BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Drummer
Deen Castronovo has rejoined legendary rockers
JOURNEY.
According to
JOURNEY guitarist
Neal Schon,
Castronovo will share the drum duties in the band with
Narada Michael Walden, who joined the group in 2020.
Schon first hinted at
Castronovo's return on Monday (July 26) when he tweeted a photo from the rehearsal sessions for
JOURNEY's upcoming concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, which will precede the band's appearance at
Lollapalooza. "Ok … Double trouble Chicago @NaradaMWalden @DeenTheDrummer
Narada Michael Walden and the return of
Deen Castronovo on Drums @AragonBallroom @lollapalooza,"
Schon wrote.
Two days later,
Schon answered a few questions about
Deen's
JOURNEY status below a
San Francisco Chronicle story that he
shared on Facebook. When fan asked, "So is
Deen Castronovo back in the band full time now?"
Schon responded, "Yes." After another fan who told
Schon to "bring back
Deen again,"
Schon wrote, "
Deen is back. We are double (2) drummers now with
Narada." He added: "They are BOTH PLAYING !!! JOURNEY AS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD US BEFORE !!!!"
Castronovo's 17-year tenure with
JOURNEY ended in 2015 when the group fired him after his arrest for a variety of charges involving his now-wife (including physical abuse, coercion, and unlawful use of a weapon).
In 2019,
Castronovo played several shows with
Schon under the
"Neal Schon's Journey Through Time" banner. Joining them were founding
JOURNEY and
SANTANA singer/keyboardist
Gregg Rolie, bassist
Marco Mendoza of
THE DEAD DAISIES and
THIN LIZZY, a musician named
Chris Collins (on guitar and keyboards) and super-producer
Marti Frederiksen (multi-instrumentalist, vocals).
Earlier this year,
Castronovo announced his exit from
THE DEAD DAISIES in order to prepare for his back surgery. He has since been replaced by
Tommy Clufetos, who has previously played with
BLACK SABBATH,
Ozzy Osbourne,
Rob Zombie,
Ted Nugent and
Alice Cooper, among others.
Last month,
JOURNEY shared a new single,
"The Way We Used To Be". The song is the multi-platinum band's first new music since 2011's album
"Eclipse", and the first song released by the band's revamped lineup featuring
Schon (lead guitar, backing vocals),
Jonathan Cain (keyboards, backing vocals),
Arnel Pineda (lead vocals),
Randy Jackson (bass),
Walden (drums) and
Jason Derlatka (keyboards, backing vocals).
"The Way We Used To Be" marks
Walden and
Derlatka's first studio recordings with the band, and
Jackson's first since 1986's
"Raised On Radio". The song was produced by
Narada Michael Walden at his
Tarpan Studios, with co-production by
Schon and
Cain.