Weezer

Biography

Weezer is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, they have released eight full length albums, six EPs, and a DVD. Their latest album, Hurley, was released on September 14th, 2010. They have sold over 9 million records in the United States to date.

Weezer formed in Los Angeles, California by Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Matt Sharp, and Jason Cropper, who was later replaced by Brian Bell. Five weeks after forming, they had their first gig, opening for Dogstar at Raji’s Bar and Ribshack on Hollywood Boulevard. Weezer began playing clubs to small audiences around L.A. and recording home-demos. Soon the band began to receive attention from various A&R reps, and were signed on June 26, 1993 by Todd Sullivan, an A&R rep from Geffen Records. The band was signed onto the DGC label (which later became Interscope).

Creating “The Blue Album” (1993-1994)

The self-titled debut, Weezer, commonly referred to as The Blue Album, was released May 10, 1994. “Undone - The Sweater Song”, “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So” were released as singles. The album was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. During the recording of the Blue Album, Jason Cropper left the band to take care of his future wife, who was pregnant with their first child. Jason was replaced by Brian Bell, a then bassist from a band called Carnival Art.

“Undone - The Sweater Song” was released as the first single. Spike Jonze directed the music video for the track. In a single unbroken take, it featured Weezer performing the song on a sound stage with various amusing studio antics, including a pack of dogs swarming the set.

Jonze also later directed the band’s second video, “Buddy Holly”. The video featured footage of the television sitcom Happy Days spliced with the band performing in a remade “Arnold’s Diner”, a setting from the series. The video had heavy rotation on MTV, and went on to win Jonze and the band four MTV Video Music Awards, including Breakthrough Video and Best Alternative Music Video, and two Billboard Music Video Awards. This video was also included as a bonus on the Microsoft Windows 95 CD. The success of the video arguably pushed the band into the mainstream spotlight.

The video for Weezer’s third single, “Say It Ain’t So,” was directed by Sophie Muller. It featured the bandmates playing hacky sack and performing in the band’s original rehearsal space in California. A photo of what the band calls the “Garage” is featured on the inside cover of the album.

The Blue Album is currently certified 3 times platinum, making it Weezer’s all-time best seller. It was re-released and repackaged in 2004 as a Deluxe Edition, which included a second disc of b-sides along with other previously unreleased rarities.

Killer Record: Pinkerton(1995-1997)

In late December 1994, Weezer took a break from touring for the Christmas holidays. Cuomo traveled back east to his home state of Connecticut, and using an eight-track recorder, he began piecing together demo material for Weezer’s next album. Cuomo’s original concept for Weezer’s sophomore effort was to be a space-themed rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole.

The album was intended to feature songs that flowed together seamlessly, and ended with a special coda that briefly revisited the major musical elements of the piece. The band began demoing and working on Cuomo’s concept through intermittent recording sessions in the spring and summer of 1995. Ultimately, the Songs from the Black Hole album concept was dropped. The album would instead feature some old tunes from before their first album (which had briefly been incorporated into the space-opera) as well as some new ones written while Cuomo was at Harvard.

After the multi-platinum success of their debut album, Weezer’s sophomore album was finally released on September 24, 1996. Pinkerton, which peaked at #19 in the U.S. upon its release, didn’t sell as many copies as its predecessor, probably due to its darker, more abrasive nature. Pinkerton was labeled “one of the worst albums of 1996” by a Rolling Stone reader poll. Eventually, the album grew into a cult classic, and is viewed by some as Weezer’s greatest album. In fact, in 2004, the magazine changed their rating to a 5-star rating and inducted it into The Rolling Stone Hall Of Fame. This article can be found in the Reviews sections of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time issue.

Three singles were taken from the album: “El Scorcho”, “The Good Life” and “Pink Triangle”. The video for “El Scorcho” featured the band inside a darkened room, sitting in a circle, that would be lit differently throughout parts of the song; it was directed by Mark Romanek. The video for “The Good Life” was directed by the team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (though no known video was made for “Pink Triangle”). However, the singles did not receive as much airtime as the singles from their debut album.

The title of the album comes from the character Lieutenant Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly. The entire album is heavily influenced by the opera’s story line. Madame Butterfly is mentioned under her real name, Cio-Cio San, in “El Scorcho.” The song “Butterfly” is written from Pinkerton’s point of view at the end of the opera.

The album’s title was the source of a legal challenge. Pinkerton Securities of Encino, Calif., filed a temporary restraining order against the band and its Geffen record label for copyright infringement two days before the album was to be released on September 24, 1996. A judge ruled against the security company and the album was finally released.

Weezer completed their touring for Pinkerton in the summer of 1997. The members of the band took a break, with drummer Patrick Wilson returning to his home in Portland, Oregon to work on his side project, The Special Goodness, Matt Sharp left to complete the follow-up album for his group The Rentals, and Brian Bell went to work on his group, Space Twins.

