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Journey bandmates in legal fight over performance for Donald Trump

Guitarist Neal Schon issues cease-and-desist order to keyboardist Jonathan Cain over performance of Don’t Stop Believin’ at Mar-a-Lago

A member of the rock band Journey has served a fellow bandmate with a cease-and-desist order for performing their hit Don’t Stop Believin’ with several high-profile Republicans for Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month, calling the performance “harmful” to the band.

Keyboardist Jonathan Cain, guitarist Neal Schon and singer Steve Perry co-wrote the 1981 song, which returned to public consciousness 30 years later when it was used in the final episode of The Sopranos.

Cain, 71, is a member of Trump’s inner circle because his wife, the televangelist Paula White-Cain, is the former US president’s spiritual advisor.

In November, Cain performed Don’t Stop Believin’ with Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake for Trump at his Florida resort. On Wednesday, it was revealed by Variety that Schon’s attorney had issued a cease-and-desist letter to Cain over the performance.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” along with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain at a recent event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/dvSp1z62BX — PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 23, 2022

In the letter, Schon’s attorney noted: “Although Mr Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political.

“Mr Cain’s unauthorised affiliation of Journey with the politics of Donald Trump has the band’s fans up in arms, as is demonstrated by a sample of the attached emails and Twitter comments. This has caused, and continues to cause, irreparable harm to the Journey brand, its fan base and earning potential, especially in light of the forthcoming tour.

“Mr Cain has no right to use Journey for politics … he should not be capitalising on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band,” the letter continued, calling the performance a “harmful use of the brand”.

The letter also states that Schon’s move does not intend to “further add to the animosity that is currently plaguing the band and the relationship between Mr Schon and Mr Cain”.

The two men are currently fighting over access to the band’s finances, with Schon’s lawyers claiming last month that he had been denied access to the band’s financial records and use of its American Express card . Cain’s lawyers responded by alleging Schon was denied access to the card after he used it on “improper personal expenses” worth more than US$1m.

Schon has not responded to Cain’s counterclaim, writing that he will “be following my attorney’s advice and not speak until we are in court where I’ll not have a problem at all. It is what it is.”

The Guardian has contacted Cain about the cease-and-desist. In response to the claims, a spokesman for Cain told Variety on Wednesday: “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies.”

Schon and Perry have previously voiced their displeasure over Don’t Stop Believin’ being played at Trump’s campaign rallies, joining a long list of individuals and bands who have spoken out against their music being used by Trump that includes Neil Young , REM, Queen, Earth, Wind and Fire, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Tom Petty and the widow of Luciano Pavarotti,

In 2017, Schon posted several furious tweets after three members of the group visited the White House and posed for pictures with the then-president.

“I’ve stated how I felt about mixing religion and politics and how our music is not of one religion — Democratic or Republican. This is and has been an issue with myself, Mr Cain and his wife,” Schon wrote in a message he later deleted.

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Journey’s Neal Schon feuds with bandmate Jonathan Cain over playing music at Trump events

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Members of the rock band Journey used to agree the band doesn’t get involved in politics . Now, founding member Neal Schon is making sure it stays that way.

The 68-year-old guitarist sent a cease-and-desist letter on Dec. 16 to attorneys for bandmate Jonathan Cain to prohibit him from playing Journey’s music at Donald Trump events after Cain sang “Don’t Stop Believin'” at a Mar-a-Lago gala last month .

The Post reached out to rep for Cain for comment.

In the letter obtained by The Post, Schon’s attorney claims Journey fans are “up in arms” over Cain’s affiliation with Trump. The keyboardist, 72, has been a part of Trump’s inner circle since his wife, televangelist Paula White, has served as Trump’s spiritual adviser.

Video of Cain’s performance at the November event, where Marjorie Taylor Greene , Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake acted as background singers, was widely spread on social media .

“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political,” the Schon letter reads.

Cain, Schon and estranged Journey singer Steve Perry are credited as writers of the 1981 stadium anthem, but Schon wants to make a clear distinction between the individual artists and the band.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” along with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain at a recent event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/dvSp1z62BX — PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 23, 2022

“Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics,” the letter continues. “His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band.”

The letter’s intent is not to “further add to the animosity that is currently plaguing the band and the relationship between Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain,” which has been tense for many years.

“What Jon Cain has done here violates that duty” to the band and the Journey brand, the letter alleges.

When contacted by The Post, Schon’s attorney pointed to a 2017 radio interview Journey did in Singapore in which Cain agreed the band is “not political” and that members try to “stay in our lane.”

“The best place to stay is neutral, in the center, and just don’t take a side. Keep it to yourself, whatever you think,” Schon declared, adding that, “Politics and music, I don’t think it mixes.”

Cain visited Trump’s White House months after that interview — with the band’s singer and bassist in tow — reportedly without Schon or band management knowing beforehand. This angered Schon, but the two were able to “reset our friendship” to tour with fellow rock legends Def Leppard.

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Journey’s Neal Schon v. Everyone: Will Band Members Go ‘Separate Ways’?

The band is fighting over a member's Mar-a-Lago performance, suing over the group's Amex account, and hiring and firing managers. But it's still filling arenas.

By Steve Knopper

Steve Knopper

Early in Journey ’s 2022 arena tour, lead guitarist Neal Schon became convinced people were out to get him. So he stationed two off-duty police officers outside his dressing room, according to sources familiar with the tour. And at a Florida show last spring, Schon and his wife, Michaele , sent an assistant into keyboardist Jonathan Cain ’s dressing room to snoop around — to find what, the sources have no idea.

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Journey’s latest legal clash it’s over the band’s amex card.

From the outside, Journey’s business might seem easy — perform hits like “Wheel in the Sky,” “Any Way You Want It” and “Who’s Crying Now” in arenas and watch the money roll in. Most of those guitar-piano-and-whoa-oh-oh classics are from the ’80s, when Journey dominated rock radio and MTV, scoring eight multiplatinum albums and six top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, and becoming a bridge between ’70s regular-guy bands like Boston , Styx and Kansas and the more dangerous-looking Bon Jovis and Mötley Crües of subsequent years.

Journey has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, according to a recent lawsuit involving the band, and Billboard Boxscore reports a career gross of more than $352.5 million on sales of 7.6 million tickets. Journey has also cleaned up on synch licensing for decades — the iconic final scene of The Sopranos in 2007 famously used “Don’t Stop Believin,’ ” and the band’s songs have appeared in Caddyshack (“Any Way You Want It”), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (“Faithfully”) and last year’s season of Stranger Things (“Separate Ways [Worlds Apart]”). And the group’s 2022 tour was one of its biggest ever, nearly doubling the pace of its previous standalone tour in 2017, which took 67 shows to gross $31.7 million.

