Saturday, June 23, 2007

Dean - A Real Man

Well, seems like Deano's at it again. He can't respond to me directly here in my Blog, because he knows I can and will respond with the truth. Something he's not the least bit familiar with. Instead, he decides he's going to slander my name over at the infamous Melodicrock Journey Forum, where I have no doubt that he knows that I have, through an open letter to Andrew, MR.com's creator, requested to have my IP banned and username delted from the database.

The reason? Because the place is a cesspool for gutter talk and those like Dean that spew nothing but hatred and personally attack and slander anyone that doesn't agree with him and do his bidding, on a daily basis. What makes it worse is that Andrew either outright ignores it and even sometimes is an active participant, chastising anyone that steps up and confronts Dean and his followers, labeling them as the instigator, instead of dealing with the truth.

What Dean is demonstrating is that he really doesn't have it in his gut to come and discuss the issues with me where I can view his statements and respond accordingly. A place such as this one. Here, he simply gives me one message, threatening to sue me if I don't remove a section of my Blog which he particuylarly takes issue with. The one that states he used a doctored recording of an illegally recorded bootleg from a Journey show, as a means to attack Steve Augeri's professional and personal integrity. He knows he can't debate me on the facts, so he hides in a place where he knows I cannot and will not respond. A real man, in my book.

Dean, my friend. If you want to discuss this like a man, please come here to do it. I'm up to the task, but apparently, by your actions, you're telling everyone, you can't discuss this with me if you don't have the perceived home field advantage and in a venue you know full well I've fully eliminated myself from. So sad.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Calling A Spade a Spade

Before I comment, this is Dean's response to my assessment of his ramblings.

[quote]What you are doing is simply speculating, regarding me and my writings. Unlike my writings, where I was 100% correct, you are 0% correct, and if your writings about me are not erased, expect to hear from my attorney.
I won't ask twice. [/quote]

My response is, go ahead. Call your attorney. He'll tell you the same thing I'm about to tell you. The same thing that basically allows you to spew anything you wish, no matter how false and slanderous sounding it might be.

Freedom of Speech.

The problem is that you like to be the only one talking. You like the spotlight squarely on yourself and anyone else with an opinion can just shut up.
Sorry. Not with this writer.

The bottom line is that if anyone associated with the band, especially the bandmembers themeselves, had anything to say...they wouldn't use you or anyone else to relay their messages.
Your friendships with bandmembers are delusion. If it were true and if this information were being fed to you from the inside, these individuals would have no problem with you mentioning their names. Since you can't produce names, that leads me to conclude that you are a fraud.
As long as you continue to spew your hatred and psychotic ramblings, I will continue to call you on it. Yes, I have the balls.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Crying Over Spilled Milk, or Psychotic Ramblings Of A Pseudo Cult Leader?

Yesterday, I briefly talked about the situation with Steve Augeri and Journey, in 2006 and how some at Melodicrock.com's Journey Message Board jumped all over the opportunity to bash and slash Steve, both professionally and personally.

The hatchet job against Steve Augeri was led and goaded on by an individual that goes by the screen name Rockindeano, also the author of the new Separate Ways Blog, located at http://separateways.blogspot.com/. Dean claims that he has an inside track to Journey's inner most circle and regularly spouts off about supposed facts he claims to have obtained from that as yet unnamed source, or sources.

Although Dean never reveals the source(s) of his so-called facts and that his facts are almost always proven incorrect, a great number of those that are members of Melodicrock.com's Journey Message Boards take his word as gospel. Not only that, they will defend Dean and his propaganda to the fullest extent, using the most vulgar and obscene language (just as is Dean's m/o) and attacking anyone that doesn't agree unmercifully.

There are few that dare speak against Dean, as anyone that dares is quickly swarmed upon by his cult-like followers. The saddest thing about it is that the site's owner Andrew McNeice, mostly allows and many times defends, all of the above behavior. If you speak against Dean, or if you dare post to the Board when you know you are one of those on Dean's vast list of those to attack on site, you are labeled an instigator and a Troll by Dean, his followers and Melodicrock.com's creator, Andrew McNeice.