Rivers Cuomo returned to Boston, Massachusetts, but dropped out of Harvard to focus on songwriting. He eventually went into seclusion. He painted his walls black, disconnected his phone, and didn’t communicate with anyone. Later, he formed a solo group, The Rivers Cuomo Band. Cuomo used the group to try out unreleased material, including possible new songs for the next Weezer album. The band played their first show at T.T. the Bear’s on October 8, 1997. Future Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh was part of the solo band’s lineup. The Boston songs were later abandoned and not used on the next Weezer album, but live recordings of the Boston shows are openly traded on the internet. In February of 1998, Rivers left Boston and Harvard academia behind and returned to Los Angeles.

Pat Wilson and Brian Bell joined Cuomo in L.A. to start work on the next album. Matt Sharp did not rejoin the band and officially left the group in April of 1998. The group decided on Mikey Welsh as Sharp’s replacement. Weezer continued rehearsal and cut demos until the fall of 1998. Frustration and creative disagreements led to a decline in rehearsals, and in late fall of 1998, drummer Pat Wilson left for his home in Portland pending renewed productivity from Cuomo.

The band would not reunite until April of 2000, when the Fuji Festival in Japan offered Weezer a high-paying gig to play in August 2000. The festival served as a catalyst for Weezer’s productivity, and from April to May, 2000, the band rehearsed and demoed new songs in Los Angeles. The band returned to live shows in June 2000, but without the Weezer name. Instead the shows featured the group’s first use of the pseudonym Goat Punishment.

On June 23, 2000, the band, now back under the Weezer name, joined the Warped Tour for eight planned dates. Weezer was received well at the festival, leading the band to book more tour dates for the summer.

SS2K - The Summer Sessions (2000)

In the summer of 2000, Weezer (now consisting of Rivers Cuomo, Mikey Welsh, Pat Wilson, and Brian Bell) went on tour. Weezer’s setlist consisted of 14 new songs that fans have labeled the Summer Songs of 2000 (commonly abbreviated, SS2K). When 13 of these songs did not appear on Weezer’s next album, fans of the songs started a petition demanding the release of studio demos. Eventually, mp3s were made available on the band’s official website for download. Three SS2K songs, “Hash Pipe”, “Dope Nose” and “Slob,” have appeared on studio albums (“Hash Pipe” on the Green Album and “Dope Nose” and “Slob” appearing on Maladroit).

Green Album & Maladroit (2001-2003)

Eventually, the band went back into the studio to produce a third album. Weezer (2001) chose to repeat the self-titled name of their first release. This album quickly became known as The Green Album due to its distinctive bright green coloring. Shortly after the release of The Green Album, Weezer went on another American tour. They attracted a new generation of fans thanks to heavy MTV rotation for the videos of their hit singles “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun.”

The video for “Hash Pipe,” directed by Marcos Siega featured sumo wrestlers and was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost out to Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin.” Two videos were recorded for “Island in the Sun.” Marcos Siega directed the first, which focused on a Mexican wedding, and Spike Jonze directed the second, which involved Weezer with animals in a wildlife reserve. Their video for “Photograph” was shot and put together by Weezer friend and unofficial “5th member” Karl Koch.

As reported on August 16th, 2001, by MTV, bassist Mikey Welsh was checked into a psychiatric hospital. His whereabouts were previously unknown, as he mysteriously went missing before their second filming of the “Island in the Sun” music video, featuring the band with various animals. Weezer was prompted to find a temporary replacement for Welsh. Through a mutual friend, Cuomo received Scott Shriner’s number and asked if he was interested to fill in for Welsh. Shriner, at first believing it was a prank phone call, accepted.

Much to the ire of their recording label, Weezer decided to forgo the industry-preferred waiting period of 2 to 3 years between albums and began recording demos for their fourth album. The band took an experimental approach for the recording process by allowing fans to download the demos from their official website in return for feedback. After the release of the album, the band subsequently stated that the process was somewhat of a failure, as the fans did not supply them with cohesive constructive advice. Only the song “Slob” was included on the album due to general fan advice.

The fourth album, Maladroit, was released in 2002 with Scott Shriner replacing Mikey Welsh on the bass. The album served as a harder-edged version of their trademark catchy pop-influenced music. Although met with generally positive critical reviews (including making many “Best of ‘02” lists), its sales were not as strong as The Green Album and remains their worst-selling album to date.

Two singles were released from the album. The “Dope Nose” music video featured a Japanese motorcycle gang, and was put into regular rotation. The music video for “Keep Fishin’” combined Weezer with The Muppets, and had heavy rotation on MTV. Both videos were directed by Marcos Siega.

As soon as Maladroit had wrapped up, the band immediately began work on their fifth album, recording numerous demos between tours for Maladroit (often recording as many as 24 songs in a day). These songs were eventually scrapped, and Weezer took a break after the release of two albums in quick succession.

