Omar Hakim playing drums with Journey now?

Omar Hakim now plays drums with the rock band Journey, in a strange turn of events, their regular drummer
Deen Castronovo has been booted from the band due to a second arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident.

Omar will play all of their current shows now through this summer.
No word yet if the replacement is permanent.

Read the whole story here....http://www.tmz.com/2015/06/18/journey-new-drummer-dean-castronovo-arrest-omar-hakim-replacement/

Looks like things have gone seriously wrong for Journey's drummer......

http://www.tmz.com/2015/06/30/deen-castronovo-journey-drummer-arrested-charged-rape-wife-new-charges/#ixzz3eYanXoaB

Not the best circumstances
but Omar is the best replacement
possible for ANY gig.

Regards,

Look at that Omar
playing open-handed!

This is kinda funny to me.... Reminds me of Tower Of Power.
They've gone through a ton of vocalists since Lenny Williams
and they all sound like him. Doing the classics without the classic
people. Narada did a nice job but what were the M.O. after BC
left? Some things are better left alone once they've ended.

Incidentally, have you heard Deen Castronovo sing? He was
amazing on both the drums and lead vocals.

Pete described Journey's choice of drummer very well and I agree that Omar can cut any gig out there. Just by hearing that last video of Omar performing with Journey, I thought he did a grand job. Omar plays with authority and more than gets the job done. However, I would think a reputable rock drummer would have filled the bill in my humble opinion here.

rac

Just so we're clear, my last reference
was to the vocalist and not the drum chair.
it's kinda amusing to me how these bands will
find replacement singers that have the same
vocal characteristics as the original.

Again, Tower of power has done this more than
a few times already in replacing Lenny Williams.

I, like Pete, was precisely directing comment to the "drum chair" - thus your post's title; Omar Hakim Playing Drums with Journey Now?

Your referring to a singer was an appropriate comparison to Journey having a replacement drummer - I can accept that.

This is drumman's post, not mine.  And I wasn't comparing Journey's
mere replacement aspects but rather noting (After watching the video)
how their newest front man has the same vocal characteristics as
original vocalist, Steve Perry and comparing that concept of choice to
those of Tower Of Power, who has done this many times when choosing
a lead vocalist.

I think that the circumstances
were quick to surface and the
band had to make a quick dec-
ision about who would/could get
the rest of the job done, with
the least amount of preparation.

I think that was a big part of the
decision to use him. He is a
chameleon. I admit that he has
always been a real fave.

Regards,

"He is a chameleon."

Pete
________________________________

Totally. That was the same jest that Joe Zawinul said about Omar when they had only one day to rehearse an entire spectrum of Weather Report music. That day was just before the concert date. The story went where they basically sat under an umbrella out in Zawinul's back yard having lunch together. There was only a few hours of rehearsal remaining after dining together. Zawinul believed in bonding with fellow musicians prior to getting into the technical aspects of the music. He went on further to say that this kind of fellowship creates a more relaxed consciousness that pulls the music together naturally. The concert turned out fabulous as he expected using Omar. Omar is a natural that just seems to organically become part of a group's musical DNA.

This article was one of Drummer's Magazine back in the early seventies. I will never forget that.

Thanks for bringing that up about Omar's gifted-ness to natural adaptability...so true

Rac

The man can just flat out play.... Simple as that!

Looks like Omar expanded the drum kit for his current Journey gig, never saw Omar play 2 bass drums before...Cool..!!

drumman wrote:Looks like Omar expanded the drum kit for his current Journey gig, never saw Omar play 2 bass drums before...Cool..!!

Yes I watched him at a London Clinic
he had a One Bass Drum  [but double pedals]
I think for this Rock Band
he should  use 2 sizes of bass Drums
its well needed.


Also I love Neal Schon  on Guitar
to think when he started with Santana 1971
he was just 15.
But Carlos  loved his dedication
and found he was a great back up.

______________________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

Looks like that other bass drum is just for show, if you look closely in the photo, there is a double pedal on the right kick
and the hi-hat and left bass drum pedal are moved over on Omar's left foot side.
In my opinion, if you are going to have two bass drums up there, PLAY THEM, I have seen Ricky Lawson do that too when he used a two bass drum set up, don't understand that? You want the look, but don't want to play them?

Thats the way he plays
I watched  Omar at a Clinic
for a Tall Man
I  think his double bass drum pedals work  well for him.


So many top - drummers get back injurys
I prefer him to play the kit that fits his body best

The band are working well with Omar
it great he was able  to take the place
of the other Drummer
in short notice.

__________________________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

I never heard of anybody getting a back injury from playing two bass drums...lol.

The only thing I can think of is that he went with using the other bass drum quickly and he didn't have time to
get used to them on his own and shed with them. So the double pedal was the easiest thing to do for now.

Ansley Dunbar, Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo all used two bass drums in Journey, so Omar must have thought
he should have it there so nobody would notice anything had changed on stage.

It is easy to do that when someone else is carrying and setting up your equipment for you.
I can't imagine anybody doing that when they have to carry and set up their own drums, it would be so much extra
effort for a drum that isn't even being played.