I'll admit it. I love Journey. They are the one rock and roll group that I can listen to over and over again and never get tired of their music.
That's why it was a true honor to sit down and talk with Jonathan Cain, the band's longtime keyboardist and songwriter, when he visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this week.
Cain was at the Hall for their Hall of Fame Series event where he discussed his career with fans and performed an acoustic set for them as well. Prior to that, he toured the Hall and checked out where he and his Journey band mates are enshrined among rock and roll's greats.
When asked about what he thought about the Hall and how he and Journey are being represented, Cain says the Rock Hall has done it right.
"It's a real honor for us. We waited 35 years and it's well worth the wait. I have to say I'm very impressed with the way it's displayed. Very modern and I love the new hall that they've got. And it continues to evolve, that's the one thing I noticed."
A big surprise for visitors occurred when he visited the lower level to see the piano he donated to the museum prior to his induction. Shortly after arriving he sat down and played a quick medley of Journey songs.
When he looks back to the night he and his band mates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cain says it would never have happened without the help of their biggest supporters.
"When you stand on that stage, you realize it was the fans that put you there. The fans voted us number one in our class. And so that meant something. The evening was magical and I stole a page out of it and began my memoir with that experience."
Regarding what enshrinement has meant to him, Cain says going into the Hall not only validated their careers but gave them a boost as well.
"We saw a resurgence in our ticket sales. People wanted to see Journey again because of all the PR. The album sales increased. Everything helps the brand."
Journey's Jonathan Cain gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cain recently released his autobiography, "Don't Stop Believin'," which chronicles his life from childhood in Chicago to becoming the keyboardist and songwriter behind one of the world's most popular bands. In full transparency, I've read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Cain is very open and honest about his life through good times and bad. He's not afraid to look in the literary mirror and own up to past mistakes and how they impacted his career and, more importantly to him, his family. Readers will also get a true sense of Cain's deep spirituality and how his relationship with religion has shaped his life and craft.
Musically, there are great insights into his most famous non-Journey bands, The Babys and Bad English, and the one driving force that caused both groups to fall apart. For Journey fans, not only are there detailed stories behind the hits and tours, you can also feel Cain's angst over the band's strained relationship with former lead singer Steve Perry and what drove them apart, not once but twice. But you do get a sense there is still a kinship there and the hope that he and Perry will reconnect, if not in Journey, but in other ways.
Perry recently returned to the musical spotlight with the release of "Traces," the singer's first solo album in 24 years. I asked Cain if he had listened to the album and what he thought.
"I think it's very emotional. It's cool. It's his first one and I think there's more to come from him. And good for him. He should be singing. And it's undeniably Steve. So I wish him all the best with it and congratulations."
When I asked Cain what it was like reliving his life on paper, he said the effort was never intended to be about music.
"I had been writing it for 10 years. It started out a coming of age story. I had this terrible school fire I was part of and none of us survivors have ever been published. I'll be the first one. I didn't know it was going to be part memoir, part music book but then I realized 37 years of my life were in Journey. Who am I not to include that?"
(The fire Cain refers to is the Our Lady of the Angels School tragedy of 1958 which claimed the lives of 92 children and three nuns. The tragic event plays a prominent role in Cain's memoir and he details how the emotional impact of losing classmates would affect him for years afterward.)
One thing that stood out to Cain about the writing process discovering how the pieces of his life, in terms of people, places and events, all led him down the path to success. And it's something he hopes will inspire others.
"Very interesting to see the patterns and the themes that come out. The prophetic things that happened in my life. The Lord surrounding me with these great people. And waiting for my turn. 'When am I going to be great? When do I get a chance to look great? To do something great?' And it was Journey. I'm proof it's possible. And you're not always who 'they' say you are."
Someone else who has looked to Cain for inspiration is his daughter Madison, who is a pursuing her own career as a singer, The 25-year old took part in the Blind Auditions on this past Tuesday's episode on NBC's hit reality series, The Voice. Admittedly battling stage fright, the younger Cain sang Alannis Morrisette's "You Oughta Know," but was unable to get the judges to turn their chairs for her. They said she wasn't "angry enough" for the song and need to dig down emotionally and connect with it more. Unsurprisingly, her dad didn't agree with the judges' critique and says he couldn't have been prouder.
"I think it was a great experience for Madison. I think she did it to say 'I can do this.' And that night, I was so proud of her. And it's time. This is Madison's time. And I tell you what, she is way talented. A lot farther down the road than when I was 25."
Despite being not being picked by any of the judges, Madison Cain's time on The Voice is not over. She was chosen to take part in the Comeback Stage, an online series where she will be working with award-winning singer Kelsea Ballerini and duking it out wth 5 other artists for a chance to return for the The Voice playoff round.
A post shared by M A D I S O N 🌸 (@theemadison) on
If there's one thing that is consistently clear in any interview with any member of Journey, it's how much they appreciate and love their fans. It's that connection that Cain says he treasures most when reflecting on his career to date.
"Touching the hearts and souls of our fans. That our music might be an inspiration for them and might help them out through a bad time or a good time, or a marriage. That they would want to own our music, or collect our music. That to me is just special. We all work in this business for approval. And the massive approval of our fans has been a serious inspiration for me."
As far as what fans think about his and Journey's legacy, Cain hopes visitors to the Rock Hall will walk away understanding that what he and the rest of the band have done over the course of their career matters.
"We left something behind that was pretty great. And we were a sound track to people's lives. People grew up with us and that was noted in rock history. In the 80's, they wrote us off. The rock critics said we'd never be anything. And now I'd to say to those people, we were doing the right music for us at the right time. We were always trying the to be the best we could be. Give the fans the best we had. And it was pretty darn good and that's the proof."
In other words, don't stop believin'.