Make Believe (2003-2005)

In March of 2004, Weezer released their first DVD. Titled Video Capture Device, the DVD contains all of their then-current music videos. It also included live concerts and homemade movies. The DVD was certified “gold” on November 8, 2004.

From December 2003 to the summer and early fall of 2004, the members of Weezer recorded a large amount of material intended for a new album to be released in the spring of 2005 with producer Rick Rubin. The band’s early recording efforts became available to the public through the band’s website. The demos, entitled the Album Five Demos (or album 4.5), were a big hit with fans but only one song, “Hold Me”, would be included on the finished album. That album, entitled Make Believe, was released on May 10, 2005. The album was very well received by the public. However, long-time Weezer fans often consider it as a decline from their earlier albums, and has received mixed reviews.

The album’s first single, “Beverly Hills,” became a hit in the U.S. and worldwide, staying on the charts for several months after its release. The video for “Beverly Hills”, directed by Marcos Siega, featured the band and a select choice of fans interacting with Playboy Bunnies and Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion. It became the first Weezer song to hit #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. The song was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, the first ever Grammy nomination for the band. The video for the song was also nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.

During the “Make Believe” tour of 2005, Cuomo allowed other members of the band to step into the spotlight of certain songs:

* Brian Bell: “Getchoo” and “Why Bother?” (from Pinkerton), “Smile” (from “The Green Album”), and “Keep Fishin’” (from Maladroit)
* Scott Shriner: “Fall Together”, and “Dope Nose”, and “In the Garage” (from “The Blue Album”)
* Patrick Wilson: “Photograph” (from “The Green Album”), “Song 2” (Blur cover, whilst playing lead guitar)

In late August 2005, Weezer performed with the rock band The Pixies, which was one of Rivers’ influences, at Summerfest and other dates.

From September 8 to October 28, 2005, Weezer set out on a tour with the Foo Fighters, which, to many, was simply called Foozer. The Foozer tour was awarded “Most Creative Tour Package” at The 17th Annual Concert Industry Awards.

On December 13th, 2005, Winter Weezerland EP was released on iTunes. The EP was essentially a re-release of the 2000 Weezer christmas CD which featured “The Christmas Song” and “Christmas Celebration”.

Also, in late 2005 the band released the second single off Make Believe, called “We Are All on Drugs” (for family-oriented purposes, some releases of the song were renamed “We Are All in Love”), and the music video was directed by Justin Francis. It didn’t do well as a single, and many weezer fans hated it.

In early 2006, it was announced that Make Believe was certified platinum, and “Beverly Hills” was the second most popular download on iTunes for 2005.

Also in early 2006, Make Believe’s third single, “Perfect Situation”, spent four weeks in a row at the #1 spot on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, a personal record for Weezer. The Perfect Situation video starred Elisha Cuthbert and was directed by Marc Webb. The only other Weezer track to hit #1 was “Beverly Hills,” for one week. “This is Such a Pity” is the band’s fourth single from the album, but no music video was made for its release.

The Future (2006-)

As of January, 2006, Bell and Wilson are set to portray Velvet Underground members Lou Reed and John Cale in Factory Girl, an upcoming film about the life of Andy Warhol cohort Edie Sedgwick.

Rivers Cuomo announced a new song called “Piece of the Pie” while onstage during the band’s October 7th, 2005 show in Detroit (but did not perform it). Cuomo has mentioned other song ideas recently, dropping titles and ideas such as “East Coast or West Coast,” “Pig” and new songs with lyrics he described as “bloggy”.

Rivers has commented on his myspace blog that his recent comments to mtv.com were ‘misquoted’ and said that what he meant “was that the soccer song, “Our Time will Come”, certainly won’t be on a Weezer album.” and said “The rest of the songs, though, are definite contenders for a Weezer record.” A strong hint that the band are in fact only on a break and that a sixth album is on the card.

In late 2006, Brian Bell began work on a new project called The Relationship which fans can follow on the band’s myspace page. Pat Wilson told Keifer Wells and Martin Michalek in a radio interview for Andover High School that he and Scott Shriner had been creating songs together and are trying to get Rivers to sing for when the band has jam sessions. Pat has also been creating a few Special Goodness songs, but said little more on the subject. Fans can currently follow the news of the band at Rivers Cuomo’s myspace page and the official Weezer website.

Weezer’s sixth studio album will be released on June 3, 2008, just over three years after their latest release, Make Believe. Rick Rubin produced the album[30] and Rich Costey provided the mixing[31] for what Weezer fans are calling “Album Six”.[32] The record is being described as “experimental”, and according to Cuomo, includes longer and non-traditional songs, TR-808 drum machines, synthesizers, Southern rap, baroque counterpoint, and band members other than Cuomo writing, singing, and switching instruments.[33]

Lead singer Rivers Cuomo released a demo-compilation album entitled Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo on December 18, 2007. The album contains demos of Cuomo’s that span from 1992 to 2007, including songs from Weezer’s abandoned second album, Songs from the Black Hole. Also included in Alone is a song intended for Weezer’s upcoming 6th studio album, entitled “This is the Way”. The booklet of Alone tells of the band wanting the song for the album, but ultimately choosing “an epic, 6-minute, symphonic type of art song” entitled “Daydreamer” instead.