Dean has always been a source of the most ignorant and arrogant speak anywhere in any Journey related Forum, shouting and crying his propaganda louder and louder, the more he is proven wrong and especially when he is questioned on his motives, sources and tactics. Even after his attack on Steve Augeri last year, that included doctoring illegally obtained bootlegs of Journey shows, attacking Steve's professional ethics and even his personal life, wife and son included, Dean and his supporters insisted that he was a fan of Steve's. Isn't that ironic?

After all of that and the never ending "I was right and you were wrong, now exult me as your God" rants after JSS was named full time lead vocalist of Journey in December of 2006, now he finds himself blindsided by the fact that his prized horse in the race, JSS, was all of the sudden being let go and a new vocalist would be named later in 2007.

Since he can never be proven wrong and the fact that he has portrayed that the change in Journey vocalists, from Steve Augeri to JSS last year was a result of his putting the "truth", as he calls it, out there for everyone to see and hear, he has exploded on another slanderous and very personal rampage against the rest of the band. Mostly Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon, but Ross Valory isn't exempt from Dean's psychotic, self-serving ramblings either.

Don't take my word for it. Go to Melodicrock.com and check out the Journey Message Board. Read the buzz and who is saying what and about whom. You will find that Dean is at the head of the propaganda and inciting, while a handful of others are his enforcers, striking down any and all that dare speak up against him, which is now almost entirely nonexistent, so they simply bounce around parroting Dean's so-called facts to anyone that is forced to listen and standing back watching it all...with the occassional response that let's you know where he really stands (which is not behind the band he claims to love), is Melodicrock's creator and manager, Andrew McNeice.

I could go on and on about this situation, boring everyone to tears, but I think I'll let this one end by simply saying...check it out for yourself. Draw your own conclusions. I believe fair-minded and clear-headed individuals will see that there is something really wrong with this picture and that it has nothing to do with a band that is simply trying to conduct business the best way they know how and to support their families, just like every other responsible individual.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

My Feelings On Journey's Newest Lineup Change

Yesterday, I got online all ready to go through my normal online routine...read the email, go to Journey's Back Talk Forums to get the results of the previous day's H2H and post the new one, then on to my MySpace account, then back to my regular offline duties...but was immediately stunned by the topic of conversation on both Jeff Scott Soto's and my Journey fan Yahoo Group.
When opening the email from each group, they were discussing the dismissal of JSS as Journey's newest lead singer. I was absolutely stunned. After all, hadn't we all just endured all of the drama surrounding Steve Augeri's untimely release from the group and been feeling the momentum and excitement that was building with Jeff's introduction as Journey's new lead singer?

Then, I go to Back Talk to hopefully catch up on what I was missing and to update the H2Hs, I see that it's been offline since Tuesday June 12 at 10:30AM PT, only an hour or so after I had been there that morning. How the heck did I miss all of that. Must have literally been moments.
Anyway, still reeling from the news and wondering how this all happened so fast, I went to Melodicrock.com. The best site for news on everyone's favorite Melodicrock bands of yesterday and today. Andrew would most certainly know what was going on. Beloe is the article I found there.

JOURNEY ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF JEFF SCOTT SOTO:Press Release / June 12, 2007 -- Journey has parted ways with their recently named lead singer Jeff Scott Soto. Jeff s first appearance with Journey was July 7, 2006 in Bristow, VA. He had been filling in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the tour shortly after it began on June 23 due to illness. Jeff s last performance was May 12, 2007 in Leesburg, VA.

According to guitarist Neal Schon, "We appreciate all of Jeff s hard work and we can t thank him enough for stepping in when Steve Augeri got sick last year. He did a tremendous job for us and we wish him the best. We've just decided to go our separate ways, no pun intended. We re plotting our next move now."

Keyboardist Jonathan Cain continues, We were lucky to have a friend who was already a Journey fan step in on a moment s notice during the Def Leppard tour to help us out. Jeff was always the consummate professional and we hope that he remains a friend of the band in the future. We just felt it was time to go in a different direction.

