Journey founder and guitarist Neal Schön talks Freedom, New Album and Tour, Guitars and Much More

The Mitch Lafon and Jeremy White Show welcome Neal Schon from Journey!
We talk to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Inductee about the iconic groups new album "Freedom" out July 8th, the recording process, how Journey continues to play Stadiums and Arenas and the changes in management that were necceary to keep doing it, his collection of guitars and guitar tone, he gives love to players like Eddie Van Halen and Keith Scott. We also talk about how important the live sound engineer is to a band and the changes they've made, Arnel's vocal issues that were resolved with such a simple fix and a whole lot more!
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[@coreyjohannsen8353]

One of the Guitar G.O.A.T.S. without a doubt. LOVE the new album. Arnel = F’ing AMAZING! Every member of this current lineup = AMAZING!

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

Loved this interview and appreciate Mitch and Jeremy keeping things light. Haven’t been this excited about a Journey album since the Perry days. On top of everything else, Deen Castronovo is back on drums and I love his vocals!🎧

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks man, appreciate it! 🤘🏻

[@thor573]

Love Neal, Love Journey, Love the new album it is great! I hope they come back to Philadelphia in 2023! Neal is the G.O.A.T. and Arnel....well....he is outstanding!

[@GaryStuckey]

The G.O.A.T. ! Great interview guys!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Cheers Gary!!

[@thisguy4660]

Neal, man get Steve and Arnel together on stage, that would be great..THAT'S what this Journey fan want to see!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👌🏾👍🏾💯💯

[@azwris]

Oh gosh! You had Neal interviewed! I can't wait for the new album baby!!!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks man, new album is phenomenal!!

[@azwris]

@@JeremyWhiteShow Yeah! Τt was a sonic experience for sure! I did listen to it and it's definitely an album that contains all of the history of Journey. I hope they visit Greece at a point because they have never been here.

[@campnoutdoors1621]

Neil Schon always helped in choosing band members although he did not agree with or want Steve Perry! How completely backwards and wrong Neil was. Steve Perry was and always will be the best tenor voice ever in the history of Rock! There are many amazing guitarists but there is only one Steve Perry on this planet! It was so unfortunate for Journey when they lost Steve Perry and thats not said from a begrudging heart it is said from the hearts of 80 million original journey fans

[@laurielacomb4969]

Niel actually went to R and B. I thought you didn't like that flavor of writing. You know that is what your old music written with Steve was.

[@mykinfolkz]

Would love to hear Dann Huff and Neil in the studio together. Great interview guys!

[@guilmoquizon611]

1 of my favorite guitar player of all time 🎸

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks for watching, hope ya subscribe! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@cb24203]

32:58 was kinda surprised to hear Neal talk about Marco's bass playing but he's definitely right. Ross composed some unique bass parts that are part of the songs being great.

[@josephsliger3308]

Neal and Mark Mcgee are my favorite guitarists.

[@rickyguitarman3839]

Journey should be honored @ the kennedy honors!!!!!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

No seriously, I totally agree!!

[@WineSippingCowboy]

Neal Schon can tell stories about the late Eddie van Halen: Van Halen toured with Journey. RIP. As for fans of Canadian musicians, Neal Schon can tell stories about Triumph, Rush, Loverboy and Bryan Adams.

[@carlopepi]

Neal hit it on the head with Keith scott a guitarist that plays for the song not his ego Home again is his best song

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Yuuuppp!

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

seriously can someone do an intervention on Schon's face....good lord. He is an all time legendary guitar player, wrote a lot of timeless classics......but come on man

[@erlindafields8897]

Did Neil went under the knife???

[@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle]

@@erlindafields8897 look at his face its disgrace...I've noticed this for years

[@krisorendorff]

🧑‍🎄👍

[@antonc2k3]

Why it’s not featured in iTunes?

[@eddiemuniz761]

Did Neal play on any Santana songs with Greg Rolie prior to playing with JOURNEY??????

[@chriswoosley3883]

2 albums with Neal in Santana

[@guitarhero9592]

He and Carlos both played lead together on several songs. There’s several great videos on YT.