Weezer’s “Weezer” (also referred to as “The Red Album”) was released in June 2008. Rick Rubin produced the album and Rich Costey mixed it. The record is being described as “experimental”, and according to Cuomo, includes longer and non-traditional songs, TR-808 drum machines, synthesizers, Southern rap, baroque counterpoint, and band members other than Cuomo writing, singing, and switching instruments. Pat Wilson said that the album cost about a million dollars to make, contrasting it with the $150,000 budget of “The Blue Album”. The album’s singles were produced by Jacknife Lee. Its lead single, “Pork and Beans”, topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts for 11 weeks, and its music video won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. The album’s second single, “Troublemaker”, debuted at #39 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and peaked at #2. In October 2008, the group announced that the third single would be “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)”.

In 2009, the band announced their next album, “Raditude”, would be released on November 3, 2009, where it debuted as the seventh best-selling album of the week on the Billboard 200 chart. The band scheduled tour dates in December 2009 extending into early 2010 to coincide with the new album’s release. On December 6, 2009, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo was injured when his tour bus crashed in upstate New York due to black ice. Cuomo suffered three broken ribs, and his assistant broke two ribs. His wife, baby daughter, and their nanny were also on the bus; however, they escaped injury. Weezer cancelled tour dates the following day. The band resumed touring on January 20, 2010.

In December 2009, it was revealed that the band was no longer with Geffen Records. The band stated that they would still release new material, but they are unsure of the means, whether it be self-released, released online, or getting signed by another label. Eventually, the band was signed to the independent label Epitaph.

The album “Hurley” was released in September 2010 through Epitaph Records. The name comes from the character Hugo “Hurley” Reyes from the television show “Lost”. Jorge Garcia, the actor who portrayed Hurley, stated that being featured on the album cover is “one of the biggest honors of [his] career.” Weezer used internet streaming service YouTube as a way to promote the album. Weezer loaned itself to 15 amateur online video producers, “going along with whatever plans the creator could execute in about 30 minutes.” They have used many of the popular channels to promote themselves, such as Barely Political, Ray William Johnson and Fred Figglehorn. The Gregory Brothers solicited musical and vocal contributions from the band on one of its compositions built around speeches by Rep. Charles Rangel and President Barack Obama. Weezer calls the promotion “The YouTube Invasion”

On November 2, 2010, Weezer released another studio album called “Death to False Metal”. This album was composed of newly re-recorded versions of unused recordings spanning the band’s career.

On October 9, 2011, the band announced on their website that former bassist Mikey Welsh had died.

The band currently consists of the following members:

* Brian Bell — guitar, backing vocals
* Rivers Cuomo — vocals, guitar
* Scott Shriner — bass guitar, backing vocals (2002-present) (plays on Maladroit and Make Believe)
* Patrick Wilson — drums

Former members:

* Jason Cropper — Guitar, left the band in September 1993 (believed to have been fired by Cuomo, although it is not clear as Cropper is forbidden from discussing the issue)
* Matt Sharp — bass guitar, backing vocals (1992-1997) (plays on The Blue Album and Pinkerton)
* Mikey Welsh — bass guitar, backing vocals (1998-2001) (plays on The Green Album)

Edited by IRONICtypo on 15 May 2012, 17:10

Journey

Biography

There are at least three artists with this name
1. A popular American rock band
2. A British psychedelic trance producer
3. An underground rapper

Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1973. The band has gone through several phases since its inception by former members of Santana. The band’s greatest commercial success came in the late 1970s through the early 1980s with a series of power ballads and songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Faithfully”, “Open Arms”, “Separate Ways”, and “Wheel in the Sky”.

Journey has been eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2000, but Gregg Rolie is currently the only member of Journey who has been inducted — as a member of parent band Santana. In 2009, Steve Perry, the band’s best-known lead vocalist, will be eligible for induction as a solo artist.

Formation, 1973–1976

The original members of Journey came together in San Francisco in 1973 under the auspices of former Santana manager Herbie Herbert. Originally called the Golden Gate Rhythm Section and intended to serve as a backup group for established Bay Area artists, the band included recent Santana alumni Neal Schon on lead guitar and Gregg Rolie on keyboards and lead vocals. Drummer Prairie Prince of The Tubes, bassist Ross Valory and rhythm guitarist George Tickner, both of Frumious Bandersnatch, rounded out the group. The band quickly abandoned the original “backup group” concept and developed a distinctive jazz fusion style. After an unsuccessful radio contest to name the group, roadie John Villaneuva suggested the name “Journey.” The band’s first public appearance came at the Winterland Ballroom on New Year’s Eve, 1973. Prairie Prince rejoined The Tubes shortly thereafter, and the band hired British drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who had recently worked with John Lennon and Frank Zappa. On February 5, 1974, the new line-up made their debut at the Great American Music Hall and secured a recording contract with Columbia Records.

