SO, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STEVE AUGERI?

[Saint John]

Again, I'm not privy to all of the legal ramifications but if Neal and Jon were ok with lipping their catalog why should Steve Augeri give a shit?

You talk about SA like he was some anonymous roadie who could afford to duck behind the curtain.
He was the band's frontman. His career and future was on the line as much as, if not even moreso than Jon and Neals'.

He has no future outside of Journey so if they said "Lip or you're gone" the choice is really quite simple. Lipping 20 shows made him more money than he'll make the rest of his career. Again, he made the right choice for Steve Augeri.

Beat me. F-cker.

I'm like a sore dick, brah...you can't beat me.

[Tito]

Like many, I have met Steve A and thought he was as nice as can be. Beyond nice, really.
However, in the runup to Tapegate someone affiliated with the band described him as "great guy, but no ethics whatsoever."
My personal interaction tells me that's false, but its hard to tell anything from a meet n' greet.

Met him 3 times and was always extremely nice. The second sentence I got to disagree too. Personally in my view, one cannot be a great person and have no ethics.

So you slay that Schon has em?

Yes he does. Neal is a good person.

Are you one of THOSE PEOPLE here for Neal? Close or casual fan???

LOL. I can tell by meeting him a few times. I can read people. Plus, someone has to defend him. Everyone just wants to bash him, for no good reason as well. No wonder the guy had to put the song, "Self Defense" on two albums/CDs.

[The_Noble_Cause]

What future...or career for that matter. His future and career was Journey. Even excluding that, with his throat problems his career was in serious doubt. Therefore nothing was on the line, if they alleged is true. He was in a no lose situation.

Then what is he doing back with his old TS bandmates?
Why was he writing a solo album even while still in Journey.
During his tenure, Augeri thanked the band repeatedly for reigniting his passion. There was never any indication that Augeri was going to give up singing post-Journey.

[Moon Beam]

LOL. I can tell by meeting him a few times. I can read people. Plus, someone has to defend him. Everyone just wants to bash him, for no good reason as well.

Thank you for the best belly shake of this day so far Senor........
Schon is now the patron saint for insensitive souls.




Edit: Damn I was so thinking Schon I didn't see the post above originally pertained to Augeri.
I'm not beyond pulling my pinhead card out....my apologise to you Tito.

[Tito]

What future...or career for that matter. His future and career was Journey. Even excluding that, with his throat problems his career was in serious doubt. Therefore nothing was on the line, if they alleged is true. He was in a no lose situation.

Then what is he doing back with his old TS bandmates?
Why was he writing a solo album even while still in Journey.
During his tenure, Augeri thanked the band repeatedly for reigniting his passion. There was never any indication that Augeri was going to give up singing post-Journey.

It's taken two years to get to that point. I'm not sure what his vocal abilities are at this point and what the work rate (amount of touring and recording,etc.) he'll be doing. I have no idea about the solo album, vaguely remember hearing about it. My guess would be during the next down time (others recording solo), he would record as well. He can cover up flaws in the studio as well. Also, keep it perspective, I don't think Tall Stories or Augeri solo are/were going to rock the nation. A couple of thousand sold tops.

[Saint John]

What future...or career for that matter. His future and career was Journey. Even excluding that, with his throat problems his career was in serious doubt. Therefore nothing was on the line, if they alleged is true. He was in a no lose situation.

Then what is he doing back with his old TS bandmates?
Why was he writing a solo album even while still in Journey.
During his tenure, Augeri thanked the band repeatedly for reigniting his passion. There was never any indication that Augeri was going to give up singing post-Journey.

The money he made in Journey is affording him the opportunity to take a chance on the Tall Stories reunion. This will go nowhere. It'll be a "push"...no money made, but none lost...hardly something he would be able to do if he didn't have millions in the bank from his Journey days. Nobody wants to see Tall fucking Stories...give me a break.

[Moon Beam]

Nobody wants to see Tall fucking Stories...give me a break.

Correct yourself kindly Saint John......"YOU" don't care to see the likes of em.

