APRIL 25, 2012

Journey reunion rumors and any news on Steve Perry are the golden bars of currency when it comes to ’80s — so valuable that when we hear one, you flash it around like you just won the lottery. Well, the Huffington Post is the latest winner, scoring an interview with Journey guitarist/founder Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and still-freshly minted lead singer Arnel Pineda.

Neal Schon, Jonathon Cain, Arnel Pineda of Journey.

During the interview, they’re asked about the chances for a Journey reunion with Perry, who remains one of of the most beloved frontmen of any recent decade with fans.

“I don’t think there’s anyway not to have Arnel at this point,” Schon answers. “Who can say never? You can never say it’s never going to happen. Maybe ten years from now? Six years? Who knows?”

What if Perry called right now and asked to reunite, the HuffPost asked.

“… If that situation ever came up, I think it would be the both of them [Pineda and Perry, who haven't yet met in person],” Schon said. “And I think it would be at the point where it’s a farewell tour … and we’re done. That’s the only appropriate way to go about it”

Pineda seemed to liked the idea: ”I hope I can sing with him, you know, side by side. If he would welcome that. That would be awesome. I think, especially the hard core fans, they would love it.”

Cain, who had perhaps the most productive relationship with Perry as a singer/songwriter duo, seemed to defend Perry most of the interview, despite the continued barbs from Schon.

To read what they all had to said, click here for the full interview.

via Journey, Steve Perry reunion? Maybe for a farewell tour, Schon says | ’80s music, John Hughes movies, big hair: Stuck in the ’80s | Tampa Bay Times.

NASA – Arctic Sea Ice Continues Decline, Hits 2nd-Lowest Level.

See related climate change posts here.

It’s Saturday…Go make something!

Originally uploaded by flyingg

http://lightbox.com/postcard/5O1YI77GXkSy6iEck1CmPw

A few of our coworkers from London, England were here in Austin this past week. Here’s the stack of power adapters  one of them had to lug around to merely charge his iPhone.

 A Landmark Album

I became a fan of Journey’s music in the late 70′s and listened to albums like Infinity, Evolution, Departure and Captured over and over. In fact, I listened to those albums so much, I knew every crack, pop and skip on the records (yes, vinyl records). But nothing prepared me for the release of Journey’s “Escape” album. I was 12 years old, and when I got the album, the melodies and lyrics on the album just seem to resonate in my pre-teen ears.

I know it probably sounds silly, but this album is one that most influenced my musical tastes for years to come. I’m 42 years old now and I can still listen to the whole album. “Escape” sounds as fresh to me now as it did when I was 12 and reminds me of what it was like to discover new music as a youngster.

I can appreciate Journey in all it’s forms, through changing times and a changing lineup (although, I’ll freely admit I’m a Steve Perry purist) and “Escape” is the perfect gateway album into the entire Journey catalog.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia entry:

Escape (Journey album)

• Escape
• Studio album by Journey
• Released July 31, 1981
• Recorded Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, Mid Spring/Early Summer, 1981
• Genre Hard rock, rock
• Length 42:46 (original), 59:43 (reissue)
• Label Columbia
• Producer Kevin Elson, Mike Stone

Escape (sometimes stylized as E5C4P3) is Journey‘s seventh studio album (and eighth overall), released on July 31, 1981. The album features four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles – “Don’t Stop Believin’” (#9), “Who’s Crying Now” (#4), “Still They Ride” (#19) and “Open Arms” (#2) – plus rock radio staples like “Stone in Love” and “Mother, Father”.

Background and writing

Escape was the band’s first album with keyboardist Jonathan Cain who replaced founding keyboardist Gregg Rolie after he left the band at the end of 1980. The album was co-produced by former Lynyrd Skynyrd soundman Kevin Elson and one-time Queen engineer Mike Stone, who also engineered the album.

An Atari 2600 game, Journey Escape, was made based on the album.

Journey Escape Video Game from Data Age Advertisement

via Escape (Journey album) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” turns 30 – CBS News

Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” turns 30

Read the complete story here:

via Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” turns 30 – CBS News.

Well, our baby is waking up…see you again soon!

It finally rained.

We finally received some much needed rain here in Central Texas and the Austin area. Although it won’t make up for the current drought conditions in the area, it certainly helps. This afternoon’s storm total image from the National Weather Service shows how it added up throughout the day:

Ominous clouds.

I took these pictures this morning of clouds rolling through in advance of the rain we received.

I’ve made this sauce countless times and people often comment on how good it tastes. I highly recommend adding this to your list of stock recipes.

Chunky Tomato Basil Sauce

This vibrant, fresh sauce is so much better than anything from a jar. The tomatoes are roughly chopped, rather than puréed, so the sauce sits on top of the pizza rather than underneath the toppings. This way you don’t get the same taste in every bite. Tomato paste deepens the sauce’s flavor, as does refrigerating the sauce for at least an hour. If your tomatoes are juicy, use more tomato paste to thicken the sauce. This sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Ingredients:

2 small cloves garlic

8 large fresh basil leaves

1 ½ pounds (about 3 medium) ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered (see Note)

2 tablespoons tomato paste (or more)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon sugar

Note:

If tomatoes are not in season, use good canned tomatoes instead. They will have more flavor than the gas-ripened ones at the supermarket. Use two 14 ½-ounce (440 g) cans of diced tomatoes, drained.

Makes about 2 cups, depending on ripeness and juiciness

Place the garlic and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes and pulse briefly. Do not purée the tomatoes, as the sauce is meant to be chunky. Or chop all by hand

Tranfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and sugar until mixed well. If the sauce looks watery, add more tomato paste until you see no more juice.

Refrigerate the sauce for an hour to accentuate the flavors.

via Craig Priebe – Tomato Basil.