by Hugh Ochoa
Several decades ago, San Francisco Bay area rock group Journey honed its talents and pushed the envelope of progressive rock by exploring the outskirts of jazz. Former Santana players Neal Schon (guitar) and Gregg Rollie (keyboards) joined forces with Ross Valory (bass), George Tickner (guitar), and Prairie Prince (drums) to establish the initial lineup.
The group rolled out extended jams and solos, until singer Steve Perry jumped on board adding a new dimension to the music – more polished and sophisticated, further defining the Journey sound.
Thirty years have passed. Journey now lays claim to over eighteen studio releases and more than 75 million album sales and a world-wide community of fans. And despite the band’s changing roster of members, each new edition of Journey wows the fans and keeps the spirited Journey sound alive and kicking.
Rollie and Perry are long gone, but Journey remains with Neal Schon (guitar/vocals), Ross Valory (bass/vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums/vocals), Steve Augeri (vocals) and Jonathan Cain (keyboards/guitar/vocals).
Guitar International met with Journey’s formidable bassist, Ross Valory, who lays the groundwork for the Journey sound.
On stage, Valory is the consummate professional. An entertainer who’s always pushing the music along with bass lines, Ross connects with the audience by hawking vintage Harpo Marx winks and grins. Not only does this guy help peak the performance – he’s having a blast.
Reading some of the press about the album Generations, it seems that the album is somewhat of a retrospective look at the band and its music.
Ross Valory: The tour is. Yes, the tour is. Generations is also the name of the CD that’s being released or at least being offered.
Yes, I guess the tour is nostalgic for some people. It’s a semi-chonological look at our entire body of work which extends all the way back to the early Seventies, including material from three albums that were made prior to Steve Perry joining the band.
Oh Really? I notice that you’re using Kevin Elson to mix and produce the album, was that to try to capture some of the magic from the early years?
RV: Kevin is and has been for many years our house mixer. As he was in thoses days. We decided to work with Kevin and Mike Frazier, as a good combination. Kevin did well., as he co-produced one of our albums with Mike Stone. To “recapture” that? I don’t know about trying to recapture that. He’s a fine producer and engineer and it was an opportunity to work, somewhat, in-house.
You also recorded the album at The Record Plant Studio in Sausalito, California, where you recorded your multi-platinum Raised On Radio album. Was that for the same reason?
RV: It’s because the facilities there having the qualifications. The qualifications that Kevin and Mike wanted. Also, it’s a local studio.
That’s right, you guys are based in Northern California.
RV: Right. We’ve always been based out of San Francisco.
On your website, Jonathan Cain (keyboards) says, “The band has come full circle.” What does that mean?
RV: I think full circle is – I believe he’s probably relating to the Generations album. It sort of harkens back to the, probably the Escape album. And it was a departure from previous albums. The Escape album was with Jonathan Cain who joined the band as a writer and player. So there was a different approach writing-wise with the material. We’d like to think that the Generations album has some of the same qualities. Very energetic [LAUGHS] as Escape was. And lyrically, it relates to the lives of ordinary people, as well as people who are Journey fans.
On this album, I see that every member of the band sings at least one or two songs.
RV: It’s a carry over from a tradition we began last year in which everyone was singing at least a song or two. And we decided that since everyone has a good voice, we thought, “Why not spread the talent on every set?”
That is a departure as well. There were only a few albums where there were two singers. Steve Perry and Greg Rollie. For the most part there was generally one singer. One lead singer. We have more than one here, why not display the talent?
I am sure that it’s been discussed a lot, but would you like to set the record straight about the absence of Steve Perry?
RV: Well, the band broke up after Raised On Radio. It actually began to break up before that with the leaving of me and Steve Smith.
Steve Perry, we did reunite in 1996 with the Trial By Fire album, which was intended to be an album and tour. The tour didn’t happen. And the record company, as a result, pulled the plug on the album.
And we decided to – Steve was having some health problems, we decided to give it a while to see if he would like to continue. Which he declined to do. So, from that point on Neal and Jon and I decided to find a way to go on without him. At that point we engaged Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo and we’ve been playing with that band ever since. Which is the longest standing incarnation of the band. We’ve had many turnovers in personnel. We’re in our eighth year, so that’s a hallmark in itself.
Did the album being shelved have anything to do with the switch from Sony to Sanctuary?
RV: The band and CBS/Sony had sort of a mutual dissolution after the lack of success of the Arrival album. So we mutually agreed to call it quits.
We had been on our own until just recently. The Sanctuary deal is set up so that once the tour has ended, it will be released worldwide.
Frontiers is already released in Europe and is a Japanese release. But the rest of the world, including the United States, will see the release of Generations as of, I think, November 2nd.