[@jaycareaga9929]

So America is getting the shaft again next year. Short 55 minute Toto sets. I got used to 2 hour and 20 minutes between 2016 and 2019.

[@fib455]

Toto opening up for someone again next year ?

[@fib455]

Ok just saw Neal’s comment about next year 👍🏻

[@emiliocruz9778]

Arnel is the best lead vocal of journey

[@lilpoohbear653]

lol...he is great but not close to Perry...come on now

[@danteabadilla3458]

I agree he is a singer but he cant sing like steve perry steve perry is the voice until now

[@noworries12]

Neal Schön???

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Yup! Proper spelling! Haha

[@davidrobinson4012]

@@JeremyWhiteShow I wondered what happened to Marco. Too bad it didn't work out as he played with Neal before. Hope there's no bad blood between them now.

[@ivc5150]

Great guitarist, but not a good album, production is awful. Particularly on songs like Holdin on , Arnel is struggling on the album, let alone live.

[@GMHG777]

Agree the mix is awful at times. The main issue not enough jamming heavier tunes, tons of sappy ballads and heavily over produced at times with the processing.

[@ivc5150]

@@GMHG777 i have to be honest, it has grown on me, its far too long but its ok.

[@MarshallAmpMan]

Mitch, stop now-towing to Neal, its uncomfortable to hear.

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Ahhhhh stop it, he’s being honest and not putting it on… we love Neal and the music!

[@mccartney2]

mmm..Im not hopeful this is gonna be a true "Journey" sounding album...... not if Schon is comin up with melodies..Jeez.... guy is a total narcissist.........he believes he is a God...... maybe on a guitar...... but hey.... I dont want Schon interfering too much with vocal lines thank you..oops too late..Im not totally blown away by the first 3 released tracks

[@corazonyee7717]

Me too very forgettable tunes . And Arnel sounds the same from start to finish boring singer

[@GMHG777]

I love Neal’s playing he’s an absolute monster and I think he’s probably be fairly cool to meet if you ran into him out in the public, however I agree he does seem a bit narcissistic and as far as him writing vocals lines not sure how involved he is/was with that seems that’s more a Jonathan thing, but man the mix on this album is really ass if you ask me !!!

[@PeteBreen]

The legend. You guys really get him to open up - great interview.

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

He was super honest and open, he likes us 🤘🏻😂

[@crazyangus862]

He's on the money when he's talking about the audience being overpowered by noise during a show. Had the pleasure of seeing Journey in 2014. While the show was fantastic, i found the sound was too overpowering. All fantastic musicians, but the sound was not what i expected. It was very difficult to hear what each member was doing individually because it seemed everything was the same loud volume. Don't get me wrong it was fantastic to see Journey, but I enjoyed Steve Miller's performance (he was the opener) more so because i could hear the musicianship much more clearly. Saying all that, it was an semi-outdoor amphitheater and i was seated fairly close to the front.

[@neilchauvin4551]

Loved the honesty here from Neal. Another great interview. Congrats!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks Neil!!

[@abbz2537]

I love Arnel and Journey!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Ya too!!

[@syfman6]

One of my top five players. 💚🎸

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

He’s an icon!

[@robg8784]

Just A incredibly Brilliant Guitarist /Musician Great Interview Thank you!

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Thanks for watching!

[@romelovesdan]

LOVED Schon's "Journey Through Time" short theater tour with Gregg Rolie, Deen Castronovo, and Marco Mendoza. It was spectacular! Best show I saw in 2019. Schon still has his chops! I wish Schon luck with this new album. We have support new music by our bands.

[@American_King]

So far I heard Schon admit that Herbie worked them like mules on the road which burned Perry's voice out a singer can't tour like that and have a voice man that is ridiculous that is why Perry lost 80% of his voice today- and Neal continues to throw Perry under the bus stating that Anyway You Want It was nothing but three chords Perry made it work with his melodies and high notes in the middle Pineda can't do that he is on a amateur level, then Schon talks about Journey having no fast songs except a few what a joke man, what about Stone In Love, Edge Of The BLade, Line Of Fire, Where Were You, Schon is such a liar and continues to put Perry down JOurney is not a metal band and Schon needs to wake up to that fact Journey was always a melodic ballad rock band with Jazz and R&B influences JOurney was never AC/DC WTF not even Van Halen

[@corazonyee7717]

Schon has very short memory regarding journey songs

[@Diostillrocks]

Early Journey had some Hendrix influence.