[The_Noble_Cause]

The money he made in Journey is affording him the opportunity to take a chance on the Tall Stories reunion. This will go nowhere. It'll be a "push"...no money made, but none lost...hardly something he would be able to do if he didn't have millions in the bank from his Journey days. Nobody wants to see Tall fucking Stories...give me a break.

I'm sorry you don't think Augeri's final year in Journey is a blight on a decent singer's other sterling career.
It is. Lest we forget, Journey underwent an entire media blackout on a nationwide tour things got so bad and SA was forced to leave mid-tour.

Also, none of this has anything to do with Augeri's post-Journey career. He has never made any indication that he would throw in the towel musically or creatively - in fact everything he has said has indicated just the opposite. So I don't know where you guys are getting your facts from.

[Saint John]

Nobody wants to see Tall fucking Stories...give me a break.

Correct yourself kindly Saint John......"YOU" don't care to see the likes of em.

"Nobody" meaning in any sort of quantity that would allow them to survive as a band. Mark my words...they go nowhere. They sell a few thousand albums and fill a few rows of seats with super-sized women and are off the radar in a few months.

[The_Noble_Cause]

It's taken two years to get to that point. I'm not sure what his vocal abilities are at this point and what the work rate (amount of touring and recording,etc.) he'll be doing. I have no idea about the solo album, vaguely remember hearing about it. My guess would be during the next down time (others recording solo), he would record as well. He can cover up flaws in the studio as well. Also, keep it perspective, I don't think Tall Stories or Augeri solo are/were going to rock the nation. A couple of thousand sold tops.

Nothing in the above does anything to bolster your case that Tapegate had no net effect because Augeri has no post-Journey career.
There's simply no basis for that.
Would you say that the little known JSS or Chalfant have no career outside Journey?
I wouldn't.

[Tito]

It's taken two years to get to that point. I'm not sure what his vocal abilities are at this point and what the work rate (amount of touring and recording,etc.) he'll be doing. I have no idea about the solo album, vaguely remember hearing about it. My guess would be during the next down time (others recording solo), he would record as well. He can cover up flaws in the studio as well. Also, keep it perspective, I don't think Tall Stories or Augeri solo are/were going to rock the nation. A couple of thousand sold tops.

Nothing in the above does anything to bolster your case that Tapegate haf no net effect because Augeri has no post-Journey career.
There's simply no basis for that.
Would you say that the little known JSS or Chalfant have no career outside Journey?
I wouldn't.

This is too easy and I don't want to start a war. LOL Your welcome, Andrew.

[Saint John]

Would you say that the little known JSS or Chalfant have no career outside Journey?

Jeff and Kevin weren't totally out of music ordering new toilet seats and urinal cakes for a living, though.

[The_Noble_Cause]

This is too easy and I don't want to start a war. LOL Your welcome, Andrew. Let's just say 1 of the 2.

Stateside, Soto is about as well known as Chalfant.
Which is to say not very known at all.
This doesn't mean either of them are without a career.
That is pretty arrogant and I'd wager Andrew sides with me on this.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Jeff and Kevin weren't totally out of music ordering new toilet seats and urinal cakes for a living, though.

Augeri has said throughout his time with the band that they "brought a boy out of retirement and gave me the gift of music again."
No matter what transpired, he wasn't going to give up singing.
His recent actions attest to that.

[Tito]

I edited the last sentence off. Unfortunately, not in time though.

[Tito]

Actually, Chalfant is fairly well know in Illinois, at least southwest of Chicago.

[Saint John]

This is too easy and I don't want to start a war. LOL Your welcome, Andrew. Let's just say 1 of the 2.

Stateside, Soto is about as well known as Chalfant.
Which is to say not very known at all.
This doesn't mean either of them are without a career.
That is pretty arrogant and I'd wager Andrew sides with me on this.

1) Chalfant is hands down more popular than JSS (though neither is wildly known).
2) Both have had nice careers as "journeymen"...no pun intended. Chalfant obviously had the bigger peak in his career collaborating with some of the world's finest musicians in The Storm (as did Jeff in Journey, but he had no original music in his brief tenure).
3) Who gives a shit who Andrew sides with?!

