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Deen Castronovo

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Deen Castronovo
Castronovo in 2018
Castronovo in 2018
Background information
Birth nameDeen Joseph Castronovo
Born (1964-08-17) August 17, 1964 (age 60)
Westminster, California, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
  • Drums
  • vocals
Years active1982–present
Member of
Formerly of

Deen Joseph Castronovo[13] (born August 17, 1964) is an American drummer and singer best known for being a member of classic rock band Journey and hard rock acts Bad English and Hardline. He currently plays drums and shares lead vocals for the bands Journey, Generation Radio, and Revolution Saints. He has been a touring and studio player for Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's GZR.

Early life

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Deen Castronovo was born in the city of Westminster, California and started drumming at the age of 6. He grew up in Salem, Oregon,[14][15] where he attended South Salem High School.[16] Castronovo said time in band during high school gave him identity and confidence.[17] Deen cites Steve Smith, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, Peter Criss, John Bonham, Alex Van Halen, Kiss, Rush, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Phil Collins and AC/DC as musical influences.[18]

Career

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Castronovo is the former drummer for bands Wild Dogs, Bad English, Hardline, Ozzy Osbourne, and GZR. He currently plays drums and shares lead vocals for the bands Revolution Saints and Journey.

Wild Dogs (1982–1987)

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Wild Dogs is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon formed loosely in 1981 by Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. Drummer Pete Holmes was lured away by Black 'n Blue and was replaced by Jaime St. James. The band had an appearance on a compilation series, but before a full album could be recorded with Shrapnel Records, St. James left the band to also join Black 'n Blue. It was at this point Deen was first discovered by McCourt, who recruited the local, and then only 16-year-old [19] drummer Castronovo to join the band.

Castronovo played on the self-titled debut album Wild Dogs (1983), the followup Man's Best Friend (1984) and Reign Of Terror (1987). The band was known for its live show that featured McCourt's props and Castronovo's showmanship.

Bad English (1987–1991)

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While working with Wild Dogs, Castronovo met and began working with Tony MacAlpine, which led to an introduction to future long-time collaboration partner, Neal Schon. Shortly after, Neal would invite Castronovo to audition for a new band with Jonathan Cain, John Waite and Ricky Phillips, which became Bad English. After two albums, which included being nominated for Best New Group in 1989 at the International Rock Awards, Bad English disbanded in 1991. In 1995 a Greatest Hits was released.

Hardline (1991–1992)

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Again working with Neal Schon, Castronovo played drums and sang backing vocals on Hardline's debut album Double Eclipse. The album's first single "Takin' Me Down" peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album's second single, a cover of the Danny Spanos song "Hot Cherie," rose to No. 25 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Ozzy Osbourne (1995)

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Castronovo appeared on the 1995 release Ozzmosis, the seventh solo studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. The album reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200. Castronovo also toured with Ozzy on a portion of the 1995 leg of the Retirement Sucks Tour.

Journey (1998–2015, 2021–present)

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Photograph of the five members of Journey standing arms over shoulders
Castronovo (far right) with Journey, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2008

Castronovo continued to be in various bands along with Schon, from Hardline to Paul Rodgers. After a 3-year stint with Vasco Rossi, he joined Journey, where he would spend the next 18 years and 5 albums as the drummer, backing and occasional lead vocalist.

While not the original drummer for Journey, Castronovo is the longest-serving drummer to date, having played on the albums Arrival (2001), Red 13 (2002), Generations (2005), Revelation (2008), Eclipse (2011) and Freedom (2022).

As a vocalist, he sang "Still They Ride", "Mother, Father" and "Keep On Runnin'" (and on rare occasions, "Faithfully" and "Where Were You") in concert in order to let the main lead vocalists take a break. In the studio, he performed lead vocals on "A Better Life" and "Never Too Late" on Generations, as well as "After Glow" on Freedom.

Castronovo was fired by Journey in August 2015 following a June 2015 domestic violence arrest.[20][21][22] He was replaced by Omar Hakim on the band's 2015 tour,[23] with longtime drummer Steve Smith subsequently rejoining the band.