Journey released their eponymous first album in 1975, and rhythm guitarist Tickner left the band before they cut their second album, Look into the Future (1976). Neither album achieved significant sales, so Schon, Valory, and Dunbar took singing lessons in an attempt to add vocal harmonies to Rolie’s lead. The following year’s Next contained shorter tracks with more vocals and featured Schon as lead singer on several of the songs.

New musical direction, 1977–1980

Journey’s album sales did not improve and Columbia Records requested that they change their musical style and add a frontman, with whom keyboardist Gregg Rolie could share lead vocal duties. The band hired Robert Fleischman and transitioned to a more popular style, akin to that of Foreigner and Boston. Journey went on tour with Fleischman in 1977 and together the new incarnation of the band wrote the hit “Wheel in the Sky”. But fans were lukewarm to the change, and personality differences resulted in Fleischman being fired within the year.

In the fall of 1977, Journey hired Steve Perry as their new lead singer. Perry added a clean, tenor sound and the band became a true pop act. Their fourth album, Infinity (1978) reached No. 21 on the album charts and gave the band their first RIAA-certified platinum album plus hit singles out of “Lights” and “Wheel In the Sky”.

Drummer Aynsley Dunbar did not get along with singer Steve Perry and did not approve of the new musical direction. He was fired in 1978 and replaced by Berklee-trained jazz drummer Steve Smith. Perry, Schon, Rolie, Smith, and bass player Ross Valory recorded 1979’s Evolution, which gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single, “Lovin,’ Touchin,’ Squeezin”; and 1980’s Departure, which reached No. 8 on the album charts and included the top-25 hit “Any Way You Want It”.

Journey’s newfound success brought the band an almost entirely new fan base. During the 1980 Departure world tour, the band recorded a live album, Captured. They also recorded the soundtrack to the film Dream After Dream while in Japan.

Exhausted from extensive touring, keyboardist Gregg Rolie now left a successful band for the second time in his career. Keyboardist Stevie Roseman was brought in to record the lone studio track for Captured, “The Party’s Over (Hopelessly in Love)”, but Rolie recommended pianist Jonathan Cain of The Babys as the permanent replacement. With Cain’s replacement of Rolie’s Hammond B-3 organ with his own synthesizers, the band was poised to redefine rock music for a new decade in which they would achieve their greatest musical success.

Height of popularity, 1981–1983

Journey released their eighth and biggest-selling studio album, Escape, in 1981. The album, which has thus far sold nine times platinum, went to number one on the album charts that year, and included three top-ten hits: “Who’s Crying Now”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, and “Open Arms”.

Capitalizing on their success, the band recorded radio commercials for Budweiser and sold rights to their likenesses and music for use in two video games: the Journey arcade game by Bally/Midway and Journey Escape by Data Age for the Atari 2600.

This success was met with piqued criticism. The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide gave each of the band’s albums only one star, with Dave Marsh writing that “Journey was a dead end for San Francisco area rock”. Marsh later would anoint Escape as one of the worst number-one albums of all time.

Journey’s next album, 1983’s Frontiers, continued their commercial success, reaching No. 2 on the album charts. Four hit singles included “Separate Ways”, which reached #8, and “Faithfully, which reached #12. During the subsequent tour, the band contracted with NFL Films to record a video documentary of their life on the road, Frontiers and Beyond.

Break-up, 1984–1994

Lead singer Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon both pursued solo projects between 1982 and 1985, and when they returned to Journey to record their 1986 album Raised on Radio, bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith were fired from the band for musical and professional differences. Studio musicians handled the two vacant slots, including future American Idol judge Randy Jackson and established session player Larrie Londin. The album sold two million copies. A truncated tour followed, which featured Jackson on bass and Mike Baird on drums. Steve Perry left Journey in 1987.

Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain’s ex-Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips, forming Bad English with drummer Deen Castronovo in 1988. Steve Smith started a jazz band, Vital Information, and teamed up with Ross Valory and Gregg Rolie to create The Storm with singer Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos.

Reunion, 1995–1997

Between 1987 and 1995, Journey’s record label released three compilations. In October 1993, Kevin Chalfant (of The Storm) performed with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain at a roast for manager Herbie Herbert for the Thunder Road benefit. After that, Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Rolie briefly considered reuniting the band with Chalfant as lead singer. But in 1995 Steve Perry agreed to rejoin the band on the condition that they seek new management. Herbie Herbert was fired and The Eagles Manager Irving Azoff retained.

