From being a homeless child on the streets of Manila, Arnel Pineda has now succeeded in becoming a rock-n-roll singer. Pineda has some large shoes to fill but has managed to grow as the new front man in the band, Journey. The documentary, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” introduces Pineda and tells his rags to riches story.
“Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” takes us from the park in Manila where Pineda used to sleep with other homeless children, to a stage where he uses his falsetto voice to entertain 80,000 fans a night. Pineda describes how he used to sing at local funerals to earn a couple of biscuits and a cup of coffee to survive.
Lead guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Neal Schon plucked Pineda from the thousands of singers on You Tube. Schon was on the lookout for a new lead singer to fill the part of former band member Steve Perry. Perry falsetto voice was the band’s signature sound. Perry departed years ago, leaving the band without the voice that led them to fame.
Schon decided to search for a new voice. Although a tremendously difficult task, Schon didn’t give up easily. After searching for what seemed like forever, Schon decided to try one more video. He found Pineda in a You Tube video, singing “Faithfully,” a Journey song from the 80s.
Pineda was the voice Schon had been searching for. The falsetto voice seemed so very familiar. He was the perfect replacement sound for Journey, with a profound similarity to Perry’s famous voice. Schon traveled to Manila where he located Pineda, living on the streets. The rest is history and is personally described by Pineda and the band members in “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey.”
Even viewers who aren’t Journey fans, the tale of Pineda’s experience is worth watching. Ramona S. Diaz takes us on the incredible journey of Arnel Pineda.
The journey begins on March 8, 2013 in theaters near you. “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” is worth a tub of popcorn and a movie ticket, if nothing else but to hear some great music.
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