In July 2021, Schon confirmed Castronovo's return to Journey as a second drummer alongside Narada Michael Walden.[24] Following Walden's departure from the group in 2022, he became the sole drummer once again, though they both still appear on Freedom.[25]

Soul SirkUS (2004–2005)

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After the Planet Us project did not produce an album, Neal Schon was determined to see the material he had written come to life. At the 2004 annual NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Schon met up with Jeff Scott Soto and tested the waters with a jam session. While in Los Angeles, Schon also attended a showcase featuring Marco Mendoza. Inviting Soto, Mendoza and Castronovo to join him, the new band, Soul SirkUS, began rehearsing and eventually recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play. Although all the foundation tracks on the album were originally written for Planet Us, only one completed song from that band was used for Soul SirkUS debut.

In early 2005, with a completed album titled World Play (the "black sleeve" version) the band was ready to tour, but Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion. Soon after, Castronovo bowed out of Soul SirkUS based on his doctor's recommendation and was replaced by Australian drummer Virgil Donati.

Ultimate there were 3 editions of the album. The Black Sleeve version was the original with Castronovo drumming, the Green Sleeve version was an American edition remastered, the Yellow Sleeve had two versions: a European edition of remaster that included a bonus DVD, and a Japanese edition of the remaster included a bonus track. The Black Sleeve version is the only one with Castronovo.

Revolution Saints (2014–present)

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While still with Journey, Castronovo, Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades), and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, The Dead Daisies) formed Revolution Saints. The band, where Deen served as lead vocalist and handled drumming duties, released its self-titled debut album on February 24, 2015. A follow-up album, Light in the Dark, was released on October 13, 2017.[18] The album was ranked #8 on Dr. Music's 2017 "Album of the Year" list.[26] This was followed by Restless Spirits in 2019.

In 2022, Blades and Aldrich left the band and were replaced with Jeff Pilson and Joel Hoekstra.[27] This lineup released Eagle Flight in 2023, and Against the Winds in 2024.

Gioeli-Castronovo (2017–present)

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Johnny Gioeli and Castronovo first played together on the debut Hardline album, Double Eclipse, which was released in 1992. 25 years later, the two were reunited in Italy to commence work on the debut Gioeli-Castronovo album, Set The World On Fire, available July 13, 2018. Both men have continued on their musical paths since they last saw one another, with Gioeli continuing to lead Hardline as well as being the lead singer of Crush 40 and Axel Rudi Pell's band, while Castronovo spent time with various bands.

Generation Radio (2020–2021)

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In 2020, Castronovo joined the supergroup, Generation Radio. He played drums and shared lead vocals with Jay DeMarcus (Keyboards), Jason Scheff (Bass), Chris Rodriguez (Guitar), and Tom Yankton (Guitar). The band performed their first live concert on October 28, 2020, in Nashville, TN. All proceeds from the concert benefited the ACM Lifting Lives COVID Relief Fund. The group released its debut album on August 12, 2022.[28] He left Generation Radio to rejoin Journey and was replaced on drums by Steve Ferrone

Other projects

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Castronovo's first big gig came at the age of 16 with a band called The Enemy, who opened up for bands like Blue Öyster Cult and Foghat. He has played in Cacophony, Dr. Mastermind, Planet Us (a short-lived supergroup with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Neal Schon), Social Distortion, and GZR (formed by Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler), as well as in backing bands for Vasco Rossi, Paul Rodgers, and Matthew Ward.

He also played on the song "Smoke of the Revolution" on the Neal Schon solo album Late Nite (1989).

After working with Paul Rodgers, he began doing session work with Steve Vai, with whom he made two albums. Steve later called for him to audition for Ozzy Osbourne, which resulted in him recording Ozzmosis and doing a South American Tour with Ozzy. After Ozzy, he began doing session work for producer Michael Beinhorn, recording with Social Distortion, Geezer Butler's solo project and Hole.

He has released an instructional video entitled "High Performance Drumming" in 1991, and has been involved with the Boys & Girls Club of Salem.

