Arnel Fans

Now it can be told: award-winning filmmaker Ramona Diaz is making a feature-length documentary on the rock band, Journey, tentatively titled “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey.”

Ramona, who won awards for her documentaries “Imelda” and “Spirits Rising,” shared the news via e-mail: “This film is ultimately a snapshot of Journey at this moment in 2008 in its 30-plus year history, as it emerges with a new lead singer.” The band’s vocalist is, as everyone knows by now, Arnel Pineda.

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If YouTube is meant to be a place where worker drones kill time while on the job by watching movie trailers and hilarious videos of people doing incredibly stupid things, nobody bothered telling that to the members of classic rock troupe Journey.

So while you were watching the video of Miss Teen South Carolina explain why more people can’t locate the United States on the world map for the umpteenth time, Journey guitarist Neil Schon was trolling the site for a new lead singer, following the June 2007 departure of Jeff Scott Soto.

Adam Graham, Detroit News Pop Music Writer previews Journey upcoming concert.

IS JOURNEY STILL Journey without the signature vocal stylings of Steve Perry? Some would say no, but I say we should give now-lead singer Arnel Pineda a chance.

Was he around for the glory days of the “Separate Ways” video? No, but he was discovered by the band singing Journey covers on YouTube — he’s got a Perry-type thing going on but adds a little of his own flair.

Follow the story here.

“This is like the sixth or seventh phase of the band, and it seems to me it’s more than a chapter,” said Valory, calling from North Carolina. “It’s like a new book. This is a new volume with the arrival of Arnel and with the album out, and the reception it’s getting. It’s not like we’re starting all over again but it’s a whole new ballgame.

“I guess it has to do with the right person. The right piece to a puzzle, and that’s the way it has appeared to have happened with Arnel. He has all the right qualities to fit in this band and make it his own. He sounds like Journey. So with the creation of new material that we just put out, and are getting airplay with, it sounds like us. There’s the whole aspect of his performing energy as well on the stage. It’s just infectious.”

John Benson of Vindy.com interviews bassist Ross Valory of Journey.

Eric S. Caruncho of the Inquirer.net writes about Arnel:

For someone with such a powerful voice onstage and on record, Arnel Pineda is remarkably soft-spoken on the phone. Maybe he’s just trying to save his throat for the next concert. Calling from a hotel somewhere in Pennsylvania, there is more than a trace of road fatigue in his voice. It’s been more than a month since he embarked on his first world tour with his new band, megaplatinum arena-rockers Journey, supported by their ’70s-’80s album-oriented rock cohorts Cheap Trick and Heart, and the road is clearly taking its toll on the 40-year-old Pineda.

Follow the article here.

A metaphor for Journey’s Journey: When they formed in 1973, they used tie-dyed de rigueur psychedelic amp covers, and last year they found their new singer Arnel Pineda on YouTube. Along that journey, many different Journeys have played SPAC: the pre-Steve Perry fusion instrumental powerhouse, the Perry-led hit machine and reunion band/brands with Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto Xeroxing Perry’s pop howl, more or less. Recruited from a Filipino Journey cover band, Pineda is the best Perry clone yet, a charming and grateful striver and a real feel-good story among rock reunions. Their new “Revelation” album debuted at No. 5 in Billboard.

Daily Gazette previews Journey’s concert in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Syracuse.com previews Journey’s concert Saturday night.

Power pop comes to the state fair grandstand with a vengeance Saturday with a triple bill featuring Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick.

Journey, with founding guitarist Neal Schon and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, is touring in support of its latest CD, “Revelation.”

Ann and Nancy Wilson have gone through many styles since Heart came out of the Northwest in the 1980s. But now they’ve returned to the hard rock sounds that made them famous.

Ricardo F. Lo of Philippine Star, ABS-CBN writes about Arnel Pineda’s journey

Even if he has been touring with Journey as new vocalist and has just finished recording Revelation, his first album with the group, Arnel Pineda feels that his own “journey” to international stardom has just begun.

“I still have a long way to go with them,” said Arnel in a 15-minute interview by telephone last Saturday (Aug. 16) morning with Funfare while he was about to sleep at a hotel in Pennsylvania, looking forward to the Journey’s concert the next day. “I’m just starting with them,” he added, his voice sounded somewhat weak as if he was ready to slip into slumberland.

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Lisa Sokolowski of Electric City previews Journey’s show in Scranton, PA.

The final scene of The Sopranos left many viewers outraged. For six seasons and 86 episodes, fans watched Tony Soprano, cared about Carmela, and fell in love with Meadow and A.J.

Instead of David Chase writing an ending, he left it up to the audience, sort of like a choose your own adventure novel, except with missing pages. Was everyone out to get Tony or was he paranoid? Did Meadow enter the restaurant? Did anyone get a chance to finish those onion rings?

As these questions lingered, so did something else: Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Jeff Maisey of the HamptionRoads.com writes about Arnel’s journey.

