Tom_Johnson's Blog

O.K. fellow rockers check out the article below and then answer this question for me:  Do you really care at this point if Axl Rose brings his latest version (whatever it is) of Guns 'N Roses back?  Personally... I'm sick of the drama at this point. I say... just go away Axl!  GNR was great back in the day.  Let's keep the good memories and not make any new... bad ones with another weak comeback attempt that will undoubtedly flounder when you go off the tracks... again.

====================================================
==================

NEW YORK (AP) - Guns N' Roses are finally releasing a single and you've got to get Rock Band 2 to hear it. MTV has announced that Rock Band 2 will include the Guns N' Roses song "Shackler's Revenge" from the "Chinese Democracy" album. Axl Rose has been working on that album for 14 years. Rock Band 2 will come out for XBox in September and for other game platforms later in the year.

I am fascinated by the re-emergence on Journey on the music scene.  They are one of my all-time favs but I listened to them SO much when I was younger that I kind of burned out on their music and had lost touch with them for a long time.  Once Steve Perry left... I just did not want to anyway.  They've had a series of Perry "sound alikes" and they have great voices for sure.  But I tried to listen to some stuff they put out a couple of years ago and it just did not measure up.  Last year... Neal Schon discovered a guy on YouTube singing old Journey stuff.  His name is Arnel Pineda and he's so good... the band hired him.  They're touring with him and just put out an album of new stuff with him.  They also re-recorded some of the classic stuff with Arnel singing.  It's good... but not the same and I can do without it.  But the new stuff... is REALLY good.  Some of it is so good that it sounds as if it could've been written and recorded at the height of Journey's success with Steve Perry.  So... I have to say... I have rediscovered my love of Journey and I sure hope they come to Orlando sometime soon.  I'll see ya there if they do!

New Song "Never Walk Away":

Samples of the re-recorded stuff:

Have you heard about Tommy DeCarlo?  He was a manager at a Charlotte area Home Depot and also a hug fan of the classic rock band "Boston."  He loved to sing "Boston" songs to karaoke tracks.  He harbored a lifelong dream of being a rock star with "Boston." He was SO good that his teenaged daughter recorded him and created a myspace.com page with him singing (click here to hear it).

"Boston's" very distinct singer, Brad Delp, unfortunately killed himself not too long ago.  The band was struggling to replace him.  Guitarist Tom Scholz somehow stumbled across Tommy DeCarlo's myspace page.  He says he honestly thought the music he was hearing was an authentic "Boston" recording and the voice was Brad Delp's.  He was told that it was a karaoke singer and did not believe it.  When the band found out it REALLY was Tommy DeCarlo, karaoke singer... they went out and hired him.  DeCarlo had never sung with a band in his life before getting onstage with "Boston" for a Brad Delp tribute concert.  Wow... what a story huh?  Never ever let go of your dreams!

 Tommy DeCarlo and "Boston" at the Brad Delp Tribute show

This is a day I've waited 25-years for!  The Police are reunited and I'm going to see them tonight with my beautiful wife.  Could it get much better?  Oh wait... it could.  The legendary Elvis Costello is opening the show!  Man... that is VERY cool.  I always said... there were two shows I would pay whatever I had to to see if they ever reunited: The original Van Halen and The Police.  I never thought both of them would happen within a few months of each other.  Anyway... I hope you're going too... I'll see ya there.  Here's a clip to whet your whistle for tonight's show at Amway Arena: