Fans and fellow musicians across the world are celebrating the recent comeback of former Journey drummer Deen Castronovo. After almost a two year hiatus, he is back on the stage and rocking audiences once again.
After almost two years of sobriety, Castronovo is proving the promise of his future far outshines the darkness in his past. Drugs and addiction have plagued the musician for many years and lead to many professional and personal challenges for him including charges of domestic violence, jail time, and accusations of rape, which were ultimately thrown out of court and dropped completely (although the press failed to report that quite as often as they did the accusations).
Needless to say, many thought he would never recover from such a public fall from grace. However, against the odds, he has bounced back and has turned things around in his life. His recent performances are proving he is ready to once again make music leaving fans longing for more.
Most recently, he filled in on drums for Night Ranger’s Kelly Keagy while Keagy took solely to the mic, still healing from recent heart surgery. Deen’s Twitter was filled with warm messages of support from fans and fellow musicians alike for his first US performance since he entered drug rehab two years ago.
In April, Castronovo played with his newest band, Revolution Saints, featuring Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Doug Aldrich of The Dead Daisies. The group had their debut live performance at the Frontiers Music Festival in Milan, Italy to a crowd of cheering fans from all over the world.
The band showcases Castronovo’s immense talent both as a drummer and lead vocalist and is giving him the chance to front a band for the first time. Revolution Saints is currently working on a new album and plans for an upcoming tour sometime next year.
There is also talk of a new project for Castronovo including Rudy Sarzo on bass, and Dan Spitz on guitar. The trio are set to begin writing a new Christian thrash album this year.
With all of the recent horror and loss within the music community, it is nice to see someone persevere and turn his life around in spite of the odds against him. Let it be a reminder to all of us that hope is boundless and we are all stronger than we sometimes believe.