[Tito]

(as did Jeff in Journey, but he had no original music in his brief tenure).!

400 years ago....


That was a hit in the making.

[The_Noble_Cause]

400 years ago....


That was a hit in the making.

LOL

[Calbear94]

Honestly, has TapeGate slowed Journey down any? Before TG, they were giving away Generations at concerts, and now they have a lucrative deal with Wal-Mart, good publicity, and singer with a great voice.

Who had more to lose? If anything Augeri has gained something from this terrible situation (where his voice was nearly ruined)...sympathy. He was the sympathetic figure in all of this. He had very few fans before joining Journey. While in Journey he made many new fans. After all this, I'd venture that he only lost some hardcore Journey fans who were looking for someone to blame other than Schon the guitar god and Cain the melody man.

The inspiration, if the not the majority of the material, for his solo album came from his writing sessions with Journey for Generations. Apparently much of what he wrote didn't make it onto the Journey album.

[stevew2]

Steve Augeri brought back life into Journey, They hired him and he gave it his all.I was into country till Steve A revived Journey. They could have done it with other singers. They didnt. I t was Steve A ,Coolest guy you could meet . He got me any many others {maybe veterans on this board who wont admit it} into Journey again. He will do fine and I will support him. It will be interersting to see what happens to Journey 8 years from now. { if there is a Journey} That is how long Steve A toughed it out with the band .He deserves much more credit than he recieved

[STORY_TELLER]

Honestly, has TapeGate slowed Journey down any?

"TageGate" hasn't affected Journey one iota. Save for the people on these forums (who are not the majority that make up Journey's concert attendees), no one is even aware there was a tapegate.

Fact is, Journey didn't have much speed to begin with. For all intents and purposes, all Journey really achieved during the Augeri era was to make money off touring the Perry era tunes. They're pretty much bullet proof in this area. People aren't showing up to the concerts because of new material, they're there for the nostalgia, regardless of who's singing (as long as it sounds similar to the way it does on the GH's CD).

Now, with Arnel, they have a chance at picking up some speed (so to speak). That is, all the Filipino fans who have joined the ranks via the YouTube marketing, plus, sell through on the new album will be much stronger via the Walmart deal.

All of this is not to say that Journey is going to make some kind of popular comeback and get top 10 airplay on radio. The songs will get some radio play then disappear. The only Journey that will continue to be played on the radio will be the GH's stuff. There will be some buzz on the band for a bit, but it will die off in time. Attendance at the shows might increase for a bit but it will level off. The band will (hopefully) release another album or two and tour some more. Hopefully Neal will keep the creative fire burning to make these (potential) albums as strong as Revelation appears to be and eventually, they'll hang it up.

The End

But lets not kid ourselves. Journey's music is 80's nostalgia. I'll continue to support them as long as they continue to produce quality material, but I'm not so delusional as to think the hiring of Arnel is going to return the band to the top of the charts.

Realistically,
ST

[Tito]

Who had more to lose? If anything Augeri has gained something from this terrible situation (where his voice was nearly ruined)...sympathy. He was the sympathetic figure in all of this. He had very few fans before joining Journey. While in Journey he made many new fans.

Agreed, and I don't mean to start any trouble, but this is also what the Soto fans are missing in his case. ASSUMING everything the Soto fans say is true, Journey did JSS a favor. So, for the sake of argument, what if Neal & Company made phone calls, did everything the Soto fans say should've been done and everyone left on a happy note. Where would that leave JSS? Would he have just faded back into obscurity? At least, if the JSS fans' story is correct, they created a little friction and gave him a boost (via sympathy) on the way out.

[Tito]

"TageGate" hasn't affected Journey one iota. Save for the people on these forums (who are not the majority that make up Journey's concert attendees), no one is even aware there was a tapegate.

BINGO! I am a prime example. If it wasn't for this board, I would never had know there was any controversy. The same applies to the Soto firing as well and alleged stories.