Great! I can’t wait to hear it!
RV: Yeah, at this point I guess the only way to get to hear it is through a friend that’s been to the show or to to wait until it goes to retail.
I understand that you’re giving away a Generations CD with every ticket purchase?
RV: Yes, for the majority of our shows.
There has been some confusion, because sometimes we’re playing a different kind of venue that is maybe a festival or a fair. And sometimes even casinos in which the political economic arrangement is different. The majority of our shows are “An Evening With Journey” with no opening act. And generally it is advertised as such, that a CD is being given away. And as a word of clarification for fans, if it’s not advertised for that show it is possible, in some cases, that it is sold at the merchandising stand. But generally we have a clear arrangement with the promoters to do so.
Is the CD the actual release or is it a promo version?
RV: It is slightly different packaging. It comes in a simple sleeve package, with of course, a seal on it. But the release as it is for Frontiers abroad and as it will be for Sanctuary will be a full spread with liner notes and more photographs and more information on it. And at least one additional song, if not a maybe a couple. There’s been some confusion about that. It will be more extensive with it’s packaging and most likely with the material as well.
Was there any reason for parting company with Greg Rollie, a founding member?
RV: Well, the reuniting of the band in 1996 consisted of the members that made the band the most famous. That was the agreement with the managment team and the record company. That’s what was asked for. There were some complications.
When we put the band back together without Steve Perry, Greg Rollie was certainly in mind. But then again, the record company and the management voted against including him. I think it would have been fine to have both players and it’s something Jonathan was up for as well. I think it would have been a great idea, but it was something that was not agreed upon by the record company.
So officially, what was the last album he played on?
RV: Captured. And after Captured, which was the first live album from 1980. And after that album and tour, Greg left the band. And that’s when Jonathan Cain joined. For the Escape album and forward.
You’re celebrating your 30th anniversary this year. That’s a pretty big accomplishment in this day and age in music.
RV: It is. And actually, it extends beyond the 30 years, but the 30 years marks the release of the first album. But, yeah, it is quite an accomplishment. [Laughs]
Of course, the band has not been in existence that entire time. But the fact that the music stayed on the radio and the popularity of the music remained is quite an accomplishment.
I love the idea of “Journeyville”. How did that come about? (A small area that provides a history of the bands legacy)
RV: Well it’s an idea to create a part of our menu that sort of provides a retrospective view of our past, including lots of footage and material that’s presented on a large screen with stereo sound. It reflects on our entire past, and also the past of the fans themselves.
It’s footage of the fans, or at least those parts where they’re involved with the band,including the Walk Of Fame footage from San Fransisco and Los Angeles. And other bits and pieces from the past. Also at “Journeyville” is an Arlen Ness motorcycle. A custom made motorcycle.The paint job represents small renditions of every album cover and signatures by the band under a clearcoat.
And the motorcycle is being offered in support of the T.J. Martell Foundation which is a long standing foundation that we’ve been involved with that provides research for childrens’ diseases. AIDS, Leukemia, cancer. It’s not a raffle because I don’t think raffles are legal in most states.
So, it’s an offer for a three dollar ticket to win the motorcycle at the end of the tour. A person can buy ANY number of tickets. One does not have to buy just one ticket. The proceeds all go to the T.J. Martell Foundation. Somebody’s going to end up with a very fine motorcycle at the end of this tour.
Yeah I saw the photos, it looks really cool.
RV: It’s pretty cool. And I’m not personally familiar with motorcycles but it’s my understanding that it’s got quite a few notable characteristics in its custom design. It’s the cat’s meow for a Harley type of motorcycle.
You guys have been busy doing a lot of charity work lately.
RV: Yeah, we have, and usually it involves children. The most recent one was actually brought to the band by way of my wife and I through some friends that are connected to an organization in the San Fransisco area that dealt with youth law – in that it provides encouragement, if not coercion to improve the foster care programs in various counties and various States around the United States.
We actually had it originally slated for last September in an outdoor venue not far from where I live. But, it got rained out. Eventually, it got rescheduled for the Paramount Theater in Oakland and saw a great amount of success raising money for the National Youth Law Organization.
Nice! On top of that you guys recently got a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
RV: Yes, we did! And that was, I think, a long time in coming. And prior to that, we also did in San Francisco as well. And both of these awards are the result of the efforts of our fans more than anything else.
I think the band was long overdue in being nominated for the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. It was just a matter of the pressure from all the fans approaching, individually and collectively, the organization that presents the awards and saying “Come on, what’s your problem here?” [Laughs]. “The band has the accolades to match the qualifications. Come on, make it happen.”