Recently, though, simmering, passive-aggressive, behind-the-scenes tension between Schon and Cain has blown up into dueling lawsuits and cease-and-desist letters, including one over Cain’s performance at Mar-a-Lago. Journey is hardly the only group to tour and make albums amid acrimony between band members; examples include Sam & Dave , The Kinks and Van Halen . But Journey’s personality conflicts have spread to its business far more than most, and sources say the Schons have run off business and road managers, accountants and longtime band members. In February, Journey’s longtime bank, City National, cut ties with the band, according to sources, hampering the group’s ability to easily pay its day-to-day touring expenses. Even Journey’s official webpage abruptly stopped operating for several weeks in early February before it recently reappeared.

At the Jan. 27 opening show of Journey’s 2023 arena tour, which runs through April, Cain and Schon stood at least 20 yards apart at all times, on opposite sides of the stage at the Choctaw Grand Theatre in Durant, Okla. The 3,000 fans singing along to hit after hit clearly energized the band, especially frontman Arnel Pineda , who sprinted and twirled around the stage. But Cain and Schon barely looked at each other, even when Cain sang these lines from “Faithfully,” the 1983 hit he wrote: “Circus life under the big-top world/ We all need the clowns to make us smile/ Through space and time, always another show.” Another show: Check. Circus life: Check. Shared smiles: Absent.

____________________

Neal Schon has been litigious for years. In 2007, he sued his ex-wife’s mother-in-law for blogging that he didn’t pay child support. The mother-in-law, who has since died, said she didn’t say that and the case was eventually dismissed. (After the publication of this story, Schon texted to point out that he had sued The Daily Mail for running a story based on the blog that referred to Schon as a “deadbeat dad,” which led to a settlement with terms that included a public apology from the British tabloid. “It was all false and damaging,” Schon said by text.) In 2019, he sued Live Nation, then-promoter for the band. And in 2020, along with Cain, he sued then-Journey drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory .

That lawsuit settled in April 2021 , for undisclosed terms, and Smith and Valory soon left the band, leaving Schon and Cain to publicly turn on each other in the months that followed. In October, Schon sued Cain in Superior Court in Contra Costa County, Calif., for “improperly” refusing him access to a corporate American Express account representing “millions in Journey funds.” In Cain’s Jan. 13 response, he accused Schon of “completely out-of-control” spending, charging the band’s American Express card for what Cain said were $1 million in personal expenses, including — in a single month last spring — $104,000 for jewelry and clothes, $31,000 to the Bergdorf Goodman department store and $54,000 toward his insurance premiums.

The dispute between Schon and Cain even involves Trump. Cain is married to the ex-president’s spiritual advisor, Paula White-Cain , and he performed “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” at Mar-a-Lago. He also appeared at a Las Vegas “Evangelicals for Trump” event three months before the 2020 presidential election. In December, Schon sent a cease-and-desist letter that called Cain’s Mar-a-Lago performance “deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach.” (Cain declined to comment and Pineda did not respond to interview requests.)

Journey Band Members Agree to Settle $10 Million Lawsuit and Go ‘Separate Ways’

This combative back-and-forth might suggest the central tension in Journey is between Schon and Cain, the remaining members of the group’s megastar era. But numerous music sources who have worked with the band over the years say the lead guitarist is obsessed with controlling the band with Michaele, a fan since childhood, who took an interest in Journey’s affairs soon after their 2013 wedding. The actual conflict, they say, isn’t Schon vs. Cain, but rather Schon vs. everyone. “He’s just an impossible human being,” says an industry source, who has worked with the band. “Jonathan, he’s a good guy: ‘I wrote “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and I’m blessed.’ Neil’s just ‘I’m a superstar.’ ”

The source refers to a 2018 Tampa Bay Times concert review in which critic Jay Cridlin praised the band’s onstage tribute to the late Aretha Franklin . Schon directly emailed Cridlin afterwards, demanding he change the review — it was Schon who orchestrated the Franklin tribute, not the entire band, as Cridlin had reported. In a Times story he published later about his exchange with Schon, Cridlin wrote, “It seemed odd that Schon would go out of his way to make sure readers knew his bandmates had nothing to do with it.”

The son of a professional singer and a jazz saxophonist and composer, Schon was a teenage guitar hotshot in the early ’70s, when Eric Clapton invited him to jam with Derek and the Dominos onstage at Berkeley Community Theatre, near his home in the Bay Area. Word got around, and both Clapton and Carlos Santana made offers to Schon to join their bands. At 17, Schon picked Santana, then in its post-Woodstock prime, before forming Journey in 1973.

Four years later, frontman Steve Perry ushered Journey into its FM-radio golden age. Perry became the face of the band as Cain underpinned the songwriting with Broadway-style piano and melancholy verses, and Schon electrified the earworms, matching every catchy chorus and Perry high note with a melodic guitar solo.

Over the years, as happens with many successful rock bands, Journey’s business grew into a jigsaw puzzle of financial deals worked out over decades of negotiation. Perry, who quit for good in 1997, landed a deal in which he still makes 1/41 of the band’s net income from recording royalties and touring, after management fees and other expenses. Which means he pocketed roughly $400,000 in 2022 from Journey’s tour alone, according to sources, while sitting at home making TikToks about how much he loves Harry Styles . The remainder is then split among Schon, Cain and Pineda, a cover band singer from the Philippines, whom Schon discovered on YouTube in 2007.

In the early 2010s, according to sources, Schon became more litigious and started spending more money, when he became serious with the former Michaele Ann Holt, whose Oakton, Va., high school friends in the ’80s called her Rock Chic Miss, according to Washingtonian . A Journey superfan and once a Real Housewives of D.C. cast member, Michaele first became famous with her ex-husband, Tareq Salahi , as the White House gate-crashers who joined former President Barack Obama’s 2009 state dinner without an invitation. Two years after that, Salahi reported his wife missing to the police and appeared on TV, begging for her return. “I swear to God, I’m missing my wife,” he said through tears. “This is not a joke.”

It came out later, in Salahi’s divorce filings, that when he made that plea, he neglected to mention that he had already received a call about his wife’s whereabouts. It came from Neal Schon. As Washingtonian reported, Schon told Salahi, “This is Neal. I am fucking your wife.”

In 2013, Neal married Michaele, in a pay-per-view wedding that cost viewers $14.95. One of the three dresses Michaele wore was by Oscar de la Renta. Neal wore a long black coat without a tie. Sammy Hagar and Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir attended. So did Omarosa Manigault , the Apprentice villain who later worked in — and still later turned against — the Trump Administration. The San Francisco wedding, held in a white tent, had a winter-wonderland theme, with 36 crystal chandeliers and a four-foot-tall, berry-and-custard white cake. Paying customers could watch for up to 12 hours — more than six times the length of a typical Journey concert. Journey performed, of course, and a portion of the pay-per-view gross went to typhoon relief, a cause Pineda favored. The wedding cost between $1 million and $3 million, according to music-industry sources familiar with the band’s finances.

