‘Believe’ in This Voyager faithfully recalls Journey BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Tommy Dears contends everyone loves the rock band Journey and its songs like “Faithfully,” “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Separate Ways.” The longtime Ahwatukee musician said it was an easy decision to start a Journey tribute act that the band named Voyager. “Journey is one of the greatest bands,” says Dears, a drummer. “For musicians, Journey is a challenging band to pay tribute to. At the same time, it’s rewarding. “They’re an iconic, Hall of Fame band that is well respected among not only the masses but musicians. We love their music, and we’re all really into it.” Voyager — which also includes vocalist Darwin Santos of Gilbert, guitarist Andy Martin of Gilbert, bassist Billy Fry of Glendale and keyboardist/guitarist Kevin Sage of Mesa — has two local shows coming up at the Gaslight Music Hall, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, July 17. Journey or Voyager fans can expect to hear the legendary band’s greatest
hits. Dears describes the show as a roller coaster of emotions and tempos, as Journey’s set is filled with ballads and upbeat rockers. “It’s a trip down memory lane,” Dears says. “We’re going back with all the songs you remember. Another key thing to our show is we play the songs as they were recorded. Our goal is to play the songs like the record. Some tribute bands, they play the live version. We don’t do that. “You have to have endings for songs. We do pick from Journey’s live shows, so you can hear endings based on that. For the most part, though, the songs sound the way you remember them on the record.” Dears explains that Voyager constantly learns new songs, as it’s a meticulous undertaking to be in a tribute band that plays around the United States. “Each show has 22 Journey songs,” Dears says. “We know 39. We recently rehearsed to refresh ourselves on some of the songs we haven’t played in a while
Voyager: A Tribute to Journey will cover all the hits at Gaslight Music Hall on Saturday, July 17. (Photo courtesy of Voyager)
so we don’t lose them. We’re having the time of our lives. It’s so much fun to play music that people love.” The most challenging song to learn was “Mother, Father,” which Dears described as Perry’s favorite Journey song. “It was the one he thought was the most fulfilling song he ever wrote and sang,” he says. “It’s a rare cut. Not that many people know it. You have to play that song when we have a diehard Journey crowd. It’s for people who know all their stuff. That song has a lot of different parts and is vocally very challenging because of the intricate parts.”
Another similarity between Voyager and Journey is both of the bands’ singers are from the Philippines. “That’s a cool little connection that we have there,” Dears says. “That’s a neat thing.”
MORE INFO
What: Voyager: A Tribute to Journey When: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, July 17 Where: Gaslight Music Hall, 13005 N. Oracle Road, Tucson Cost: $31 Info: gaslightmusichall.com
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