In 2019, he toured with guitarist Neal Schon on the "Journey Through Time" tour, which features former members of Journey performing songs from the band's entire discography (including some no longer performed by the official Journey). He acted as the drummer and shares lead vocal duties with keyboardist Gregg Rolie.

Personal life

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Castronovo was arrested on June 14, 2015, and charged with fourth-degree assault and menacing after police say he physically injured a woman. As a result, he was dropped immediately from upcoming Journey performances[29] and ultimately replaced by Omar Hakim on the band's 2015 tour.[30] On June 29, 2015, Castronovo was indicted by a Marion County grand jury on felony charges of rape, assault, sexual abuse, unlawful use of a dangerous weapon, and contempt of court (violation of terms of bail after the June 14 arrest).[31] With nine of the original charges dismissed, Castronovo pleaded guilty to six charges and received a suspended sentence and four years of probation.[32] Castronovo has since recovered from addiction and states he is sober. He is a Christian, saying he puts God first, family second, and job third, whereas before it was the other way around.[33]

Discography

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Year Band Title Notes
1983 Wild Dogs Wild Dogs Drums
1984 Man's Best Friend Drums
1986 Dr. Mastermind Dr. Mastermind Drums
1987 Wild Dogs Reign of Terror Drums
Tony MacAlpine Maximum Security Drums on "Autumn Lords", "Hundreds of Thousands", "Tears of Sahara", "The Time and the Test" and "The King's Cup"
1988 Cacophony Go Off! Session drums
Marty Friedman Dragon's Kiss Drums
1989 Bad English Bad English Drums, percussion, backing vocals
1990 Joey Tafolla Infra-blue Drums
Matthew Ward Fortress Drums
1991 Bad English Backlash Drums, backing vocals
1992 Hardline Double Eclipse Drums, backing vocals
1993 Paul Rodgers The Hendrix Set EP live: Drums
1994 Tony MacAlpine Premonition Drums
1995 GZR Plastic Planet Drums
Frederiksen/Phillips Frederiksen/Phillips Drums
Ozzy Osbourne Ozzmosis Drums
Steve Vai Alien Love Secrets EP: drums on "Die to Live", "The Boy from Seattle", "Kill the Guy with the Ball" and "Tender Surrender"
1996 Fire Garden Drums on "Dyin' Day", "Blowfish", "Hand on Heart", "Little Alligator", "All About Eve" and "Damn You"
James Murphy Convergence Drums
Social Distortion White Light, White Heat, White Trash Uncredited drums
1997 George Bellas Turn of the Millennium Drums
1997 GZR Black Science Drums
1998 Hole Celebrity Skin Uncredited session drums
1998 George Bellas Mind over Matter Drums
1998 Steve Vai Flex-Able Leftovers Drums on "Natural Born Boy" (Bonus Ed. 1998)
1999 James Murphy Feeding the Machine Drums
2000 Journey Arrival Drums, backing vocals
2002 Red 13 EP: drums, percussion, backing vocals
Vasco Rossi Tracks Live: drums
2004 Soul SirkUS Soul SirkUS Drums, backing vocals - only on original version
2005 Journey Generations Drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "A Better Life" and bonus track "Never Too Late"
2008 Revelation Drums, percussion, backing vocals
2009 Vasco Rossi Tracks 2 Live: drums
2011 Journey Eclipse Drums, percussion, backing vocals
2015 Revolution Saints Revolution Saints Vocals, drums
2015 Fear Factory Genexus Drums on "Soul Hacker"
2016 Jonathan Cain What God Wants to Hear Drums
2017 Revolutions Saints Light in the Dark Vocals, drums
2018 The Dead Daisies Burn It Down Drums, backing vocals
Gioeli-Castronovo Set The World On Fire Vocals, drums
Tourniquet Gazing at Medusa Lead vocals on "Gazing at Medusa"
2019 Restless Spirits Restless Spirits Drums, vocals on "Unbreakable", "Calling You" and "Live to Win"
2020 Revolution Saints Rise Vocals, drums
2022 Journey Freedom lead vocals on "After Glow"
2022 Generation Radio Generation Radio (Self-titled album) Vocals, drums
2023 Revolution Saints Eagle Flight[34] Vocals, drums
2024 Revolution Saints Against the Winds[35] Vocals, drums

