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| Drummer Omar Hakim with Journey guitarist Neal Schon |
Journey have hired drummer Omar Hakim for their summer tour following the arrest of longtime member Deen Castronovo on domestic violence charges in Oregon on June 14.
The band issued the following statement:
“We Journey have made the decision to have Omar Hakim play drums for the band’s upcoming U.S. concerts (Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, June 20 and the Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah on Saturday, July 4), as well as the band's Canadian tour (July 6 – August 3), due to Deen Castronovo’s pending issues.
“We are very grateful to Omar filling in with his musical excellence.”
A multi-faceted drummer, Hakim has an extensive resume that includes stints with Weather Report and Sting, and session work with everyone from David Bowie and Dire Straits to Madonna, Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, among others.
Castronovo was arrested in Salem, Oregon after an early morning domestic dispute that saw the drummer charged with assault, coercion, and menacing; he was released on bail and a plea hearing has been scheduled for June 30.
It’s the second domestic violence incident involving Castronovo in recent years: he was also arrested in Oregon in 2012 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
The first incident saw the drummer charged with several crimes, including fourth-degree assault, resisting arrest, interfering with a police report and coercion.
Castronovo received a sentence of 80 hours of community service and was ordered to attend anger-management classes in the 2012 incident.
See also:
Journey drummer charged with domestic violence
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