Journey Finds Replacement Singer on YouTube

After recent speculation, it's official. Journey announced today they've hired a new set of vocal chords to belt out seminal power ballads like "Don't Stop Believin'" – and they have YouTube to thank.

Videos of Arnel Pineda, formerly with a band called the Zoo, were discovered by Journey axeman Neil Schon, who has heaps o' praise for the group's FOURTH SIXTH (!) singer (the legendary Steve Perry stopped believin' in '96 – perhaps he's too busy cultivating the best ponytail ever? ...Jeff Scott Soto boned out this year; Steve Augeri left in '06; and, news to me, there were two other singers before Perry. [thanks Chuck!])

As Schon said in a press release:

“I was frustrated about not having a singer, so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours... After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, ‘he can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter."

Someone should totally make a movie about this! ...oh wait. Nevermind.

Earlier today, a member of a popular Steve Perry fan site attempted to post the following message in the comment thread. Due to her, well, enthusiastic use of all-caps, our spam filter did not approve the message. So, without further adieu, here's the entire letter, followed by my reply (for those at all interested), as well as a response...

On 12/6/07 12:53 PM, "RDH/DRH" REDACTED wrote:

Greetings.....I attempted to post this comment on your page on the internet with the RE'd article. I did get a few posts to go through - as tests. However my real comment...below...was refused as "potential comment spam"????

So I decided to send this via E-mail.

STEVE PERRY OBSOLETE????????

HOW DARE YOU ….HOW DARE YOU!!! Mr. Perry is a living and viable man – how dare you do such a juvenile thing as put that word on his picture!!!!

Steve Perry is not now…nor will he ever be obsolete….again….HOW DARE YOU!!!! Mr. Perry and his talent stands alone. His presence, his beautiful and incomparable melodic voice, the passion with which he delivered and expressed each and every song in his recorded legacy will live on and on – without question - WAY past any other singer Journey might acquire. I wish their new singer, Mr. Pineda, the very best…and a lot of strength…..he will surely need it. I understand and accept that Journey ‘WAS’ before Steve Perry…and it will still be Journey with out him. It was Mr. Perry’s choice – for whatever reasons – to leave when he did. I also understand Mr. Schon’s and Mr. Cain’s desire to “move on” – and they have, so be it. Those things are between the parties involved and bear nothing on this reply. This has to do with you Mr. Leckart and your cruel and uncalled for use of the word obsolete in conjunction with Mr. Perry. The simple fact that you put that word on Mr. Perry’s picture is heart hurtful to many, many of Mr. Perry’s fans and wasn’t necessary to get your point across. Mr. Perry won’t respond to this he has too much class, in reality he most likely won’t even see it. But me, on the other hand, did see it and I am just one of them “many” fans and most likely old enough to be your mother. So with that in mind…..”Shame on you Steven…go to your room and write 100 times ‘I will use choose my words more carefully in the future and not speculate on the ire of a fan’”.

Oh, and btw…I’ll take that ‘ponytail’ with Mr. Perry attached to it any time he’d like to stop by…….

Regards, Rebecca Hauser

P.S.: For the record….Mr. Soto did not “bone”??? out…he was unceremoniously “let go” and I used “let go” for lack of a better euphemism. Facts Mr. Leckart…..get the facts before you print things.

Perhaps you could apologize to Mr. Perry for labeling him obsolete in a follow up article. I'd accept that...but it won't erase the fact that you did it in the first place.

Regards

Rebecca Hauser
Georgia, USA

*************

—– Original Message —–

From: Leckart, Steven mailto:Steven_Leckart@wiredmag.com

To: RDH/DRH -REDACTED-

Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 4:31 PM

Subject: Re: Journey Finds Replacement Singer on YouTube

Hi Rebecca,

The repetitive use of all-caps most likely set off the spam filter.
Here’s more info: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/3649.asp

You might try reposting without all-caps. If that doesn’t work, I’ll gladly
post your email below the write up. As far as your comments, I’d like to
point out the following:

The use of the “?” emphasizes the word “obsolete”
as a question, NOT as a statement of either fact or opinion.

Personally, I’ve always felt Journey isn’t Journey without Steve Perry.
And his version of “Only the Young” is still one of my favorite songs.

Thanks for reading,
Steven

On 12/6/07 2:59 PM, REDACTED wrote:

Thank you for your prompt reply. And I did see the "?" after the word OBSOLETE...however, only that HUGE and CAPPED "OBSOLETE" splattered all over his picture registered. The ? might have been a question to you and./or was intended to be a question...but to Steve's fans the defacing of his picture with that word - I'm sorry, but I, and the members of the Steve Perry fan site that I belong to, viewed it was an insult. I do thank you for the "Personally, I’ve always felt Journey isn’t Journey without Steve Perry." comment...it really is true, but that is the past. I still wish you had simply posted Mr. Perry's handsome self and did a comment in the text instead. However, I guess it did do what you intended...it got my attention...and provoked a comment - I just wish you hadn't put that word on his face.

...STEVE IS NOT OBSOLETE...not by a long shot. He really does not need Journey ...HE STANDS ALONE.