Journey Takes a Break From Feuding, Returns for Harmonious Concert at Oklahoma Casino

After Michaele left Salahi for Schon, the couple began getting Journey’s publicists to work for them. Emails from the time show Neal and Michaele calling and emailing a publicist late at night, to tweak language and order photos for press releases about Michaele’s divorce. When a publicist responded to an 11:30 p.m. email by saying his business hours were 9 to 5, Neal responded, “sorry we didn’t fit into your biz hours. Lol.” At one point, the publicist emailed, “I rarely answer calls from numbers I don’t have saved. Michaele’s 12:28 a.m response: “Are you still up?”

After she married Schon, ​​Michaele gradually became more involved in various aspects of Journey’s business: She asked to be copied on all band-related emails, according to multiple sources, and sometimes responded by CC’ing as many as 15 other addresses, including those of attorneys and other band employees.

In early 2021, after Smith and Valory settled their lawsuits and left the band, Schon became Journey’s manager.

By the time Schon started managing Journey, he and Michaele had spent six years scrutinizing trademarks and merchandise and ticket sales. And they came to one conclusion: Journey was getting screwed. That meant everyone had to go, so Schon fired or sued managers, accountants, bandmates and promoters, some of whom had worked with the group for decades. John Baruck , who managed the band for 20 years and oversaw its 2017 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the hiring of Pineda as lead singer and the band’s post- Sopranos renaissance? Gone. Peter Mensch , also one of Metallica ’s managers at Q Prime? Gone. Smith and Valory? Gone, when Schon and Cain jointly sued them for $10 million, claiming the two “launched a coup” to take control of the Journey name and “set themselves up for retirement.”

“I took the bull by the horns and started cleaning things up,” says Schon, 68, with matter-of-fact rock star charm on Zoom audio last summer, throwing in a “ha!” or two to illustrate the absurdity of the music business. “It was a mess, I have to tell you, business-wise. It was set up to be chaotic, so you would never be able to have a clue of how messed up it was.”

Schon and Cain took over as Journey’s co-managers in early 2021, splitting the standard 15% fee. (Cain shared some of his 7.5% with Pineda, according to sources.) The idea was to bring order to the business chaos. “I believe the government calls it ‘chaos merchants,’ ” Schon says, in a charming non sequitur, with a soft-spoken laugh. But Schon also created chaos of his own, sources say.

In 2019, the Schons filed a lawsuit against Live Nation, which promoted Journey’s tours, after Michaele alleged that a security employee at the band’s show at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind., “violently assaulted” her and threw her into a PA system while she was taking photos near the stage. ( Video on YouTube that seems to show the incident includes no evidence of violence, but it’s blurry, distant and missing several crucial seconds of the alleged confrontation.)

The Schons fired three different law firms that represented them in that case, including one that cited an “irretrievable breakdown of the attorney-client relationship.” They also stopped responding to discovery requests and court orders, prompting an Allen County Superior Court judge to mandate a court appearance. When they didn’t show up, the judge held the Schons in contempt and dismissed the suit last March.

In early 2020, Schon and Cain filed their California Superior Court lawsuit against Valory and Smith, claiming the duo’s “coup” to take over one of the band’s business entities, Nightmare Productions Inc., “placed their own greed before the interests of the band, sowing discontent and discord, jeopardizing the future of Journey.” In a counter-complaint, Valory said Schon and Cain were “deceptive, misleading and false,” and that he and Smith tried to protect Journey from their bandmates’ attempts to trademark logos and song titles to use on merchandise for Schon’s side project, Neal Schon Journey Through Time, which toured briefly in 2019. (Valory, who is no longer in the band, did not respond to interview requests; reached on his cellphone, Smith said, “No, I won’t do a phone interview on or off the record, and if you don’t mind, I have to go.”)

Journey Hires Def Leppard Manager Amid Inter-Band Turmoil

After Schon’s enthusiastic Zoom interview last summer, he declined all further requests to comment. Skip Miller , his attorney, responded to an email list of questions by saying, “Please be advised that your email, and the questions and matters therein, are largely incorrect.” He would not specify which parts were incorrect, but said: “As the band’s founder and leader, Mr. Schon puts Journey above all else. Unlike another band member, he doesn’t think Journey should be involved in politics on any side, red, blue or whatever.” Later, he added, “For Neal Schon, it’s all about making great music for Journey’s fans.”

Journey’s blockbuster 2022 ended with Schon suing Cain, his final remaining bandmate from the “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” years. Schon v. Cain , the legal dispute over the band’s American Express account, is pending in California Superior Court, and representatives for both sides would not comment. By early December, Def Leppard manager Mike Kobayashi confirmed Journey had hired him to take over management from Schon and Cain.

By early February, sources say, Kobayashi was no longer manager.

Over Zoom last summer, Schon says he became suspicious of the people handling Journey’s affairs before he started doing it himself. At one point — he won’t give the date or context — he asked band accountants how many fans attended each amphitheater show he played. “You did OK,” came the response, according to Schon. “You didn’t do as well as two years ago, when you had 19,000. You had 18,500, or 17,000.” His conclusion: The band’s representatives were lowballing him.

So, Schon says, “I would pay guys in the parking lot and say, ‘How many cars are here tonight?’ And they’d say ‘Dude, they’re plus-five miles out’ — that means about 23,000. With a band like Journey, that has hits like Journey has, you can’t just try to squash them down in a box and make them believe that they’re no longer big.”

During Journey’s business purge of the last few years, one of the managers Schon fired was Irving Azoff , the uber-manager who represents the Eagles , John Mayer , Jon Bon Jovi , Gwen Stefani and others. Azoff wouldn’t comment for this story, but in his lawsuit against Live Nation, Schon says he developed a “medical condition” and criticizes Azoff for nixing “continued off-duty law enforcement protection” for the Schons during the band’s tour. In exchange for forgoing personal security, Azoff agreed to provide the Schons with private-jet transportation, according to the lawsuit. (Neither Azoff nor Baruck — Azoff’s former college roommate, who worked at his management company for years — would comment.)

Azoff’s team, Schon says on Zoom, “ended up doing some great things,” but frustratingly kept the band in amphitheaters when he insisted to managers for years that Journey should be headlining arenas. “What I did was follow my gut instinct, and it was just time to move on,” he says. “We tried Q Prime for a second, and it seemed like it was going to be alright, but, you know, politics come into play.” (A rep for Q Prime declined to discuss Journey.)

By then, Schon thought, “We don’t need these guys, man,” as he remembers telling Cain. “I swear to God, I’m mostly doing everything, anyway.”