In 1995, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith reunited to record Trial by Fire. Released in 1996, the album included the hit single “When You Love a Woman”, which reached #12 on the Billboard charts and was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Plans for a subsequent tour ended when Perry injured his hip hiking in Hawaii in the summer of 1997 and could not perform without hip replacement surgery — which he refused to undergo. In 1998, Schon and Cain decided to seek a new lead singer, at which point drummer Steve Smith left the band as well.

Lead singer replaced, 1998–2006

In 1998, Journey hired drummer Deen Castronovo, Schon’s and Cain’s Bad English bandmate, and drummer for Hardline, to replace Steve Smith. The lead vocalist position was filled by Steve Augeri, formerly of Tyketto and Tall Stories.

That same year, Journey with Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo recorded a track for the soundtrack to the movie Armageddon called “Remember Me”. The band released their next studio album, Arrival, in Japan in late 2000 and in the United States in 2001. “All the Way” became a minor adult contemporary hit from the album. In 2002, the band released a four-track CD titled “Red 13”, with an album cover design chosen through a fan contest. In 2005 the band was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, embarked on their 30th anniversary tour, and released their twelfth full-length studio album, Generations, in which each band member performed lead vocals on at least one song.

Lead singer replaced again, 2006–present

In July 2006, Steve Augeri was dropped from the band while they toured with Def Leppard, with the official statement citing a ‘chronic throat infection’ as the problem. Augeri had been suffering from vocal attrition problems since 2003 and Journey had been using pre-recorded lead vocals. The band hired singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman to fill in, and Soto officially replaced Augeri as Journey’s lead singer in December 2006. On June 12, 2007, Journey announced that Soto was no longer the lead singer, and said that they were looking to move in a new direction.

In December 2007, after briefly considering the lead singer of a Virginia-based tribute band, Journey hired Filipino singer Arnel Pineda of the cover band The Zoo after Neal Schon saw him on YouTube singing covers of Journey songs. Journey debuted their new lead singer in February 2008 in Chile, released the album Revelation, and announced a summer tour with Heart and Cheap Trick. Revelation debuted at #5 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 196,000 units in its first two weeks, making it the band’s best selling album since Trial by Fire.

Although Pineda was not the first foreign national to become a member of Journey (former drummer Aynsley Dunbar is British) nor even the first non-white (former bass player Randy Jackson is Black), the transition was difficult for a number of fans who expressed what Marin Independent Journal writer Paul Liberatore called “an undercurrent of racism.” Keyboardist Jonathan Cain responded to such sentiments: “We’ve become a world band. We’re international now. We’re not about one color.”

Discography:
Journey (1975)
Look Into the Future (1976)
Next (1977)
Infinity (1978)
Evolution (1979)
Departure (1980)
Escape (1981)
Frontiers (1983)
Raised On Radio (1986)
Trial By Fire (1996)
Arrival (2001)
Generations (2005)
Revelation (2008)

2. UK Based psychedelic trance producer Giampiero “Jay” Mastino studied Sound Engineering and Music Technology in 2003 and soon thereafter began solo production under the name Journey, and in collaboration with Anton Petrov as Star~Trip. In 2009 he also started a new progressive project under the name OM. Jay also DJ’s under the name Jay OM.

In 2004, he conceived the vision of a network of like-minded artists in the psy-trance and ambient genres, all working to promote themselves and each other under one banner. Thus the Free-Spirit Records label was born… Originally intended to focus on artist management, the label’s skyrocketing success combined with the enthusiasm of Jay, the artists, and fans enabled Free-Spirit to outgrow its horizons. Free-Spirit continues to build a collective of artists and djs from around the globe, aiming to create and provide access to a combined set of resources not available to them as individuals, making it just a little easier for all to concentrate on what they truly love, which is the music!

Free-Spirit Vol.1 “Brahamaputra”, the debut release for Free-Spirit Records compiled by Jay OM, hit the shops in October 2006, featuring both a Journey and a Star~Trip track amongst others and Christopher Lawrence (ranked No. 4 DJ in the world) featured Journey’s Spotless mind in his Top 10 in December 2006. Free-Spirit Vol.2 “Eupsychia” followed in June 2007 with 2 more tracks from Journey and Star~Trip and in 2008 a another 3 releases on Free-Spirit Vol.3 “Neophilia” and V/A Children of Jah (Revolve Magazine). 2009 saw the release of Journey’s highly anticipated debut solo Album “The Man who Sold the Time” as well as further releases on various V/A Compilations on Mutagen, Antu, Solar Tech. Catalyst, Alchemy and Free-Spirit Records. Jay is currently working on his 2nd Journey solo album.

