As drummer and second vocalist with Journey, Deen Castronovo admits that he’s partially patterned his performances on both Steve Perry and Steve Smith. That only makes sense, in that the two Steves helped set the template for Journey’s 1980s-era platinum successes.
That said, Castronovo arrived as Smith departed, and helped smooth the post-Perry transition toward Arnel Pineda. Prior to that, he traveled in heavier circles — making an admission about Castronovo’s best-loved frontman all the more intriguing: It’s Steve Perry.
“He’s my favorite singer of all time,” Deen Castronovo tells Classic Rock, “and in my book he can do no wrong. It’s as simple as that.”
Steve Perry, after a long period away, has been making his way back into the spotlight — appearing on stage with the Eels, and becoming a fixture at San Francisco Giants games.
“I was glad to see him come back and do something because, bottom line, I miss the man,” Castronovo adds. “He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest songwriters and singers of my generation. He was always my favorite singer and I was in metal bands, dude. That’s why I’ve taken a lot from him, just like I’ve taken a lot from Steve Smith as a drummer. It was neat to see him come back, it really was.”
Castronovo has established an all-star side project with Jack Blades (Night Ranger) and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake/Dio), called Revolution Saints. Deen Castronovo’s Journey bandmates Pineda and Neal Schon also appear on the group’s eponymous debut, due February 23, 2015 via Frontiers Records. Castronovo appeared on Schon’s most recent solo project, as well.
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Perry Rulz
Perry: classy guy, stellar voice.