Over the last few years, as Schon and Cain managed Journey, they had help from CAA agent Jeff Frasco and AEG Live CEO Jay Marciano . (Neither would comment for this story.) On Zoom, Schon lists Journey’s switch from sheds to arenas as his top accomplishment as manager, and some in the concert business agree. “It’s a much bigger statement for a band to headline an arena than a single day at an amphitheater,” says New York promoter John Scher , who booked the band in the ’80s. “Could they be doing better with a different manager? They seem to be doing OK now.”

Schon’s other business priority is Journey trademarks. He says he was amazed to learn that since 1973, Journey hadn’t trademarked its name or logo, despite selling T-shirts for years at venues, as well as retailers from Walmart to Neiman Marcus. After the Schons realized this, in 2019, Neal and Cain registered 20 of the band’s song titles with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, for use on T-shirts, caps and hoodies. (Since Journey’s songs and the recordings are already protected by copyright, this would only cover the song titles for use on merchandise.)

“I’d introduce myself to the CEO and I’d say, ‘I’m Neal Schon, the founding member of Journey, and I now own the trademark for all Journey material. And you guys have kind of gotten yourself in a weird position here, because you’ve been selling tons of Journey merchandise for decades, and we’re seeing peanuts, and I’d like to have an electronic audit,’ ” Schon recalls. “Then a legal team would get on the phone with myself and my wife and they’d say, ‘Well, you know, we weren’t really selling it under the name Journey.’ And I’d go, ‘Well, that’s kind of laughable. I have boxes and cases of stuff in my living room and it’s just from your store and it all says Journey on it.’ ” (A Walmart spokesperson said the company was “not aware of any unlicensed Journey-branded products being sold by Walmart.” A Neiman Marcus spokesperson said he would “need to look into” Schon’s claims, then didn’t respond to follow-up inquiries.)

In fact, the Journey “mark” has been the subject of many years of negotiation among past and present band members. In 1985, the band’s company Nightmare Productions licensed it to a separate partnership, Elmo Partners — Perry, Schon and Cain — according to the complaint in Schon v. Valory .

Ex-Journey Frontman Steve Perry Files to Block Former Bandmates’ Song Title Trademarks

In a September filing to cancel the trademarks with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office’s trial and appeal board, Perry declared that Schon and Cain sold the rights to the songs they co-wrote and once owned. As of 2019, according to Merck Mercuriadis , CEO and managing partner of U.K. song-investment firm Hipgnosis, his company owns all recording royalties and publishing that previously belonged to Schon, Cain, Valory, Smith and Herbie Herbert , an early longtime manager who died in 2021. Perry argued that Schon and Cain no longer retained the standing to trademark the songs. Plus, the trio’s 1985 Elmo agreement requires “unanimous agreement and consent” among Schon, Cain and Perry to use a trademarked song for T-shirts or other products.

In his filing to cancel the Schon-Cain song trademark action, which cost him $12,000 in fees, Perry accused the duo of making knowingly “false or misleading” statements. In January, Perry abruptly dropped the motion to cancel the trademarks. Schon used the occasion to rip his current bandmate — Cain — on Twitter: “So much for [Cain] trying to throw me under the bus as he claimed I was blatantly trying to rip off [Perry] while collecting the checks for the very diligent work my wife and I did to protect our Merch.”

While federal trademark registration can be important, Journey already had other ways to assert its rights to logos or song titles associated with the band that appear on merchandise. The band could have protected its holdings through “common-law rights,” says Michael N. Cohen , a Beverly Hills, Calif., an intellectual-property lawyer who specializes in trademarks and represents classic rock bands: “Just by virtue of using the mark, you’ve acquired some degree of rights, but those rights are limited.” In other words, Journey has always had the right to make merchandise deals — just by being Journey.

With Kobayashi gone, Schon seems to have taken over again as manager — with the help of Michaele, whom he recently praised on Instagram for serving as the band’s road manager in 2022, even though the band employed experienced road managers throughout the tour. (Kobayashi didn’t respond to requests for comment.)

By February, Journey may have also lost its bank, and with it the ability to easily pay employees and cover expenses on the road. (A representative from City National declined to comment.) As manager, though, Schon understands an important thing about Journey: If the band puts out a new album every now and then — like last year’s Freedom , which didn’t do nearly as well as its classic ’80s material — the arena dates will keep rolling in.

“Let’s be honest: There’s no new Journey fans,” says Brock Jones , a veteran Nashville and Philadelphia promoter and consultant. “It’s about playing the right markets, playing the right rooms, pricing the right tickets and making sure the package is correct.”

At the Choctaw Grand Theatre, before boisterous fans singing along to every “na-na,” Cain manned his red piano at stage right, while Schon soloed constantly at stage left. After the finale, “Any Way You Want It,” the six band members lined up and group-hugged and fist-bumped, happy to perform again after several months off for the holidays. But Cain and Schon stood at opposite ends of the line. They did not hug each other. They did not bump fists with each other. Finally, Schon bounded off-stage — by himself.

Additional reporting by Bill Donahue.

Journey’s 10 Best Songs

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Journey Guitarist to Bandmate Who Played for Trump: No Political Gigs

Neal Schon sent the group’s keyboardist, Jonathan Cain, a cease-and-desist letter following a performance at Mar-a-Lago for Donald J. Trump, saying the band should be apolitical.

By Ben Sisario

When musicians complain about political uses of their songs without permission, the cease-and-desist letters are usually sent to politicians. In the case of Journey, it is one band member against another — over a wish for the group to remain apolitical.

Last week, a lawyer for Neal Schon, Journey’s founding guitarist, wrote to Jonathan Cain, the group’s keyboardist, demanding that he stop appearing at events for former President Donald J. Trump “as Journey,” and performing Journey songs at those functions, saying that Mr. Cain’s appearances have caused “irreparable harm to the Journey brand.”

“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or as a representative of the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach,” says the letter, a copy of which was provided to The New York Times by representatives of Mr. Schon.

“Journey is not, and should not be, political,” the letter adds, and notes the risk of a reduced earning potential to its next tour, set to begin in January.

The letter points to a performance by Mr. Cain last month of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the band’s enduring power ballad, at the America First Experience Gala at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s estate in Florida. An online video of the event shows Mr. Cain seated at a keyboard, leading a singalong with conservative political figures like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake onstage beside him. In the crowd, Mr. Trump is visible along with Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump Jr. and others.

Mr. Cain has long been connected to Mr. Trump’s inner circle. His wife, Paula White, was Mr. Trump’s spiritual adviser during his administration, and she delivered the invocation at Mr. Trump’s inauguration in 2017.

The existence of the letter was first reported by Variety .

In a statement, Mr. Cain said: “Neal Schon should look in the mirror when he accuses me of causing harm to the Journey brand. I have watched him damage our brand for years and am a victim of both his — and his wife’s — bizarre behavior.”