Today, Jay’s reputation as an active, involved, and hard working individual in the global trance circuit precedes him. His commitment and enthusiasm for trance music has left an indelible impression on the world scene already, and Jay’s future has never looked brighter, from his burgeoningly successful record label to his organized events in the UK, to his upcoming solo releases. Jay works tirelessly at his art and trade and the music he brings to the masses exemplifies the fruits of his labour and energy.
3. Journey is an underground hip hop artist

Edited by IRONICtypo on 21 Jul 2011, 16:30

The Monks 'Black Monk Time' (1965)

“Sunlight grids quiver in the system. Read on! It’s monk time – it’s hop time. don’t read this. We said: don’t read this. Let sapphires glide into the grooves. What is beat? What is beat today? And what is over-beat? And who the hell is going to melt the hot and cold world of tomorrow?”
The above is the beginning of the liner notes to the original release of The Monks truly incredible album Black Monk Time. Released in 1965 and, as the above introduction testifies to, not just a simple rock ‘n’ roll album, The Monks Black Monk Time was an explosive début with catchy hooks but an experimental approach to sound.
The Monks were a group of five American GIs stationed in Germany in the sixties who in 1964 formed a band called The Torquays and played standard rock ‘n’ roll classics in local bars and venues. The band started out doing covers of surf rock hit including songs by the Beach Boys and Rufus Thomas but they later moved on to cover British groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. As their influences changed their music also began to evolve. Following the end of their tour of duty the group decided to stay in Germany and continued playing in bars, cutting their first record as ‘The 5 Torquays’.
In 1965 they changed their name to The Monks and their music began to shift more and more into the sound that became Black Monk Time. The music was heavily driven by the rhythm and feedback, with clashing harmonics and discordant sounds The Monks pushed beyond being simply a covers band and recorded a seminal album of the sixties that still hugely influences musicians to this day.The final line up of The Monks, after various changes through the early sixties, was Gary Burger (Vocals/Guitar), Larry Clark (Organ), Roger Johnston (Drums), Eddie Shaw (Bass) and Dave Day (Guitar/Banjo). It was the inclusion of instruments such as the organ and banjo and their approach to the other instruments that helped form their unique sound. Also hugely important was the vocals by Gary Burger, which sound as startling today as they must have done to an unprepared mid-sixties audience.
Transatlantic Feedback tells the short narrative of this band, the story behind the scenes that resulted in the 1966 release of Black Monk Time and the events that have occured since the band’s split. The band are well known not just for their electrifying sound but also their iconic look, with monk haircuts the band always dressed in black and were sometimes even photographed with nooses around their necks. One of the most fascinating elements of the documentary is the story of The Monks management, Karl-H Remy and Walther Neimann, who helped cultivate this image, setting the band up as the ‘anti-Beatles’. The film portrays the managers as mysterious figures who helped guide the band with rigid rules and a corporate mentality.
The managers even had a set of six rules that the band had to follow to be ‘a Monk’, rules that had to be followed on and off stage. The managers ultimately split up though signalling the end of The Monks. The band reformed in 1999 and played what was actually their first ever US live date to a thrilled audience, including many contemporary musicians.
This performance signals the end of the documentary and with the recent deaths of three of the members of The Monks the story of the band appears to be over. But their music is kept alive by the new fans discovering the album and the legacy of influence that The Monks’ sound has had on artists as diverse as The Fall, The White Stripes, The Dead Kennedys and Throbbing Gristle.
The documentary has amazing clips but ultimately suffers from the lack of footage available of The Monks on and off stage in the sixties. We are of course treated to talking heads of the band members, who surprisingly downplay the significance of The Monks and the impact on their lives. It seems that they are not quite aware of the extent of the cult following of The Monks until they perform again.

Blast Off!

If it was only about the Monks’ story being one of the more truly odd ones in annals of rock, that'd be one thing. But Black Monk Time is far more than the product of an anecdote. The one and only album for the Monks is one of the 'missing links' of alternative music history. Their simple, rhythmic, distorted, confrontational take on rock'n'roll earnt them few admirers at the time, but, with four decade's worth of hindsight, the still-thrilling Black Monk Time stands as possibly the first punk record, and is the obvious birthplace of krautrock.

A Monastic Quintet

It’s 1964, and five American GIs, living in post-war West Germany, form a rockband. In the beginning, they're a generic, Beatles-aping beat-group, but soon they undergo an evolution into something they called the “anti-Beatles.”
Taking under the wing of a pair of Situationist-minded, German advertising gurus, Walther Niemann and Karl-H.-Remy, the Monks are rebranded as a conceptual vehicle. Composing a point-by-point Monks manifesto, the German managers re-sculpt the Monks as a reactionary outfit whose singular devotion to their band and newfound desire for audience-baiting are symbolized in one singular external gesture.
The Monks take to wearing black cassocks, with tonsures shaved on their heads, and nooses hung around their neck. Their only religious devotion is to the road; the band traipsing throughout West Germany playing show after show, often to audiences who despised them.

