Boston takes a stab at it.
Journey is back. Altsounds announced quite some time ago that Neal Schon had discovered Filipino singer Arnel Pineda via a youtube video. Pineda fronted a cover band called The Zoo, who had gained some noteriety in the Phillipines. Videos of the band performing some of Journey's greatest hits made their way to Neal Schon and they quickly sought out the Steve Perry sound-alike. In February of this year, they made it official with a performance at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile.
They have also released a new album titled Revelation with Pineda on vocals and are currently touring the US. The band has been all over television lately, with appearances on day time talk shows like Ellen. They are also getting additional coverage through VH1's Best Week Ever and E! Channel's The Soup both giving the band good reviews. Journey's Greatest Hits, much like the wheel in the sky, keeps on turnin' and was just certified as 15X Platinum.
And now it's Boston's turn. Taking a tip from Journey, 70s rock icons Boston, recently found their new frontman on MySpace. The 43 year old Home Depot credit Manager from North Carolina, Tommy DeCarlo, is living his rock and roll dream. A long time fan of the band, DeCarlo recorded karaoke versions of Boston tracks and uploaded it to his MySpace profile. Friends encouraged him to send it to the band.
Boston frontman, Brad Delp committed suicide last year, leaving the position open. Tom Scholz said in an interview with USA Today that his wife was convinced it was Delp on the recording and he contacted DeCarlo immediately. He was officially hired on as their new pipes and they are kicking off their summer tour in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
DeCarlo doesn't look the part. While the story is inspiring and it's very 'Rockstar,' I'm still not convinved DeCarlo has the goods. Journey got lucky. Very lucky. If Steve Perry were dead, I would be convinced Arnel Pineda was Perry re-incarnate. The guy is also an established musician and had received some level of noteriety before Journey came along. There is a clear future for Journey and they are making the most of it. Can DeCarlo do the same for Boston? That remains to be seen, but I wouldn't put money on it. DeCarlo has some proving to do.
They have also released a new album titled Revelation with Pineda on vocals and are currently touring the US. The band has been all over television lately, with appearances on day time talk shows like Ellen. They are also getting additional coverage through VH1's Best Week Ever and E! Channel's The Soup both giving the band good reviews. Journey's Greatest Hits, much like the wheel in the sky, keeps on turnin' and was just certified as 15X Platinum.
And now it's Boston's turn. Taking a tip from Journey, 70s rock icons Boston, recently found their new frontman on MySpace. The 43 year old Home Depot credit Manager from North Carolina, Tommy DeCarlo, is living his rock and roll dream. A long time fan of the band, DeCarlo recorded karaoke versions of Boston tracks and uploaded it to his MySpace profile. Friends encouraged him to send it to the band.
Boston frontman, Brad Delp committed suicide last year, leaving the position open. Tom Scholz said in an interview with USA Today that his wife was convinced it was Delp on the recording and he contacted DeCarlo immediately. He was officially hired on as their new pipes and they are kicking off their summer tour in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
DeCarlo doesn't look the part. While the story is inspiring and it's very 'Rockstar,' I'm still not convinved DeCarlo has the goods. Journey got lucky. Very lucky. If Steve Perry were dead, I would be convinced Arnel Pineda was Perry re-incarnate. The guy is also an established musician and had received some level of noteriety before Journey came along. There is a clear future for Journey and they are making the most of it. Can DeCarlo do the same for Boston? That remains to be seen, but I wouldn't put money on it. DeCarlo has some proving to do.