Journey--Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Deen Castronovo (drums) is taking the rest of 2007 off to spend time with their families, write new songs and map out plans for 2008. WebLink: www.journeymusic.comComment from me? Where does one start? Right now I am too disappointed to comment, but I guess Neal and Jon have a different vision for Journey than that of Jeff Scott Soto.And no...Steve Perry is not returning to the band.

It was obvious from Andrew's comments, he was as stunned as I was, so my next step was to go see what the buzz was from the fans at Melodicrock.com's Journey Message Board.
From past experience, I knew that the response from this particular group of fans was going to be raw and brutal, as this is the m/o of these Forums, so I wasn't surprised to see all of the hateful commentary and personal attacks being aimed at Neal and Jonathan, in particular. There are even calls for a boycott against Journey's MySpace, with Melodicrock.com's owner chiming in with his support.

It was a similar experience during last year's tour, when a certain member of this group decided he's had enough of Steve Augeri ruining his favorite band, so he decided to engage in a hatchet and smear campaign against Steve. Not only did he smear Steve professionally, but personally as well. It became not enough to simply make what I feel were blatant slanderous charges against the man, but it turned into an all out personal attack against Steve as a human being, as well as shots against Steve's family, as well.

So basically, it's a case of sour grapes, where this group of individuals spent an entire Summer and Fall smearing Steve and the band to everyone that would listen and attacking anyone that didn't follow the rule of thought they'd created, then generally feeling full of themselves and rubbing it in everyone's faces when their predictions of Steve's being permanently replaced with JSS turned out to be what actually happened...and now, all of their puffed chests and feelings of self importance have come down to more sour grapes with their man being let go.

Although I am surprised at the decision to replace JSS, just as I was last year with Steve Augeri, I do realize that Journey is a business first and foremost. It is how 5 musicians, their management and crew make their livings and support their families. It is up to them how they feel is the best way for them to continue, not a fan's.

I continue to support this band and to love it's music. For me, the basic philosophy of this band has always been to create and perform music that touches the hearts and souls of it's listeners. I don't believe they have lost that philosophy and I'm positive that's what they're striving for in their future.

Journey's Newest Stunner

After the debacle of 2006, when Steve Augeri fell ill and was supposedly 'temporarilly' replaced by one Jeff Scott Soto, followed up by December 2006's announcement that JSS would be stepping in on a permanent basis, then after announcing a brief 2007 European Tour, which was to be followed by Jeff's appearing with Talisman for it's final Tour and debuting of Journey's newest single in a special unveiling in Virginia this past month, which everyone knows was to lead to some much earned time off for all involved, some writing for a highly anticipated new CD tentatively scheduled to be released in 2008 and now..

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

JOURNEY ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF JEFF SCOTT SOTO:
Press Release / June 12, 2007 -- Journey has parted ways with their recently named lead singer Jeff Scott Soto. Jeff s first appearance with Journey was July 7, 2006 in Bristow, VA. He had been filling in for Steve Augeri, who had to leave the tour shortly after it began on June 23 due to illness. Jeff s last performance was May 12, 2007 in Leesburg, VA.

According to guitarist Neal Schon, "We appreciate all of Jeff s hard work and we can t thank him enough for stepping in when Steve Augeri got sick last year. He did a tremendous job for us and we wish him the best. We've just decided to go our separate ways, no pun intended. We re plotting our next move now."

Keyboardist Jonathan Cain continues, We were lucky to have a friend who was already a Journey fan step in on a moment s notice during the Def Leppard tour to help us out. Jeff was always the consummate professional and we hope that he remains a friend of the band in the future. We just felt it was time to go in a different direction.

Journey--Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Deen Castronovo (drums) is taking the rest of 2007 off to spend time with their families, write new songs and map out plans for 2008.

WebLink: www.journeymusic.com

Now I'm scrambling to find information on just what the he double hockey sticks has happened to derail all of the above, leading to JSS' departure and who knows what is going to happen now.
All I can say is that I am truly stunned. Especially since there is no mention of this on Journeymusic.com and Back Talk is down for the count..at least for now. Got to find out some more information...after I collect my jaw off of the floor...before I comment any further.