When Journey guitarist Neal Schon was scouting for a new singer last year he accidentally came across a video posted on YouTube. The clip featured Arnel Pineda of the Filipino band The Zoo. He was singing cover songs from some of his favorite rock bands like Queen and Journey. Impressed by Pineda’s voice, Schon had the vocalist flown to America for an audition.

“The quality of the performance was amazing,” said Journey bassist Ross Valory, who called from a tour stop in Florida. “I was surprised as anybody with what I heard.”

Paul Liberatore of HamptonRoads.com talks about Journey’s singers rags to riches stories, from Steve Perry, Steve Augeri and now Arnel Pineda. It also gives insights to Arnel’s discovery, audition and acceptance.

The classic-rock band Journey has a history of rags-to-riches lead singers.

Golden-voiced Steve Perry, the operatic tenor who sang the band’s anthemic ’80s hits, was plucked from a construction job in a Central Valley farm town.

Steve Augeri, who replaced Perry in the mid-’90s, was working in a Gap store when he got the call to join the band.

Now, leading the band in a performance today in Virginia Beach, we have the cyberspace Cinderella story of Arnel Pineda, Journey’s brand-new frontman.

Here’s the rest of the article.

Starmometer on Arnel’s apprearance on the Sharon Cuneta Show

World class pinoy talents Arnel Pineda of the US rock band Journey and Charlie Green of Britain’s Got Talent and even Madonna Decena, also from Britain’s Got Talent, were all featured on the Sharon Cuneta Show Sunday night. Download the “tubecast” of this episode for your ipod or any music player.

It’s always a great moment in rock when the band dedicates one of their biggest hits to the fans who have been there faithfully. The latest new vocalist is Arnel Pineda, and he sounds just fine on the new Revelation—which includes a bonus disc of Pineda singing the old hits, because Journey’s a franchise that knows what the people want.

Read the rest of Birmingham’s City Paper: The Setlist

Myx.tv has a really tiny blurb about Arnel. Hardly any news item, but I’ll post it anyways since I love the design/theme on their website. Check it out!

Journey has returned with a new singer, Arnel Pineda, and a spectacular new three disc album release. Revelation covers all the bases introducing Pineda to Journey’s legions of fans. There is one disc of new songs, a live disc from a Las Vegas concert and a disc of eleven of their classic songs re-recorded with Pineda as the vocalist. Arnel.

Tennessean.com previews Journey in Tennessee.

Sure, rock ‘n’ roll already had its fan-to-frontman Cinderella tale with former Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens (and the 2001 film adaptation Rock Star). But precedent doesn’t make the story of new Journey singer Arnel Pineda any less inspiring.

Here’s an interesting question. Well, everyone knows Yahoo Answers, where people post a question and everybody else chimes in giving their opinions. The question is, “Do Journey fans accept new vocalist Arnel Pineda?”

Well, check out the answers at Yahoo Answers!

Tommy DeCarlo is the new singer of Boston. In his recent interview, he was asked if he met Arnel Pineda already. He said

“I haven’t yet and I would love to. I really would because we have kind of a similar situation, and I would love to sit down and say, “Man, isn’t this crazy?”

Well, This is heated post and is well commented. Here it from Entertainment Weekly

You’ve probably heard of Filipino singer/songwriter/master manipulator of voice Arnel Pineda, discovered by the non-Steve Perry members of Journey via YouTube, and officially hired as the band’s lead singer back in December. This week, the remodeled Journey announced a tour with Heart and Cheap Trick, starting in July. While you’re rummaging around your most neglected junk drawer for your most beloved and long-lasting lighter, play the above video and try to tell Perry’s vocals from those of Pineda. Ha! This is hardly a challenge. Anyway, do you approve of Perry’s replacement, or think it’s a joke? There’s also always the write-in option: “Who cares about Journey?”

What cha think?

Ok, I’m a little late on this one, but here’s GQ article about Arnel.

When the legendary rock band Journey needed to replace their lead singer, they turned to the Internet, where they found clips of an unknown 40-year-old singer from the Philippines. Arnel Pineda was just a small-town boy, living in a lonely world, covering Journey songs in no-name bar bands, but he had the voice—and the hair—of a natural-born rock star. Now he’s living a dream that goes on, and on, and on, and on…

Great article! Read on….

Justin Jimenez of Asia Pacific Arts writes about Arnel.

Following a successful tour in Europe, Journey kicked off their first North American tour with their new Filipino frontman, Arnel Pineda, at a sold-out show in Denver, Colorado. Pineda joined the band in late 2007 after Journey guitarist Neal Schon discovered videos of the Filipino rocker belting out rock classics on YouTube. With the strong reputation Filipinos have for being great entertainers, it is no surprise that Pineda is well able to hold up to the legacy set by Journey’s original lead singer, Steve Perry. Many comparisons are made between Pineda and Perry, from the tenors’ powerful pipes to their energetic stage presence to their long, black tresses. Pineda is a particular hit among Filipino fans, who comprised a significant portion of the audience during their sold-out show at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas. Check out Pineda’s vocal chops during the rest of the 2008 Journey Tour, which runs from June 8 to October 5.– Justin Jimenez