(Religious) Figures of Repetition

The Monks were clearly ahead of their time. With the gift of hindsight, we can see their music —as Julian Cope pointed out in his authoritarian tome Krautrocksampler— as being a clear link between the beat-music of the '60s, and the German krautrock of the '70s. Unlike their contemporaries, the Monks played with a slavish devotion to rhythm. Drummer Roger Johnston played a kit with no cymbals, relentlessly hitting on the beat. Dave Day played a banjo, but treated it more as a percussion instrument; his muted powerchords thumped out as dulled, metallic rhythms.
Black Monk Time is the sound of a combo drilled tight, sounding at once restrained and furious. Largely dodging familiar verse/chorus templates, its songs often lock into repetitive riffs like a needle in a lock groove, occasionally breaking to a complete stop, starting again after irregular pauses. It's, compositionally speaking, fascinating listening; something rock'n'roll of this era rarely is.
Over this rhythmic racket, guitarist Gary Burger lets out frantic yelps; squawking nonsense phrases and ad-hoc poetry with as little sense of melody as his band has. Showstopping opener "Monk Time" —essentially the band's introductory call-to-arms— is still the best example of the idiosyncratic Monks; Burger spewing the poetic equivalents of pop-art ("My brother died in Vietnam/ James Bond, who is he?/ Stop it! Stop it! I don't like it/ It's too loud for my ears") over a frenetic, unchanging tempo. It's lively, alive stuff, even 40-odd years on.

Battlerage Drummer Francisco Vera Talks New Album "True Metal Victory" And Chilean Heavy Metal

The Chilean heavy metallers from Battlerage dropped their third full-length album "True Metal Victory" last year through Metal on Metal Records. After the release of the album, drummer Francisco Vera corresponded with Metalunderground.com to discuss the true metal horde's place in the world of heavy music and the overall metal scene in Chile. Check out the full interview below to find out about the creation of "True Metal Victory" and taking lyrical inspiration from the Robert E. Howard characters of Conan the Cimmerian and Thoth-Amon.
xFiruath: For those not familiar with Battlerage, can you give me a brief history of the band?

Francisco: I started Battlerage back in September 2002 as a personal project that soon took form. After recording the "Metal Slaughter" and "Return of the Axeman" demos in 2003, we began the writing of our first album, "Steel Supremacy," that hit the streets in 2004. Then we recorded the "Battlefield Belongs To Me" EP in 2005, and in 2007 we signed with Metal On Metal Records. They put out in 2008 the demo compilation "The Slaughter Returns," and in 2009 our second full length, "Blood, Fire, Steel." Last year we wrote and recorded our third album, "True Metal Victory," which was released by Metal On Metal Records in October 2011. We have been through many line up changes, and the current line up is:

Fox-Lin Torres: vocals

Alejandro Ugarte: Guitars

Felipe Vuletich: Bass

Francisco Vera: Drums

xFiruath: When did you write the songs for this new album and how do you write music as a band?

Francisco: I wrote some songs in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Basically, I do every song and lyrics, and then we arrange it in the rehearsal room.

xFiruath: Where did you record the album and how did the recording sessions go?

Francisco: We recorded "True Metal Victory" in 15 Hz studios. The sessions were great, everything went according to plan. We had no problems at all.

xFiruath: What sort of ideas do your lyrics cover and is there a specific theme to this album?

Francisco: My lyrics talk about war, freedom, metal and horror. These are the main themas on every Battlerage album, and I'll continue this way in the future. There isn't any specific theme in the album, just in "The Book of Thoth" trilogy, about the genesis of Conan the Cimmerian's worst enemy, Thoth-Amon. It's based on a graphic novel that caught my attention in 2010, mainly because Len Wein, one of my favorite comic writers, was involved in it. It's a story of treason and revenge, about the endless search for power at any cost, and is written in a very "Howardian" way.

xFiruath: Tell me about your local metal scene. What’s it like to be a metal band in Chile and how supportive are the local crowds?

Francisco: I don't care about the scene in Chile, I really don't feel as a part of something. Battlerage stands alone. But if I were to recommend some bands... you should check Attacker Bloody Axe (thrash metal), Marcha Fúnebre (epic doom metal), Axe Battler (NWOBHM influenced metal), Metal Grave (in the vein of Mercyful Fate) and, of course, the veterans of Vastator. The crowd support is great, they always go to see us play live.

xFiruath: Do you get the opportunity to play outside Chile often?

Francisco: No. I hope this will change in the future.

xFiruath: Do you have any upcoming live shows in support of the new album?

Francisco: Not at the moment. However, we play on a regular basis, so we are constantly showing all our stuff, old and new, live.

xFiruath: What music are you personally listening to lately and do you have a favorite/least favorite album of 2011?

Francisco: I'm always listening to the old classics like Manowar, Omen, Manilla Road and Running Wild. Lately, I've been listening to the bands that keep that flame alive like Argus, Hour of 13, In Solitude, etc. My favorite albums from 2011 are Outrage‘s "Go to Hell" and Manilla Road‘s "Playground of the Damned.“ I don't have least favorite albums.