formation was the result of another try to work with Sammy Hagar. Neal and Sammy jammed out at Sammy’s home studio with Dean Castronova on drums and Michael Anthony on bass. They wrote some new material and loved what they heard. The group played together live a few times and made plans. Neal got busy writing more songs. The band was to be called “Planet US” (2002) . Much to Neal’s disappointment, those plans never materialized. HOWEVER, the industrious Schon was not going to let those rocking songs go to waste.
He looked around for other players to join him and record this set of rockers he wrote. Neal had heard about Jeff Scot Soto’s reputation as a strong singer. In 2004, Neal got a chance to play with Jeff at the annual NAMM conference and it went fantastically well. Neal asked Jeff if he wanted to work together. Soto’s first task was to put lyrics to the songs Neal wrote. Soto Scott did exactly that. He added lyrics and trimmed down the epic Schon jams into songs. The band (completed with Marco Mendoza on bass and Castronova on drums ) recorded the album in 2004 and planned a short tour. They made a stop at the Fillmore in SF (April 27, 2005) and I was there!
NOTE: In 2006, Journey hired Jeff Scot Soto to sing. His Journey gig only lasted one year
Mr. Rock Candy’s Soul SirkUS Pics
Journey Through Time
This most recent Neal Schon project, outside of Journey, was actually VERY inside Journey. The project was named “Journey Through Time” and was a reunion, of sorts. To be honest, I was waiting for this moment for quite a long time. Neal hooked up with Gregg Rolie, his Journey co-founder. The two did something that Journey fans have waited 50 years to see again. Schon and Rollie reunited to play their original Journey songs (pre- Steve Perry) live for the first time in a ‘lifetime’.
It happened on February 9th, 2018 at The Independent in SF. The Independent is tiny. It fits (maybe) 200 people. Current Journey drummer, Deen Castronova, joined and Marco Mendoza was on bass. The set list was heavy with those early Journey jams; ‘Of a Lifetime’, ‘Look Into The Future’, ‘Kohutek’ and ‘Mystery Mountain’. The special night also included some of the rarely-performed Steve Perry era songs. (“La Do Da’, ‘Just The Same Way’, ‘Walks Like A Lady’). The shocker to the whole night was Deen Castronova’s singing the Steve Perry songs to perfection! It was a full circle moment for me. I had listened to those old Journey songs for all those years without ever enjoying the live versions. Neal and Gregg Rolie did not disappoint. Neal played those long jams like he still had that big Afro hair. BTW, I made sure I brought my old coworker, Jimmy P., with me that night. The whole thing was recorded and released on video and audio. A special night that I get to relive anytime I want!
Today, the band Journey is enjoying renewed interest and Neal has been kept busy on tour. I look forward to the day when he has some Journey-free time. He will be on the hunt for something new. I will happily go along for that ride.