[@jaycareaga9929]

Steve had throat cancer. That’s why he lost most of his voice.

[@Diostillrocks]

@@jaycareaga9929 Steve Perry never had throat cancer. He had some skin cancer removed.

[@GMHG777]

@@jaycareaga9929 comeplete bullshit he never had throat cancer

[@MelodyMaker218]

I started playing because of Neal, he is so amazing on the guitar. I think he should just go back to the original Journey progressive stuff like the first 3 albums

[@JeremyWhiteShow]

Neal is a monster player, how could you not be influenced by him? Haha

[@fishinmagician89]

Makes sense about the new Live mixer guy (40:00). I have seen journey like 7 times throughout the last 15 years and they always had the worst mix. This last year I saw them and was blown away, they sounded so clear, even better than Toto

[@bataching4392]

Love you Journey band 🥰🙏🤘

[@romelovesdan]

@ 33:00 Weird that Marco Mendoza sort of blew it....He played with Deen in Dead Daisies, and in Schon's Journey Through Time. The music meshed and came off great!...He must have forgot the old lesson...play what the songs demands

[@American_King]

Ross Valory and Steve Smith were treated horribly man this is why Journey has failed to have hits Smith and Ross were the backbone of the band where the hell is the loyalty to the guys that built the mothership from the ground up, you can't just toss the members who helped make the band work I have no respect for what Journey is doing now

[@RogerMelodicMusic]

Treated badly? Seriously? Listen where were you when both Smith and Valory tried to take over the rights of the name to suit themselves and it didn’t work, all they wanted to do was make sure they kept their pockets full and didn’t have to play anymore, very underhand and deceitful to do that and they were fired for their shocking behavior and deservedly so.

[@stealingtomorrowband]

Research the facts

[@RogerMelodicMusic]

@@stealingtomorrowband I have and it’s common knowledge why Smith and Valory were fired, do you actually condone that behavior? and for some reason beyond me you think all this is ok? I can tell you now this is NOT and for that reason they were out of the band.

[@ivc5150]

@@RogerMelodicMusic both of them were not very loyal to Journey. Smith is a great drummer but Valory is nothing special as a bassist.

[@jaycareaga9929]

They had hits because Steve Perry, Jonathan and Neal WROTE THE HITS! Ross and Smith didn’t write a thing.

[@eprohoda]

bet done~see ya!-🤠

[@MelodyMaker218]

You should do something with Sammy again that would be killer!

[@jerryfraker377]

I loved when he had the Big Afro!

[@lhvent]

Fabulous new album

[@harrynut3044]

[@Patton507]

Perry-Schon defines Journey. John Cain is the icing that flavors it. As great a vocalist as Arnel is, I think I’d rather hear him away from Journey because no matter, to me, he’ll be the cover guy. Unlike Steve Augeri who had a completely different and original sound on new songs. I’m a guitarist, and NS is the gold standard to me. But when Perry left, their best vocalist was Augeri.

[@erlindafields8897]

Arnel is the odd man out and he knows … ..

[@American_King]

The Freedom record does not work with Pineda and Schon continues to make bad decisions -The Freedom record sounds synthetic and thin nothing like the analog records Journey had in the 80s which was epic now they sound too compressed and dead in the studio like a demo Neal Schon is not Producer lol good lawd- In addition Schon refers to Pineda as a chameleon however Filipinos have always been great at copying singers not so good at original songs

[@SimangsChannel]

😳

[@bataching4392]

Your Jealous 😂🤣😂😂

[@bataching4392]

Then your original singers now sounds crucks😂🤣😂😂🤣🤣

[@junlingad1565]

For your information, we have good singers here in the Philippines who sing original songs. Stop downgrading Filipinos and putting down Arnel for being the lead singer of Journey. You never stop making those nasty comments on him.