This has been a tough year for former Journey drummer Deen Castronovo.
It actually started out on a high note with the release of the debut album by his side band Revolution Saints, a collaboration with Night Ranger’s Jack Blades and former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich, which was released in February. But things quickly turned dark for Castronovo, who was arrested in June and found himself facing a list of charges including rape, sexual abuse, and unlawful use of a weapon.
After his arrest and eventual indictment, he entered rehab and was later sentenced to four years of probation and has been undergoing domestic violence and drug counseling and working to maintain his sobriety since then.
As he told Ultimate Classic Rock during an interview on Monday (Nov. 2), keeping that sobriety intact is where he is focusing all of his energies.
“I’m not expecting to work for a while and if God opens that door, he’ll open that door,” he says. “But I’m definitely not ready and even if somebody asked me now, I wouldn’t do it. A year from now, I don’t think I would do it. I need some time. I don’t ever want to have this happen again, bro. I never want to do this to my band members, to any band member, any band, any friends of mine, any family — this is something that’s life or death and I really better take it seriously. Drumming right now is a beautiful thing that I love to do, but I’m not ready to put the shoes back on and play. I’m just not ready yet.”