[Red13JoePa]

Steve is in fine voice.
While I know he genuinely cares a lot for his fans I don't think he has much to do with the internet and he rarely if ever visits any online forums.

Yea, and why in hell would he the way those whacked out PSLOA wildebeasts drew and quartered him in effigy for the better part of a decade?

[The_Noble_Cause]

Honestly, has TapeGate slowed Journey down any? Before TG, they were giving away Generations at concerts, and now they have a lucrative deal with Wal-Mart, good publicity, and singer with a great voice.

Who had more to lose? If anything Augeri has gained something from this terrible situation (where his voice was nearly ruined)...sympathy. He was the sympathetic figure in all of this. He had very few fans before joining Journey. While in Journey he made many new fans. After all this, I'd venture that he only lost some hardcore Journey fans who were looking for someone to blame other than Schon the guitar god and Cain the melody man.

Yes, I am sure if he had his druthers, there is no other possible way SA would've liked to have gone out.
Being caught lipsynching and resorting to a national media blackout is the perfect capstone to any singer's career.
I bet Arnel only wishes to end on a such career high.

You people are dellusional.

The inspiration, if the not the majority of the material, for his solo album came from his writing sessions with Journey for Generations. Apparently much of what he wrote didn't make it onto the Journey album.

From what I gather, it was the other way around.
The only reason 'Generations' happened at all is because SA was forging straight ahead with material, while the band was content to rest on their laurels.

[The_Noble_Cause]

3) Who gives a shit who Andrew sides with?!

I wasn't asking the kindergarten teacher to step in and referee this fight.
As the CEO of the premiere melodic rock destination on the web tho, I'm sure he knows all too well of the importance of the little folk and independents in this game. To dismiss the likes of Chalfant and Augeri, simply because they aren't part of some mega touring package like Styx, Journey, or REO, is quite arrogant.
Those bands are the exception right now, not the norm.
That was my only point.

[Saint John]

From what I gather, it was the other way around.
The only reason 'Generations' happened at all is because SA was forging straight ahead with material, while the band was content to rest on their laurels.

Total bullshit. Neal and Jon weren't interested in creating something new when they had what was now, and arguably all along, a half-ass voice to sing it!!! They were frustrated, but bound by their loyalty, and held on to a guy they should have dumped years prior, kinda like Perry. They should have dumped that ego soaked douche rag around 1987. Instead, they let him pack his huge beak on ice and go on an indefinite sabbatical while they sat around for a decade.

[cookieduster]

From what I gather, it was the other way around.
The only reason 'Generations' happened at all is because SA was forging straight ahead with material, while the band was content to rest on their laurels.

Total bullshit. Neal and Jon weren't interested in creating something new when they had what was now, and arguably all along, a half-ass voice to sing it!!! They were frustrated, but bound by their loyalty, and held on to a guy they should have dumped years prior, kinda like Perry. They should have dumped that ego soaked douche rag around 1987. Instead, they let him pack his huge beak on ice and go on an indefinite sabbatical while they sat around for a decade.

Why must you pull Steve Perry's good name through the sludge at every twist and turn, what gives you the right to publically slander
a person's name and reputation like this? I am truly interested in why you feel that because Steve Perry is a public artist that it gives you the right to
make such fraudulent claims against him? You must really have low self esteem to have to sit on a message board day in and out and
write such horrid remarks about someone that you don't know.

I"m not going to ready any more of your bullshit.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Total bullshit. Neal and Jon weren't interested in creating something new when they had what was now, and arguably all along, a half-ass voice to sing it!!! They were frustrated, but bound by their loyalty, and held on to a guy they should have dumped years prior, kinda like Perry. They should have dumped that ego soaked douche rag around 1987. Instead, they let him pack his huge beak on ice and go on an indefinite sabbatical while they sat around for a decade.

This is no different than debating politics with you.
Like Reagan admitting to his Contra inovlvement, you defer to fuzzy feelings and not facts.
The cold hard facts are that both Augeri and Jon have spoken out how it was Augeri's solo writing that served as the creative impetus for the 'Generations" album.