He pointed to a number of disputes in the band’s history and what he called Mr. Schon and his wife’s “bullying, toxic, incoherent emails,” and added: “If anyone is destroying the Journey brand, it is Neal — and Neal alone.”

Mr. Schon’s wife, Michaele, is a onetime reality-TV star who was on “The Real Housewives of D.C.”

“Don’t Stop Believin’,” from Journey’s 1981 album “Escape,” was a Top 10 hit when it came out. It has also had an enormously successful afterlife, appearing in the final episode of “The Sopranos” in 2007, as well as in the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages.” Written by Mr. Cain, Mr. Schon and Steve Perry, the group’s former vocalist, the song has racked up more than 1.4 billion streams on Spotify alone.

Musicians’ complaints about the political use of their songs also often involve accusations of copyright infringement, but given that Mr. Cain is a co-author, that may be moot, and the letter from Mr. Schon makes no mention of copyright.

Instead, its focus is Journey’s desire to remain apolitical. The letter links to a radio interview with the band, in which the group was asked whether it would have accepted an invitation to perform at Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Mr. Cain answered: “We’re not political. We don’t get into politics. We try to stay in our lane.” Mr. Schon added: “The best place to stay is neutral, in the center.”

Intra-band tensions have long been a part of the story of Journey, which emerged as a progressive rock group in the 1970s — Mr. Schon began his career as a teenager in Santana — and found arena-filling success with dramatic pop-rock in the ’80s.

Lately, Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain, who joined the group for “Escape,” have battled over various financial issues , and another letter sent to Mr. Cain this month — by a different lawyer for Mr. Schon, at a different firm — complained that Ms. White was inappropriately interfering in the band’s business affairs.

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario

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Journey's Neal Schon serves Jonathan Cain with cease-and-desist letter after Donald Trump performances

Rock band Journey's ace guitarist, original constant and de facto CEO Neal Schon , has served the band's longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain a cease-and-desist letter after the latter performed the band's songs at events affiliated with former President Donald Trump.

The letter, dated Dec. 16 and provided to USA TODAY by Schon's attorney Louis R. Miller, states that Cain performing at Trump's events and appearing in his videos implies that Journey is in support of the former president. 

"Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political," the letter reads.

More: Journey's Neal Schon says he and Steve Perry are 'in a good place' before band's 50th anniversary

Schon's lawyer attached a video shared on Twitter where Cain can be seen performing "Don't Stop Believin'" at an event at Trump's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. In the video, Trump can be seen in the crowd looking on as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) , former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Kimberly Guilfoyle sing onstage. 

Schon replied to the tweet at the time in November, writing: "For the record I stated for years now that I’m not OK with us any type of political statement should not be connected to our music that we wrote."

The letter continued stating that Cain had "no right to use Journey for politics" nor should he be able to capitalize off the band for his own religious or political agenda and doing so continues to be harmful to Journey's image in the public eye.

Schon's lawyer advised Cain and his counsel there will be no further actions taken should the keyboardist stop  and agree to no longer do anything that would "intentionally harm the Journey brand."

In a statement provided to USA TODAY Thursday, Cain said that Schon "should look in the mirror when he accuses me of causing harm to the Journey brand," going on to list a number of alleged professional ills committed by Schon.

"Neal sued Live Nation twice, losing both times, and damaging our ability to ever work with them again; Neal outrageously tried to take away trademarks from Steve Perry," Cain continued. "Neal argues online with fans who don’t see eye to eye with him; and Neal and his wife recklessly spend Journey’s money until there is none left for operating costs."

Cain concluded: "If anyone is destroying the Journey brand, it is Neal — and Neal alone.”

This isn't the first time Journey has been in the news for a squabble between bandmates. The band has been marred with decades of fluctuating lineups and snarly lawsuits among band members.

In 2020,  Schon and Cain filed a lawsuit with the California Superior Court  claiming Steve Smith and Ross Valory attempted to launch a "coup" to gain control of the Journey trademark and oust the original band members, according to court documents.

They ended up settling for $10 million.

More: Journey fires Steve Smith, Ross Valory; lawsuit alleges attempted 'coup' to hold band name 'hostage'

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri

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Journey bandmates battle over Donald Trump and ‘Don’t Stop Believin”

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Some songs become political anthems over time, but a Journey band member has made it clear he doesn’t want Don’t Stop Believin’ to become one.

Journey guitarist Neal Schon served keyboardist Jonathan Cain a cease-and-desist order over a performance of the band’s hit song Don’t Stop Believin ‘ played by Cain at Donald Trump ‘s Mar-a-Lago resort.

In November, Cain, 71, sang the song while playing the keyboard on stage at the America First Policy Institute’s Experience and Gala. A chorus of several Republicans dressed in formal attire sang along, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” along with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain at a recent event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/dvSp1z62BX — PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 23, 2022

The cease-and-desist letter insisted Cain “has no right to use Journey for politics.”

Cain’s wife, Paula White, is an American televangelist and “ spiritual advisor ” to Trump.

Schon, Cain and the band’s former lead singer Steve Perry are the original writers of the 1981 song Don’t Stop Believin ‘. 

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“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach,” Schon, 68, argued in the letter. “Journey is not, and should not be, political.”

Schon claimed Cain’s use of the song at Republican party events is “harmful” to Journey’s brand.

“His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band,” the letter continued.

The relationship between Cain and Schon was already strained; a spokesperson for Cain said that “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies.”

Earlier this year, Schon filed a lawsuit against Cain that claimed he was denied access to an American Express credit card used by Journey. Cain then accused Schon of charging more than US$1 million in “improper personal expenses” to the band’s card. The pair continues to argue the issue both publicly and in court.

In the cease-and-desist, Schon and his lawyers argued Cain’s use of Don’t Stop Believin ‘  at a Republican event “has the band’s fans up in arms.”

The sentiment is evident on social media. One Twitter user wrote that “Journey’s been dead to me since Cain’s support of Trump came out.” Another fan said, “using Journey’s music for a Trump event is an insult .”

Schon claimed Cain’s use of the song will impact the “earning potential” of Journey, “especially in light of the forthcoming tour.”

Journey’s latest tour, which will see both Cain and Schon on stage, is set to begin on Jan. 27, 2023.

On Thursday, Schon tweeted that Journey had long ago decided not to be political.

“You just don’t go there as you will lose fans,” he wrote. “To me music is for the whole world.”

It was agreed to from the get go with Herbie Herbert way before JC. It’s simple, you just don’t go there as you will lose fans. To me the music is for the whole world 🌎 no segregation. — NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022

He also claimed Schon’s statement about “losing in court” is false.

“His statement is a lie,” Schon wrote Monday. He said the issue will be heard in court in February 2023.