References

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  1. ^ Rolli, Bryan (July 29, 2021). "Neal Schon Confirms Deen Castronovo Is Back in Journey". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Vickers, Lee (January 7, 2023). "REVOLUTION SAINTS : 'Need Each Other' - second single by new incarnation of supergroup fronted by Deen Castronovo | out now via Frontiers". Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Blabbermouth (February 2, 2021). "DEEN CASTRONOVO's Exit From THE DEAD DAISIES Explained". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Drummer, Modern (June 20, 2008). "Deen Castronovo: The Journey Of A Decade, The Career Of A Lifetime". Modern Drummer Magazine. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Dr Mastermind Matt McCourt Deen Castronovo Kurt James 1986". www.usmetal.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Radio, N. T. S. "Wild Dogs | Discover music on NTS". NTS Radio. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Cacophony "Go Off!" | Guitar Nine". www.guitar9.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Olivier (July 6, 2018). "Deen Castronovo states that people have said Hardline would have been massive five years earlier". Sleaze Roxx. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  9. ^ BraveWords. "PLANET US To Hit The Studio!". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "Soul SirkUS music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Blabbermouth (July 20, 2015). "How JOURNEY's DEEN CASTRONOVO Ended Up Playing On New FEAR FACTORY Album 'Genexus'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Syrjala, Marko (November 24, 2018). "DEEN CASTRONOVO discuss past career, KISS, the Dead Daisies and more". Metal-Rules.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "Deen J Castronovo from Keizer, OR". Radaris.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Lynn, Capi (May 6, 2009). "Drummer aims to spark musical journey for kids". Statesman Journal.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Kyle (October 13, 2011). "Journey drummer ready to rock at home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  16. ^ Rafanelli, Rachael (April 15, 2015). "Journey drummer speaks at S. Albany High". KGW. NBC News. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  17. ^ "Journey's Deen Castronovo donates $10K to South Albany High". April 2, 2015. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Dean, Mark (September 20, 2017). "Interview: Deen Castronovo of REVOLUTION SAINTS". AntiHero Magazine. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  19. ^ Cavacini, Michael (January 30, 2013). "A Conversation With Deen Castronovo". Michael Cavacini. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Stephens, Stephanie (November 16, 2015). "Drummer Deen Castronovo: On a New Journey after Losing Everything". Parade. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  21. ^ Gaita, Paul (November 19, 2015). "Journey's Deen Castronovo On His Journey Back To Sanity And Sobriety". The Fix. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Wardlaw, Matt (November 3, 2015). "Deen Castronovo Confirms Journey Firing, Opens Up About Addiction: Exclusive Interview". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  23. ^ "Journey Drummer Booted From Tour". inquisitr.com. June 22, 2015. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Neal Schon Confirms Deen Castronovo Is Back in Journey". July 29, 2021. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  25. ^ "JONATHAN CAIN Says NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN's Addition To JOURNEY's Touring Lineup 'Didn't Quite Pan Out'". Blabbermouth. March 2022. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "Album Of The Year 2017". drmusic. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  27. ^ "Revolution Saints Eagle Flight". Rock Report. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "Generation Radio Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  29. ^ Alisha Roemeling. "Journey Drummer Dropped from Upcoming Shows". Statesman Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  30. ^ Jennifer Deutschmann (January 5, 2017). "Journey Drummer Booted From Tour". inquisitr.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Dubois, Steven. "Oregon judge denies bail for Journey drummer accused of rape, repeatedly contacting victim". registerguard.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  32. ^ Hessel, Kaellen (October 13, 2022). "Journey's Castronovo pleads guilty to domestic violence". Statesman Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  33. ^ DeRiso, Nick DeRisoNick (March 27, 2023). "How Tragedy and Triumph Sparked Deen Castronovo's Comeback". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  34. ^ McNeice, Andrew. "REVOLUTION SAINTS – Eagle Flight (Album Review, 2023)". Melodicrock. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  35. ^ Cousins, Damian. "Album Review: REVOLUTION SAINTS — 'Against the Winds'". The Rock Father. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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