Similarly, we’ve yet to arrive in that city, somewhere in the midwest.
Cleveland! Yeah, there’s something going on there I understand. Apparently there’s a Hall of Fame there or something for bands of great notoriety.
Unfortunately, they’ve forgotten about Journey. That’s okay. The fans will get to them as well sooner or later. Cleveland, yeah right.
Steve Perry showed up for the Walk Of Fame ceremony.
RV: Yeah, that was a pleasant surprise ’cause none of us had seen him in ten years!
Even the band didn’t know he was gonna show?
RV: Unannounced. Even though Neal had been on the radio with a local team gently cajoling Steve to show. Apparently Steve called the guys back from the radio station and said, “Yeah, you know, what’s going on? Of course I’ll be there.”
You know of course, we still didn’t know when he was going to show. But he did. And he was in fine shape and fine spirits. He had some wonderful things to say in a prepared speech after following Neal and I for the speeches. It was quite a pleasant surprise.
Members from different incarnations of the band appeared for the ceremony, but not Greg Rollie.
RV: Greg Rollie was not there. He declined. No one knows why. He should have been there. He really should have been there. He was in San Francisco for that ceremony and we had a great time. He didn’t show. We don’t know why.
Any bad blood between you guys?
RV: Not that I know of.
Between Greg and Steve Perry?
RV: Well, when things left off, they were not getting along. But that’s been a matter of like, what? 15 years? And regardless of whatever potential problems there were, you would think people would show to be recognized and to receive something that they deserve.
After thirty some years, what keeps it alive and fresh for you? What keeps it from getting boring and stale? Basically, what keeps it from becoming a job for you guys?
RV: Well, I guess a very immediate answer would be such things as what we’re doing this year. We’re exploring material that many of the Journey fans have never even heard, because some of this music was from a totally different era of the band. It represents a completely different style.
There are so many songs, regardless of this retrospective look what the band is popularly known for, that it’s easy to switch songs from year to year, even from performance to performance. I mean the repertoire is like three or four times the amount of songs that we could possibly perform, even in three hours.
It’s still far more material. Nonetheless, the mainstay of our success and our presentations live are at least twelve of the hits. At least twelve of them.
We call them “The Dirty Dozen” and even they are interchangeable with a greater number of hits. So there’s a matter of variety. We can switch different set lists of songs for our fans that are there, for the majority, to hear the hits.
So now you’re on tour for the Generations album.
RV: Yes, we have been since late June and we will be into October. And the majority of the shows, as I’ve mentioned before, are “An Evening With,” no opening act. We play three hours of music with a brief intermission in the middle.
You have plans for a worldwide tour?
RV: We do have, as of recently, booked and secured two festival dates in Europe for next June. So hopefully, as we book Sweden and Holland, the other promoters will see that we are now locked into that schedule and maybe we will do other dates in other areas of Europe.
It’s been a long time since we’ve been to Europe and never really did a major tour there even though, at one point, we were popular enough to do so, but we declined. So it’s time that we go back overseas, at least to Western Europe.
Hopefully, it will develop beyond that. We have been returning to Japan and rebuilding our market there. So I assume that at some point next year, we’ll be returning to Japan as well, with the release in Japan of the Generations album.
Is it just a coincidence that Steve Augeri sounds just like Steve Perry or was that intentional?
RV: Well, the choosing of Steve Augeri certainly had a lot to do with someone who had the voice to fill that spot. It’s certainly challenging. He does very well at it. The fact that he has a Mediterranean look and has the first name “Steve”, and has a last name that ends in a vowel or ends in the sound “eee” has nothing to do with it. It has to do with his voice qualifications.
Now, I don’t mean to call you guys old, but the newer members of the band are a bit younger. Do they keep the rest of you feeling young and energetic
RV: [Laughs] Yeah! I would like to say that we’re all pretty much healthy and young at heart, but certainly, we have young blood in the band, which is, actually as of eight years now, does help. It does help. But what keeps the band encouraged and stimulated is the amount of attention that the fans provide in attending so many of our concerts. That’s where it’s at.
You have a diverse legion of fans, that have in the past thirty years bought more then 75 million Journey albums. What message do you have for them?
RV: Well, we’re continuing. We thought that when this band, this incarnation began in 1998, that maybe we’d have a five year lifespan.
Well we’ve gone well beyond that and we intend to continue. There’s no reason not to. We are quite successfull in the concert industry and hopefully the Generations album will see some airplay and see some success in terms of presenting new material.
No, we’re not going away, there’s no reason to stop what we’re doing. We’re enjoying it.
Related links
Journey
TF Martell Foundation