His statement is a lie. We’ve not really been to court yet. I filed an ex parte to try to speed things along but judge did not feel it was a life or death matter. It is scheduled to be heard in Feb. I didn’t lose actually last time I won & Jon Benefited by it. — NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) December 22, 2022

Journey is not the only band to complain about their music being used for Trump’s political campaigns. In 2020, The Rolling Stones threatened legal action against Trump for the use of their music at his rallies.

Don’t Stop Believin ‘  is one of the most beloved classic rock songs of all time. The song resurged in popularity several decades after its release when it was featured in the final episode of The Sopranos  in 2007. And in 2009 the song took on new life when it was included in the first episode of the popular TV show Glee .

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Journey’s Neal Schon Blasts Bandmates for Meeting With Trump

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

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Just about every classic rock band split has its so-called Yoko — that is, the outside figure some fans claim got between the principals and “broke up the band.” In the case of Journey , could that “Yoko” turn out to be… Donald Trump ?

Journey hasn’t broken up yet, but a steady stream of social-media commentary from guitarist and co-founder Neal Schon has brought to light a deep schism within the veteran group, brought to a head when three other members of the group visited the White House and posed for pictures with the president. Schon has devoted dozens of tweets to his fury over not getting a heads-up about the visit, which resulted in headlines erroneously suggesting that the entire band had made a friendly stop in the Oval Office.

Schon claims that he’s neutral toward Trump and that the apparent feud is more about band politics than Washington, hinting that the rest of the group has talked about going on tour without him. For fans, it’s a startling revelation that, behind the scenes of the group’s seemingly triumphant shows at the Classic West and Classic East festivals in July, and even at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in the spring, harmony did not prevail.

Popular on Variety

“How would you feel if u found out that the rest of the band wanted to tour without me?” Schon asked on Twitter.  “They will not tour with Journey name. Trust me. I’ve spent way too long building to give up the brand… F-ing insane. It is a serious try at hijacking JRNY… It’s now time for the truth (about) all I have endured this year, enough is enough. Exposing any abusive, malicious behavior.”

For Schon, that behavior includes buddying up to Trump, after, he says, they’d previously had internal meetings, and even discussed publicly, agreeing not to bring politics or religion into the band . Both of those are touchy subjects, since keyboard player Jonathan Cain has stated publicly that he brings Jesus onto the stage with him at Journey shows, while Schon has declared that the band as an entity shouldn’t appear to favor any deity in particular. Cain’s entrée into the White House at any given time is an easy one: his wife, Paula White, is the pastor of a Pentecostal megachurch in Florida who became a household name even in secular circles over the last year as the president’s primary spiritual advisor.

It’s not surprising that Schon didn’t receive an invitation to tag along to the White House, but he was enraged when he apparently found out about it by seeing an NBC story singer Arnel Pineda posted in his Facebook feed with a headline indicating the entire band had attended. “Everybody’s entitled to like and believe what they want but when we’ve had this discussion many, many times it was always a no WH. All know,” Schon wrote. “Arranged photo op against what we’ve all stood for up until 2 years ago (when) Jon changed radically… And then on top of it the stories that have stemmed from their visit say JOURNEY was there. Like I don’t exist. I brought all these guys in.”

In response to a fan’s tweet asking, “Is this going to affect the band lineup?,” Schon replied, “I’m not sure. The last two years have not been easy. Was fine till then.” Answering a tweet saying it was “time to ditch the toxic people in your life,” Schon got religious for a moment, posting emoji of praying hands and writing, “Amen to that. I don’t deserve this bs. I will cut it all out like cancer. Too f-ing toxic to live in.”

Schon turned down a request from Variety for an interview, responding, “I’d love to but it this time I’d rather wait a bit. I’m being approached by many mainstream people. In due time.” Representatives for the band could not immediately be reached for comment.

I'm not angry anymore just strong and determined to continue to protect our legacy. I don't c anyone else even caring about it. https://t.co/iEEcHCgADo — NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) August 6, 2017

Other band members have been circumspect in reacting to Schon’s grievances, but Pineda did respond to a fan who wrote “I’m starting to lose my respect for Arnel,” responding, “Reminder: I don’t belong to any political group nor inclined to any religious sect.” On Twitter, Schon knocked down a suggestion that the Filipino-American singer was “naïve” about the visit, saying the fill-in for Steve Perry was full aware what he was doing, and suggesting he was ungrateful for being brought in a decade ago by Schon.

Just in case there was any doubt about where Schon’s loyalties lie, he’s posted photos of himself with original singer Perry, writing on Instagram: “Steve Perry & Neal Schon are the true heart & soul of JRNY from 1972 Infinity and beyond.” Asked by fans on Twitter about the possibility of the two reuniting, Schon admitted he hadn’t been in contact with Perry since the Rock Hall reunion, but feels intuitively that a lasting reunion is in the cards anyway: “It’s mutual we will reconnect. I know without talking to him.”

Not stirring the pot. It's now time for the truth all I have endured this year, enough is enough. Exposing any abusive, malicious behavior https://t.co/MNM3vVUysO — NEAL SCHON MUSIC (@NealSchonMusic) August 4, 2017

Pineda seemed to take the hint. “Just so you know,” the singer wrote in a hashtag-filled post, “I have no problem being an #expendable #entity. Nothing’s #permanent in this world. Constant change’s our #bestfriend.”

Sunday night, as word of the dispute grew among fans, Pineda addressed it more directly on social media, tweeting : “mayB nobody deserves to go through THIS bt maybe dis s what needs 2 happen 4 us 2 know wat kind of HOUSE we all helped build through d years.” The singer left it open as to just how strong a group foundation he thinks will be revealed after all this inspection. But when a fan responded with a request that the band members not “let a tweet war replace real discussion,” Pineda co-signed with a hopeful “Agree.”

The biggest winner so far in this fracas, if any? Seth Meyers, who’s gotten a lot of viral-video play out of the feud. Although Schon has not specifically taken digs at Cain’s televangelist wife in his tweets, he’s repeatedly posted a video of a segment the late-night comic did roasting White’s mixture of prosperity gospel and and politics, in which Meyers had fun with clips of the pastor/advisor adopting black dialect in front of an African-American audience.

Cain hasn’t addressed the controversy in his Twitter feed, which continues to be filled with Bible verses and family photos, now that the band’s tour is over. But he did acknowledge adversity: “God protect me from ANYTHING that wasn’t sent by you,” Cain tweeted , adding, “He is my shield and my sword.” Scripture as the ultimate subtweet?

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Journey star tells his bandmate to stop performing for Donald Trump

• Published 22 December 2022

A member of the band Journey has served a bandmate with a cease and desist order after he performed their hit Don't Stop Believin' for Donald Trump.

Guitarist Neal Schon said keyboardist Jonathan Cain "has no right to use Journey for politics".

Cain, whose wife Paula White is an advisor to the former president, played the group's anthem at an event at Mr Trump's estate in Florida last month.

