{"id":77113,"date":"2026-11-13T22:42:41","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T22:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/journey-go-separate-ways-with-longtime-drummer\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T22:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T22:42:41","slug":"journey-go-separate-ways-with-longtime-drummer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/journey-go-separate-ways-with-longtime-drummer\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey Go Separate Ways With Longtime Drummer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tDrummer Deen Castronovo is stepping away from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/journey\/\" id=\"auto-tag_journey\" data-tag=\"journey\">Journey<\/a> just two weeks before the band wraps its Final Frontier tour with a homecoming show in San Francisco. Castronovo has been dealing with an undisclosed medical ailment that forced him to leave the stage midway through two recent gigs and hand his sticks over to drum tech Steve Toomey. Journey has tapped Steve Murphy to finish the tour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cAfter careful consideration and an extensive year of touring, our talented, longtime drummer Deen Castronovo has decided to step away to focus on personal health matters that require his attention,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=1692274258923664&amp;id=100044233174771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">the band wrote in a group statement.<\/a> \u201cHe has our full support during this time and extends his heartfelt thanks to the fans for the love, encouragement, and kindness he has received. Native New Yorker Steve Murphy, who comes to us from working with bands such as Alan Parsons Project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Christopher Cross, and Jack Bruce, will be joining us for the remainder of November. We look forward to continuing to share unforgettable nights of music with all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Journey - Live! - Lights - 6.21.26 \/ Green Bay, WI\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k33haX4-DNk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tCastronovo teamed up with Journey in 1998, when the band first hit the road with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/journey-singer-steve-augeri-interview-1358450\/\">replacement vocalist Steve Augeri.<\/a> He left in 2015 when he was <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statesmanjournal.com\/story\/news\/crime\/2015\/10\/13\/journey-drummer-deen-castronovo-pleads-guilty\/73878544\/\">arrested on domestic violence and sexual assault charges, <\/a>though he ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree assault constituting domestic violence, two counts of menacing constituting domestic violence, and unlawful use of a weapon and coercion. Many of the more serious charges, including sexual assault, were dropped as part of the plea deal. He received a suspended sentence and four years of probation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tJourney brought him back in 2021, and he once again became a pivotal part of their live show, even singing lead on their 1978 classic \u201cLights\u201d throughout this tour. But during an October 8 show in Tulsa, the drummer <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/journey-drummer-deen-castronovo-medical-emergency-1235640127\/\">suffered a medical emergency<\/a> and was rushed to a hospital. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see what happens as this progresses,\u201d Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain told the audience. \u201cIt\u2019s an unfortunate situation. We\u2019re very sorry. We\u2019re hoping it\u2019s only a delay, but please \u2014 I\u2019m sorry. Don\u2019t worry. Have your prayers ready. Have your prayers ready for Deen Castronovo, everybody. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Journey - (Drummer emergency\/Replacement\/Guitar Solo) Wheel In the Sky - Tulsa OK  2026-10-08\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7tNmxYo8S_U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThey were able to finish the show with Toomey behind the kit. And when the tour resumed just two days later in San Antonio, Texas, Castronovo was back on drums, seemingly fine. But when the tour came to Boston on November 10, Castronovo once again had to depart the stage midway through. They were able to continue with Toomey, but had to cut several songs from the set.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Journey - Faithfully &amp; Don&amp;apos;t Stop Believing Live in Chicago @unitedcenter  10\/5\/2026 Final Frontier\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vogy8CII0Ho?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThis was the end of the line for Castronovo. Murphy joined the tour in Cleveland on November 12, and he\u2019ll be there until the end. The band members originally said this was their last tour, but they have recently <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=1680285353455888&amp;id=100044233174771&amp;mibextid=wwXIfr&amp;rdid=HUTOg374dleVHeRI#\">changed their minds.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cYour love, energy and passion for this music have reminded us how much we still share and how much this journey means to all of us,\u201d band founder Neal Schon wrote to fans earlier this month. \u201cWhat began as \u2018The Final Frontier\u2019 now feels more like \u2018The Long Goodbye.\u2019 We\u2019re letting our hearts \u2014 and the connection we feel with you every night \u2014 help guide what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/journey-part-ways-with-drummer-1235658141\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drummer Deen Castronovo is stepping away from Journey just two weeks before the band wraps its Final Frontier tour with a homecoming show in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":77114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}