Cain argued that Schon was the one who had been damaging Journey's reputation.

The pair are already in a legal battle over spending on the band credit card.

Don't Stop Believin' was first released in 1981 but enjoyed a resurgence after being used in TV shows The Sopranos and Glee.

It was written by Cain and Schon in collaboration with singer Steve Perry, who left the band in 1998.

Last month, it was revealed to be the most-streamed song from 1981 in the UK.

The most-streamed songs of 1952 to 2022 revealed

• Why Journey's frontman stopped believin'

In his letter, reported by Variety , Schon said his bandmate's performance at the America First Policy Institute's Experience and Gala at Mar-A-Lago was a "harmful use of the brand".

The America First Policy Institute is run by former senior Trump White House officials and has been described as an "administration in waiting" should he be re-elected. Paula White-Cain was Mr Trump's spiritual advisor during his presidency and chairs the AFPI's Center for American Values.

Schon's letter said: "Although Mr Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band's fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political."

The letter continued: "His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey's brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band."

Schon later tweeted about the matter, saying : "You just don't go there as you will lose fans."

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In a statement, Cain said Schon "should look in the mirror when he accuses me of causing harm to the Journey brand".

He accused his bandmate of taking or threatening legal action against numerous people connected with the band; of sending "bullying, toxic" emails; and of "recklessly" spending Journey's money.

"If anyone is destroying the Journey brand, it is Neal - and Neal alone," Cain concluded.

In November, it was reported that Schon claimed he had been denied access to the group's American Express card and its records, while Cain accused his bandmate of putting more than $1m (£827,000) in "improper personal expenses" on the card.

Their current acrimony may make for frosty relations when they go back on tour in January with singer Arnel Pineda, who joined the group in 2007.

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Journey bandmates put politics aside for stadium tour: 'we reset our friendship'.

Long-lived rock bands have enough internal problems without real Politics — with a capital P — getting in the way.

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain's trip to the Trump White House (along with the band's singer and bassist) irked Journey founding guitarist Neal Schon — and he let the world know via Twitter. Talk about a family feud.

Did they kiss and make up?

No and yes, Cain said in a recent interview.

Schon agreed: Things aren't copacetic, but they're on tour together again.

Cain, 68, called from Detroit to tout his new memoir, "Don't Stop Believin,' " and Journey's first tour of baseball stadiums, which comes to Target Field on Friday. He not only talked about Trump and Schon but also about "The Sopranos" and his phone call from Prince when the Minnesotan was concerned that "Purple Rain" might have been too similar musically to Journey's "Faithfully."

Schon, 64, phoned a few days later from Denver to discuss similar topics — as well as an unreleased record he made with two Minnesota musicians and a forthcoming solo instrumental album recorded with Grammy-winning producer/drummer Narada Michael Walden.

So it's time for he-said/he-said.

On Cain's relationship with President Donald Trump

"I'm not close to him. I met him casually before he was president in New York. It's my wife's relationship. (His wife of three years, Pastor Paula White, has been called Trump's spiritual adviser.) My wife has known him for 18 years now. I know him just through her.

"I don't go golfing with him. We know each other. He respects what I do. I respect what he does. I'm a big fan of his golf courses. He saved golf, man."

On what upset Schon

Schon wasn't told about the planned White House visit by any of his bandmates or the group's managers. "I didn't appreciate that [as] a founding member," he said.

So, after the visit received mainstream media coverage, Schon expressed his displeasure on Twitter.

"Everybody has their own right to believe what they want to believe in on their own time," Schon explained. "Something we've always agreed in the Journey camp is there should be no political connection and no religious connection because our music is worldwide music. Once you put a tag on something, religiously or politically, you're going to lose fans."

On whether Cain and Schon have kissed and made up

"I wouldn't say that," Schon said, "but we're doing better than we did before."

"No kiss," said Cain. "We hugged and shook hands. He's my brother."

On the state of their relationship

Schon: "I think it's much better than it's been in a long time."

They're two pros who've known each other for more than 40 years. So Schon is putting aside past and present differences, he said, "because the music is bigger than personal feelings."

Cain: "We reset our friendship. I respect him and he respects me. We had a misunderstanding, a bump in the road and we've since moved on for the sake of the tour and the fans."

On deciding whether Journey or Def Leppard headlines on their current joint stadium tour

Their respective managers figure out which band is bigger in which market. In the end, they each close about the same number of shows on the tour.

Said Schon: "It doesn't make any difference to me. For me, opening a show is fine because everyone is in their seat ready to go and we can get to the next city faster."

On when Cain found out 'The Sopranos' were going to use Journey's 1981 smash 'Don't Stop Believin' ' in its final episode in 2007

The band was approached about the possibility a year in advance by showrunner David Chase. He even sent a couple of pages of the script.

"David Chase had a lot of opposition from producers. They didn't want a song by Journey," Cain recalled. "He fought for it and won."

Cain kept the news to himself and his family was surprised when they watched the show with him.

On the impact of 'The Sopranos' on Journey

"It gave us another 10, 15 years, at least," Cain opined. "It was watched around the world by all age groups. It redefined the song somewhat. Some of those lyrics hit home a little better."

Said Schon: "To have it be an anthem now, it tells me we have a much younger audience out there and it's getting younger all the time. It's one of the biggest downloaded songs in history."

On looking for South Detroit, which is mentioned in lyrics to 'Don't Stop Believin,' ' which Cain co-wrote

"We can't find it. It's in Canada. It's Windsor, that's what they tell us," joked Cain. "We just sing about it. It's a magical place where a small-town girl and a city boy end up going on that midnight train to anywhere. It's an imaginary fantastical place."

On comparing Arnel Pineda, Journey's singer of the past 11 years, with heyday singer Steve Perry

Said Cain: "They are both amazing tenors with incredible ability to shift gears and soar. They have similar timbres. But I think Arnel has a little edgier, smoky voice. A little more rock singer, if you will. Steve was a little more rhythm and blues."

On their relationship with Perry

Neither Schon nor Cain has talked to Perry since Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. "I miss him," Schon said.

Said Cain: "He has a very private life and likes it that way." They communicate through lawyers when it comes to publishing and licensing of songs.

On rumors of Perry doing a solo tour

Schon saw on Instagram that Perry's solo album is coming out in October. "If he is doing a tour, I'll be one of the people there," the guitarist said.

Said Cain: "He should be singing. He was born to sing."

On why Cain wrote his memoir

"It's not any official Journey biography. I wrote a book to encourage and inspire.

"They told me I couldn't make it [in the music business]. I was selling stereos and then I was on the road with Journey. How did that happen in four short years?"

On what Schon thinks of Cain's memoir

"I was pleasantly surprised about a lot of the older stories that included myself and the rest of the guys. It brought a smile to my face. All in all, it's a positive thing for all of us."

On if Journey is going to make another album

"There's talk," Schon said. "I'm not interested in making a record through e-mail and files from a computer. We've made records like that before. Nothing beats when we sat in a room together and tossed ideas around. If they want to make an organic record, I'm down."

Schon would be satisfied with just releasing a song or two every year. "That would be plenty to let people know that Journey is moving forward."

On Prince calling Cain to see if the keyboardist thought "Purple Rain" was too similar to Journey's 'Faithfully'

In the fall of 1983, Prince's managers sent a cassette of "Purple Rain" to Journey's music managers at Columbia Records. The rock star wanted Journey's opinion on if he had unintentionally copped some licks from Journey's "Faithfully."

Schon: "Yeah, it's similar. I looked at it more like maybe he was influenced by the way I was playing guitar on that song and the way the chords were descending. It wasn't close enough to worry about it."

Cain also recognized some similarities in the cadence of Prince's whoa-whoas, chord changes and Schon-like guitar sound. He concluded: "It didn't sound like 'Faithfully' to me at all. So I said I have no problem with this."

So they get Prince on the phone to talk to Cain, the sole writer of "Faithfully." The Minnesotan offered to change the chords.

"I said, 'Don't do no such a thing. You don't have to worry about us,' " Cain recalled. "He said, 'I'm coming to San Francisco, so I'll get you tickets.' "

That night in Journey's hometown, "Prince looked at me in the front row and threw me a tambourine and I caught it," Cain said. "Classy guy. The fact that he even cared to call me was pretty remarkable."

On Schon's never-released record with former Prince singer Rosie Gaines and the Twin Cities rhythm section of drummer Michael Bland and bassist Billy Peterson

They recorded five tunes in the late 1990s in Schon's Oakland studio (formerly Larry Graham's place). The group was dubbed Black Soup Cracker.

"It's rock 'n' soul," Schon said. "Rosie sounds like Aretha Franklin doing AC/DC. The grooves were like Band of Gypsies [Jimi Hendrix's band]. Michael Bland was like Buddy Miles with chops. I think there'll be a day when I put together a boxed set and I'd like to include it on something like that."

On Schon's upcoming solo instrumental album, 'Universe'

Schon asked Walden to write him a record. Walden played drums, synth bass and keys and "he sang the melodies he wanted me to play on guitar."

Said Schon: "The only way I can describe it, it's me playing with an orchestra and an ass-kicking drummer and rhythm section."

Schon thinks "Universe" will be released either late this year or early in 2019.

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.

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Journey’s Neal Schon Hits Bandmate With Cease-and-Desist Order for Trump Rally Performance of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain has been served a cease-and-desist order by bandmate Neal Schon ’s attorney.

Cain’s performance of the band’s 1981 hit song “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Trump ’s Mar-a-Lago property with a backup chorus of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene , Don Trump Jr. fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake prompted the letter.

The missive, obtained Wednesday by TheWrap, begins by outlining that by appearing in Trump videos and playing Journey songs for the former president, Cain has made it seem like the full membership of Journey supports Trump.

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“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political,” the letter continues. “Mr. Cain’s unauthorized affiliation of Journey with the politics of Donald Trump has the band’s fans up in arms, as is demonstrated by a sample of the attached emails and Twitter comments. This has caused, and continues to cause, irreparable harm to the Journey brand, its fan base and earning potential, especially in light of the forthcoming tour.

“Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band,” the letter adds before expressing that the senders do not wish to ‘add to the animosity’ between the two bandmates.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kari Lake sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” along with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain at a recent event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/dvSp1z62BX — PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) November 23, 2022

The song, which experienced a resurgence after it graced the soundtrack of HBO’s “The Sopranos,” nearly 30 years after its initial release, has been used in previous parts of Trump’s campaign, including rallies.

“Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies,” a spokesperson for Cain said.

Schon and former lead singer Steve Perry have previously disapproved of the use of the song in association with Trump’s campaign. Earlier in the fall, Schon — Journey’s founding lead guitarist — aired a disagreement with Cain about the band’s American Express card.

Schon sued Cain under the claim that he had been “improperly restricted” in access to the Journey American Express card and its records.

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“Schon has tried to avoid legal action, repeatedly requesting that Cain grant him access to the AMEX account,” the filing said. “For many months, Cain and his representatives have represented that Schon would be granted access. But every time Schon contacted AMEX, AMEX informed him that he was still not authorized to access AMEX account records.”

These are just two of the more recent tiffs between members of the band, which has suffered more broadly from other contensions between the same and different bandmates.

In 2020, Schon addressed the use of the anthem by Trump, whose spiritual advisor Paula White has been married to Cain for eight years.

“I’ve stated how I felt about mixing religion and politics and how our music is not of one religion — Democratic or Republican. This is and has been an issue with myself, Mr. Cain and his wife,” Schon said. “I’ve had to fight this whole time to protect the brand I built with Steve Perry, way before Gregg [Rolie] and I picked Cain to replace himself when he wanted to retire from the road back then. Well frankly, I’m tired of having to defend all by myself.”

Also Read: Justin Bieber Close to Selling Music Rights in Near $200 Million Deal

Variety first reported the news.

For the record: The headline for a previous version of this story misidentified Neal Schon. He is Journey’s lead guitarist.

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Journey Members Reach ‘Amicable Settlement’ in Battle Over Band Name

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

Journey has reached an “amicable settlement” with a pair of former members that were previously accused of plotting an “ill-conceived” attempt to take over the band’s name.

In March 2020, Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain fired longtime bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith after the latter two allegedly tried to fund their retirement by wresting control of the band’s name.

Both Schon and Cain and Valory exchanged lawsuits in the legal battle; Skip Miller, a lawyer for Schon and Cain, said at the time of Valory’s countersuit, “The cross-complaint has no merit whatsoever. Valory is out of the band. When the pandemic is over, Journey will go out on tour without him. Life will go on.”

Thirteen months later, the two sides have reached an agreement, the terms of which were not revealed.

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“The members of the band Journey who were parties to a recent lawsuit (Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Steve Smith, and Ross Valory) are pleased to announce that they have resolved their differences and reached an amicable settlement agreement,” the band said in a statement to Rolling Stone . “Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain acknowledge the valuable contributions that both Ross Valory and Steve Smith have made to the music and the legacy of Journey. Ross Valory and Steve Smith wish their former bandmates well and much success in the future. Journey looks forward to continuing to tour and make new music for their dedicated fans around the world.”

As the statement confirms, Valory and Smith remain no longer in Journey; in May 2020, Journey announced they were bringing back their former bassist and  American Idol  judge Randy Jackson for the first time since the mid-Eighties — coincidentally, Jackson also replaced co-founding bassist Valory after his first dismissal from the band in 1985 — as well as welcoming Grammy-winning drummer Narada Michael Walden to the band.

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